#yes im comparing him to roy mustang this is my blog and you are never going to escape roy mustang comparisons here

[mythalism]

genuinely curious how the writers and larger dragon age audience would treat thom rainier if instead of being appropriately* repentant and putting himself in prison he blew up a major orlesian government building to instigate a chevalier rebellion or tried to have someone do some necromantic blood magic ritual involving uncertain danger and possible sacrifices to bring the innocent children he ordered killed back to life

[mythalism]

*appropriately as in showing the expected amount of remorse in the appropriate way in a society founded on guilt and shame. i think blackwall actually tells us a lot about how dragon age's writers conceptualize justice and deserved-ness of punishment. im glad we get the option to forgive him but why do we get the option when anders is exiled at best? and later characterized as a villain by dai, when solas is willfully imprisoned at best and trapped in a horrifying psychological torture chamber at worst? blackwall gets a full redemption happy ending if inky so chooses, and im not saying he shouldnt. i forgive him every time, but its so interesting to me that narratively speaking, he seems to earn his happy ending through submission to punishment via imprisonment... as does solas but blackwall is portrayed far more sympathetically overall. there isnt the same meta-level narrative slander and clear agenda on behalf of the writing to make you feel a certain way about his crimes. as there is with anders and solas. why? whats the difference? what did he do to buy himself that narrative goodwill? put himself in prison? why do the writers love carceral punishment so much lmfaooo

i think theres actually a strong argument that thom does not do ENOUGH to right his wrongs. where is his effort to reform the orlesian military? where is his criticism of orlesian imperialism? how does serving in the inquisition or in the wardens have a direct impact on the people he harmed? it doesnt really, only indirectly by helping the whole world. which is fine, but this is a story that is supposed to mean something. when you compare him to someone like roy mustang (yes im comparing him to roy mustang this is my blog and you are never going to escape roy mustang comparisons here) roy's political ambitions following his war crimes are directly related to those war crimes and his goals directly benefit the same group of people he harmed. its their ancestors and family members like, LITERALLY. same exact community. everything he does is for them and will eventually directly benefit them. meanwhile blackwall just kind of does vague “good” deeds and gets a full redemption. he really does not make much effort to repatriate the harm he did as a soldier... he just moves on.... which sounds.... familiar. but why is that the ultimate path to redemption? moving on and forgetting about it? and again no shade to blackwall. my inky forgives him. but why is the narrative portrayal of his redemption so different from solas? or anders who gets no opportunity for redemption at all?

genuinely curious how the writers and larger dragon age audience would treat thom rainier if instead of being appropriately* repentant and putting himself in prison he blew up a major orlesian government building to instigate a chevalier rebellion or tried to have someone do some necromantic blood magic ritual involving uncertain danger and possible sacrifices to bring the innocent children he ordered killed back to life