#and how they exist only in memory

[greyeyedmonster-18]

(not to get personal on the main but—

thinking about how when people die, the first year of your life literally sucks and every conversation you have, you cant help but to bring them up.

“the weather, its raining”

“he loved the rain”

and year two sucks too. maybe year three is a little bit better and then four and five and six roll by

and you stop bringing them up in casual conversation.

you no longer think of them when the wind blows or when theres ice cream cake at the grocery store—instead they shift to being thought about on special occassions. birthdays, anniversarys, christmas—

theres still a seat for him at the table

light a candle for her, smile out at the sunset

seven, eight

and suddenly you have new people and youre in a new stage of your life and you havent mentioned them once.

it comes up finally and they gasp

“oh im sorry i didnt know”

and you realized you had never mentioned it.)

[nicollekidman]

acting like markhellyna and markgemma are in any way in competition with one another is so fucking funny like for one thing she is dead. and for another we literally don't know anything about her. and for a third what show do you think you're watching.

[mollysunder]

Sky and Orianna really are two sides of the same coin. Sky's a woman who's life was portrayed as completely expendable to the ones closest to her (Viktor and Jayce, don't even get me started on thag time travel stuff). Meanwhile, Orianna is the girl that her father would doom the world and all it's inhabitants to save.

And in no way are their stories actually about them in any shape or form. Their existence is a statement on the character of the men around them. Frankly you could argue that both Sky and Orianna are rendered inhuman by Viktor and Singed respectively, is an extension of how they've been objectified in the story.

[firestorm09890]

Do you ever think about how one of the most emphasized elements of Zexion's character is that he does NOT like doing things himself? Multiple journal entries and multiple moments in Chain of Memories to let us know that he can and will make someone else do things he doesn't want to deal with. And then he goes to try to take out Riku by himself.

It could have been pride, and I bet a little of it was that. Zexion is displayed with a lot of it- Riku not dying when Zexion expected sent him into an entire breakdown. He might have thought there was no way he could have failed.

But Zexion also shows that he knows when to retreat and, crucially, here's where the first point comes in- he does not like proving himself. That's Vexen (and Zexion knows it and manipulates it to get Vexen to do certain things for him).

The Chain of Memories journal entry says Zexion was forced into action thanks to the demise of Vexen and Lexaeus, but... no he wasn't. Riku didn't know he existed and everyone else was off the radar, he wasn't in active danger. It would have been so easy and the smart decision to retreat and regroup, and I think Zexion has a certain balance of obedience and self-assuredness that would have allowed him to go back to the Castle expecting Xemnas to understand why he retreated. The operation is in shambles. It's only Zexion and Axel left, Sora's disappeared, Naminé's run off, and Riku and Repliku are still fucking around upstairs. He could try to salvage what he could and take out Riku, or he could leave Oblivion in tatters like Axel was clearly going to and make someone else deal with it (tbh because of how things played out I actually think Riku would have been worse off without Zexion doing what he did. that dire moment is when Riku had his breakthrough moment). I think the latter option would have been more in character-

IF NOT FOR THE FACT THAT AS FAR AS ZEXION WAS AWARE, RIKU WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED LEXAEUS

We don't even know how Zexion "felt" about Lexaeus's death since Axel came in like immediately and Zexion refuses to let his peers know he has facial expressions and honestly an analysis of Zexion and Lexaeus's relationship would be too long but Lexaeus cares about him and in some strange way, Zexion cares back. And Lexaeus lost. And Riku was the one who did it. And... was the level of psychological torment Zexion put Riku through really necessary for killing him?

The most fucked up thing about this interpretation is that it means Zexion's final decisions were guided not just by emotion, but by emotion felt for someone else. and it killed him

[random-autie-fangirl]

Chara: I'm wanting everything to end instantly

Asriel: And I'm wanting to go on unchanging forever

🔥🔥🔥THE BEEF WITH LINEAR TIME SIBLINGS🔥🔥🔥

[vaguely-concerned]

I don't know what I love more, the fact that as rook you can make a statement in NO uncertain terms that you are NOT responsible one way or the other for the theological implications of the shit you're discovering in the 'regrets of the dread wolf' memories. not my jurisdiction. quite simply none of my business. not my chantry circus not my chantry monkeys. irrelevant to the matter at hand here we'll kill that god if we get to him he can get in line. or if the best thing about it is seeing the lone little 'lucanis approves' that pops up right after choosing it. corvid with a knife about to commit deicide keeping it real and sensibly, pragmatically, wilfully agnostic with me here in this magical lighthouse today

[mewkwota]

Re:Initialization

So while I had joked lightly that in NxC both Volnutt and Juno are experiencing amnesia, I think I figured out how the latter ended up with it. It's implied that the Legends characters are from some point after the end of the first game, and that Meio brought back Juno somehow. Even if we were to assume some traces of Juno's data made it to Eden, his body was still destroyed. So it's possible this lead to some complications in putting him back together.

Does that sound familiar?

This all started because I wanted to do better in drawing Juno's sleeping face and it kinda spiraled from there. I won't apologize.

[fisheito]

Game: here are some cool new features to make ur homescreen more customisable!! Have more of that You flavour!!

Me: All i need is his smile

[xxplastic-cubexx]

every day i think of xmen evolution wanda and everyday i wonder if- while she does have the fake happy memories with magneto- how does she actually FEEL about him when he's brought up or she thinks about him

is there just this underlying anger/rage but she cant ever place why so she ignores it ....... does she just feel numb ....

[deathandnonexistentialdread]

is the concept of Cubic Monsters connected to the Aigami's idea of dimensional superiority?

[deathgamegirl]

my name is... it's...

...

[superconductivebean]

#1650

what sort of a bullshite fantasy could an author write if they despise magic and think it is not real. it is absolutely real. math is real, and math is magic, as nobody is able to comprehend where has it come from or why. communication at our levels is magic. or lives are, too.

magic is how we explain the existing but inexplicable things.

this silly explanation gets our consciousness a well-deserved rest even if and when it wants to understand why are were not what are we (which it can study but still wont be able to answer, why)

understanding magic as a whoosh at the table in lieu of that, for it to appear a dinner is…

an understanding a fantasy author cannot afford really.

the author of a fantasy book must know realities of life in order to write fantasy—whilst they know whooshes aren't possible, the feel of the perception of magic definitely is present in all of us. denying that very much real, existing, lively feeling is a full equal of denying the existence of the trans folk or the intersex folk or asexual folk— any folk that cannot be comprehended by a small, isolated, poor brain.

a poor brain is prone to delusions. it wants to challenge the universe that somehow created so much forms of life on a single planet for unfathomable number of billions of years. it yells at a cloud that has seen civilisations fall and the birth of this planet for making it see incomprehensible people and to feel something it cant understand.

frankly i do not know why jкr is like this. she is a living rot of a human being: unempathetic twatwaffle who does not deserve a single cent or respect even for being another human. there are things that make people fall so low; to me, it's when they are this senile, and you might already know the next word i want to say about them: you give them a forever rest.

yet i think ignoring her is not a solution. she's a not a small figurine; she's a titan, and titans are fought to death, not left unseen in the dark; it is what i meant by the 'forever rest', however, i do not mean death as the one and only solution. i meant, 'so irrelevant that she is as good as dead'.

how does one achieve this? aggressive economic reforms, i suppose. social policies will follow suit, and as it's economically more viable to have less pointlessly gendered world, jкr and her cronies wouldn't have much of a footing any longer when that inadvertently and inevitably happens.

[canisalbus]

How do you find pose references for all those gorgeous and cute and aaaaaaa drawings. H o w. Where. (<-from someone struggling to draw characters interacting)

(if you don't use references, take it as a compliment to your godly anatomy and posing skills)

I don't really use references for poses that much. I'm not sure how to explain this without sounding weird but when I'm about to draw something, I visualize it in my mind, and when it's character art I sort of see them as 3D models that can be posed and rotated. And I just sort of try to replicate that on paper, sometimes it's easy and sometimes it doesn't work out at all (a good reminder that when you browse someone's art, you usually only see the pieces that the artist is at least passably proud of, not the piles of failed projects that went nowhere).

[feedingicetothedog]

one of the many things that pisses me off about the talamasca website thing is that they somehow don’t have a birthday for daniel, a famous author/journalist who would absolutely have a wikipedia page at the very least, but they gave claudia, a character whose lack of biographical info is crucial to her character bc her past was essentially disregarded by lestat and louis in order to more completely slot her into the role of their daughter, a canon birthday that’s not actually her birthday and it’s so important that it’s not her birthday

[blueesnow]

(10/10) Epic of Salvation - LE Event Story Translation (UR Tokiya, SR Cecil)

Synopsis: ...Once upon a time, there was a war between humans and demons in the world, and the human fought them off with the "power" that was bestowed upon them by heaven. However now that time has passed, the "power" somehow begin to faded away—A royal fantasy drama passionately performed by Tokiya and Cecil is about to start!

Ch 1:

Tokiya: …~♪ Phew. I wonder if the prayer that I put into the song finally reached someone. Tokiya: (Hm? That sound just now… don't tell me an intruder? …No, the castle's security should be well-guarded) Tokiya: Who's there? Quietly show yourself. Tokiya: Wha… A woman…inside a light? You, are you okay? Tokiya: Oh, you wake up, thank goodness. …You don't seem to be injured. Here take my hand, can you get up? Tokiya: Well then… let me ask you once again. Who are you, and how did you end up lying here. Besides what exactly is those light… Tokiya: …Oi, why didn't you say anything. You could at the very least give me a name… Tokiya: You know nothing? You don't have any memory, you said? Tokiya: …Looks like you're not lying. I do want to trust you but… Tokiya: What's the matter? If you can somehow remember something, no matter how little it is… Tokiya: …You heard a song, you said? Tokiya: You were being led by a singing voice, and that's why you're here. …. Tokiya: (If what she said was the truth, then it matched up with what the legend says. It would also fill up the reason as to why she suddenly appeared too) Tokiya: (And yet that mysterious light just now… Don't tell me, she's actually…) Tokiya: (…No, it's too early to jump to conclusion. Let's wait for a while and see the situation. Besides my song is just a song after all) Tokiya: Hm? Oh… The one who sang just now was me. Tokiya: … I-I see. I'm grateful to hear a compliment from you. Tokiya: It's getting late now. I'll show you around the castle. If you have an amnesia, you probably don't have anywhere to go to, right. Tokiya: You don't need to hold back. Besides I'd feel bad leaving you out here alone in the night. ….Ah, right, I haven't introduce myself, didn't I. Tokiya: My name is Tokiya. I'm the prince of this country.

Ch 2：

-Edelduhr* Castle's Lakeside- Vassal: Prince Tokiya, so this is where you have been. I've brought the person from yesterday. Tokiya: Oh, good work. …Well then, did you sleep well yesterday? …That's good. Tokiya: Let me introduce myself once again. I'm… the prince of this country, Edelduhr Empire, Tokiya. Vassal: Tokiya-sama is the "third prince" of a noble imperial blood. Please be careful as to not be disrespectful toward him. Tokiya: …Cough. You can return now and continue with your duties. Tokiya: …Although it's only been a night, how's your condition. Did you remember something…? Tokiya: Though it's not like it'll be that easy to recover them huh. Sorry, you can forget about that just now. Tokiya: …What's with that look on your face. Is it so surprising that I'd believe in your story? Tokiya: It's true that I was a bit skeptical of it at first, but… I do have a few things in mind regarding you. Tokiya: …Or what, are you telling me that your true identity was actually an assassin targeting a royal family? Tokiya: …I was just kidding. You don't have to deny it so seriously. Tokiya: I don't sense any hostility or malice from you. I have an ability to discern whether someone is a threat or not after all. Tokiya: …It's not something to be praised for. I've just been trained like this since I was a child. Tokiya: It's a skill that you should have in order to protect yourself. …Especially, for someone like me. Tokiya: …Hm? Oh no, it's nothing. Anyway, I have a suggestion for you. Tokiya: Why don't you live here in the castle and be my caretaker for a while? Tokiya: This is the place where all kinds of information gathered here. Maybe one of them might be related to your memories. Tokiya: It might be much more efficient than just randomly searching for clues, right? So, how about it? Tokiya: …All right, well then I'm going to make an arrangements to welcome you. You don't need to thank me. Tokiya: If there's anyone who lost their way, I will lend them a hand. That's what you should do as someone who was born to lead their people.

*: I'm translating it as Edelduhr's Empire for now. The jp name was エーデルドゥール and you can read it as ēderudo~ūru in romaji.

Ch 3 :

-A few days later- Cecil: So Tokiya, where is she right now? Tokiya: Wait for a moment. She'll come soon… Oh, look there she is. We're right here. Cecil: Oh, so you're that rumoured "Messiah"! I've been wanting to meet you. Cecil: As I thought, you're such a wonderful person. She looks as if she's a goddess herself. Tokiya: Hey Cecil, look you're bothering her. …I'm sorry for surprising you. Tokiya: This person is a prince from a neighbour country called "Forsden* Kingdom", Cecil. Our country are on good terms with each other. Cecil: Nice to meet you, I'm Cecil. I'm the 3rd prince just like Tokiya, I hope we can get along well. Tokiya: Why you… This is your first time meeting her, so why don't you be a little bit more polite— Cecil: I've heard from Tokiya. You were attracted by his singing voice and that's how you came to this country, right? Cecil: To think that the legendary "Messiah" herself has appeared right before my eyes. It's very assuring to know. Cecil: Eh…you never heard of this story before? Tokiya, you didn't tell her? Tokiya: …I have no proof that she is what we're talking about. Besides I didn't think it was the time to talk about it yet. Cecil: But, she appeared right on this lakedise, didn't she? Isn't that literally matched with what the legend of Edelduhr says? Tokiya: It would be rash to judge based on the current situation alone. I can't be sure until I actually see the Messiah's "power" within my own eyes. Tokiya: And most importantly, she has lost her memory. Talking about it like this will only make her more confused. Cecil: Oh, so that's what it is. It seems like Tokiya really care about you. He may look grumpy, but deep down he's kindhearted. Tokiya: Don't you make fun of me. ….But well, I can't keep quiet about it forever, can I. Tokiya: It might be quite an ambiguous story and it may also be a burden toward you…but even so, would you like to listen to it? Tokiya: …Thank you. First, let me explain the situation of our country right from the very beginning.

*: Same with before, I've just translate this one as Forsden (the same as mtl). The jp name was フォ��スデン and you can read it as forusuden in romaji.

Ch 4:

Tokiya: A long time ago, there were frequent wars that happened between humans and demons in the world. Tokiya: The demons have an overwhelming physical capabilities, and we as humans are no match for them in a proper fight. It was even impossible to communicate with them. Tokiya: However, there were some people who bravely stood up against them. Those people are the one who held special "powers" in their hands. Cecil: For example, some people could freely control the wind at will. While the others could create fire and water, or even heal an injury. Cecil: …And like this the "power" that people can use varies from one and another. Tokiya: People worshipped this "power" that exceeded human knowledge as a gift from the heaven, and those who defeated the demons became heroes. Tokiya: Eventually, they created their own countries, thus establishing the world as we know it today. Cecil: Among the several countries that were formed, Tokiya's country, Edelduhr in particular gathered a lot of people with special "powers". Cecil: As a country that was deeply influenced by the breath of God, it had become a great empire that reigned at the center of the world. Tokiya: …That was once in the past. As time passes the world will change as well. Tokiya: The "power" that was once abundant in the world a long time ago has faded with the passage of time and become a rare commodity. Tokiya: Nowadays, the only people who have "power" are the imperial family, a few members of the aristocracy, and a handful of ordinary people. Tokiya: …Me? No, I'm just a normal human with nothing in my hands. Cecil: I'm also the same as Tokiya. I'm supposed to be a member of the royal family, but I can't even use those "power". Cecil: Even though our older brothers already have impressive "power" in their hands. Tokiya: … Tokiya: …However, recently there have been incidents happened that indicate the resurrection of the demons. Tokiya: There are only faint signs for now, but it won't be long before a conflict breaks out once again. Cecil: Even if we were to try to defeat them again, there are only a few of us who can use "power". There is a huge difference in　strength between now and the past. Cecil: But at that time you… the Messiah appeared.

Ch 5:

Cecil: There's a legend that has been passed down since a long time ago in Edelduhr Empire. Cecil: When the world faces the demons once again, offer a song from the bottom of your heart to the lake in front of the castle. Cecil: And the Messiah of this world shall appear and destroy those demons… Cecil: Look, it's literally the same situation as when you first showed up, right? We've been looking forward for your arrival. Tokiya: I told you before that it hasn't been decided yet, right,　Cecil. And besides we don't even know whether the legend itself is true in the first place. Tokiya: It could just be a rumor that was started by someone who was worried and wanted to ease their minds, and naturally those story just grew bigger and bigger on its own. Cecil: You're as serious as always, aren't you, Tokiya. Tokiya: …It's not like I'm completely denying it. I'd be happy too to know if the Messiah herself has finally appeared. Cecil: I know. I think it's the right thing to do to be cautious about information. Cecil: But I can't help but feel hopeful when she finally appeared as if she had sensed our crisis. Cecil: Even though we keep losing our "power", we can still fight against the demons. I can't help but think that this is such a good omen. Tokiya: …Only time will tell if the legend is true or not. Tokiya: Anyway, we just have to do whatever we can for now. Cecil: …That's right. We'll definitely have to fight the demons sooner or later. We need to prepare for that time. Tokiya: …Don't you worry. We're not going to stand by without doing anything. Tokiya: Right now my country and Cecil's country are working together to strengthen the vigilance of the surrounding areas. Tokiya: We're sending out scouts to gather information in various places, so if anything happens we'll be notified right away. Cecil: Our older brothers are also leaving to a neighbouring country to gain more allies. Cecil: I'm sure they'll be back bringing good news with them. Tokiya: ….Right. ….

Ch 6:

Tokiya: … Tokiya: Who's there? Oh… it's you. What is it, you can't sleep? Tokiya: …Not really, I'm not particularly feeling down or anything. There's nothing for you to worry about. Tokiya: Don't mind me and go back inside. …I told you before it's nothing, okay. Tokiya: …You're more stubborn than I thought. Tokiya: What I'm about to say now is just a trivial monologue. If you want to listen, feel free to do so. Tokiya: Even though I'm of an imperial blood, I wasn't blessed with "power" unlike my older brothers. Tokiya: Ever since I was a child I used to think that my fate was cursed. But even if I lament on it, God won't show me mercy. Tokiya: Once I realized that, I devoted myself to improve my swordsmanship. Tokiya: Even though it may be quite an insignificant power that can't even become real, I couldn't help but do something. Tokiya: …When the signs of the demons' revival finally showed up, I actually volunteered to be a scout. But I wasn't allowed to. Tokiya: I guess the Emperor and my brothers probably don't have any expectations for someone who doesn't have "power" to begin with. Tokiya: No…they probably already aware of it. In the first place I actually prefer music rather than swordsmanship. Tokiya: It was also the same on the day you appeared too. I was actually there singing to vent all of my feelings. Tokiya: I guess it's natural to be disappointed. No matter how much you sincerely love singing, a song like that is useless. Tokiya: There's no way someone like me could summon the Messiah here… Tokiya: …. The song, was my power…you said? Tokiya: I've never thought of that before… But, if that is true…then… Vassal 1: Pardon my intrusion! A group of demons has been spotted in the east. The Emperor has ordered you to attend the meeting immediately. Tokiya: …! The time has finally come, huh.

Ch 7:

Tokiya: One of you come with me. The other will escort her to her room. Tokiya: …You don't have to worry about anything. Now, let's go. Vassal 2: —That's the end of the status report. The demons are expected to arrive near the border tomorrow. Tokiya: (They're moving faster than I thought. I'm going to plead with my father to let me fight on the front lines as well.) Tokiya: (If what she said was true, that I too have my own "power"…then I might be able to fulfill my duties as a member of the imperial family.) - Tokiya: Brave soldiers of our country and our allies! All of you are gathered here together in response to the Emperor's orders. Tokiya: As someone who has been entrusted with commanding the front lines, I would like to express my gratitude from the bottom of my heart. I'm proud of all of your courageous will for standing here. Cecil: Let's face this battle with unyielding courage. If our thoughts are becoming one, then there's no need to fear the threat of the demons. Tokiya: The only thing that lies ahead of us is victory. Let's move forward together to a bright future! Tokiya: We will now begin the ceremony before we march to the battlefield. Let's turn our vow of victory into a song and dedicate it to everyone. Tokiya: ～♪ Tokiya: … Cecil: (What is this light…? It's like power keeps coming out from inside his body) Cecil: (Somehow I feel like I won't lose to any enemy right now. …I see, so this is Tokiya's "power"…) Tokiya: Glory to our homeland "Edelduhr Empire" and also to our ally "Forsden Kingdom"! Tokiya: …I'm convinced now. It seems like my song has the power to increase our ability to fight against the demons. Tokiya: To think that I can also fulfill my duties on the battlefield. It was thanks to you to made me realize this, thank you. Tokiya: (This light…! The "power" became much more stronger from where I touched her hand…) Tokiya: (Don't tell me, this is her… the Messiah's power…!?) Tokiya: In my name, I beg of you. Would you please lend me your power to save this country?

Ch 8:

-Wilderness- Tokiya: Thank you for coming here with us. Don't you dare leave my side, okay. Tokiya: …The demons have already begun their invasion. The situation is not good, and our forces are overwhelmingly at a disadvantage. Tokiya: But there's no need to be afraid. As long as you were here, there's no way we're going to lose. Tokiya: Everyone, prepare your swords! Now it's time to attack! Tokiya: Here we go! …Haa! - Tokiya: *pant* Just how many of them are there exactly? They keep coming out one after another. Tokiya: Although everyone is trying their best, there's just no end to it. If it continues like this… Tokiya: …! You, stand behind me! Tokiya: Urgh… Such strength…! Tokiya: (At this rate, I'm going to lose. I have to at least protect her…!) Tokiya: (This light… it's from her "power"! …That's right, this is no time to be getting weak.) Tokiya: There's no way I'm going to fall down on my knees in a place like this. …Haa! Tokiya: …Even though I was supposed to be the one protecting you, I ended up getting helped instead. Even so, what a mysterious "power" that was. Tokiya: Not only just my physical strength, but I also feel like I'm getting much more stronger mentally as well. Thanks to it, I'm fully awake now. Tokiya: (I'm the prince. To all the people who are waiting for victory, the soldiers who fight alongside me, and also her… I'll make sure to definitely protect them all.) Tokiya: I won't let you lay even a finger on the people that I care about. …Haaa! Tokiya: Everyone, don't give up just yet! Look beyond the hill, the enemy numbers are definitely decreasing. Tokiya: Hold your pride in your heart and swing your sword. Protect those you love with your hands. Tokiya: I'll lead the way. Come and follow me, my dear soldiers. Tokiya: We will definitely win this war and take the first step towards peace!

Ch 9:

-Edelduhr Castle's Lakeside- Tokiya: …Thank god we made it back safely. I'm glad that I was able to report the victory to the Emperor. Cecil: We were also very grateful to you as well. You were one of the heroes who contributed to the victory without any problems after all. Tokiya: That's right. But I remember you looked like a borrowed cat* during the audience. Weren't you more nervous at that time than when you were on the battlefield? Tokiya: …What you were thinking soon appeared on your face. I'll never get bored watching it. Cecil: What is it, looks like you two seems to be getting along well just now. Getting ahead yourself is unfair y'know, Tokiya. Cecil: To think that he finally awakened a wonderful "power", leaving me, his best friend, behind all alone. Tokiya: Actually I still can't believe that as well. Tokiya: If it's not for that "power" of song, this victory might not have happened. Cecil: Yeah, that was really amazing. But that wasn't the only reason why we win, right? Cecil: Tokiya has also honed his swordsmanship. And your subordinates know as well that you work much more harder than anyone else. Cecil: It was because of Tokiya that was leading the way that everyone was able to perform beyond their capabilities. Tokiya: …I am very grateful to those who believed in me and followed me. Tokiya: But even if you say that, you also took part in the victory, aren't you? You led the reinforcements into the battle after all. Cecil: Tokiya… Tokiya: Thanks to Cecil's army's surprise attack on the back, the enemy's formation was thrown into disarray. Tokiya: It was precisely because our forces were dispersed that our army was able to attack all at once. Cecil: …That's right. If even one of them had been missing, we might have succumbed to the momentum of the demons. Cecil: This victory was achieved thanks to everyone. Of course, that also includes you too. Tokiya: Yeah. Your presence became our hope. Not only did you give us "power", but you also saved our hearts as well. Tokiya: I'm really glad that I met you. …Thank you.

*: It's a Japanese phrase 借りてきた猫 and is used to refer to situation in which someone acts all quiet and meek (in contrast of their usual behaviour) due to nervousness and/or shyness when they are in an unfamiliar environment.

Ch 10:

Cecil: Hmm, what a nice breeze. It's hard to believe that we were fighting the demons just a little while ago. Cecil: Oh, look. There are birds playing on the lake. They're so cute. Tokiya: What are you being so carefree about… You don't think the war is over yet, do you? Cecil: I know that. This time, we may have only temporarily repelled the enemy. Cecil: Although we were able to reduce the enemy's strength a little, the demons will surely attack once again. Tokiya: Yeah. There's no time to bask in the afterglow of victory. Tokiya: We need to quickly gather forces to be our allies as soon as possible…such as people who possess "power" from each country. Cecil: We should also investigate as to why the demons are being resurrected now. Cecil: If we don't remove the source of the problem, the same thing will happen all over again. Tokiya: …Looks like we need to work together with our brothers to gather information. Tokiya: They're in another country right now, but they'll be returning soon. Since you're the Messiah, I must also introduce you to them. Cecil: If it's like that, then why don't we introduce her to the whole world? Cecil: The fact that the Messiah has appeared will be a ray of hope for everyone. It will also help to unify and bring people together. Tokiya: I have no objections. …Though I'm a little bit hesitant about it. Cecil: Fufu. Don't tell me you don't like it that she'll soon become popular? Tokiya: That's not it. It's just that I thought she might be in trouble if we suddenly drew attention to her. Cecil: If you keep acting like that, someone else might take her away from you y'know? Like me, for example. Tokiya: I told you before it's not like that… You know what, this conversation is over. Tokiya: I would like to thank you once again. I am truly grateful that you were willing to fought alongside us despite the danger. Tokiya: We need your help in order to restore new peace. Please continue to be our goddess of hope.

[iniziare]

Some 'randomized' Solas tidbits, some of these are things in DATV that I default to (though I will change as to accommodate decisions made from the Rooks I will write with within reason: example being that I'm not open to all endings), and others are just random thoughts I wanted to touch on. Ah, sometimes I get a little sad that I need to put all of this under a read more, but I don't want to spoil anything for people. Here we go!

— The ending. As a writer of Solas, I can't do anything other than default to the 'best' ending, which includes Solavellan, and the choice to use Mythal's essence. Which is not to say that I will force Solavellan onto everyone, and it actually is not even the main reason as to why I choose it (though my heart does, every time) as my default. It's simply that the inclusion of Mythal is incredibly fundamental to him being able to atone for his 'sins', that you will have to bribe me with kilograms of chocolate to have me waver from it. I can and will do it if you insist, but then it is important that you know that he can not, and will never properly 'atone'. No other ending will get Solas to that state of mind, and 'insisting' on it as you see in the 'bad' (/worst) ending will simply fetch the intense reaction you would expect from going so firmly against the embodiment of pride, rather than wisdom (I'll write a separate post on how this works in a bit, and link it here for reference.)

— Solavellan. On that note, yes, I'm an intense Solavellan shipper, and the ending that includes her is, in my opinion, most fitting to his character, and is the one that I choose as, shall we say, 'my canon'. I will not force this decision on anyone, but in threads with others where Lavellan is mentioned, unless we've decided differently in our plotting, I will default to it in the same way that Bioware has decided to do with Veilguard's release. It's simple: Solas has, does, and will always hold feelings of great love for her.

— Emotive expression. It is noted that spirits feel incredibly deeply, and we notice this from Solas as soon as the second regret memory where we hear him speak to Mythal. He speaks softly, and earnestly, he reaches out to grasp, to touch, and you hear a deep sense of something akin to defeat in his voice when she refuses his offer, and him. Of course, this is emphasized even more by the memory of him as a spirit of wisdom. It is for this reason, that it's important to note that the best way for this to manifest in mortal form, is through artistic expression, and that it wasn't only specific to the timeline of Inquisition. The music room is a treasure trove to me, and through the note that we find there, we know that it was a spot of great importance to Solas himself, and that memories held therein are precious to him. I will go into details in a separate post for it as well, but it's not just the musical instruments that are important in here, but the mural plays an equal part. Did you see it? The mural that holds the symbol of the Inquisition? Not only does this tell me rather firmly that Solas returned to the lighthouse at some point after the events of Inquisition, but it isn't just any Inquisition insignia. No, if you look closely, and remember: it's a recreation of Solas' frescoes from his rotunda in Skyhold. Not only that, but it is in the place that serves as something akin to a museum or memorial to his regrets. Go ahead, tell me what that says to you, and how much it breaks your heart. Any way, back to the... original purpose of this bullet point: Solas' way to cope, or his way of expressing his emotions, is through the stroke of a brush (Spotify decided to ruin me at the worst of moments:"If I sway my brush, will I capture thee?') a chord engulfed by silence, or writings to parchment, but is not relegated to just these things.

— His connection to Mythal. This is an incredibly complex and very nuanced topic that I will be going into on a regular basis on this blog. I will never say that Mythal should be glorified, or forgiven (I'd say the opposite), but what I think doesn't matter, for what matters on this blog is what Solas thought, and thinks. Sifting through Morrigan's reaction to being asked to talking about them and having such a deep reaction to it, to the conversation that Rook had with the potentially 'oldest' and least 'evolved' (and so the closest to what Solas once knew) fragment of Mythal, I can't say that they are not complicated. From 'What should I have done when Solas turned against me after all we had been to one another?' to 'Can you even understand what it is to battle with someone and love them even still? That is what Solas and I are to one another.' To Morrigan's 'Yet Solas was once beloved of Mythal.' And finally, the note found in the music room. And those lines? They are from the side that I think is much more complicated than the other. Regardless of how it came to be, I think that the nature of Solas' intense emotional (as I elaborated on in the previous point) perspective of Mythal is undeniable, and it served as the driving force for everything that he committed himself to doing, including going against his nature as a spirit of Wisdom over, and over, and over. And yet, with each day that passes, I think that the nuance is much deeper than I first thought on day one of finishing Veilguard. Mythal did terrible things, but it's paramount to remember what Solas, himself, was like and still is, because a lot of answers can be found in that. I'm sorry, perhaps not everyone will like my future analyses of this despite the fact that I am very far from a Mythal apologist, and never will be, but I insist on critical thought and nuance when I seek answers. And yes, I think that all of this only empowers Solavellan.

— Fade Prison. 'Regret, like all emotions, is a powerful thing. (...) Regret is even strong enough to serve as the lock on a prison built to hold gods'. It is, in fact, a prison of regret. And for it to be able to hold Rook captive instead of Solas so that the latter could escape it, Rook's regret, for that moment in time, had to outweigh Solas' own. But by that same token, I raise a different, and very important topic: Varric. 'When you disrupted my ritual, the magical energies pulled me here, into the Fade.' Focus on the words, he got 'pulled into' the Fade, unintended, not of his own accord. Now, as of the moment that the struggle between Varric and Solas comes to an end, which leaves the former stabbed, over twenty to twenty-five seconds pass during which Solas could have gotten 'pulled into the Fade' and yet was not. So I ask: why not? If it is, as he says, a prison of which the lock is held by the intensity of one's regret(s), then I think that it can only mean one thing. Now, if you let the scene play out, you notice one thing, and that's that Solas is only pulled into the prison, directly after Varric actually dies (which Solas is turned towards, and thus witnesses). To me, it's always been clear that Solas created, and fostered bonds within his time in the Inquisition, but I think that this moment is proper evidence of that. He who called him 'Chuckles' wasn't just an ally, but he was someone that Solas regarded fondly enough, that witnessing (and being ultimately responsible for) his death, was ultimately the pivotal thing that the prison needed, and used, to pull him in to it, which in turn set loose both Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain.