#//the thoughts

[nocreativityfornames]

So I finished the new lesson and I have to ask, why wouldn't MC tell everyone what happened?

We got kidnapped and thrown into another timeline by an unknown entity who's still out there and will probably come looking for us again, had to deal with the just recently fallen brothers and so much shit happened, and even though time didn't pass while we were gone, the entire cast can tell that something is REALLY wrong, but MC just chooses to let everyone stay confused and concerned and not say a thing?

I thought MC's memories were messed up and that was the reason (they didn't really understand what was happening themself), but from the conversation with Solomon on the phone (that also felt really weird btw) it seems like they're fully aware of everything so...why?

I know they'll probably explain it later, but I'm just leaving my initial thoughts here.

[pink-psychic]

[golden-letters]

bitch this is all you’re gonna get. this life, this face, this body. you better not ‘maybe in another universe’ your way out of everything. sit your ass down and face this. go make tea and have a picnic and read a goddamn book. kiss your loved ones, send that damn text, and hug your siblings. this is all you’re gonna get.

[vimbry-moved]

[foolfortune]

[grntaire]

HELLLLLL YEAH!!!!!!!

[thegreatyin]

"how can m/f ships be good-" first of all through the power of bisexuality anything is possible so write that down. second of all if we start othering ships based on gender and nothing else we're no better than the opposition. third of all you need to watch more addams family

[remanence-of-love]

[mushiver]

I know what you're all definitely thinking. What if everyone from Gravity Falls was a chair. Well, I was bored enough at 3am to think about that too

Edit: part 2

[stardial]

missing someone is crazy because you’ll have dreams that r like “we went on a nice walk together :)” and you’ll wake up feeling like you’re gonna throw up

[sop-soap]

Biases being broken down on both sides

[nocreativityfornames]

So one of my recent posts on Solomon ended up getting a lot more attention than expected. A lot of people chimed in and shared their own thoughts on his character and actions and made very good points both in his defense and against him.

I myself got to think more about his character and went to revisit some lessons in the og game to try and understand him further and I wanted to share some of those things here.

So let's get into it:

One of the main things I want to talk about here is one of the points brought up by other players in defense of Solomon and his "this is how demons are usually treated" line. Basically that we don't know how other humans treat demons they have a pact with and that MC might really be the odd one out here.

To discuss this point, I thought it was important to go back and remember what exactly a pact is and how it's most commonly formed. And this, this is something Levi explains in the very first lesson of the game when we ask him what a pact is.

And this is what he answers:

So I think it's safe to assume that this is or was one of the most common ways of making a pact. A human wants power (the demons' strength, as Levi puts it), and they summon the demon to get it. But in exchange for that power, they have to give away their soul and be bound to that demon for the rest of their lives.

There's one thing missing though, right? Because that's not the only thing a human gets when entering a pact, as we know of course when pact is made a master x servant sort of dynamic is formed between the human and demon involved, and a power imbalance is put into place.

But...not quite? Because in this specific case, the human is giving away their SOUL, their very being, and very likely only ticket to get into heaven. And so on one side we have a human giving away their soul and simultaneously a life in paradise, and a demon giving away their freedom to serve said human for as long as they stay alive on the other.

And looking from this perspective, it doesn't seem that unfair of a deal or that much of a power imbalance. And if it does, it weighs more on the demon's power over the human, since their soul will belong to them for the rest of eternity to be used however said demon wishes (to eat, enslave, have as companion, or whatever). And of course the human has the ability all of that as well, for as long as they're alive that is.

And that? That on paper I think creates a very good dynamic. Because the human will know not to abuse their power being aware that at some point tables will turn and the position of "master" will be passed on to the demon. It's a promise: "I won't misuse my power, and in exchange, you'll do the same when I die".

But as I said, that only looks good on paper, because we don't know the consistency on which said promises are followed through. Since of course, the demon could simply ignore the human's actions and be a "cruel master" regardless.

And I'm thinking these promises were probably most often broken than not, considering how Solomon views demons and seems to bare a fair amount of resentment towards them, and how most demons still view humans as "food", "lesser beings" and "not worth connecting with".

And this here is where I bring the second method of making a pact into the table (that Levi also explains how it works once MC tells him they don't want to give away their soul):

My theory is that this second way of making a pact became popular once humans started to realize the first one wasn't working on their favor.

"I won't give you my soul, but I will give you something you want in exchange for your power."

And so pacts as we know came about, a human wants a demon's power, and in exchange, they have to offer the demon something they find worthy enough to be willing to give away their freedom to get it.

And this is exactly how MC's pact with Mammon was made. They find something Mammon desperately wants (Goldie) and offer it to him in exchange for a pact. And I guess you could see this as manipulation, considering MC and Levi pretty much pressured him into doing it at the moment (something some of you brought up to defend Solomon, "the way MC made a pact with Mammon was also bad so you gotta question their morals too").

But anyway, my point is: pacts became an exchange of something, rather than a soul. And with this in mind, I can see how a human could manipulate a demon into getting a pact with them and maybe even abuse their power over a demon as a way to retaliate over the treatment humans were getting from them.

And going back to Solomon again... we have to acknowledge that he grew up in a time where the 1° method to make a pact was most common, a time where demons walked freely through the human world doing whatever they wanted. (it's not that way anymore because the passages to get to the human world have been shut down by Diavolo, as Lucifer explains in the next screenshots).

Right after he says this Mammon brings up the fact that only Diavolo, Lucifer, and Barbatos can use that method freely nowadays and that he wishes HE could go to the human world whenever he wanted as well. To which Lucifer answers:

And although Lucifer says this decision was made because Mammon kept causing trouble in the human world, the way I saw it this line was much more him trying to drag Mammon down than actually stating a fact.

"We had some problems up in the human world that necessitated a change in our policy."

Problems, problems... demons doing unspeakable things to humans, perhaps? Something that definitely didn't fit Diavolo's vision of peace between realms once he took over the kingdom? Very likely, yes. So they shut down the main passage between the Devildom and the human world to stop or at least decrease the number of atrocities caused by demons who went there seeking bloodshed all around (there are still other ways to travel there, though they're much more complicated).

But Solomon, yes, Solomon at this point had already seen it all. At this point he had already developed hatred and distrust towards demon kind, and a want to make humans be seen as more than prey in the eyes of demons and poor little creatures that need to be protected in the eyes of angels.

So we understand his reasons. He grew up in a time (and lived through thousands and thousands of years) where demons walked freely through earth. This man witnessed all kinds of horrible things being done to humans in the hands of the demon kind, and it was during those times (or a short time after) that he met Asmo - one of the most powerful demons in the Devildom, brother of Lucifer himself - drunk out of his mind on a tavern.

Solomon immediately went starry-eyed at the realization, what he had there was a one in a million chance. An opportunity to grow even more powerful, to get closer to Lucifer and get more recognition, to be the human who can represent humanity as neither prey nor weakling, to be the first human both worlds respect and see as a force to be reckoned with.

It's a chance to bring his dream closer to reality.

So he doesn't care about the moralities of it, he really doesn't. This in front of him is a demon, and demons have done terrible things to humans over the centuries!

And so he manipulates Asmo into making a pact with him. There it is, that's how we got here.

If you think all of this excuses his actions, it's up to you. And if you think all of this doesn't excuses his actions, it's up to you as well.

[arielries]

Do you ever wish you could take the steam with you?

[vilea777]

sorry i cant hang out i forgot how to mimic human like behaviour

[esthermika]