#because right now they have some cool character work

[brujahinaskirt]

It's not even about the vindication of calling a ship, okay. It's that the supposedly anti woke studio wrote about 3 million words of medieval fiction centering the relationship of the two main characters who are in most ways (or in all ways if you follow the obvious canon momentum of the story) meant for each other, as counterparts who help each other survive the great travails of their lives and who challenge/complete the other to become fuller, braver, kinder people. It's so clear these two people are soulmates, platonically or romantically, something observed consistently by the world around them and by themselves.

Except their society (feudalism, Catholicism) dictates that they are intended to be completely incompatible by nature and divine law. Not just for the obvious fact they are both men, but they are separated by what is arguably an even steeper chasm of social class. Their existence even as friends utterly spites, interrupts, and threatens feudal order right down to its theological and philosophical roots. They should not see each other as human and yet.

It's the fact that they do. The fact that the entire story has been about this--that these two protagonists fit together, undeniably, and grow to love each other fiercely (a love that deepens superbly from their knee-jerk playful puppy-friend-love in kcd1 to something selfless and mature by the end of kcd2). And they do so despite the immense opposition by their world, their social circles, their faith, and indeed their fandom.

And yes, it really does fucking matter that all of this culminates into a deep onscreen romantic love (if you get out of the way and allow it to) between two fandom-beloved male main characters (not just side characters rammed in for an optional gay romance but THE main characters of the duology; the "you" as in the player character and your erstwhile dick-jokes bro you have perhaps grudgingly at first been invited as the audience to love) in a historical fiction story that has been wrongly touted by the worst of our contemporaries as the holy grail of cultural conservatism.

Holy shit. Warhorse -- y'all. I'm sorry I doubted you. So few game writers understand how love works and indeed how people work, let alone translate it so well onto the screen.

Calling this an "optional romance" is not technically incorrect, I suppose, because it's true you can opt out and choose to remain platonic friends. But this language feels like a disservice, as if Henry & Hans's romance is a typical RPG wham-bam fanservice makeout with a minor fan fave character who never interacts meaningfully with the player again. Or as if it's a Bioware-style "give this NPC the right gift and do their side quest and you get to see a jankly ugly-bumpin' montage" situation.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is so very much not that. The "main, optional" romance scene in question is just one consummation event of two people who have been growing up and falling in love in front of us over the course of some 200-300 (or god knows how many) hours. The fact these protagonists openly love each other is very much not optional.

This is, sincerely, groundbreaking storytelling in this medium and this genre. How fucking cool that we all got to see it now.

[pastorfutureletthembe]

Just noticed something cool.

This is yuyu's account, and she was in charge of the storyboard for Y6.

And those:

Are Yuki Nakazawa's fanarts. It's fanwork. But she worked on the official content.

The last one makes the set not so innocent. Why? It was published before Y6. So it's not exactly a spoiler but we have some people with media literacy in the link click fandom. This? Not rocket science. As flashy as the dead wife trope, if you ask me.

We'll talk about the set as a whole.

Before I get into it, Yuki Nakazawa also published another fanart which, in retrospect, was an actual easter egg: "And Then There Were None"

This being established, we can assume there is something hidden there. Still, keep in mind that those are, once again, fanarts. It isn't going to stop me from noticing things. I recommend you look at each picture closely before you read any further.

First clue, which is solved: Vein is dead. Or pretending to be, probably. There are clear allusions of him leaving.

A word stands out: CAMFLAGUE. Twice actually: once on the poster and a second time on the magazine cover, concealed by Xia Fei's silhouette. This word? Not a word? it sounds a lot like CAMOUFLAGE though. Or so google keeps correcting me lmao.

which is an interesting word to hide in plain sight when you notice there are also two attempts at disguising Xia Fei as Vein: the coat and the glasses.

CAMFLAGUE is a made up 9 letters word. The Chinese tended to view life diametrically. So when a change occurred in one aspect of life, that change was a result of a change in its opposite. Therefore, as a symbol of extremity, "9" in Chinese Culture is also a warning, a turning point. In ancient Chinese Classic Yijing, or the "Book of Changes", wherever number "9" appears, it is a crucial point of change and transformation. FELIX also contains the number IX.

There is a glint to Xia Fei's left earring, a ring, and to Vein's necklace, a moon. First, earrings symbolize beauty and strength in Vaishnavism while in Hinduism, earrings symbolize elegance, strength, and identity, serving as integral ceremonial adornments, embodying transformation and the sacred nature of beauty in various narratives. Second, in tarot reading, The Moon is a card of illusion and deception, and therefore often suggests a time when something is not as it appears to be. Much to think about.

One object stands out in the bloody artwork of Vein: the blue and white Vase. Qinghua is traditional Chinese porcelain, painted in cobalt blue glaze on white porcelain. It's an art working on negative spaces. There are different patterns used for this technique, and lotus is one of them. I'm no expert in pottery, though there is obvious meaning lost in translation, as I love to tag it. However, the lotus is important motif, I can tell you that much. Mostly because of its relationship to Buddhism. Buddhism symbolism in Link Click is highly related to Vein's character (I made a long ass meta about this, go check it out if you have time to waste), specifically in term of "luck" and "enlightment".

Lastly, the artwork with Vein and the vase also show figurines of the characters in YINGDU. While a mini Lu Guang seems to be crying over a fallen Cheng Xiaoshi, Liu Xiao is looking right at Vein who is pointing at Xia Fei. It could mean many things so I won't expand on this gesture for now but it's worth mentioning.

In conclusion, I'd say there is a strong possiblity that Xia Fei might take Vein's place as Cheng Xiaoshi's killer, for revenge. He is looking for the truth and when he's going to find out who killed Vein, or who orchestrated his demise, he's going to go after them. He seems to have a good lead on people with powers too. And since he's studying applied physics, he might look for ways to give himself powers, artificially.

Of course, the presence of Liu Xiao in the fanarts and in Xia Fei's life is important but, as always, the mystery around his character makes any theory kind of pointless?

Don't worry, I still have ideas!

His relationship with Xia Fei is important to what is to come in Link Click season 3, that much is obvious.

The PV shows Liu Xiao as Xia Fei's agent or something, while Vein is watching over him from a distance, through screens. We know there is some kind of partnership between them even before that, despite the canon fact Xia Fei strongly dislikes Liu Xiao for some reasons. I think Liu Xiao is taking care of him for his own interests, though.

In Buddhism, whispering in the ear symbolizes a confidential communication method, reflecting the importance of privacy and personal expression in decision-making processes. Of course, in the context of YINGDU, we know it means Xia Fei is giving information on Cheng XIaoshi and Lu Guang to Liu Xiao, but we still don't know to what end.

Additionally, I'm working on a meta about what could be Vein, Liu Xiao and Xia Fei's powers. Basically, it's related to the fourth wall and how Link Click is starting to break it more and more in merch and other media. This meta made me think of it and I can't wait to share the concept with you all. It's based on the three wise monkeys that embody the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". Coincidentally, I do think Xia Fei is the one who speaks no evil and Liu Xiao is the one who hears no evil.

I think Xia Fei is just like Cheng Xiaoshi, emotion driven, but he's also very intelligent and surprisingly perceptive: he doesn't like Liu Xiao, he doesn't like working with/for him, he doesn't buy his friendly act. However, I don't see any future when he doesn't get used by Liu Xiao in his evil plans. With Vein out of the picture and Xia Fei's new motivation, it might not be easy to see through manipulations.

Wait and see!

Okay, that's all for today!

[topthreedetectives]

death note x pokemon!!

i've been formulating pokemon teams for death note characters, figured i'd put them here. i haven't perfected light's team but he 100% has a charizard and an umbreon. there's a few others i don't have solid teams for, but if i complete them i will post them!

there are a good chunk of mons that are in large part there mostly for aesthetic purposes, so keep that in mind!

if anyone has any cool changes for the current teams or thoughts on characters not shown feel free to share :D

starting with L's team!

his first pokemon was given to him by watari, and it was a shiny rowlet (it's shiny because it fits the team's aesthetic but my justification is watari's rich as hell so of course he can get L a shiny starter mon). the whole line gives off big watari vibes, it even turns into a sharpshooter!! perfect for protecting the world's greatest detective.

he's got a shiny umbreon who serves the role of partner pokemon, and they have the closest bond in the team (except maybe decidueye, but they're pretty much at the same level.) it parallels light's own umbreon, who also serves as partner pokemon to light. it's complete coincidence they both have umbreon (just further proves that they are perfect for each other >:D )

he has an alcremie because of course he does!! he loves sweets, and since alcremie make the best whipped cream for desserts, he HAD to have one. specifically the vanilla cream kind with strawberry candies.

next is metagross because metagross is way smarter than a supercomputer and L has always been really into technology. having one around is very helpful for his investigations.

he has an experiment gone (sorta) wrong, a porygon-z. it's difficult to work with, but L has managed to figure out how to work with it anyway. yet another technology mon to feed L's tech obsession.

last mon on his team is a bronzong. because he hears the bells. obviously. also, when bronzong lets out warning cries, which sound like bells tolling, it can summon rain. i mean, come on. he can't not have one on his team.

now that L's main team has been explained, it's time for another group of pokemon L has-- his contest mons!! L is really into pokemon contests and participates in them frequently (he always wins, of course). he's even got a pokemon for each type of contest category!

the alcremie and umbreon are from his main team, they just also participate in contests. he has a luxray who is also used for protection on top of contests since they can see through walls. very cool, very useful. (also very indulgent for me since luxray is one of my favorite mons.) he loves food pokemon so naturally he's got some more on top of alcremie. speaking of which....

he's got even more!! the others aren't used for battle or contests, he just likes having them around <3

you may think that he has an insane amount of pokemon and would struggle to care for them all while working on cases and participating in contests so much, and you would be correct. which is why watari has it all taken care of :D (that poor, poor man)

next up, we've got misamisa's team!

were most of these mainly an aesthetic choice? yes! and there's a very good reason for it. misa would totally have a team of cute mons that match her aesthetic!! since she's a model, she also uses them in her photoshoots and they themselves are very famous pokemodels.

her main partner pokemon is spinda. it doesn't fit in with the rest of the team's aesthetic, she was just completely encapsulated by it and its adorable silliness. she HAD to have it. they are now besties.

misa isn't very interested in pokemon battling, so her team isn't fully evolved. but you know what she is interested in?

that's right, pokemon contests!! she's not only famous for her modelling career, but also her pokemon contest skills!

each one of her pokemon sans spinda have their own contest category they specialize in.

she's one of the top contest participators, only ever bested by L. they are very close competition, however. while light is L's competition in regards to intellect, misa is L's competition in regards to pokemon contests. they are able to bond over their shared interest and frequently hold their own at-home contests during the time L is chained to light. they force light to participate as well, much to his dismay.

the rest of the task force think it's a waste of time, besides matsuda. he LOVES watching them. he's always been a big fan of misamisa's appearance in contests and is overjoyed that he gets to see her compete up close :>

next is god of the new world, light!

while i don't have his team fully fleshed out, there are some pokemon he has outside of a battling team.

there's the family litten, who doesn't care much for any of the other household members. it spends most of its time curled up in light's lap during his study sessions or while he's cleansing the world of sin.

the other is an applin given to him by his mom. he doesn't care for the applin much, but there is someone who does....

light started breeding applin in response to ryuk's extreme desire to eat his own. he puts up a front to his family, saying it's a hobby of his he's been getting into. he makes money selling the applin and ryuk gets to eat one every now and then instead of eyeing light's applin or making him buy more apples, so he isn't bothered by it (he secretly enjoys figuring out how to breed for the best IVs and natures possible, but he's not gonna tell ryuk that)

his applin has a special ribbon so ryuk won't mix it up with the others-- ryuk is absolutely forbidden to eat the one his mom gave him.

his litten also helps hatch the eggs a bit faster. it doesn't have flame body, but it's still able to warm them up so it helps, even if just a little.

next up, rem!

yes, she has two shinies. they just work so well!!!

shiny hisuian zoroark is so perfect in every way i just can't. it's the "embodiment of death", which fits very well with the whole shinigami thing, and it looks so fucking rem coded. actually perfection. also, although i don't have ryuk's team ready yet, he does have a normal zoroark which i think is pretty cool >:]

she has a shiny gardevoir because, uh, of COURSE she does!! gardevoir is the protector pokemon. they protect the people they care about with their life, and even sleep standing up just in case they need to jump into action to save their trainer. yet another perfect mon for rem's team.

there's a gothitelle on her team because.... well.... let me just insert its black and white 2 pokedex entry: "It can see the future from the movement of the stars. When it learns its Trainer's life span, it cries in sadness." enough said. also, i think it's adorable that it matches misa's gothorita <3

the others are mostly for aesthetic purposes, but i think they work pretty well on her team regardless!

next, mello!

yet another team that heavily revolves around aesthetic, but similar to misa, i think he would care a LOT about that sort of thing. he slays so hard i just know he would want his pokemon to match his style.

he has a houndoom who he mega evolves in battles because it looks sick as hell and is strong as fuck. his houndoom's horns are sharply pointed back, showing its natural leadership.

garchomp, staraptor, blaziken, and zangoose not only fit in his team aesthetically, but they are also all very strong and courageous. most are also really hot-headed or aggressive, which works super well with his demeanor.

and his partner pokemon, lucario? well....

they can share his chocolate together c:

a little extra thing, mello has some pokemon that are a part of his mafia group.

they aren't really owned by any of the members, they're just there to chill and have a good time. maybe intimidate a few people for the gang. you know how it is.

last but not least, near!

now, you may be asking yourself, "how the heck did this child get an ultra beast on his team??" the answer to that is simple: he saw big stacked cube mon, he got big stacked cube mon. watari, being rich as hell, indulged in near's want for big stacked cube mon, so now this 13 year old has a massive, highly aggressive ultra beast (which isn't unheard of in the actual pokemon universe). where does he keep it? idk, that's for watari to figure out (that poor, poor man)

his shinx and metang are related to L's luxray and metagross, respectively. they were given to him by L himself when he saw near's potential.

meowstic and shiny reuniclus not only fit the aesthetic, but are extremely powerful/intelligent psychic types. it's mostly aesthetic tho.

he has a shuppet that he loves to play with. it not only serves to spend quality playtime with him, but feed off of any negative emotions near is feeling as well. he's super calm and collected most of the time, and while his shuppet isn't the whole reason, it definitely helps him keep his cool when the other SPK members are dropping dead around him.

while not a part of his team, he does have a bunch of magnezone that serve as a kind of satellite. they don't function exactly the same as his actual satellites, but they are still very useful to him in their own way.

and that concludes what i have so far!

.♡ thank you for coming to my ted-talk ♡.

[224bbaker]

Gotta ask..how'd y'all come up with the name zack mckenna and did it worry you at any point that people might look up the voice actor? 🫣

🚨SPOILER TALK BELOW����

Lol I'm so glad someone asked this. Zach McKenna is named after the two halves of our favorite musical improv duo, Jess McKenna and Zach Reino of the podcast Off-Book (and, if you have truly excellent taste, the Dropout musical improv series Play It By Ear--seriously, if you haven't, go watch Mallapalooza or Cornhole In One right now, we'll wait). I think we originally workshopped an even more fake name (email records tell me Aaron Quinn was on the table for a bit) but Zach McKenna was funnier to us and sounded like someone that conceivably could exist in the Chicago theatre scene. From there, we let Rob, the actual VA, write the bio, and then we added a combo of real theatre companies we knew were cool with us crediting him under and ones that sound just enough like real Chicago storefront theatres (Chicago is known for storefront theatres that are named with the format Red___ so we just made a new one, Redworm). We then really let the fact that Fitzy was one of the less-flashy new characters in the new season do most of the work for us re: him staying under the radar.

Because a lot of our VAs are Chicago/regional-based theatre actors with minimal/no social media, we honestly weren't super concerned with people having trouble looking him up and thinking he was fake or anything. We also firmly believe that a good twist isn't just defined by being impossible to figure out ahead of time for a quick "gotcha" --that would mean there are no clues for people to pick up on during the relisten, which is dumb because that's the best part of a twist! We wanted it to be fun if you walked into the twist blind, but also fun in a different way if you figured it out ahead of time and got to pick up some additional clues on the way.

And also, we truly underestimated the trust listeners had in us to just...not lie directly to their faces, which really worked out in our favor here!

Plus, I mean, we used this photo on the website. We had to know some people might think that was fishy. And Rob is the next actor on the page sequentially!

Fun fact, the person in the suit pictured is Daniel Millhouse, who plays Dennis.

[shouldprobablybereading]

Officially at the halfway point (well 49%) and so far it’s a lot better than what I expected. I’ve had a lot of fun with days 4 and 5 specifically

Biggest disappointment so far is probably the spiritual realm flashbacks. They’re not bad. But I don’t feel like they reveal enough to be worth how much space they are taking up each. Which is a bit about how I feel overall. It’s using so many words but not effectively. It’s also a bit repetitive so far since all plots points are based on doing essentially the same type of thing over and over.

Which becomes a problem when I’m expecting this to be the last time I see at least a few of these characters. That was expected as it was my main problem with the lost metal. If this is the last 400 pages that I get with the characters then I want them to be at their most interesting. But instead they get split off on 45 different missions and the entire book becomes about describing action scenes

Surprisingly Szeth is actually the best part of his own book so far. He’s never been one of my favorites so I thought his flashbacks would be a bit boring. But no shinovar is deeply fascinating and I’m starting to actually get his character

[deoidesign]

Can you make a tutorial on how you world build and make ocs? I can't seem to make any people in my brain, but then when I try to come up with environments jobs, beliefs and little details to slowly come up with someone, I think: well I don't really know how people have influenced the world- it's a weird loop

To be honest, I don't think I can! Writing is an extremely personal process. The way I write is directly related to how I process things, what I find important in stories, years of my own analysis of my and other's writing, etc... The way you write will be unique to you, as well. But I can explain how I personally think of it.

The short answer:

Write. Write anything and everything, it's a tool to explore your ideas. Analyze your own writing, and write more. Then, as you discover which ideas you want to develop, write more to explore them more. You won't know what you want otherwise!

The long answer:

I think this kind of loop is common. It's easy to feel like everything needs to be done "at once," because our job as writers is to make elements logically fit with each other for our readers. But as you've discovered, developing multiple elements simultaneously isn't really possible, or at least is extremely difficult.

Personally, when I think of writing, I break it into three major elements; characters, world, and plot. As much as possible every scene explores one or more of these, and as much as possible these three things tie back into what I personally consider most important: theme.

Everything I do is in service of the themes I want to present. Without them my events feel aimless. It can take a while to discover them, but they're the core of my work. You will have to discover what you feel is the core of yours. Analyzing other media helps with this too.

Concepts in your brain exist in a state of infinite potential. But when you start writing you have to start making choices, which removes potential as you move forward... But you have to move forward anyways. If there's ideas you want to explore later, you can always explore them later.

What this ends up meaning, to answer your question, is that I don't think of my characters as "people in my brain" or my worlds as something people have influenced... Not at their core, at least. They are tools that I use to represent specific ideas. Obviously they're also my blorbos, but mostly they're serving a specific narrative purpose.

So above all else... Write. Write, and discover what you're writing about, and then start over and write with that in mind. Keep doing this. But you have to write!

[disposal-blueeee]

halloween thing i drew for an art trade with @cherry-207 ! she asked for edgar and scri dressed as angel and devil . you can see her part here !

edgar vargas belongs to jhonen vasquez

scriabin belongs to @zarla-s

[buttercup-art]

hey

[riiviir]

My important reminder to all trans people this Pride Month: if you haven't yet, I promise you WILL find the hairstyle that gives you the most gender euphoria someday and it will be AMAZING

[icewindandboringhorror]

Apparently I can meet my goal of roughly 400,000 words in 6 months if I just somehow write at least 2,200 words a day ghbjh... Almost 2,500 today... huzzah...

[mokeonn]

Currently I have so many bg3 saves bc I refuse to delete my old ones that will likely never be finished (first ever gameplays, not optimized, everytime I open one I get overwhelmed and stop), but also because I keep making new games with the specific purpose of romancing a certain companion, seeing special dialog, doing a specific style of run, or getting an achievement on steam.

[jackgoodfellow]

Did you know Samo has a big brother?? It's true! He picks them up after class sometimes. Of course, Hikari insists that everything he says sounds "incredibly threatening," but he really is just a wonderful big bro!!

[noperopesaredope]

Me: *Writes a whole post about how it would be so cool to see Curly use morse code to communicate post-crash while still on the Tulpar and how that would alter his role in the story (even if it might not fit thematically in canon, AUs and fanfics still exist for a reason)*

This Post: "Morse Code"

Me:

You. You get me.

yeah i'm mad

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

why didn't they just use franziska for literally all of this.

[inkskinned]

they will need to whipstitch the wound closed, but embroidery is a "woman's" task. they will need to eat and clean and mend clothes, but why learn basic things when you can have a woman measure out your life in beads. he will be the "head" of your house, but if you want him to act accordingly, you must assign him a list of all applicable activities. you will be otherwise constantly in charge of almost-everything; so he will lead the house he is absent from.

in movies and books, the "cool" girl will be more-like-a-man. she will be "less boring," more "fun". she will have masculine ideas and masculine talents, which means a man doesn't have to change in order to find her fascinating. she will disdain of something as simple as stitching. how boring!

she will kick open the door of a car and quip what, girls can't drive? and flip her long hair down one side. she will grill and shoot a gun and skydive. be a guy. she will be sexualized.

somewhere, working on computers becomes a masculine task, and now on tv a gen-z disney character throws her hands up in the air. i can't be a computer science nerd, i'm a girl! in the real life, she will be unable to sit through some of her classes, shivering when she realizes she is the only woman present in several of them.

how many times have you read this book and seen this show and watched this movie. the singular woman is allowed 5 lines because she's not just smart! she's also pretty! she is surrounded by 20 average men, but she is stunning. she is the exception to the bland, pale lives of women-at-home, who will never be shown. she likes dirt and motorbikes and blood and shows up in a tiny dress during the final scene, rolling her eyes at our male lead's incredulity - just because i like motorcross doesn't mean anything. i'm still a woman, okay? i actually like shopping.

it is almost never reversed, and you think about that often. it is vanishingly rare to have a single man in a cast of women. the male love interest does not show up at a feminist march and sardonically squint at our leading lady - what? you thought only women care about human rights? he does not know how to balance a checkbook or kickbox because i grew up with three sisters.

when he cooks he is a chef, which is sexy. when he cleans, he's being kind, genteel. when he nurtures his family, confetti rains from the ceiling. when she does these things: it is her duty and her identity. what do you mean she has other passions and hobbies? isn't her hobby and passion homemaking?

the other day a friend embroidered a seam closed on your jacket into the shape of ivy. every time you touch it, you think of her.

something about women's hobbies and art and skills. something about women's work.

[galadrieljones]

It speaks volumes when Lavellan calls Solas a "terrible liar" in the Cobbled Swan. Rook is, of course, confused by this. "He's the god of lies," she says. But Lavellan clarifies, because that's not what she means. She means that he can't tell "lies of the heart." That is why he had to turn her away, because he actually could not deceive her.

Varric, very early in the game, also refers to Solas as "sentimental." He says to Rook, "He could burn the world down, and the thing that would make him cry is a single flower with blackened petals."

There's something very interesting about the elven god of lies and deceit, who unwillingly wears his heart on his sleeve, essentially creating a new version of the world in which all sources of raw, magical *emotion* that, according to him, used to imbue it with so much life and beauty have been compartmentalized from the more brutish, harsh aspects of the physical world. Because he, himself, has had to do this very thing to his own heart. He's "split." A very cool archetype. When he tells the Inquisitor to "harden her heart to a cutting edge" in Inquisition, he is projecting. Solas has built a "veil" within himself, to protect his more stern, militaristic identity as The Dread Wolf from the effusive, soft, and intelligent man that is Solas. It's the only way he can get anything done. Perhaps we should more aptly call him the god of stoicism and compartmentalization.

It's also interesting how well characters like Varric seem to know Solas, because it communicates that Solas did open up to the people of the Inquisition, during which time he "played the role" of quiet, unassuming Fade mage. Perhaps this wasn't a role at all, however, and perhaps this is why he is failing so spectacularly now. Who he really is is just this man who fell in love and made friends and found a home within a community where he did not have to cut off his emotions in order to lead. This was the "breach" in his plans, so to speak. It tore his world apart.

The whole story of Veilguard actually starts because Varric knows he can appeal to Solas's emotions and that this has a high chance of working to some degree. It's important to remember that while Varric didn't change Solas's mind at the ritual site, he was able to keep Solas talking long enough for Rook to sabotage his plans. Solas entertains Varric's pleas, because, sort of as Rook guesses with Lavellan at the Cobbled Swan, in some ways, Solas wants to be stopped. He wants someone to pull the reins on him because he is too prideful to stop himself.

Thinking back to Trespasser, I remember we all sort of knew this right away just in reading his body language. I remember someone making a whole post about it, and how he will not allow her to get too close to him. When she approaches, he takes a very measured step back. And later, as he takes the anchor, a task which requires him to take her hand, we see exactly why this is. He breaks down, calls her his "love," and kisses her. He is so stern and so measured and in "control," but then, all it takes is a single touch from the woman to whom he showed a glimpse of his true heart, his true self, to bring him to his knees.

The Veil as a narrative manifestation for how Solas tends to seal his own raw emotions away from others in order to function as the revolutionary general he had to be for centuries is a very beautiful construct to me.