#brona
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In fiction, especially in fantasy stories, there are several ways in the universe past is treated.
It can be completely explained in detail from a starting point to "present" day, it can be shrouded in myth and legend, with what actually happened being very hard to piece together, like a song of ice and fire, or everything people thought they know about history turns out to be wrong, like the Stormlight Archives.
Dragon Age has elements of all 3, depending entirely upon which part of history we are talking about, and what characters.
However, onebrather unique way it handles this kind of writing is the Story of Andraste.
While the games, books or other media of Dragon Age always keeps the question of whether or not she really was divinely blessed, whether her maker was real or invented by her to justify her message, and whether this maker if he be real was actually the creator god of this universe or just a stupidly powerful spirit, deliberately vague and without an answer, in most other regards Dragon age takes the unconventional approach that it gives us a lot of the answers from day one during the trip through the Temple of Sacred Ashes, and only then has characters in-universe hotly debate the topic of her life, while we, the reader, sit with all the answers and can judge it for ourselves.
Maferath, Andraste's Husband
Maferath is treated astonishingly well by in universe historians considering how badly he fucked everything up.
This is the man who turned his wife over to the Tevinter Imperium in exchange for a poorly planned peace deal, and then rather than at least try to keep the nation him and his wife built together, divided it up amongst his sons, shattering any semblance of unity Andrastianism had after Andraste's death, and setting the stage for the dozen lesser states of modern Southern Thedas, the tyranny of the chantry, and the Tevinters continued existence.
And yet in universe historians try to rehabilitate them, the same way real historians try to rehabilitate objectively terrible monarchs like King John of England, or ancient massmurderers who they claim didn't really commit their murders despite all evidence to the contrary.
Maferath reason for turning over Andraste must have been because he thought their strategic position was terrible as a result of Andraste's actions, and so in the aftermath of Andraste's greatest victory, he made a deal to consolidate their gains, at the cost of his wife's life.
Nope, he did it because he was couldn't handle the fact that for all his military genius, it was Her who rallied the people together, it was her who everyone loved, and if total victory was achieved, it was no doubt going to be her who would get all the credit, while he would be a footnote.
And so he betrayed her to get her out of the way in a manner that would still allow him to become famous and celebrated, all the while making an absolutely terrible peace deal.
The fact was there was no such thing. There was no great plan. No idea of making himself into a target everyone of his own people could hate and rally against.
He was simply a terrible politician with a fragile ego, and a big complex about being seen as the best, biggest, and most impressive man around, who couldn't handle the fact his wife was more important than him, and so he threw everything away on a terrible peace deal, when his wife was at the tipping point of destroying the Tevinter Imperium, and forging a new super state composed of all her followers... And then he stupidly broke the empire apart so each of his sons could be king in their own right.
All so he could attempt to become bigger an more loved than Andraste, when it's very clear that she was the political brian in this union, and he an utter fool in anything that wasn't battle.
Shartan, Thane of all Elves
Shartan is speculated to be many things, his history is forgotten, buried, rewritten and so on.
Some historians try to say he never existed. Others that one, single elf could never have achieved so much success on his own, there must have been more than one man who took the name, a bunch of rebel leaders who created a legacy for themselves.
Some claim he was won over by andraste's charm and converted to the maker. Other's that he must have been Andraste's lover for her to favor him so.
In his death some say he was slain defending Andraste, others that he fought his way to her pyre and died there, while one claim that he died besides her at a pyre of his own is dismissed as obvious fiction.
The reality is that Shartan was indeed a man, did indeed rally the elves to Andraste's cause, but was never a true friend of Andraste. His and the Prophet's alliance was one of convinience, in his own words "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", and they did indeed have a shared enemy.
His motivation had nothing to do with the maker, and everything to do with his dream, his dream that his people would one day have a home of their own... But he was betrayed, just Andraste was.
And through the witness of the spirit carrying the memories of Hessarion's wicked and evil wife, we learn what became of Shartan. He and all of Andraste's Warleaders(Except for Maferath) was publicly executed by fire.
Shartan did indeed die on a pyre, right besides Andraste, but there was not sword of mercy for him. He died slowly, and painfully, and ultimately forgotten, just like the other warleaders.
Another soul lost to Maferath's betrayal.
Hessarion, The Lying Archon
Hessarion claims to have heard the will of the maker in Andraste's final moments, and used that as justification for his converting the entirety of his Imperium to the chant.
But this is a lie.
Whether he truly believed in the maker later in life, or not, Hessarion did not hear a voice from above telling him to kill Andraste. He did it for no other reason than that he could not bear to see the woman in pain and suffering, and so, acting on that impulse, he ended her life quickly and decisively rather than leave her in pain.
Hessarion built his ultimately doomed reforms of the Twvinter Imperium on complete lies about a holy vision from God. Whatever his intentions, it was built on a big, fat lie, not true, genuine belief in a higher calling.
Cathaire, the Witness
Historians claim that Andraste's miracle might not even have happened, that the Barbarian Queen merely took advantage of good fortune, but those who were there knew the truth.
For as the original Cathaire tells, the Barbarian Horde witness the fire of the sun coming doen to the Earth, scorching the land, inflicting such a destruction through fire and drought that the Imperium's entire harvest was gone, and so their armies could not march to fight Andraste's army.
And only then did the heavens open up, and create such a flood, that all that yet remained in the lands they passed were washed away like filth.
Whether it was though the will of God, her own incredible magic, or some mighty spirit's work, Andraste's miracles were real enough, and they brought her and her armies through to victory, all the way to the gates of Minrathous, where the betrayal from inside did what no Tevinter armies or spells could defeat.
Brona, the Seer and Mother
Much and more has been said of Andraste's visions, wheter they were real or not.
But what we do know, is that there was one close to her, who saw her future through the gift of magical and/or divine foresight.
Brona her mother, as her child slumvered beneath her heart, had a vision that told her of her daughter's life, and how it would end... Something she tried, and failed to stop.
The ability to divine the future is not unheard of in the Dragon Age universe, as shown with Flemeth, but as proven by Players chaoice in their actions, the future is rarely set firmly in stone.
Hawke will make the world shake before them... Provided of course they aren't killed fighting a Demon in the Fade.
Flemeth foresees her own death at the hands of the Warden, and takes steps to avoid it, but the Warden can choose to spare her life instead.
Compare the fickle, and uncertain nature of those predictions, with Brona's stonehard vision of her daughter's entire life from childhood to death, and it becomes clear that whatever force it was that defined Andraste's life, it was something with immense power, unlike mayhaps anything else seen in the series.
#dragon age#andraste#dragon age origins#hessarion#archon#shartan#maferath#brona#the maker#meta#historians#cathaire
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how do we feel about an 1800s (ish) old west story with a vampire still trying to get over losing the one she loved?
#sim edit#brona#after regal is officially over of course#gosh i've been putting off editing the last two posts of it because i just..... i don't know if i can accept that it'll be done lol#but i will finish it!#in the meantime i've beeen thinking about brona's story for a while now#very much contemplated not ever posting about it#i thought.... this one dies with me#but. i want her to find love again#i can't leave her to wither like she desires#she's has hundreds of years to dwell but no more!!!!#well.. if anyone is interested (^:#it would be a lot of work tbh#i've got to historical-ify chestnut ridge (whenever i decide to update) and download lots more cc and mods#which means i'd need to sort through regal mods and figure out what i want to bleed over#there's some hairs and dresses and possibly build/buy#anyways it's a lot of work but#let me know your thoughts
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As the sun rises they leave me. One at a time. Axe, Flint, Vega, Wren, Clovis, Amaranth, Drove, Pesse, Skelly, and finally Oisin. I said goodbye to Brona around sunset, when I began to prepare for the night's ritual reenactment of her sacrifice. But now the others have left too, and I am alone. My mind rings with the silence of their absence.
I felt the storm's approach in my spinal cord stimulator before I even really woke up yesterday morning, and I knew. The forecast had called for rain, but I could feel now that it would be the right kind of rain for The Fall.
I don't eat all day, drink only water. Then prepare for the vigil as the sun sets. The ritual bath first, then light the candles, lay out the offerings, and settle in for the night. As I feel Brona leave me I think on her death, relived and repeated every year, and her return, also repeated. I think of her willing sacrifice for her friends and family. Then I think of my own sacrifices, the ones I have already made and the ones I am prepared to make should the need arise.
Then my mind turned to remembering them. I whispered the names of the Forgotten Ones like a litany. I told their stories to the cold night air and the stars. If I speak of them to the world and weave their tales into the fabric of land where ever I go I pray I can keep them whole past my own lifetime.
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Thor #19 - "Deviant Life" (2000)
written by Dan Jurgens
art by MIchael Ryan, Klaus Janson, & Gregory Wright
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Brona's Book of Misthios
A giant of a woman. She has at least a foot on Kassandra in height, and nearly half again her weight.
I first met her while traveling the Spartian occupied Boeotia - The Cursed land of Oedipous. She wandered the roads waiting for a mark worthy of her attention. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. What made her the Misthios she was.
A quiet yet proud giant that did more good than bad. She helped women and children especially. Even I myself never felt fear in her presence. Not for violence towards me, nor any of my gender, save the one that was her prey.
I was glad the day she allowed us to talk her out of the hunt with a bag of coin. To let her go back to protecting women and children. Though Kassandra was able her heart was unwilling to fell the gentle giant. Full glad am I she chose a different path.
We broke our fast with Pleiades the next morning before parting ways.
(Brona is my OC - she is the daughter of a goddess, created to engender her mothers power, she is the riches of heaven made manifest. Kassandra finds her as captive of the Cult of Kosmos and frees her. Begining their travels together. She started to take note of those who shared Kassandra's profession, and what happened to them if they had the misfortune of crossing blades with her)
#misthios roster#rank 7#pleiades the enduring#odyssey#ac odyssey#misthios#Brona's book of Misthios#brona
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Second attack for ArtFight 2022.
Check it out on the AF site: https://artfight.net/attack/3023664.brona
https://artfight.net/~Eamy
The most dynamic lighting I’ve ever done successfully, I’m so fucking happy with this one!
(Like compared to last year’s ArtFight attacks with similar lighting effects, this one came out so much better and even though I haven’t been actively practicing lighting / shading, I’ve definitely improved in general and was able to use some of that skill in this piece.)
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PENNY DREADFUL costume appreciation: 5/∞
(costume design by Gabriella Pescucci)
#tvedit#pennydreadfuledit#periodedit#perioddramaedit#costumeedit#penny dreadful#brona croft#**#*gif#*penny dreadful#*pdcostumes
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PENNY DREADFUL (2014 - 2016)
S01E04 - Demimonde
#penny dreadful#pennydreadfuledit#pennydreadfulgif#billie piper#josh hartnett#ethan chandler#brona croft#tvgifs#filmtvdaily#televisiongifs#dailytelevision#oh i weept
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My Gillian and Doctor Who heart 😱😭💓
#gillian anderson#billie piper#wlw#lgbtqia+#scoop#movies#red carpet#doctor who#rose tyler#dana scully#stella gibson#brona croft
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If you're looking for a free funeral, you can go fuck yourself.
No way, nada, nein, nicht.
BRASSIC — 3.02
#brassic#brassicedit#tvedit#joe gilgun#joseph gilgun#vinnie o'neil#tadgh murphy#gary cullen#ryan sampson#michelle keegan#brona croft#joanna higson#giftag
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Poor Things 🤝 Penny Dreadful
Bella Baxter and Lily Frankenstein
Bella from the Poor Things book asserts that her husband fantasized her life story based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, so here we see quite a few similarities between her and a version of the monster's bride
fast learners; everyone just thinks they're dumb because apparently there's a belief that when you're resurrected you're supposed to be a clean slate
gaslit and gatekept, but still girlbossed
everybody in their milieux hates when they take full agency of the fact that they can be fierce and sexy and unhinged
forging their path from dying of grief to living unbound to it
both of them lost a child: one to their mother's death before they were born and the other to their mother being barred from coming home when she wanted to keep them warm
both of them don't necessarily hate men for starters and consider recommitting to a traditional relationship with a man but men really are like that, so ehh here we are
women's rights means understanding women's wrongs
in essence both of them, being white women living in Victorian England with extra add-ons, may stand for a feminism that hasn't discovered intersectionality just yet — a feminism raw and pale and inapplicable to more than just their own
all this being said, I think they could be friends
#poor things#penny dreadful#brona croft#lily frankenstein#bella baxter#alasdair gray#emma stone#billie piper
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anyone else never stopped thinking about that bit in the gauntlet where you speak to the spirit of andraste’s mother brona and she talks about andraste as a child she could not save
#brona of the ciriane i think of u#even if you did maybe kill your man’s woman on the side which is not ideal
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It was very kind of Brona to set up this alert system for when she wants my attention. Mushrooms in the Rosemary, the Mushroom Queen wants a word.
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Thor #19 - "Deviant Life" (2000)
written by Dan Jurgens
art by Michael Ryan, Klaus Janson, & Gregory Wright
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Rewatching Penny Dreadful finally and it's ridiculous how many little things per episode can make me internally crumple up into a ball of feelings or tear up. The way one of the nurses bends down and kisses Vanessa when she's unconscious and about to be lobotomized, because surely lots of people working in those places had compassion for the patients. When you see the huge volume of letters Vanessa has written to Mina in her loneliness and guilt that she'll never read. Brona curling up in the fetal position on a sidewalk as she has a bad coughing fit, alone after she just fought with Ethan and left him, and then him coming home the next morning as if nothing happened and just lying down and holding her and telling her he loves her. Sir Malcolm, after he just told her in the last episode he's fine with using her as bait and all, absolutely beaming when he sees Vanessa dressed to go out with Dorian and telling her she looks beautiful. “No one has taken my hand so tenderly in years.” The way all the guys again and again all come together because they especially care about Vanessa. The moment she sways like she's about to faint and Malcolm, Victor, and Ethan all three move at once to help her into a chair. Vanessa telling Caliban he has beautiful eyes. My show 😭😭😭
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