#tin foil hatting

[fourkillers]

aew broke up kriswillow to further discourage people from asking about women tag belts

[xceanlynx]

They were your coven for hundreds of years. You had no feelings for any of them? I had complicated feelings.

Interview with the Vampire (2022-)

[vergolophus-archive]

And here's the general assortment post! With Otto. :)

[rassicas]

Thank God splatoon 3 didn't end up introducing a playable cuttlefish dlc like I feared last year (I honestly don't think we need more new playable species, would've been too sudden, my expectations were on the floor after rotm) but the cuttlefish visuals are still so suspicious to me. This hat has to be on purpose. That's absolutely not a fucking squid or octopus

And this is undeniably a cuttlefish (and the double fin shape resembles the hat)

Like how the lack of mammals in the splatoon world and ark Polaris was something suspicious in the previous games, and characters like marigold and Glen fiddler and lil judd are suspicious now.... It's way more subtle but I think this could be the splatoon team planting some seeds in case they decide to introduce cuttlefish as a separate species in the splatoon world. ill be keeping it in the back of my mind

[blondeweasel]

Her favorite MCU movie is Winter Soldier…

[tilbageidanmark]

Dystopian Spectrum Venn Diagram: Not exact but it's the thought that counts.

[girlbossdarkiplier]

(starts chewing at the bars of my enclosure)

i think its very interesting that dark/characters associated with him are so connected with stars/space. celine having her black dress with the white star pattern and then ms whitacre with the scarf (?) with glittery stars.

and then when celine helps y/n see into the future, their visions are backed with this black and white star backround. (sorry its hard to see in this image)

a common motif is also dark manipulating tv noise/fuzz which is created from cosmic radiation

like this doesn't mean literally anything but i think its very neat

[championofthefade]

Warning!! This post may contain spoilers for those who haven't played Veilguard yet! This turned out a lot longer than I thought, but I'm discussing the theory that Rook is a spirit.

I know that there are issues with the writing and any theory is not created to make those issues get swept under the rug. This theory is meant to be fun, and I would like to talk about it.

I'm thinking about the "Rook is a spirit" theory I saw on twitter/x. This theory often rotates in my head often, and I think that it's so interesting.

Like, listen. I understand that narratively it would be complicated to insert into what we know is Dragon Age Veilguard. Someone brought up the fact that it would be a strange thing because wouldn't Emmrich know that Rook is a spirit the way that he knows Lucanis has Spite?

But the theory that cadhalash paints for us is the fact that Varric was for Rook what the Rook is for the companions.

"Help them with their personal problems and talk to them about their feelings, but never ask Rook how they're doing. Or if they need anything. In codex memos we learn the companions have potlucks and book clubs but Rook is not invited. We learn at the end that Varric wasn't really there... What if Rook wasn't either? There's tons of chat about this idea now with other examples of Rook being compared to a spirit in the game. Very interesting and fun!" -cadhalash

There could be the very huge chance that Emmrich would recognize Rook as a spirit, but what about a spirit made flesh?

Think about Cole's banter with Blackwall, for example:

Blackwall: How does a spirit become flesh anyway?

Cole: I don't know. How does a Warden become Grey?

It may seem like a reach, but to me, it makes sense. Cole chose to become human because that was the shape that would help, which he says in a banter with Varric.

Varric: So, Kid, why human?

Cole: It was the shape that would help.

Varric: Huh. Most people don't pick a shape. I guess I was hoping for something deeper with that question.

Cole: It had to be him. But harmless. The him he wanted that wouldn't hurt.

Varric: Well that's... deeper. I think.

You may be thinking, "Hey, Atlas. That might be a little reaching, don't you think?"

Well, yes. Applauding the people that caught onto Solas in the Dragon Age Fandom years and years ago now because you all were on the nose about him being a worm (spirit). But considering what we know from Dragon Age as a whole, it could be possible that Rook is too a spirit of a different kind.

We know that Emmrich can sense Spite. We know that Emmrich can talk directly to Spite. But what if Rook was more like Cole? Would Emmrich's ability to speak to spirits or sense them so close apply?

I would say, that depends on the type of Spirit that Rook would be, right? This has a lot of wiggle room for what you think your Rook would be as a spirit?

From the Wiki:

Spirits lack imagination and creativity; everything they make is based off something made by mortals. Whether benevolent or malevolent, most spirits cannot help but mine a Fade visitor's mind for their thoughts and memories. They then mimic the pieces of life they see by shaping the Fade into various realms that cater to the unconscious desires of the living, providing experiences to the sleeping that become their "dreams."

And the Spirits listed:

Command, Compassion (Cole), Courage, Curiosity (Manfred), Duty, Faith (Wynne), Honor, Hope, Justice(Anders), Learning, Love, Perseverance, Purpose, Valor, Wisdom (Solas).

(We know from Veilguard that Spite is referred to as a spirit of Determination/ mentioned in a data mine, Passion.)

For the sake of the theory, let's say that Emmrich would get an inkling. A prickling feeling even that he knows that there's a spirit near by and would chalk it up to being Manfred because he would know that, right? But then there's Spite. How big of an energy read does Emmrich get from Lucanis to immediately go, 'Yeah, you've got a tag along and I'm sorry it wasn't a willing possession'.

So, how would it get unnoticed by Emmrich, the resident Fade Expert?

Well... Reading further down said wiki page, we find this:

As Rhys puts it in a dialogue with Cole, "being important makes you real". (Asundered reference, I believe?)

Being important makes you real. Rook becomes the 'leader' when Varric gets hurt at the beginning of the game. For the entirety of the game, as Rook, you have to build a team to fight ancient elvhen gods. Rook has to be what Varric was, pulling people that Solas didn't know into trying to save the world from going to shit.

Rook was given a purpose. To save the world.

Regardless of how Rook is perceived, they are in charge. They are in a position that they didn't want, probably was expecting to go home after dealing with this Dread Wolf that they were recruited to stop, and now... They're given a role that would make them important. And as before being important makes you real.

Could Rook be something akin to Cole rather something like Spite or other spirits that we know in Veilguard?

Here's another thing: Solas.

Yes, we are talking about the egg. I'll try to keep this as coherent as possible. We know that Solas didn't want to come from the Fade to be a human (another discussion for another time). We learn that Solas was a spirit of Wisdom, whose Wisdom was twisted into a weapon and forced to do things that stripped Solas of what he wanted to keep for himself. To remain as Wisdom.

This makes it interesting if we add to the fact that Rook could choose to outsmart Solas. Because at that pivotal moment, Solas was Pride. On his pride, it was always the sword he would fall on.

Say what you will about the trick ending, but this is something that shouldn't be glossed over. Being outsmarted by Rook, Solas says, "I am a fool... Who has met his match."

Met his match. This also might be another case of reaching, but it's interesting phrasing from someone who tells clever half-truths and never quite lies. Being tricked by Rook out of pure wits alone. Something that he thought he succeeded in.

What does this have to do with spirits?

Solas, who was brought out of the Fade to take a body to join the elves in a fight against the Titans. Solas, who crafted the lyrium dagger to sunder the Titans from their dreams in hopes of stopping the war. Solas, who created the blight from the Titans' severed dreams. Solas, who started a rebellion against the ancient elvhen gods who abused their power.

Rook, who was brought onto a job to stop the Dread Wolf. Rook, who disrupted the ritual in hopes of stopping Solas. Rook, who started a double blight from freeing these ancient elvhen gods. Rook, who has to build a team to stop these ancient elven gods.

I would say, in spirit, Rook is a mirror of Solas. I'm not saying Rook is wise like Solas or anything like that. But there is something about Rook being Solas' mirror that could fold into Rook being a Spirit of Reflection.

This is just something that comes to mind. Rooks helps Taash discover their identity, helps Emmrich deal with his fear of mortality, helps Neve protect Dock Town, helps Bellara with Cyrian, helps Harding with the Titans, helps Davrin with the griffons, and helps Lucanis with Spite. (Generalized, all choice dependent.) These are reflections of the companions. These are reflections of the people that Rook had brought together to save the world.

It could easily be written off because we're not entirely sure how many spirits there are, but I digress.

Of course, that too would beg the question of how it would apply to all Rooks from all backgrounds?

Let's take a look at the ones that make me think.

Shadow Dragon Rook

The foundling Rook was adopted into a military family and joined the Shadow Dragons to fight from the shadows for change in Minrathous.

We learn in a dialogue with Tarquin that a Shadow Dragon Rook was found on a battlefield by the Mercar family.

Now with this little bit of dialogue, it makes me (personally) think back to what Solas says about him walking the Fade and seeing ancient battlefields where spirits reenact wars from the other side of the Veil. There could have been spirits that were there during this battle where SD Rook was found. (It also kinda reminds me of Loki being found by Odin and raised in Asgard. Don't come for me, I've only watched the movies.)

For the sake of theory, say that a spirit that would have looked over a SD Rook before they were found by the Mercars. Thinking about it, it reminds me of how Cole (the mage) was watched over by Compassion and then Compassion took a shape that would help.

A spirit (in Spite's case) can be drawn to a person, yes? As Determination, we know that Spite was drawn to Lucanis' determination to live or something of the like. (I will live to spite you, essentially.)

Mourn Watch Rook

Discovered by undead inside a Grand Necropolis tomb as an infant, Rook was raised by Mourn Watch necromancers, eventually joining the order.

Relating back to the Muttering Undead that is in a coffin on the path from Emmrich's recruitment:

Stumbling… The steps. Skeletons saw… Oh no choice. Had to be brave… Had to be brave… Too late to cry… Save the (girl, boy, baby) with the grave.

This is a little more open ended. We know nothing about Ingellvar beyond that. We don't know where they came from, only that they were found inside a tomb. It makes me scratch my head.

We know that it's a custom in Nevarra that a spirit could reanimate a skeleton, essentially, and bring some part of their consciousness from back across the Veil. We see that Manfred, when you choose to bring him back, is brought back from across the Veil and returns with magic.

Sure, it's not the same thing as building a body out of Titan's blood, but the idea that the spirits that became the Evanuris are the best of the physical and the Fade offers up to the idea that they were going to have magic anyway when they crossed the Veil. Only lyrium gave them more power than I think that they knew what to do with.

I make this point from the perspective that Mourn Watchers are typically necromancers. They are almost always close to places where the Veil is thin enough for a spirit to come across and possessing a body in a sense.

When it comes to the Muttering Undead, I don't know who that could have been or what they were doing in the Necropolis. But it's clear that they were determined to save Mourn Watch Rook, and they were the one that put Rook in the tomb.

This one makes me scratch my head because it's so broad and vague. For the theory that Rook is a spirit, this is the origin/background/faction that lends itself to the idea because in Nevarra they revere and respect their dead with the ability to raise the corpses to continue contributing to the Grand Necropolis. But we're talking about a wee baby Rook growing up in the Necropolis. Could it be possible that the saving of Rook is more spirit in a tomb?

The last things I would like to touch on.

Dialogue with Harding (her romance I believe?) :

Harding: I've seen spirits leave the Fade and become real people. (COLE!!!)

Rook: You think I could be a spirit in disguise?

Harding: It isn't malicous. They're just drawn to strong emotion. And then...one day, real people.

Rook: I think I'm really me, and I'm really here.

This is why I mentioned Cole earlier.

And the absence of Rook in the Veilguard mural is brought up in the theory as well. Rook's absence on the mural strikes me as odd. Because yes, the companions would be a main focus in the stories that would follow them. But what about Rook, the person who brought these vastly different people together and saved the world? Not there. Were they ever there?

Much to think about.

[i-dont-know-how-this-site-works]

I've truly hit rock bottom.

The major complaint with all our delusional takes regarding Tech's survival is that we are taking them out of our asses, but in this case, it is quite literally outta someone's ass.

Look, I don't wanna dunk on my main man, but Tech's got no booty. He is as flat as an airport landing strip in the Netherlands. I don't know what voodoo dark magic Nala Se did to strip Tech of the standard issue clone tushy, because our next possible candidate for Clone CX-2 is Cody, and dude is packin'.

Exhibit 1:

Certified 0° booty.

Exhibit 2:

That's a category 10 booty right here ^.

Now, fortunately for us the creatives put Clone CX-2 in a leotard from the waist down, so we got an unobstructed view of the clone's behind and I gotta say, it's some pretty convincing evidence right here that CX-2 is Tech.

Also, I made this account three years ago and have never changed the profile picture before, but today I did cause delusion is swallowing me whole.

[reality-detective]

This is true on so many levels, ask anyone who has worn the hat 🤔

[shield-and-saber]

"where is she?" "who?" "your sister"

do u think sol knew, in that moment, that this wasn't osha?? ""osha"" asks 'who' and sol pauses, looks at her, looks around, and then says 'your sister'. he doesn't say mae's name

osha would never ask him to clarify, she would know exactly who he's talking about

[just-floating-around]

EXCUSE ME WHAT IS THIS SUPPOSEF TO MEAN?????

FIVE BOOKS THAT HAPPEN TK SHARE THE TITLE OF THE CLOSING TRACK OF THEIR MOST ICONIC ALBUM??? (which also happens to be written by someone that happens to share the same first name as one of the members which is just kinda funny for me)

SOMEONE HELP ME GRAB THE TIN HATS WHATS GOING ON

[tooturtly]

I’m being so kind when I say: if you’re anti Caitlyn just bc she’s evil (which like, put a pin in it for now) you can’t handle the locked tomb.

Everyone in tlt is morally grey. Nobody is “good” except maybe like, a handful of children. (And even then there’s complexity bc the children are individuals of complicated backgrounds and personalities but I digress)

A core aspect of both stories is how fucked up the political systems are. Nobody born into an empire which sees the “other” as undeserving of existence/self governance can be totally morally “good”. Nobody who has to fight daily for their survival always has the privilege of taking the moral high ground. But that’s exactly what makes each character so interesting: the way they each respond to and interpret the standards they have been raised to believe, the values they have been taught to hold, the perspectives of certain individuals and their value as people.

Liking media or characters with this complexity does not mean anything about you as an individual, from a moral perspective.

We can talk about how Caitlyn never saw true repercussions for her actions and what that says about the themes Arcane ultimately ends up expressing. Or how the very overt political themes got dropped in season 2 (which I have many many thoughts on). But the locked tomb so far is a series that is deeply political and messy.

Do not enter the locked tomb thinking it’s only about snarky lesbians and wholesome relationships. Tlt makes whatever Jayce and Viktor had going on look so normal (look to campal and also the Tridentarii). It is stuffed with characters who have unhealthy codependencies, toxic family dynamics, and shitty empirial ideals, and that’s why I love it.

[andariyadoesart]

Okay, bear with me for a moment here.

So we know He Xuan was supposed to be the one to ascend before Shi Wudu stole his fate and made Shi Qingxuan become the Windmaster to save him.

So He Xuan would've originally become the god instead, by that logic. And He Xuan knew what happened, he knew he was supposed to be the one to ascend etc - hence his entire vendetta against the brothers.

But then his ghost name now is Black Water Sinking Ships. So essentially, he turned the water element into something sinister and evil.

Who is the Water Master? Shi Wudu.

So why is it not something to do with wind if he knew that was the god who got the place originally intended for him? Because he actually doesn't resent Shi Qingxuan and doesn't blame him in the slightest for what happened. He took water here for a reason...

[kick-a-long]

My favorite leftist take is that they say, without irony or self reflection that 90% of Jews are the antisemitic ones. Antisemitism is the crime of Jews, who are Nazis now. including American Jewish school children.

“Jews are the real Jew haters, they should die.” - leftists and tankies

Incredible.

[apocalyp-tech-a]

As per this post and some others regarding the poster. FOUND TECH! I can't unsee it!! 🤣🤣🤣