#me: writes sfm meta instead

[broodwolf221]

was talking about thedosian politics with some of my friends and ofc it got me thinking about my read on them, so here's my take on orlais note that this will be mostly dai-based bc that's the game i remember best, altho i've played them all, and will have nothing to do with any other da media

orlais

at its heart, orlais is about performance. nothing is sincere or straightforward - and that's by design. during wicked eyes wicked hearts (WEWH), in the winter palace, the practice is explained of hosting exuberant parties for grim/challenging events and somber ones for joyous events. explained in canon, it's about remembering the other half of the coin, but in practice, it's also about how well individuals and groups can perform.

WEWH is superficially a fun masquerade ball. but in reality, it's an effort to stop a devastating civil war, and a lot of the people attending have family caught up in the war. the people are not happy. i mean, yes, sure, some of them probably are, but many are not. they are performing happiness.

taken beyond the court, i think this performance can be seen in a lot of orlesian culture. there's always the excess. the grandeur. the respect and the poise and the self-control. self-expression appears to be conducted through a series of maneuvers and oblique references. it would not surprise me if straightforward expression was seen as tactless and perhaps a "lower-class" behavior - the kind of thing that doesn't have a place in high society, or for those wanting to become part of high society

interestingly, vivienne is pretty good evidence that people can rise above the class they were born in. a Black woman in a racist society (yes, orlais has canon anti-Black sentiments revealed in dialogue between cole and vivienne), a mage, and someone who was born poor, being able to rise not only to grand enchanter, but to court enchanter, and eventually able to become divine (as a mage!!!). her particular degree of ascension is probably safely considered an outlier, especially to divine, but her ability to navigate and utilize circumstance and to foresee the potential opportunity - and have an active role in shaping said opportunity - is a lot of what raises her in the political system. so those who are good enough at the game can end up "above their station" and it functions.

so, to me, what this implies of orlesian culture is that: 1) explicit, sincere expression is frowned upon, 2) performance is assumed, 3) seeing through the performance is also assumed, and a skill people actively work to refine, and 4) being such a good performer that people cannot see through your performance is a large part of what makes someone good at the game.

i also think a society like this would tend towards expression through the arts. and it is quite likely that soldiers are allowed to be more blunt and straightforward, which would make the military appeal to many who can't effectively play the game.

[septembersghost]

there is meta on this site that is very stupid and gets thousands of notes while being wrong. sfm of their meta is not DEAN. they're losing his whole character. that's why i wish fandom could see what ppl like you write instead. you put all that LOVE into it even tho youre hurt. you don't make him some other character. i thanked you for your words already but wanted to tell you i'm sorry they took him away like they did. i'm sorry you've been struggling w dean and irl. i hope you're doing ok 💛

aw, anon. :( you are unfailingly kind to me. 

you know, I am a teeny tiny unknown presence on this website, and that’s okay. I didn’t create this space for a big audience, I came here as a near secret and to have a safe place for myself, so having anyone with me and getting any feedback is more than I would’ve hoped for, and is meaningful. I’ve ended up spending many, many more hours writing (probably too much, probably too intensely emotive, but why restrain myself now?) posts/reblogging/crying in tags as a way of coping than I imagined I would, and they’ll stay here in their small treasure chest as a testament to my heart and thoughts, as tribute to him and to anything else I’ve loved here, and that holds value for me too.

that various meta you mention, gaining that traction, I see it too, and there are days when I can ignore it, and days it hurts, and days it angers me, but that’s also why I wrote the post that I did today. because I know people would read my meta about Dean, and if they don’t perceive him that way, if he doesn’t have that radiance to them and they don’t love him like that, they are going to disagree. I express what I feel and I’ve been doing it unreservedly because I have absolutely nothing to lose (especially not now, the show did what it did, talking about him is the primary way to NOT lose him). it doesn’t mean I’m “right” or more insightful or more intellectual, it only means I deeply feel what I feel, and have the perspective I have, and it is true to me. if it’s true to anyone else...what a blessing. keep it close, let that love light burn and be eternal.

thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and sympathy too (for your condolences, that’s how I read this, as odd as that may be to say about someone fictional, your acknowledgment of the loss is a comfort). I’m sorry too, and wish many things were different, and wish my reality were not what it was so that I didn’t have to write like I’m running out of time. but I’m glad to be here now, with lovely presences like you. 💕