#Just think like sophia

[fazcinatingblog]

What is a Bronx cheer compared to a normal cheer compared to a girl screaming TRENT TRENT TRENT AFTER THE SIREN WE WON WE WON

[vaguely-concerned]

the fact that irving canonically survives through the end of asunder to be at wynne's funeral is so fucking funny to me. nothing but love and respect for MY unstoppable cockroach morally grey machiavellian mage dad!!! he's survived in his position through multiple attempted rites of annulment and blood mage plots popping up left right and center around him. the chantry keeps trying to stamp him out but his dodge game is simply out of this world, divine. civil wars, political machinations and minefields, chantry atrocities, this wily old motherfucker is dodging and weaving his way through it all, not-quite-no-hits-taken-running-it-but-honestly-close-enough-under-the-circumstances style. if solas does succeed in tearing down the veil I would fully believe that one of the like three people still alive at the end of it all would be a very weary 90 year old first enchanter irving going 'oh this shit again huh'. the maker has cursed him for his hubris and his paperwork is never finished (affectionate, it's fine he canonically loves paperwork)

[palecryptid]

(p5 spinoff week day three: unlikely duo!) ❣️

[detective-pancake]

I cannot help but find this one detail in Strikers endlessly funny. The game introduces Sophia and it's all like "What is Sophia's power? Is it a persona?? Keep playing to find out :3" and it's obviously going to be some kind of reveal or mystery they solve. I haven't finished the game yet, so I still don't know- but the point is her "Persona" skills and gameplay mechanics are the same as the other actual personas, which is an obvious plot hole that leaves no room for a reveal. So you would think that the game would come up with some serious sensical way to rectify this right?

Wrong, they literally just- slap a question mark at the end of all her Persona skills and call it a day.

It's "Dia?" because we think it's Dia, since it works the same, so let's just call it Dia and stop asking questions. It's so funny though from a gameplay perspective, because they could have just left it alone and hoped nobody would question it, but instead they put in the effort to put that little reminder that it's not confirmed to be a persona- but also want the ability to integrate her into the framework seamlessly. They were like "we can't have our cake and eat it too? Watch us" and then did exactly that.

[please-let-this-work-oh-my-god]

Chapter 6 checkup (The text on Vertin says "Alive but gay" btw)

Inspo (also spoilers for Madoka Magica and Ninjago lmao):

(Fyi, I didn't know how to do the gray out thing so the black text is supposed to stand in for that)

Up to date version of this image with chapter 7 spoilers below the cut

[kots-kots]

i thought kars’s name couldn’t be shortened anymore because it’s only one syllable but I think it’s funny Japanese twt just calls him ka 😭 like ok

ka sama 😭 yah ok go ka

[beef-unknwn]

“Oh, Sophia… You’re just like your father… you keep leaving those you love”

[good-to-drive]

God there's just something about Paul being a bitch that's so utterly, indescribably delightful to me. All the beatles had their share of petty cruelty but his is the best because he just had this finesse and ingenuity and almost artistic circuitousness to it that's basically irreproducible. I wish we'd seen that side of him more often in public. It's unmatched and I'm obsessed with it.

[zolo-san]

Pleasseee some thoughts on Law not believing that he deserves love. 🥺🥺🥺❤️

Okay, so I think that Law feeling that he is undeserving of love is kind of a defining feature of his character and I think he feels this way for a lot of reasons one of which being because of how he sees himself as a bad, selfish person (for anyone who missed my ramblings on that you can find it here)

But I think that a huge contributing factor is how much he's been rejected throughout his life

Law faced A LOT of rejection in his early life, starting with the fact that him and his entire town were pretty much thrown away and abandoned by a government that was supposed to protect them It's also implied that after the eradication of his town, Law at some point tried to seek out medical help on his own (how else would he have known how the doctors would react to him when Corazon brought him?) and he undoubtedly was faced with a lot of rejection there as well (and a confirmed death sentence to boot) Then when he tried to join Doflamingo's family he was immediately met with more rejection from Corazon Though Corazon's actions had good intentions behind them, he definitely did not help with Law feeling rejected and unloved at the time He not only pushed Law away, but quite literally threw him away and beat him to try to drive him off (like good god my guy, there were better ways to go about that ;-;) Continuous rejection like that can have a very big affect on a kid (Part of which is the thought of "What did I do to deserve this?" easily turning to "I guess I must deserve this.") And while Law was a kid, he channeled a lot of his feelings about being rejected into anger and resentment - a behavior that was encouraged by Doflamingo and his family, but I think that later in life, it ended up fueling feelings of inadequacy and giving Law the impression that not only did he not deserve love, but he must be the type of person that deserves that kind of rejection

From the moment that Corazon chose to reach out and be kind to Law (starting with him covering for Law stabbing him) Law was unwilling to believe, even for a second, that someone could care for him in anyway because doing so would be opening himself to another potential rejection Not to mention, I think that there is a lot of trauma for Law surrounding the concept of someone "reaching out a helping hand" He was told by the sister in his town that there will always be someone willing to reach out and help only to have that immediately proven wrong and then subsequently proven wrong time and time again as people not only refused to help him, but out right rejected him I can't help but feel that all that makes it very difficult for Law to believe in the existence of the person with a helping hand~ I think that's also why he's so unwilling to be hopeful when it comes to doctors again - he knows how this goes down And for him, that's just how the world works, the message is clear: He is unloved and unwanted and that's how it's supposed to be And I can't help but wonder if he might also feel that this is what he gets for not being able to do anything to save the people most important to him For not dying with everyone else (oh hey there's that theme of survivors guilt again~)

There's also something interesting to be said about Law seeing himself as alone and rejected by the world because I think that's actually a contributing factor as to why Corazon feels for him and wants to help him Because Cora sees his younger self in Law Despite Law pretending as if it all doesn't bother him - as if he has accepted his death and the worlds apparent rejection of him - Corazon can see that, in reality, Law is just scared and alone And I think that's why when Law keeps questioning why Cora is so determined to help him and why he cares, that Cora tells Law to stop asking and to stop looking for a reason why someone might love him I think in saying that, Cora is trying to instill in Law that love is not something transactional, you don't have to earn it and you don't owe anyone for it Corazon gives his love to Law freely because he wants to It's as simple as that But even after everything that Law goes through with Cora, I think that's a lesson he was never able to learn or a concept he was ever able to accept

It's a fact that Luffy is the only person that Law ever explains his whole story to He's the only one that knows everything that Law has done and everything that he's been through And I can't help but wonder why that is? He clearly cares about and trusts his crew, so why is it that he never told them? Instead, he left them behind (Somewhere safe of course) and I think it's because he can't believe that they would or should help him I think that despite it all and despite how he feels about them, he doesn't think he has the right to even ask them to help him He doesn't think he deserves it

And I'd like to say that I think it's really important in helping Law to heal and unlearn this way of thinking that Luffy consistently, loudly, and very unapologetically declares his love for Law Luffy, much like Corazon, offers him love and support unconditionally, despite Law's attempts to deter him, despite knowing everything about him, including all the reasons Law thinks he's undeserving of love Luffy doesn't hesitate for a second He has no doubts when he reaches out a hand to Law offering to help him, care for him, and love him Why? Because Luffy thinks Law is a good guy and because he truly believes that Law deserves to be loved~

[fereldanwench]

i was pretty sure i was gonna like emmrich but i can't get over how charming he is

i'm really fighting to finish my first run before i make another rook to smooch him :3

[lopposting]

I have the feeling that originally, earlier in development, P was supposed to die at the end.

(Or, About more than a year after the official release,

the headcanon that changed everything for me.)

So the ending I'm talking about is this, the Rise of P ending.

But what really made me think this is this event in 2022. (people back then correctly guessed might be one of the endings or the ending of the game. Taking from this post here)

At G-Star Neowiz booth in 2022, there was a promotional statue of the Saintess statue in the game, except the figurine of the puppet is strangely suspended, as if it's literally ascending to heaven. The post writer also notes even then that the figurine looks like P. (The literal Rise of P)

There's also some footage of the figure here: (around 1:16)

The symbolism seems very very apparent, as though Neowiz were spoiling their own game two years before release. Not only is the figure literally ascending to a higher plane (imagery often associated with death), the statue itself is an inference to a famous statue of Mary mourning the death of her son. The writer of an article covering Neowiz's section at the event also notes that the ascending figure looks like P, and that it has a feeling of melancholy.

Beginning and End

Around the time of the release I think what was going around was that Rise was being considered as the "true" ending. It's interpretably the best possible outcome of the game, but I feel like it's also because it made the most sense thematically (the puppet -> Human ending, and the saintess statue being foreshadowed earlier). But P's collapse at the end was also widely (mis)interpreted as his death. And I think that's also because, in a way, it makes the most sense thematically. Puppet awakens in the train, goes on an adventure, and then sacrifices himself for who woke him up in the first place, it's just narratively a very classic and might I say standard thing to do in that very traditional, circular sort of storytelling sensibility.

However, we know that the truth is that P has fallen asleep (a human act). It is still his death in some sorts - but he's leaving a past behind and it's his "rebirth" that is being emphasized now.

And then it hit me.

I don't know if P knows that he will survive reviving Sophia.

Keeping in mind that if P was originally supposed to die - I think the entire end sequence of ROP and the overall tone of it makes SO MUCH sense to me now.

Sophia brings a lone puppet to life in the train, he is animated, listening, fighting. At the end of his journey, so much has changed - but to return her favour perhaps, truly human at heart, he returns her life to her, and then - returns to back to stillness. It’s just a narratively very tight and circular thing to do in a traditional storytelling sense, especially when you consider a kind of tragic korean media sensibility that might have influenced the country in which this studio is based out of. (Film critic Roger Ebert once suggested that he had not yet seen a happy korean film.)

I am not an expert on the Korean cinema, which is considered in critical circles as one of the most creative in the world (“Oldboy” won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes 2004). I can say that of the Korean films I’ve seen, only one (“The YMCA Baseball Club”) did not contain extraordinary sadomasochism.  "Oldboy" review (2005)

Not to mention... Since release, I've always felt like there was this strange feeling of sadness, of melancholy, permeating throughout the entire game. Of course, we're walking through a destroyed city, but still. And I was glad that that didn't seem lost on other people:

We know that Sophia is able to turn back the clock for our main character, but turning back time is Sophia's ability, and it's possible that she can't just revive anyone once that part of her that animated him was returned back to her. Okay, maybe it's a little contrived - but that hardly matters when audiences can often overlook these things for the sake of a story making a statement. Besides, remembering that P could not even wake up without Sophia's help in the first place, it's possible that for whatever reason, he cannot sustain life on his own. In his POV this might very well be his final act.

Another thing to keep in mind is that P has just lost his father. He's witnessed Polendina's death, Antonia's death, etc., in a string of major losses throughout the game's final arc. We see him mourn over his dad but in the ROP ending it will then cut straightaway to the balcony scene. Regardless of how much time has actually passed, Geppetto's death is the scene right before this one. I don't mean to suggest that this act was one of pure self-destruction, but it is something that we as the audience can't help but feel affects him and the decision we are seeing now.

There's a certain gravitas to the way he's walking towards her that in the released version isn't unjustified, but the tone of the entire sequence has so much conviction and sombreness that it came across as a little odd to me in retrospect. And I also think this is why others might have (mis)interpreted the ending as "he died", because of the tone of this scene. But in line with the game's themes - I remember that often, it's the intent that matters. And if he doesn't know that he's going to survive this, and this is what he chooses is his final act, for all intents and purposes, it IS him sacrificing himself to save Sophia.

Re-contextualizing it this way, I think the balcony scene was maybe originally meant to be him choosing to look at Krat one last time. I definitely think that was the implication now.

P's blue butterfly flying away (his spirit leaving him). I used to think this blue butterfly represented Sophia, but now I feel like it represents P ? as I don't think we ever see this specific blue butterfly anywhere else in the game. [maybe a reach I dunno]

To be honest - when LOP first came out, up until about a week, I really did think he was dead. I was honestly pretty sad about it, but in equal parts I was sort of really impressed that Neowiz would have the guts to kill off their breadwinner straight away [I WANT TO WRITE ABOUT THIS TOO AHH]

So if this ending was originally written to be P's demise, I wonder why the powers that be would have rolled that back. Presumably they need him alive for some sort of future franchise instalment? Maybe they genuinely thought it was just too sad? But there is one thing that doesn't change, and it's what P doesn't know.

The truth is what you make it, I suppose.

Who are you? Are you a puppet or a human being?

[hood-ex]

wait idk anything about the tevis’— why would tommy tevis call dick his son? would you be willing to give a quick rundown

After Dick failed to get himself incarcerated, he became an enforcer for a mob boss named Tommy Tevis. Tommy took Dick in and made him part of his family. Tommy considered him an honorary son and thought very highly of him.

Nightwing (Vol. 2) #107

He even told Dick that everything he had (his home, his reputation, his family, etc.) was Dick's as well. Lynette, Tommy's wife, told Dick that Tommy would let Dick do anything. The whole family loved Dick, including Tommy's 15 year old daughter, Sophia. Sophia actually had a crush on Dick, but Dick acted like an older brother to her, helping her with her homework and such.

While Dick was away from the family for a few days, the cops busted into the Tevis's home. Lynette got killed in the gunfire, Tommy got taken to jail, and Sophia got taken in by the state.

Dick, while mentoring Rose, broke Sophia out of the state home. He got Sophia to help him with the mob. Then, when Chemo fell on Bludhaven, Dick saved Sophia and left her with Amy. When they reunited at the hospital, Dick asked Sophia to leave the mob behind and join a boarding school.

So, yeah, that's Dick's relationship with the Tevis family.

[vaguely-concerned]

btw my headcanon for sophia amell in veilguard is that she has been 'oh no... I think your letter got lost on its way to me first warden... too bad, I'll just stay here in amaranthine until I hear from you, then.... is this a letter I see before me...... a tragedy. I can't read all of a sudden. my eyes. you sent a messenger? my messenger now I'm adopting them. no message received sadly try again'-ed all summons to go to weisshaupt, so she's in denerim with alistair when stuff starts to go to shit and at least they spend the impromptu superblight together. they may both be right on the edge of the calling (? we just don't know!) and ferelden might be about to fall, but at least they're king arthur and merlin-ing (erotic and romantic connotations) it up together at the end of the world and kissing and holding hands about it. and what more could I hope for for them. that's what beating the odds looks like for wardens I think.

there's a particular incident where she saves his life through the power of spirit healing and. maybe the guiding hand of Something that seems to still reside in the petals of the rose he gave her that she's worn in a little glass vial around her neck and that have not withered all these long years, and it inspires actual myths and romantic literary traditions and folk ballads and all sorts of nonsense that outlast them both. neither of them care tho they're just. hugging right now. drenched in darkspawn blood like the old days. resting their foreheads together. taking every moment they may have left just to be together. whatever you do don't go without me. wherever you go let me go too. and with you let me be buried, and where you go after that let me go with you then as well. (of course. of course. after all of this, where would I ever go without you. the one good thing about the blight is that it brings people together. the one good thing is that it brought me to you.)

[eli-am-confused]

“Daniel, go to the clinic we need medical assistance! Sophia, inform the island guard, this man is wearing a royal guards uniform! Hannah, Captain Holloway may need to be informed!”

“Aye aye Duke!”

The Duke of the Lost crouches down to be more level with the man lying in sand. The Duke’s children running away quickly to complete their tasks as fast as possible. Royal guardsmen are rare to be seen washed up ashore on their tiny island, unfortunate pirates, merchants, and fishermen have shown up plenty even the occasional amnesiac child but a royal guardsmen? Never once.

Picture one

Sophia: Um Duke?

Picture two

Duke: yes Sophia?

Sophia: Do we get extra credit for finding corpses ashore?

Picture three

Duke: you found a what?!

Hannah: Wait! He’s alive!

Picture four

Duke: Sir? Sir can you hear me?

John: Howard?

[where-is-the-angst]

yall help

[triciabeloved]

louie & sophia but now they're ADULTS!!!

😨 me when i realized that these two are technically almost 30 years old. i'm not rlly sure what jobs these two would get when they're older ngl. i think louie would be a teacher? though his design here doesn't rlly give teacher vibes asdjfhdhk 💀😭 i rlly like sophia's design here, but i have no idea what she would be when she's older tho,,,