Just sticking this here to find it later; discord logs for plotting fic for the AU. Also a reminder that this is what you sign up for by adding me on Discord and actually talking to me about shit.
JaydenToday at 3:31 PM
‘Cause I’m thinking, like. It’d start a month or two after the play in which Celene, in canon, then decides to burn Halamshiral. Start with her PoV thinking back on the declaration and setting the scene
LeFoxToday at 3:32 PM
So starting with a flashback?
JaydenToday at 3:33 PM
yeah, that way I don’t have to actively write her whole downfall, but I can give enough information that people know what happened and where I’m diverging from That or do the flashback from Briala’s PoV because that’d be interesting but I feel like that should come later
LeFoxToday at 3:35 PM
Makes sense. o uo
JaydenToday at 3:37 PM
But that way Celene, Michel, and Briala are already together with the rebellion, get to toy with how Felassan does things, toy with how the Eluvians are found and used to help reclaim the Empire. I feel like it wouldn’t end until, like, WEWH? So that instead of Gaspard being the unruly party you’re fixing a different civil war. 'cept then I don’t think Gaspard would have thrown a ball But like, if I write it with Elgara she could be part of the rebellion, sent to the conclave to seek the Divine’s advice or help, end up Inquisitor and in an even better position to help Orlais Corypheus would have to have a slightly different plan for Gaspard than he did Celene tho
LeFoxToday at 3:41 PM
Gaspard may have thrown a ball because that’s just How Things Are Done In Orlais, but it would have been a much more restricted affair. Much more restrained. Also I dunno, I imagine “manipulate Gaspard’s sister into killing her brother and framing the Inquisition” makes sense as a plot.
JaydenToday at 3:43 PM
It does but I don’t know if that would get him Orlais. Like, wasn’t the point supposed to be get Gaspard in power and manipulate the throne through Florienne to help Corypheus? The the level of rebellion and chaos that an actual elven uprising would cause that plan would need at least a little tweaking
LeFoxToday at 3:43 PM
Oh no, the plan was chaos. Like.
JaydenToday at 3:44 PM
just chaos?
LeFoxToday at 3:44 PM
The plan was absolutely upheaval in Orlais - remember, the idea was to kill Celene and frame Gaspard for it.
JaydenToday at 3:44 PM
true. And said chaos could be means for Tevinter to come in and take
LeFoxToday at 3:44 PM
Leliana even points out that what Corypheus wants is chaos, because it means Orlais can’t effectively unite against him/Tevinter.
JaydenToday at 3:45 PM
so yeah, the same plan for chaos could still work, more so because there’s gonna be more chaos
LeFoxToday at 3:45 PM
Exactly. Reframe it as “Kill Gaspard and frame Celene for it,” and it still works.
JaydenToday at 3:46 PM
Or even just kill Gaspard. Like the nobles of Orlais aren’t gonna unite behind Celene after this even with Gaspard out of the picture and if Celene did assassinate the tyrant then the elves might be even more loyal to her and that could be unifying and stabilizing on that front
LeFoxToday at 3:49 PM
No, but the problem is that with Gaspard dead it won’t matter, the succession would fall back on Celene. Killing her ensures a) Florianne is technically the heir and b) no one can look to Celene to lead Orlais. BUT obviously we don’t want Celene dead for the purposes of the fic, but that would make the most sense as a plan of action
JaydenToday at 3:51 PM
So, in other words, the plot of WEWH could be a double assassination, is what you’re saying. And Elgara gets to choose if she’s saving Gaspard, Celene, both, or neither
LeFoxToday at 3:52 PM
Yeah. o uo
JaydenToday at 3:52 PM
So Elgara could, feasibly, let Gaspard die, let Celene back on the throne, and then it’s her and Briala working the shadows of Orlais
LeFoxToday at 3:56 PM
Yeah, though of course it would have to be very careful, because Celene’s rule will be even rockier than it is in canon.
JaydenToday at 3:56 PM
oh absolutely and even then it might not matter. Michel could never leave Celene’s side because she would constantly be at risk for assassination
LeFoxToday at 3:58 PM
Yeah. Yeah. …Lord, things will get messy if the truth about his past gets out, too.
JaydenToday at 3:59 PM
I figure the truth bout his past will be shared with Celene, Briala, Elgara, and Thren. But possibly not further than that. Definitely not to the human nobility
LeFoxToday at 4:00 PM
Definitely not
JaydenToday at 4:01 PM
But it could mean Michel comes to be at least a little proud of it instead of ashamed like he seems in TME
LeFoxToday at 4:01 PM
As he works to help the elves
JaydenToday at 4:04 PM
He and Celene get to actually spend time among the elves and realize that they are people who are struggling, Briala gets to really be confronted by the difference between “palace servant” and this and Elgara and Thren facilitate all of that by being born and raised in the slums and having gone two different directions with it Thren probably hates Elgara at first
LeFoxToday at 4:05 PM
Oh almost definitely There’s bitterness there
JaydenToday at 4:06 PM
She willingly became a noble’s pet I figure they’ll warm to each other, but Thren hates her at first. Elgara only gets as high in the rebellion as she does because of favor from Briala and Celene
LeFoxToday at 4:09 PM
Which… doesn’t do her a lot of favors, necessarily, but she proves her worth
JaydenToday at 4:09 PM
Yeah, she’s probably significantly doubted by a lot of the rebellion up to WEWH if not continuing after She keeps proving herself but it makes sense to doubt
LeFoxToday at 4:11 PM
Yeah. It’s kind of a question of how much of her rise is from favor and how much is merit, and everyone questions that.
JaydenToday at 4:11 PM
And yeah, her initial rise is probably mostly favor but it’s based on potential and she keeps proving that She doesn’t mind the doubt, really, she understands
LeFoxToday at 4:12 PM
Doubt keeps her grounded
JaydenToday at 4:12 PM
but Elgara’s one of the one that knows violence isn’t going to solve everything in the civil war and is quick to point out when violence isn’t the best solution. It’s why she gets sent to the Conclave She’s important enough to represent the rebellion but low enough that it can survive without her and civil enough to not get heated
LeFoxToday at 4:14 PM
And then she becomes Very Important
JaydenToday at 4:15 PM
she sides with the mages and then Rhys and Evangeline hear the rebellion is supporting mages and they come join Evangeline and Cole could come to warn Haven
LeFoxToday at 4:18 PM
I… hm. I dunno if Cole would be up to seeing them at that early a juncture?I feel like if they do join the Inquisition it’d have to be after it moves to Skyhold
JaydenToday at 4:19 PM
I mean, yeah, I more mean they could both come running about “Hey the Templars are gonna attack” because they could have been investigating that together. Send Rhys back to Orlais for the rebellion Or vice versa I feel like Rhys and Evangeline would be more help to the rebellion tho so they wouldn’t stay with the Inquisition(edited)just pop in once in a while with messages if they’re in the area
LeFoxToday at 4:22 PM
My main concern is that Cole might disappear if he sees them that early on
JaydenToday at 4:22 PM
I think it really depends on the circumstances, but that’s definitely a chance
LeFoxToday at 4:23 PM
He very strongly doesn’t want to see them again early on
JaydenToday at 4:25 PM
Could be Cole comes to warn and after the relocation Rhys and Evangeline are sent to Skyhold to make sure the rebellion knows where it is and make sure Elgara’s okay, relay information and then head on back. So Cole can hide easily from them and stay with the Inquisition
LeFoxToday at 4:26 PM
That might work
JaydenToday at 4:27 PM
eventually probably towards the end of Inquisition, Elgara might piece together the three know each other and ask Cole why he avoids them but there’s more important shit going on for a while
LeFoxToday at 4:29 PM
Yeah, early on it just slips through the cracks
JaydenToday at 4:31 PM
and it’s not exactly obvious that Cole is Hiding From These Two In Particular
LeFoxToday at 4:33 PM
Yeah, not right away.
JaydenToday at 4:35 PM
After the Inquisition Elgara would disband it and keep it just the inner circle and go back to Orlais and help keep Celene on the throne. Leliana as Divine and helping where she can It’d help that some of Leliana’s decrees match Celene’s decrees before she lost power initially well “help” Elgara’d be a rogue and bard in this AU but she’s a warrior and Champion in actual canon