#this was supposed to be an Essay but it is a Rant

[octosan]

I've been wanting to find a way to articulate more of my thoughts about what Veilguard ultimately did with Solas and why it feels like they did and did not take him out of character to me, because said thoughts are a mess.

And fair warning that this is going to be critical of Veilguard (and Inquisition a little bit) because essentially I feel like what they did is soft-retconned key parts of the narrative to make Solas both more sympathetic and less sympathetic in ways that are (imo) a disservice to the character.

Let me explain,

Part 0: This is the page I am on

First off let me open by saying that I always thought of Solas as someone who, in regards to his main plans, knew exactly what he was doing. I think it makes the most sense that someone who has been waging a war against vastly more powerful opponents for literal millennia be intelligent, decisive, manipulative, and unwilling to leave things to chance. I think it makes the most sense for such a person to rarely be wrong in evaluating and executing his intended plans, because against someone with literal godlike power being wrong would presumably mean being dead.

I also think it makes the most sense that such a person, who was continually given extremely difficult choices during his years of leadership, to have gained a level of ruthlessness that few other characters in the setting can claim. I think it makes sense that such a character could become horrendously bigoted, as well as jaded, by their own (again, millennia of) negative life experience. I think it makes sense for such a character to become proud to a fault, convinced that they are correct in what they do, even at times when they don't want to be.

At the same time, Solas is also portrayed as being highly principled. At least, I think that was Weekes' intention with the character. You can see at multiple points in Inquisition, through banter and approval, what things he feels the most strongly about and how he does not like to compromise on them. Protecting and nurturing free will, doing your duty to your people, and never doing harm (without a good cause rlly important clause there lmao) are common points suggested with him. Slavery in all its forms is a particularly sore point with him.

I've always thought that Solas' biggest flaws interacted with his guiding principles in interesting ways. That both combined to make him into an extremely dangerous, but understandable (if not sympathetic) antagonist.

I don't vibe with takes that all of Solas' principles are a smokescreen and he's just selfish or just nursing a bruised ego. Don't get me wrong, he says some thoughtlessly cruel things in Inquisition that I can see why the most critical fans feel the ways they do about him. But imo there's a lot of stuff he says and does that is narratively meaningless if caring about people (his people first and foremost, but other people as well) is not a core part of his character. For all his flaws, I personally never got the impression that this was the intention.

Though I also don't vibe with takes that Solas, in his goals and plans to achieve them, is objectively correct either. I think a lot of it comes down to what Solas' actual plan for the veil is and why he's tearing it down in the first place.

Part 1: Solas' Plan (and Lack Thereof)

Veilguard portrays (or at least casts judgement on) a version of Solas who is going at the Veil without much of an actual plan. He is demonstrated as having made a prison to keep the Evanuris from escaping when it comes down, yes, but that's clearly a side concern. He claims he will try to minimize the damage to Thedas, and this is explained to mean that he planned to have spirits intervene to protect people from demons, which is an extremely uncertain method of limiting casualties.

The game refuses to even address what he thinks is going to happen to the elves when the Veil comes down. To go by Epler's AMA response, he seems to just be blindly assuming that all elves will become immortal again when exposed to that much magic, and the game does not suggest one way or the other if that is actually true--the motive to give elves back their immortality is only even suggested in one missable sidequest cutscene.

It's very strange to me that now, with the story finished and the franchise never planning to come back to it, we still don't get an elaboration on what Solas planned. What he was expecting to happen. Unless I missed it, the only explanations we get of what will happen when the Veil comes down, and thus the only thing we can accept as being true, is that the world will be "flooded with demons" and the result of this will be that "thousands of people" will die, and ostensibly the elves will regain their immortality (and command of magic, but iirc even that isn't stated and is just an assumption.)

I absolutely did not think that was the entirety of Solas' plan to bring back the old world. You know why I didn't think that?

Because we heard Solas' original plans in Inquisition.

Low approval dialogue, if you argue with Solas that he should be helping the elves, has this gem of a line:

PC: The man who has lived half his life in the Fade has no ideas? Solas: Not unless we collapse the Veil and bring the Fade here so I can casually reshape reality, no.

At the time, this line is treated as sarcasm or an intentionally absurd suggestion he made because he's irritated with you. But in Trespasser, once you learn the truth about who he is, there is another line of dialogue that suggests that this was actually what Solas intended initially.

PC: What would have happened if Corypheus had died and you’d recovered the orb? Solas: I would have entered the Fade, using the mark you now bear. Then I would have torn down the Veil. As this world burned in the raw chaos, I would have restored the world of my time… the world of the elves.

Isn't this wild?

His plan was actually even worse than Veilguard suggested it to be. It's not that he's okay with some collateral damage to (somehow) restore the elves. He was okay with the entirety of Thedas as being collateral damage. To me it doesn't even sound like the demons themselves would have been the problem, moreso the primordial energy that would spill back in.

And we'll get into what else Trespasser suggested about his plan in Part 2 but the point is that the Veil coming down is portrayed as only being step 1, and step 2 is something that Solas has to guide himself. Even the ending of Veilguard suggests this a little bit? I don't know if intentionally, though. Solas, in the ending where you attack him, has a throwaway line about the "enchantments" needing a "delicate touch" as he goes to finish his ritual, which strikes me as an odd thing to say when the Veil was already falling down and that was the only part of his plan that the game dwelled on. It only makes sense in light of the Trespasser conversation, but I feel like the rest of the game ignores parts of the Trespasser conversation, so I don't know what to think.

Veilguard just isn't interested in exploring what this guidance on Solas' part looks like or what it would actually do to the world. It's content to be vague about it. I am not. I did not want it to stay vague at this last stage of the story.

What enchantments? What are the limits to this reality reshaping he mentioned in Inquisition? How did he intend to restore the Old World? How, specifically, did he think this would be helping the elves? Is there a way that the Veil can come down and not kill everyone in Thedas?

The intelligence of Solas' plan, and therefore his character, depends on the answers to these questions and I never got them! The game won't reward me for making assumptions on them either because the overriding narrative here is "the Veil can't come down, no matter what" so there's no reason to examine what he wants to do with it.

I also think it's weird that they changed it to a comparatively flimsier "thousands of people will die" anyway. I've seen multiple players point out that likely way more people died in the Double Blight that came from disrupting Solas' ritual than the amount of people the characters say would have died if we hadn't. Players who suggest that the resultant disruption to Thedas was so great and the Veil coming down so undersold as a threat that they actually blame Rook not helping Solas with his ritual in the beginning. Which is obviously not the narrative the devs wanted here. If they'd made it clear that Solas planned to destroy all/most of modern Thedas (even if reluctantly) then we wouldn't have this dissonance with players so much, I think.

But in regards to "getting him his goals", I think the intelligence of the plan also relies on figuring out what those goals even are. Veilguard was not terribly interested in those either.

Part 2: Solas' Motivations (and Lack Thereof)

Much like Veilguard evades telling the player what specifically Solas was planning to do with the Veil coming down, it also doesn't really touch on his motivations?

Harding suggests at the opening that he wants to bring back the old world because it is "beautiful". Solas himself claims he has to take down the Veil purely because it is "unnatural", a neutral fact that doesn't address anything, and because it is a "wound" on the world, a negative phrase which is nonetheless not defined. What does it mean that it's a wound? What is happening to Thedas because the Veil is in place? What are the ramifications of leaving it up? I saw little explanation of that in this game, despite previous entries leaving a lot of interesting details to draw on.

We know from the introduction that Solas bringing the Veil up made the elves mortal and destroyed their world, and one of the mural cutscenes suggests that taking it down might give elves their immortality back. So that's another one.

But his main motivation in Veilguard is presented to be simply the fact that Solas regrets having put it up in the first place. In the ending of the game, when he is trying to explain his reasons to (potentially) the literal love of his life who is begging him to stop what he's doing, the reason Solas gives is that if he doesn't take down the Veil then Mythal will have died for nothing. It's the Sunken Cost Fallacy. Yes, he also says that he will "destroy the world [Mythal] loved" but he doesn't elaborate on what this means, just like the "wound" comment, even when it would have been extremely relevant and helpful to his cause to lay his cards on the table here and be honest about what he wants if there is more to it.

So players who have never played prior games are forced to conclude that Solas has no good reason to take down the Veil.

Which might work well enough for Veilguard's narrative of Solas, but it certainly makes his "don't you think if I had another way I would have done it?" to Varric and his "I would treasure the chance to be proven wrong" to a friendly Inquisitor meaningless phrases in retrospect. I personally don't find it more compelling when a heretofore intelligent and principled character breaks their principles for no good reason. I prefer a principled antagonist who breaks their principles for an understandable reason, a reason that the protagonists will have to put in real work to challenge if their goal is to redeem said antagonist.

And I think prior to Veilguard, Solas' motivations were ones that were worth challenging.

Part 2A: Solas' People (and Lack Thereof)

For example, he wants to bring down the Veil to help spirits. There is dialogue between him and the Inquisitor early on that in the days of Elvhenan, spirits were everywhere in the waking world because the waking world was filled with magic. Cole in Trespasser can suggest this too, as a spirit Cole is ecstatic to realize that he "belongs" in the mortal world as much as he does the Fade once they learn that the two were once the same thing. There is an implication that spirits who wish to visit the mortal world become demons because they can't do so without possessing something (unless they are extremely powerful.) Similarly, in Inquisition many spirits were forcibly pulled into the mortal world and twisted into demons in places where the Veil was torn, because they couldn't handle the existential crisis that is a world without magic. The most spirits who show up in Thedas in this setting, do so in places where the Veil is thin, and the Veil is only ever thin in places of great suffering, meaning those spirits reflect that suffering themselves.

Not only does Veilguard never examine this concept as one of Solas' motivations, but they seem to have tried very hard to erase the validity of it from previous games. You would not know, playing Veilguard, that most spirits cannot enter the mortal world without a physical vessel, or that the Veil has been detrimental for spirits. Spirits are all over the Crossroads, and the implication is that they could always go there. You encounter plenty of them in Rivain, Nevarra, and Tevinter, and they are happy, healthy, free, uncontained to a vessel, and even largely capable of retaining their selves under pressure. This is entirely at odds with previous depictions of Thedas and its relationship with spirits. Yes, Nevarra and Rivain have more welcoming cultures and so it makes a little more sense (though not terribly so imo) for you to see more of them around and treated better, but it's not like anyone acknowledges this as outside the norm for the rest of Thedas. Inquisition in particular made a point about how much people hate and distrust them because they're such an unknown to mortals. In Tevinter, they are technically as much victims of magister slavery as elves, at least so Dorian and Solas' banter suggests.

Solas wanting to make the world better for spirits is a particularly important goal for him in retrospect because he was once a spirit, so it's a low blow to his character that it's never acknowledged in this game about stopping him.

But anyway, now we have the whole deal with the elves. This is where I see a lot of the discussion divide. I've seen people argue that Solas should have been allowed to enact his plan because it would end the very real oppression and cultural genocide that elves are facing, and I've seen people say that his plan would not have actually helped the elves at all and so it was a bad plan. I'm not sure how I feel about these takes.

Mostly because I personally did not think that Solas' plan, at least initially, was to end the oppression of elves. I think that if he'd been allowed to carry his plan out, the oppression of elves would end, but only because the entirety of Thedas' oppressive power structures would cease to exist along with its society. I did not think his true goal was to give modern elves their immortality back either, though I guess I can say I judged him wrong on that front in Veilguard. I thought, at best, that helping modern elves became a secondary goal for him later down the line, once he realized modern Thedosians are people--and for a low approval Solas may he rest in retconned peace it was a benefit to help him recruit. In The Dread Wolf Take You, for example, he does have a comment to Charter that the "elves that remain" like her might think his world is a better place when he's done. This could have been a lie to let her think better of his goal, or it could have been the truth and his intention was to somehow spare at least some of the elves what is coming.

The reason I believe that it is only secondary, however, is because Solas for most of Inquisition does not consider modern elves to be his people. He makes it clear he does not identify with the Dalish early on, but even when it comes to non-Dalish elves, which he ostensibly is, he has this line towards the Inquisitor after the Wicked Hearts quest:

PC: I hope Briala uses her position to help your people. Solas: How would helping Briala help… Oh, you mean elves! Solas: I’m sorry, I was confused. I do not consider myself to have much in common with the elves.

PC: Nor should you. You’re not defined by the shape of your ears. They’re not your people. Solas: No, they are not.

This whole exchange can be kind of dfgkdfkgksd ehhh but I think the salient point is that Solas does not identify with modern elves and slipped up when he made this clear.

And yet, he does have people, he isn't just a solitary misanthrope like he tries to shake that off with. He clearly does have people and moreover it is for them that he is doing what he's doing.

Trespasser has this line, for example:

PC: You’d murder countless people? Solas: Wouldn’t you, to save your own?

Consider also that there is an aspect to his motivations that he deliberately refused to tell the Inquisitor at the end of Trespasser.

PC: Why does this world have to die for the elves to return? Solas: A good question, but not one I will answer. Solas (high approval): You have always shown a thoughtfulness I respected. It would be too easy to tell you too much. Solas (low approval): You will survive this day, Inquisitor, and though I owed you an explanation, I will not give you tools to use against me.

I find this exchange so very interesting. There is a reason why the restoration of his world has to result in the end of ours, but he won't tell us because he believes it would give us the tools to stop him. Even on low approval he is comfortable with us knowing that he intends to destroy the world, but not the reason why he has to.

As far as I can tell Veilguard didn't do anything interesting with this. But originally I thought it had to do specifically with his people, the ancient immortal elves, and what he would do to get them back. To bring it back to a previous point, I did not think that it was just in giving the modern day elves their immortality back because I can't see how telling the Inquisitor this would give them the tools to use against him, especially if you yourself are an elf.

I know I saw some people speculate that Solas was trying to bring them back with time travel, as a reference to the Hushed Whispers quest, but even though I could see the Dragon Age devs doing that because the time travel stuff was silly in the first place and yet they decided it was a good plot point anyway I didn't think that was it either? It didn't feel thematically punchy enough.

And as a warning the next section will be getting into more speculative territory, but

Part 2B: The Ancient Elvhen (and Lack Thereof)

So, I don't think it's a huge secret that Inquisition presented the idea that the immortal elves of Arlathan never entirely went away.

We see this in the fact that there are immortal elves, obviously. Solas, Felassan, Abelas, and the rest of the sentinels at the Temple of Mythal are all elves who lived in the days of Arlathan, and yet are still alive thousands of years later, walking about in modern day Thedas. Furthermore, Solas in particular hints to Abelas that there are even more immortal elves than him. Consider the fact that if you're a Lavellan in the temple, Abelas distinctly denies that you number among his people, and in fact if I'm remembering rightly, calls you a shemlen regardless of your race.

And yet when speaking with Solas, he has this to say:

Solas: There are other places, friend. Other duties. Your people yet linger. Abelas: Elvhen such as you? Solas: Yes. Such as I.

Solas who is, of course, an immortal elf. It's even possible that he is one Abelas knows personally, given the importance Solas once had to Mythal. My Lavellan listening to that like wtf :(

Consider also the banter that Solas can have with Cole, if you romanced him and got to the breakup scene after this quest:

Cole: He hurts, an old pain from before, when everything sang the same. Cole: You're real, and it means everyone could be real. It changes everything, but it can't. Cole: They sleep, masked in a mirror, hiding, hurting, and to wake them... (Gasps.) Where did it go? Solas: I apologize, Cole. That is not a pain you can heal.

This banter is never examined in Veilguard! Who is hiding? Who is hurting? The fact that "waking" them is on the table suggests to me that it is sleeping elves, perhaps like the sentinels who only woke to defend Mythal's temple and slept the rest of the time. In the context of Cole trying to explain to Lavellan why Solas broke up with her (and more important, Solas wanting to make sure she does not know this information,) I thought this line referred specifically to Solas' true people, the reason he was doing all of this.

The idea that there are other ancient elves out there, sleeping somewhere, suffering for some reason, as they wait for the Dread Wolf to bring the Veil down and wake them. The "masked in a mirror" part felt especially interesting to me because there's a part in the Masked Empire novel where Briala and Felassan (among other people) come across a couple elves that were allegedly sleeping in Uthenara, in a location they were only able to get to by traveling the Crossroads, which are located through eluvians. In that scene, Felassan gets very upset to see that these particular elves have apparently been killed in their sleep.

It makes me wonder if this is why Solas had to hide this possibility from the Inquisitor at all costs, especially from a low-approval Inquisitor. His motivations for doing all of this are the countless elves, his version of elves, who are scattered all over and currently helpless as they sleep. I can't help but imagine that a particularly desperate modern Thedosian might consider if removing the Dread Wolf's reason to bring down the Veil might not be the only way of stopping him from doing it.

Veilguard doesn't follow up on any of these plot threads. In fact, someone who has never read the novel might even come away from the game with the impression that Solas and the Evanuris are the only immortal elves that survived to Modern Thedas, as even Felassan's role in The Masked Empire is obscured from the player.

It's a shame because if they'd kept this plot point relevant it would have been a major challenge to overcome in persuading Solas not to bring down the Veil. Presuming he is talking about the ancient elves, Cole's dialogue suggests to me that it is the process of waking them, or some element of it, which necessitates that Solas destroy the rest of Thedas.

This brings up an important question, potentially even a difficult choice. Which society do you think is worth saving? Would you be willing to let an entire people sleep and suffer for eternity just to preserve your way of life? Could you convince Solas to allow that? Solas, who sees Thedas as so corrupt and terrible to elves and spirits, who fought so hard to give his fellow elves a more ideal world which never came to fruition?

Also yes the sleeping and suffering to preserve your way of life thing IS ironic because that is exactly what he did to the titans but the game was so uninterested in exploring that too.

And like, to be clear, I never thought that Dragon Age would actually have the player make that kind of terrible choice. Even in Origins you were sometimes given the chance to take a third option that benefited everyone if you did a bit of digging. And both Inquisition and the opening of this game teased the idea of you convincing Solas there was another way. I guess what that third option actually looked like would have depended on more specifics. Mainly, why waking them requires that modern Thedas be destroyed.

Ehh I wonder if any of this was even on the table when Trespasser was written. Maybe I read it all wrong.

-----------

All in all, I personally did not really have a problem with what Solas was willing to do in this game. But when it came to the "why", I found myself really struggling with it after thinking about it for a while.

At the very least, I feel as though what I speculated above would have made Solas' motivations more understandable, even if, again, it did not ultimately make them sympathetic. Going just by what is shown in the game, Solas' actual motivations in Veilguard are not nearly as understandable to me, especially because not even a single elf or spirit is shown as wanting him to do it dfkgksdfk.

And clearly that is what they wanted for this narrative, but I can't believe it makes him more compelling as an antagonist in the franchise as a whole. I like him as a classic trolley problem dude.

Also he literally ignored Mythal when she told him not to do it in the regret mural and yet it's Mythal telling him he doesn't have to do it later that finally makes him stop? I guess Flemythal didn't realize the code word was "I release you from my service" or smth

Also,

Idk man. Thinking about it and I'm still so sad the ancient elves were a dropped plot point. I guess it's possible, with all the racism already shoved offscreen in this game, that onscreen racial tension between even these two different factions of elves was too tall an order.

[vanillesuiker]

As a chemistry student, the fact that potions class (one of the closest thing to chemistry/general lab work in the wizarding world) takes place in the dungeons pisses me off so badly.

Like what do you MEAN they're heating stuff up in a poorly ventilated BASEMENT? That's not... safe? If your friend inhales a dangerous substance, how are you going to get them to fresh air as soon as possible when you are literally underground?

There's also no fume hoods (I really hope this is the correct translation for this, because I dont think acid cabinet is the right one lmfao). Literally look at any laboratory and there's a 95% chance you'll find atleast one fume hood there. We constantly see all sorts of fumes coming from the cauldrons, that can't be safe??

Also why did Percy Weasley have to write a report on standardised cauldrons bottoms?? And everyone was like "oh haha there goes Percy and his useless little report" NO??? That's like... so dangerous and he's right!! It's been said here before but he was right!!! But why did he have to write that. Why was that necessary? Why wasn't it the standard already??

In conclusion, idk how the fuck wizards have a longer lifespan than muggles because they seem to do everything in their power to make it shorter.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

The fans: Ugh Sonic was just so preachy. I mean obviously he's supposed to be the good guy, so any uncomfortableness I feel here and any way I feel like Sonic's choices are framed as being why some other people have shitty lives is just bad writing because he is obviously supposed to be right always, but this characterization makes no sense. Isn't he right for the things he did?

Ian Flynn, using Kitsunami to say the (barely even at this point) quiet part even louder: Hey it's almost like ever since the Mr. Tinker event we've been purposely running with the critique of Sonic as being more selfish than he appears. Sonic is upholding a system of Eggman v Sonic that currently benefits him and shuts down talk of how to improve the current system because he likes his own personal enjoyment and he's attached enough to Eggman that he'd rather Eggman pretend to be a good person than be stuck in prison for life. He doesn't even quite practice what he preaches. We are trying to show that the current hero v villain system and Sonic's recklessness currently affects some people poorly and that Sonic isn't a perfect hero.

[rhaenin-time]

No, House Targaryen is not inherently "doomed" by the very same flaws (and themes) that doomed the civilization that they left.

No, they're not fated to succumb to the Doom that they survived specifically because of the foresight that set them apart from everyone else who perished. Not only would it be terrible, simplistic writing, it would also endorse a terrible, simplistic worldview.

People choosing to make House Targaryen a representation of and thematic successor to not just the civilization that they differentiated themselves from, but the power structure that they chose to leave, literally divested from, and actively worked to prevent from rising again in another form... really rubs me the wrong way.

Why isn't this projection and generalization done for any of the families that come from the cultures that are not coded as other? Why is it only the family that's been separated from their cultural context? Why do the other families each get to be unique, complex manifestations not just of different aspects of their cultures, but of their own specific histories?

Why is the foreign degenerate family both a representation of everything wrong with the culture they come from, and a scapegoat for everything wrong with the system they assimilated into? How is it they represent everything bad about what they left behind, and also everything bad about the land they came to? Even though all those flaws are not only shared by the system as a whole, but are flaws that predate their arrival, that they were punished for resisting, and that they are demonstrated to be incompatible with. Why is it always both?

It just rings so familiar to the way so many people view the other in real life. Because the Targaryens are overtly, and intentionally written as the other. It's the reason so many people identify with them, and it's the very same reason that other people vilify them. They're not just the in-universe other to the 'default' culture established in the text, but they're also given characteristics that we, the reader and audience, can recognize as other and even sometimes anathema to Western Christian culture.

Perhaps the old tales were true, and Dragonstone was built with the stones of hell

A Storm of Swords, Chapter 25, Davos III

I want you to ask yourself: Why is the idea of "fire and brimstone" evil?

To paraphrase the annoying people that love to cite Ramsay when they feel like it: If you look at a morally complex family surrounded by other morally complex families in a morally complex world in a story that's famed for seeking to challenge your underlying assumptions, and think that their association with fire and brimstone is meant to signify their singular satanic evilness, rather than say... challenge that very Eurocentric assumption, you haven't been paying attention.

This vilification mindset where the Targaryens are the singular evil of Westeros is so common to people who seem to want to consume ASoIaF without engaging with the criticisms of the Eurocentric worldview of history at the heart of it. And they end up using the convenient “others” to project all the wrongs of that world onto so they don't need to examine it any deeper.

This is the part where I so often get crucified!

This is the take that so often gets me crucified for "trivializing real world bigotry" in an attempt to "moralize interpretations of fiction" by an onslaught of people with troubling ideologies who then ironically steer the onslaught to moralizing their interpretations of fiction in a way that seeks to either mask or justify their troubling ideologies.

The worldbuilding of ASoIaF is an almost unparalleled projection of the Eurocentric worldview. That's what makes the world feel so rich. That's why GRRM and even the readers and audience are able to craft so many details that feel intuitive. But that also means that how you choose to interpret that world is often driven by underlying biases and ideologies that relate to that worldview — especially if you're not willing to challenge them the way George RR Martin does and encourages you to do.

It means that certain potential biases and ideologies people might balk at outwardly expressing in the real world are recontextualized in a way that feels more comfortable to indulge in.

There are countless examples from countless parts of the narrative. Honestly, you could fill books on the matter. But the one I'll point to right now is how the vilification I pointed out earlier is so emblematic of how the Eurocentric worldview often seeks to project their own flaws onto the other or choose scapegoats for systemic issues.

It comes from the same place with how someone pointed out that the baffling bastardphobia that would have medieval peasants giving the side eye is so often people jumping at the chance to “cosplay” as bigots who base their arguments in misogyny and bio-essentialism. Because it's an acceptable channel to indulge in that mindset in a way that they'd often otherwise question, or at least hold back from expressing out of caution.

And there I go again. "Moralizing fandom" for pointing out that fandom is so often used as a 'safe space' to build communities that share and spread troubling ideologies that you're not allowed to criticize because those ideologies have been 'appropriately' decontextualized from their real-world parallels, even though those parallels are still very much there.

But the problem is that it's impossible to simply 'channel' bigotry and leave it in an 'acceptable' space, because bigotry doesn't work like that. It's not a static object you can carry around in your pocket to play with when you think it's safe to do so. It's a blight. A living poison that feeds and grows and spreads. And if you give it a 'safe space' and continue to feed it with 'acceptable' fuel, it will always find its way out.

[heir-of-the-chair]

I just need everyone to know that I fucking hate Hamlet prince of Denmark. This stupid fictional man makes me so goddamned angry I need to squeeze him like one of those rubber toys where the eyes pop out and shake him so violently like a child discovering snow globes for the first time. I fucking hate Hamlet prince of Denmark oh my god.

[shorthaltsjester]

i do not want to dig a hole but i am too much of a laura bailey pc enjoyer to not make this post so:

selfishness ≠ a lack of kindness 

selfishness is a theme that has come up with all of laura's main campaign pcs. that doesn't mean that her characters are always making selfish choices or that they don't care about the rest of the people they're with or that they're not good. it's just that, for the most part, the first thing they're thinking of when they take action or make choices is themselves. 

in jester and vex both it is more typical and obvious selfishness. vex's developed because she needed it to keep herself and vax alive and as safe as possible and it grew into a behaviour that she had to actively work to avoid. it's evident in her greed, her theft of the broom, her reaction to her own death which relied heavily on i'm okay/i survived to which keyleth reminded her that she wasn't the only one who had to witness and reckon with her death. in jester's case, she grew up in an environment that literally trained her to make every decision based on two things - her mother's opinion and her own. so, when she's out in the world without marion for the first time, her choices are those that will benefit her and her actions are those that consider her own thoughts and not really many others' (aside from the traveler's). 

it isn't a criticism of either vex or jester to say that they are characters who act selfishly. in fact, i'd argue that to claim otherwise does a great disservice to exactly how immense both of their character arcs are. because the nuance of both jester and vex is that they are selfish, and they also hold extreme room for self-sacrifice and empathy. vex is much more brash than jester is, and jester is much more trusting than vex, but both of them are characters who begin with selfish impulses who grow with them. neither ever truly shed those impulses, but they use them in new ways, typically transforming them into impulses towards things that are in the best interest of the party. 

you may have noticed the lack of imogen in this post about laura bailey pcs and that's because of two reasons. one, we are an unknown amount of time into her story, i can't analyse her development the same way i can vex and jester's. two, imogen's selfishness isn't the blatant quasi-self-aware selfishness that we see in things like jester complaining about her lack of money to caleb or vex stealing a broom. instead, imogen's is very internal, like a lot of laura's character work with imogen. it is a bit similar to jester’s in the sense that it comes from a lack of awareness moreso than vex’s practiced behaviour, but imogen’s is a lot more tied to inherent beliefs she has about the world and the people in it.

as a consequence of her powers, imogen sees people's thoughts as their entirety, she holds it above their actions to be the truth of who they are - to act against what they think or to say something that doesn’t cohere with what they’ve thought is akin to lying, so for her to act empathetically is to act in tandem with what someone else’s thoughts are, not how they act, which is typically not all that wanted. the same as vex’s greed and jester’s naivety, this is a trait that makes narrative sense and it’s one i find quite compelling, especially when read in the vein of someone struggling through trauma that has made them assume that the world is against them. imogen’s cynicism is coherent cynicism, i can’t say that in a similar situation i wouldn’t have the same predisposition towards the world.

the part that is particularly self-interested comes in if you look at how imogen has actually been treated in the campaign (quite well) in comparison to the cynicism that she’s developed from her past (something that speaks to a world out to get her). certainly, a bunch of shitty things have happened to imogen in the time we’ve known her, but the same can be said for everyone in bell’s hells and pretty much everyone in exandria at this point in time. but, in a fight to save the aforementioned world, imogen’s focus was getting her mother back on her side. which, while very consistent with her character and a choice that i enjoy, is a very selfish one. the fun thing (to me, obviously) about imogen is that she has, more than most, an insight into the opinions of others and she also tends to seek others’ opinions out and genuinely engages with them and supports their choices. but she still very much acts towards what she thinks is best. it’s one reason i enjoy looking at the dynamic between her and orym as one between foils, as orym tends to be stalwart in his beliefs and doesn’t care too much for other’s opinions if he’s already sure of his own, but his actions tend to favour collaboration and protecting others.

as i mentioned earlier, imogen is a harder case to look at because she is still in the process of her story. however, the circlet is clearly influencing how she interacts with the world and in the wake of the solstice, the hostile reaction towards ruidusborn people has started to become more and more apparent and i’m interested to see what route that ends up leading imogen down and how it will influence her relationship with the rest of bell’s hells. (for better, i think, based on recent conversations, but if it's for worse i will be just as seated and excited).

all of this is just to say, please stop assuming that claiming a character has a trait you think is a bad one is criticism or a hate post. in light of the fact that i know that people who don’t believe this will continue to not believe this, i’ll encourage anyone confused about the ability of a character to be good and kind and selfish all at once to look to what the text itself says, specifically scanlan’s words to pelor when asked what vex means to him:

“Her name is Vex, and she is greedy and mean sometimes, and she can steal a lot. She’s a little bit not the greatest person, but her flaws highlight everything that is right about her, which is she does all these things to protect her friends and her family. She would give her life for any of us and for anyone who was truly in need. And she’s not perfect but she’s the most perfect of all of us.”

would you look at that... an ability to be a multitude of things, some in conflict with one another. i know that's hard for fandoms to believe, especially about female characters with agency, but i promise its true!

[britneyshakespeare]

wait james somerton sounds a lot like some people on tumblr when they start spouting off about queer history or supposed controversies within it. is that where you guys are getting your stuff? is it james somerton brain poisoning?

[storywestistrash]

i am actually so tired of the way westerners treat eastern europeans

[ghostboy-art]

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

By: Queen

anytime i refer to them as gay I mean that with our silly human terms. obviously. an angel and a demon dont apply to our silly little terms.

im so gay :>

this is filled with typos and ramblings. i wrote this at 2:00am. apologies.

this is a surface level rant on my part. honestly if i had the time and research skills id look up the context of why this was written and how its been used in media up till this point. honestly i might. either way its fairly surface level.

This song is heard when Crowley is going back to Aziraphale in season 2 after he found out about the book of life erasing thing. After listening to this song I have to say. THIS IS AMAZING. obviously the song is good its queen.

Crowley's songs are always queen songs and given the title and given Aziraphales regular dress and general pop culture knowledge i think we know who the “good old fashioned lover boy” is.

This is obviously a romance song but similarly to “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square.” the lyrics fit their relationship so nicely!!! (as well as being an absolute bop. LISTEN TO THIS GODDAMN SONG. i like the part at 1:44. so cheery!!!)(also this is why Neil Gaimen is AWESOME such small details in the fucking SONG a fucking BENTLEY plays.)(its like 1:09am and im still up after not getting sleep last night and prob none today so ima go on tangents like this hehe)

“Dining at the Ritz, we'll meet at nine

(One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine o'clock) precisely

I will pay the bill, you taste the wine

Driving back in style, in my saloon, will do quite nicely

Just take me back to yours, that will be fine

Come on and get it”

like come on man. “Dining at the Ritz” its Aziracrows THING. their whole routine is dine at the ritz, Aziraphale eats and crowley drinks copious amounts of alcohol, Crowley is always seen paying the bill (or doing something of the sort), they drive in a cool fucking bentley (with a James Bond bullet hole window screen insert), and they go back to Aziraphales bookshop. and the “that'd be fine” matches Aziraphales general attitude when inviting Crowley back to his place in the 1st season and in older flashbacks. Now thats the most obvious. there are many other examples of lyrics that very conveniently match to them.

“Say the word, your wish is my command”

throughout history when Aziraphale and Crowley met up they did favors. whether it be making Hamlet successful, performing magic on the west end stage, getting holy water (“You go too fast for me Crowley.”YOU MF AZIRAPHALE WHYYYY) or magicing away some paint on a very old well kept jacket. they always do things like this for each other. focusing solely on Crowley's perspective he, throughout history, has always been the one to accept Aziraphales requests with little to no complaints. (until Armageddon i suppose)

even in season 2 he lets Aziraphale use his bentley. Although there is some bickering there, he still lets it happen. He doesn't sell books while Aziraphale is away and he even carries them around (the sleeve garters are a whole other thing in this scene)

now realistically the “good old fashioned lover boy” is, im sure, referring to both of them. also the song just feels gay. just listen to it. its gay. i swear.

Now. not saying it matches perfectly. obviously it doesn't but even the GO fandom links the two pieces of media on occasion(see second link). they are inexplicably connected, whether its false pattern recognition (i have currently forgotten the proper term for that. T-T) or intended by mr gaiman i think its so intriguing that the songs picked to play fit so nicely into the deeper narrative. this. is good media

“Write my letter, feel much better

I'll use my fancy patter on the telephone”

Essentially means smooth talking on the phone. Which you have to admit Crowley does to Aziraphale quite often. And Aziraphale writes letters. honestly its cute. specially im thinking of season 1 when Aziraphale is writing a note to Crowley while they are on the phone. its later in the season in the last ditch rush to stop the antichrist.

I used the bit of lyrics that fit them the best in the beginning of the rant. and time for my least convincing point. the vibe just fits them so well. the slightly old school beat with simple romantic lyrics. Its not anything overtly sexual. just the simplicities of romance. IT FUCKING FITTSSS!!!!

There is so much more but i dont want to make this 10000000000000000000 paragraphs long and i have other good omens stuff i want to rant about:>

just my opinion on a silly song that appears for like a minute in the show!

[cowboyskeletons]

and sparrow's son loves the world so much and loves everyone around him and how can sparrow tell him that the world is cruel? how can he tell him that love will be punished and that cruelty is the only way to survive? normal's love scares him, he loves his son so much but that love scares him. he would do and has done anything for his son but he knows that it has led to his own ruin. and he loves his son but too much love has only ever harmed him and maybe he can take a model from his own dad and multitask.

maybe he can love his son but he hates him too, hates that normal can love and hates that normal can be loved and hates that normal can be so oblivious to the cruelty around him in a way that he himself lost when the world ended. he wants his son to have everything but loathes that fact that normal'll never try. that he just accepts life as it is. the way his dad did, when sparrow saluted henry and went along with the world's end and turned a blind eye to his wife's infidelity.

he sees himself in normal, maybe. maybe he hates that. because he lost himself, that day he lost his father's care and his mother's respect, and he can't bear to see himself lost again. normal needs to be cruel because otherwise he will be crushed and sparrow can't do that again. can't let himself be crushed again.

[where-is-vivian]

hmmm levels of procrastinating are high today, I decided translating a full article on Wikipedia in french was more important than studying for my degree!

[todayisafridaynight]

dudebros like mine cuz to them he’s like the sigma paterick bateman “he’s just like me” dude and get mad when u try to tell them he has feelings for daigo but they hate daigo cuz they think he’s useless. i do think the hate for daigo has died down from a few years ago thank god people are more understanding abt his character now

i do remember years ago people either being dismissive of daigo or just not liking him and thats fine you're allowed to do with that a character so w/e. it is cute though that i also do think people are starting to come around to. acknowledging what daigo's had to deal with at least LOL

the bit that did irk me when i saw it back then though WAS just blatantly misinterpreting mine's character to fit the 'patrick bateman' archetype without looking into him beyond that. that was bonkers

[i-n3ver-hated-you]

My opinion on Jaren in The Blood Traitor:

Spoilers.

Frankly, Kiva is having a goddamn awful time in the last book.

First of all, she is hooked on angle dust and back in a place she'd thought she'd finally escaped. Not so good. But Cresta is helping her through it. (I love Cresta.)

Then she's kidnapped by Navok, who basically makes her his slave. She's rescued (yay!) everyone hates her (nay!).

When they're in the market and they're trying to get information about the rings out of that seer lady (I don't remember her name, sorry), she gives Kiva two options: kiss Jaren (the person who she is under the impression hates her) or take some angle dust (which she had previously been addicted to, and only recently recovered from). That is such an awful thing to do. The fact that Kiva chooses the angles dust over Jaren shows how much she's doing for him. He hates her. She doesn't choose that option because of that.

Later, she says, half delirious, "I’m in love with him, can you believe it?". I'm not really sure how to put what I'm thinking into words, but you can see what she did for him, right?

And then he kissed her when she was under the influence, half-unconscious and falling asleep?! What the fuck, Jaren. You need the tea talk.

Anyway, after Jaren nearly dies falling off that cliff, Kiva is crying a bit (understandable), but he kind of makes fun of her for it—at least, that's the was I saw it.

Then,

Jaren: You’ve been avoiding me. I have no idea how you feel. So I asked.

Kiva: I’ve been avoiding you because it’s what you want.

Jaren: I’ve been trying to talk to you for days, you know that. It’s been incredibly frustrating. You’ve been avoiding me because you’re afraid.

Kiva: I’m not afraid.

Jaren: You are. You’ve barely been able to look at me for weeks.

Kiva: You’re the one who wouldn’t look at me! You told me you wanted nothing to do with me — so I gave you that!

Jaren: I lied.

He says "I lied" like Kiva should have known that, should have seen through him and talked to him or whatever. It's like he expects, after a whole book of hating—or at least seeming to hate—her, that she accept that he was lying. That it was all fake. I think that's unfair. He's assuming that Kiva is avoiding him because she's "afraid", and completely ignoring his own actions. If I was Kiva, I would also be avoiding him because, know know, he's acting like he hates me.

By saying Kiva is afraid, it's a little bit like pinning all the angst on her. Which, yes, to be fair she did technically steal his powers, but their angsting is on both of them.

I think Jaren has a good reason for hating her. I would to if she'd stolen my magical powers. The thing that makes me hate him, however, and not her, is the fact that after spending the whole book ignoring her, being rude, and implying that he hates her and never wants to have anything to do with her ever again, he says "I could never hate you, Kiva." It seems, to me, a bit like he's gaslighting her.

He proceeds to tell her all the ways it isn't her fault. A good thing, but it goes against everything he's said and acted for the whole book.

I get that they obviously need to make up and stuff, but I think it could have been done better. In enemies(ish) to lovers, it tends to work better (for me) if they do hate each other and don't deny it. It's more like "I hated you before, but I don't anymore" instead of "I've pretended to hate you, but I actually don't".

Because Jaren does have a real reason to hate her. He could have just said like "I'm sorry for being an ass, but I promise I see you are now. And it's not your fault." I think that would make more sense.

Anyway, this is, once again, just my opinion. I'm not trying to be particularly hateful and if you loved this book, good for you.

I hope this made sense, thank you for coming to my TED talk, bonne journee :)

[bunglegaydogs]

ch. 109 spoilers!

bro i know okay i KNOW that one order has been released, atsushis about to get apparently fucking feasted upon, aku's possibly helping aya, I KNOW ALL OF THIS.

BUT MY HEART IS HURTING FOR MY FUCKING BOYS IN MEURSAULT

I'm not going to analyse it. But FUCK am I going to analyse it.

I'm literally just going to be chatting pure unadulterated shit through this because my head's still reeling and i was listening to THIS FUCKING PLAYLIST WHILST READING IT https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65Jdag9jXO4aE3HWOLHXTN?si=f53cd9f37f554146 I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING MY SKK ANGST AND REMEMBERED THE CHAPTER WAS OUT, AND THEN I GOT FUCKING SLAPPED ACROSS THE FACE AND SPAT IN THE MOUTH AND I WAS LISTENING TO THIS FUCKING PLAYLIST WHILST READING AND THEN WHILST SCROLLING THROUGH EVERYONES POSTS ITS HELL AND IM STILL FUCKING LISTENING LMAO

Literally, my thoughts throughout the whole chapter were "what the fuck" on different levels/degrees, and by the end of it, I was in shock and then it all hit me about five minutes ago lmao.

SO I'M JUST GOING TO RUN THROUGH THE CHAPTER BC WHY NOT BRO I NEED AN OUTLET I'M WAY TOO FUCKING EMOTIONAL FOR THIS RN

So, first off ofc

FUCKING SIGMA?

Guys dw I don't think he's dead; it's the information overload. Also, I'm not just saying this bc I'm in denial (ahem ahem) but genuinely because I don't think Sigma was shot with a fatal wound; and he touches Dostoevsky and automatically he's not dead. Fyodor's ability is seemingly able to kill people upon immediate contact. (Which is probably why he made Sigma's ability also through touch idk man lmao) And Sigma is not dead !!! (fucking praying) it's genuinely just the sheer amount of information he received from Fyodor; that shit was a LOT. He inquired about EVERY SINGLE SECRET that he had; bro, this is fucking Fyodor that we're talking about; that's a long-ass list. Anyways, so I genuinely just think it's like what happened to Atsushi; Sigma's ability is to take information from people, so he's a lot more used to an influx of info in his mind than Atsushi is; however, this was a shit ton of info for him to take in, it's going to take a while to process all of that. (Also his first thought being to tell the Agency AH I can't- also does this mean that Fyodor's plans maybe involve the Agency even more? Man I don't know lmao)

Next, Aya is so slay I hate her dad fr fr lmao xoxo She's so important to the story and I love it. Also, convenient hole there Akutagawa. Anyways xoxo so, we see a lot of humanity still emanating from Aku, so this is very good.

So, now uhm. We're onto Dazai's arrival! 🤠

WHAT THE FUCK

Even his first line after being gone a couple chapters is literally fucking gay as shit.

"Aah. I've imagined this scene thousands and thousands of times. Although, in my day-dreams... the roles are reversed."

MOTHERFUCKER WHAT

I was so caught off guard when he said this

Asagiri really just outed this mf xoxo

Bro's daydreaming about Chuuya? And just admits it as a passing thought?

Okay bub.

Also, the "...Well? Come at me, Chuuya."

Why's Chuuya hesitating in the first place? Fyodor told him to go and kill Dazai. He's now seen Dazai, and just isn't doing anything, he's just standing there. And Dazai's just taunting that mf.

"Try and amuse me with your lame-ass punches."

Right, now, I don't know about you, but this really doesn't sound very Dazai to me. I don't know, it was my first thought upon reading it. Like yeah of course he'd mock Chuuya; but has he ever called him weak? And like I don't know just the phrasing doesn't sound like him. Also, his shit-eating grin just makes me piss. Also, the fact that this gets a reaction from Chuuya like it would if he were human. Instead of acting on Fyodor's orders, he goes to punch Dazai after being provoked; also, I don't know about you, but a punch from Chuuya, no matter how hard he hits (he can't use gravity also) wouldn't kill Dazai. Chuuya is going to punch Dazai out of anger and infuriation at him mocking him; not because Fyodor has ordered him to.

ALSO, we don't see Dazai's face here, and he's not smiling anymore, but also he isn't moving away from Chuuya? I don't know maybe I'm dumb lol.

Also, another thing?

"Back up and put him down."

Like, dog connotations between SKK are fucking rampant, Dazai always calling Chuuya his dog, etc. The phrasing here gets me interested lol.

Then the "...Darn." from Dazai. What's with the pause? Idk, maybe I'm just overanalysing lol.

I'm sorry but Chuuya slays so hard here.

Anyways.

The sigh.

What's with the sigh? Any right-minded person (considering that it's Dazai we're talking about, maybe not the best phrasing) wouldn't just sigh when they have a gun pulled on them? Also, what the fuck is with the gun being so bright or smoky I can't tell?

BRO HE'S BEEN SHOT AND HE'S STILL ACTING GOOFY AS FUCK WHAT 💀

It doesn't sound like Dazai! It really really doesn't, not to me at least. But I'm probably just mega delusional. Just the, "Where the hell were you aiming, you god damn clutz?!" If you showed me that line and asked me to guess which character said it before I read this I guaran-fucking-tee you I would not have said Dazai. Maybe it's code, I DON'T KNOW BUT I FUCKING WISH I DID. Maybe he's like telling Chuuya where to aim...? I DON'T KNOW I'M SORRY. Also, mans looks absolutely PISSED but it's fine bc he's hot xoxo ALSO SORRY I ONLY JUST REALISED HE SAID SHIT LMAO As long as I've read this manga I have never ever known Dazai to swear, except that one panel that always makes me giggle when they're having their counselling session and he just goes "What the fuck." but idk if that was the real like actual translation lol. Also, after getting shot in the shoulder, nobody fucking shouts "OOOUUUUCH!" Bro's actually so goofy, it's not real. Idc, I'm fucking clutching at straws of course I am, but this is some act. He's literally had his bones broken by Chuuya at fifteen years of age when he stepped on his wrist and snapped it, he's been tossed around like a goddamn ragdoll, he's been shot by Fyodor's sniper, stabbed by Shibusawa and stabbed by Gab; all times he has never had this reaction, and those were near-fatal wounds, two of them actually killing him. Also, nobody says "That hurt!" After getting shot, come on now.

THE FUCKING IMMEDIATE SWITCH UP.

Going from shouting and screaming in pain and anger to utter silence and a calm look on his face at having a gun pressed to his head by his partner. Also, idk if Chuuya's actually touching his head with the gun; if he is, however, then I'm sure that will nullify the vampirism I THINK. In the fifteen LN, they defeat Randou and the old boss by Chuuya wrapping streamers around himself and hiding it underneath his clothes whilst Dazai held onto it from the other end of the room, and the streamers protected him from Randou's attacks, I THINK. And I THINK that this may mean if the gun touches Dazai's head, then maybe...? I really don't know, I'm clutching at mega straws here but it's just what I thought when I first read it.

Also, what does Fyodor mean by the "With this... there's no need to worry." About what? Dazai, like, having an extra plan? I really don't know.

Then this motherfucker sighing for the SECOND TIME WITH A GUN POINTED AT HIM? Like sorry that this is such an inconvenience??? Maybe you should be a little bit more worried? Also his dead-ass fucking look makes me piss.

Anwyays, my next thought is just why he's commentating the situation; Chuuya is here. He knows. He's the one holding the gun. Dostoevsky is watching on the cameras, he knows. He arranged this shit. Dazai knows. He's got the fucking gun pointed to him. So, why is Dazai just announcing what's happening? Also, of course his shoulder's going to hurt? You've just been shot babes. And once again, the "This is the god damn worst!" He's cussing an awful lot, which is actually shocking for him to be honest. But if we do decide to go down the route of he actually has no plans left and is genuinely just left for dead, then that's lowkey valid. But this is Dazai we're talking about bro. Also, the "And I'm gonna lose to Dostoevsky." Is he trying to get Fyodor to be like "Ah, he knows I've beat him." Hm. It's like pandering lol. "And as if that weren't enough, I'm being killed by Chuuya!" He's very expressive rn lmao. Anyways, who is he voicing all of this to? I don't know. OH WAIT ANGO? FUCK WAIT LMAO OKAY SORRY.

So, I remembered the other day that Dazai, despite Ango not being able to communicate with him, can still communicate with Ango. So, pretty much, has he relayed everything back to Ango? And Ango knows what's happening right now? Hm.

Anyways, if that's just irrelevant, then who is he just chatting to? I don't know man he's wild lmao.

"Looks like you're all out of plans."

He's very smug. Cocky. If you did see my other post about that being his downfall, you know what I think about this lmao. He's so sure that he's won, he knows that he's finally, after all this time, bested Dazai. However I just simply don't think that that is true.

AH, SEE. THIS IS WHAT I WAS SAYING BEFORE!

He leans into the gun. Also sorry he's just so pretty. Anyways. The thing about Harukawa is that Harukawa enjoys telling emotions, stories and psychological states through the character's eyes. And, said that though he wasn't going to disclose which character, there was one character whose eyes were devoid of highlights when they were showing their true self; whilst Dazai looks mighty determined here, and his words are true, he's got an act going on. But also, his eyes are genuine. They're determined, and they're real. I can't explain lol anyways. Onto the main fucking attraction here.

"Chuuya. Come to your senses. Our fate will not end in a place like this. Because you and I are destined to-"

HM? HM? Genuinely, I was so taken aback at this part, I was in fucking SHOCK. Fellas, is it gay to talk about your fate with your partner who you daydream about, every day and night, for the past seven years, and say that you're destined to do SOMETHING before it gets cut off and said partner shoots you in the head?

"Our fate will not end in a place like this."

He knows how destined they are, the sheer trust they place in each other, all of it. They both fit perfectly together, no matter how many jagged and sharp edges they have. Also, reminds me of when Dazai was messing with Chuuya at the Lovecraft fight and Chuuya says "You're not dying in a place like this!" Anyways. I just... this scene fucking. Aeugh. I'm broken. I feel ill. I'm going to throw up, and bash my head against the walls and start screaming and going absolutely ape-shit and feral and wild bro. I swear to fucking God, just a couple of words and Asagiri has already restored my writer's block. In just a panel or two, my heart's fucking broken and I'm already feeling every emotion under the sun; this is the effect of their relationship together. You don't know how to feel about it, but you know exactly what you feel about it. Anyways, sorry.

Once again, what the fuck is he shooting him with, a goddamn flare gun? Why's that shit so bright?

Is that enough blood for a gunshot wound to the head? Is that the appropriate face that someone makes? Too many questions. He just looks mildly surprised.

Oh to be honest, I only just saw that he shot him in the other fucking shoulder. Also, see how much Dazai moved forward to shuffle closer to Chuuya lmao. That's got to be important, right?

Anyways. Showing just the slight amount of blood and the top of his head, hm. Idk man lmao. Something seems suspicious. Something smells fishy.

Going back to this scene real quick, Chuuya is looking awfully human when Fyodor says "Stop." don't you think? Anyways.

Okay, forgive me; he shot him twice after he shot him in the head. He's shot him in his other shoulder and in his side?

Hm.

Not both Sigma and Dazai's "final sentences" being cut off. Hm. Also, once again, Chuuya looking more human than he did before. When we first saw him with Fyodor, mans was fucking SWEATING and going feral, growling and shit. And, I can't lie. The, "I've been... looking forward to th-" Who's to say that he is actually talking about dying? Bro said the same thing when he got stabbed by Shibusawa and Gab. And he knew he'd be coming back both times.

But, something I will say; I can most definitely agree that Dazai does look very dead in his eyes. That I can most definitely say.

LMAO I just got the most random ass theory in my head; what if Chuuya turned that time-stopping girl into a vampire and she's using her ability for something LMAO THAT'S FOUL my brain is actually so dumb.

He's smug. He's cocky. He has seen him be shot and thinks that he's won. But again, I just can't believe that Asagiri would do that; I know he has the balls to do it, but is it beneficial to the story for Dazai to die? There are too many unanswered questions, too many routes that this could stray down if he does. What about the Agency? What about Atsushi and Aku? What about Chuuya? The PM? Ango? Not to be all "Dazai cannot die he's too important" but yeah, I am going to be all like that. Anyways lol. My point was that the "goodbye" here, MAYBE this is "Operation Goodbye" coming into play. I WILL STAND BY THIS THEORY UNTIL MY FUCKING GRAVE. Which will be a very early one depending on the outcome of the next fucking chapter. But yeah, maybe this is the reason it's called that, and Chuuya will hear this, or even Dazai, and it's like a signal. Also, fuck off if you think that I'll believe Dazai is dead; he got shot in the head at point blank, and still had the energy to smile and be like "Aw yeah I love this" like bruh. Also, maybe Chuuya shot Dazai in the side and the shoulder before and after he shot him in the head so that Fyodor thinks "Oh, he's definitely dead." And Dazai has made sure that the second round in that gun is a blank or it's fucking paint and he replaced it fucking ages ago, whether with the time-stopping ability or he gave Chuuya the gun before he ever even GOT into Meursault, bro I really don't know. I'm sticking by my paint theory and that the bullet in that specific magazine thing is a little paintball. Dazai can literally canonically send himself into cardiac arrest and come back out of that; he did it to Atsushi in 55 minutes when Atsushi scared him. Anyways.

Not him being in a different position then he actually "dies" in man. LMAO what if this shit is Poe's novel? Anyways.

He dies with one leg folded and one stretched out, arms at his sides.

In the camera footage looking one, we see him with both his legs folded and like almost cross-legged with his hands clasped together inside his legs, the same when Aya is pushing the table. Me when I move after I die, what? Also, how come the other bullets went through his body, but the bullet shot through his head just didn't? I'm sure we've seen people get shot in the head in this series before and if we haven't, I'll be very fucking shocked. But anyways, either way, I can guarantee you they all would have/will have died instantaneously. This motherfucker is just chilling, laughing and talking about how fucking glad he is as he's dying. Bro. Anyways. Long story short, Dazai is not dead and he's a cunning little shit and I'm telling you now that that fucking magazine, that one bullet round was a paintball bullet thing. Idk man. I'm not having this motherfucker die now after this long and so many almost-confessions to his fucking partner bro.

Also, the black around Chuuya's eyes is easing; it's lesser. And also I said this as soon as I saw him, but he doesn't have the veins under his eyes anymore. He just looks a lot more human than he did before.

Also, yeah uh. One Order is fucking me up bro fr. I hate Fukuchi man, just bc you're bitter, king. Also, I find it very... interesting, that when Aya is going "Fall! Just fall!" It shows us the three generations of Double Black, all in equally precarious situations.

Dazai, having been almost drowned/set on fire/suffocated/poisoned, ALSO THE LETHAL POISON THAT IS IN HIS AND FYODOR'S BODIES, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT? LMAO. Anyways, so, Dazai, having been almost drowned/set on fire/suffocated/poisoned, then fell in an elevator and literally almost died as he apparently crawled through the hallway or something, then got shot in the shoulder by Chuuya, only to be apparently shot in the head and killed and shot in the side and the other shoulder. Maybe the bullets are antidotes lmao anyways. So, Dazai, apparently dead. Fukuzawa, having his throat sliced and also apparently, supposedly dead. Atsushi, not supposedly dead, but supposedly about to die, and is certainly in a dangerous situation; someone mentioned on a post I saw before that they feel as if this is building up for the three SKK generations working together, and I agree! Mori hasn't really been seen much; I feel as if he's going to turn up soon. Aku is of course going to either die after Aya rips the sword out or HOPEFULLY just go back to being human; same with Chuuya. I feel as if all of this is somehow planned. I feel like Tanizaki is going to turn up with light snow and the president is actually fine, and the One Order that Fukuchi has isn't real, and Fukuzawa slipped the page from him or something. Because, Tanizaki is literally behind them with Kunikida I think it was? Also, Kenji and Tecchou? Teruko? Where's Jouno? Where's Tachihara? What about the PM members that got turned? What about whatever the fuck Dazai has planned? Bro, I'm so scared but I actually cannot wait.

LMAO I am going to PISS MYSELF laughing if it just yanks Bram off the building and flings him. LMAO IT JUST FLINGS HIM OVER TO MEURSAULT LMAO.

But yeah no. So. I am insane. I am clinically unwell. That chapter fucked me up; but we've been getting fed GOOD the past two months fr. This has given me so much SKK angst fic ideas holy shit. Asagiri and Harukawa both just cured my fucking writer's block with one chapter.

Also! Something else I saw was somebody saying how similar Fyodor's mental ass fucking scene was with Dazai's and it honestly is! Fyodor getting shot in his left shoulder first, then Dazai in his right, then his left.

Now, just a thing of note; in Christianity and stuff, the left side is usually representative of evil and Satan, whereas the right side is associated with Righteousness and goodwill. Bro, I had this shit drilled into me as a kid, left was bad and right was good. It's just very interesting to me that Fyodor was shot in his left shoulder; representative of evil, and Dazai was shot in the side that it supposed to represent goodness and all things pure, really lmao. Maybe I'm just looking too deep into this, but I found it pretty intriguing.

Anyways, my main point was how similar the scenes are; they're both playing characters that are opposite to their true selves. Though, to be honest, it's a bit of a weird one/situation because we don't actually KNOW their true selves lmao.

Anyways! This is way too long, I'm going to carry on my SKK angst with my newfound absolute shit mood bro this shit fueled me but has actually destroyed me.

Honestly, props and kudos to you if you read this far.

[naupactus]

"weight shaming" rant under cut bc i came out the shower with thoughts

tbh i dont think skinnyshaming is a real thing. this noon my family told me i looked anorexic as if worried and told me i had to eat more which yeah it was bad and made me feel shitty about my body for a moment (i imagine it wouldve had more of an impact if i wasnt already very secure) but i dont think id equate it to the shaming fat women endure. because these same people who tell me i look sick when they look at my back and my arms also tell me theyre jealous that i have a flatter stomach than them.

the difference is when you get comments about being skinny they're based on a false and shallow sense of worry while comments about being fat are always framed as a personal failure. and thats what makes it "shame" and not just negativity. even though the occasional concern is voiced about health, that's not the kind of comment the majority of the population receives and rather just for people who are visibly obese. and still then, from actually obese people to someone with love handles, it's somehow framed as something sinful that not only impacts you but the people around you even though this is bullshit. there's this underlying hatred of fat people and belief that their weight is tied to recklessness and gluttony that has to be shamed and called out to be fixed, i think

on the other hand what fuels negative comments towards skinny people, from what ive seen and experienced, doesnt come from a place of blame and hatred but from stigmatization of mental illness. the only times ive received negative remarks about my body it's been from people who saw me and saw something a little too similar to a drug addict or a person with an eating disorder, and that triggered a disgust-pity response, even if they know im healthy. the comments never include something about convenience or ugliness, only health. it sometimes also transcends into comparisons to physical illness and poverty, but when these comments are made within a middle class context it's always with the implication that it's self inflicted and something to have pity on.

for negative views of both cases, in women as well as in men, it's i think triggered by the fact that both fail to fit into the social standard for what a healthy person should look like. someone who associates body weight to health, health to beauty and beauty to personal worth, feels the need to subconsciously justify their shock and disgust at seeing someone who deviates that standard by lying to themselves and saying the reason why those people look the way they do must surely be a personal flaw to be treated

[overly-hubristic-mad-scientist]

ok so given everything went well the the Bride’s Reanimation what exactly did Dan decide to do? Because while he did agree to her creation with the agreement that she would be his replacement Meg, she’s not she has a different brain and based on what we saw a different personality what will Dan’s reaction be if she’s not what he originally wanted? Will he get discontent and look for happiness elsewhere like he did with Herbert? Will he resent her for not being Meg? Even if she was similar enough for him there’s no guarantee that she would love him back, which is extremely understandable since he is essentially her parent. What if the Bride just isn’t into Dan at all and just wants a dad? Will he leave? Will he blame her? Will he blame Herbert? Will he just lose it and try to inflict harm (he’s not emotionally stable especially not when it comes to romance) I’m kinda curious to know what will happen