kaija-rayne-author

[kaija-rayne-author]

this too shall pass

[kaija-rayne-author]

“Just for the record darling, not all positive change feels positive in the beginning.”

— S.C. Lourie

[kaija-rayne-author]

hi!! in need of moots who share a love for writing, creating ocs, world building, & all that fun stuff!!! i would love to have more people to be able to talk about ocs / canon characters, writing, and original universes with, so don’t hesitate to interact with this if this sounds like you!!!

[kaija-rayne-author]

[kaija-rayne-author]

Astarion is still fluent in elvish you guys are just scared of the comedy potential that is having to put absolute faith in ASTARION!!! to be your translator in de-escalation scenarios.

[kaija-rayne-author]

An old incredibly self-indulgent drawing that I’m allowing to see the light of day

[kaija-rayne-author]

The moment where he calculates.

(Source)

[kaija-rayne-author]

Have had the scribble version of this since at least September but drawing Astarion’s hair is haaaard

Gale’s regular hair is tricky for me too but the wizardly updo mod is 🤌

[kaija-rayne-author]

tbh i like torturing them by dragging vivienne and blackwall around together all the time because they’re actually pretty similar characters. both are lowborn marchers who managed to claw their way up the brutal orlesian social hierarchy. both are obsessed with the concepts of class and power. both grapple with the need to sacrifice personal (esp. romantic) relationships in order to abide by the obligations of their roles.

the divergence between them comes from the fact that while they’re familiar with the pitfalls of making yourself a tool of the nobility, blackwall’s fallen victim to them while vivienne’s bootstrapping has been comparably successful. he’s the “bad end” to her own story, which is why his criticisms of her are the most cogent of anyone’s. and vivienne, for her part, immediately recognizes what blackwall is because he’s so much like her.

it’s such a good detail that their animosity only kicks off when blackwall tries flattering her and she offends him by pointing out how obviously fake his chivalry is. blackwall uses this act frequently, and it works well on nobly-born characters like josephine, but vivienne isn’t a noble. she antagonizes him because she wants him to know that she’s used the same tactics herself, but against more difficult targets and to greater effect. she’s implying that she’s him but competent, and blackwall spends the rest of the game mounting the counter-argument that he’s her but with principles.

[kaija-rayne-author]

wyll in elegant robes...

(lines-only version undercut)

[kaija-rayne-author]

This little chippie posed calmly while I snapped away in the afternoon light. Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming :)

(c) riverwindphotography, April 2024

[kaija-rayne-author]

I'm back on my Genshin shit. 😂 I knew it would drag me back eventually. Damn did they make underwater Fontaine gorgeous.

Took me a bit but I managed to get Neuvillette. I've got him up to 70 and I think I might manage to get him up to 80 today.

#Genshin #genshin impact #KaiPlaysGenshinImpact #Fontaine

[kaija-rayne-author]

I'm an editor, author, linguist, teacher, and anthropologist. I honestly don't care if you agree with me or not.

Goal has nothing to do with whether a literary/fictional character is defined as a villain or a hero or an anti-villain or an anti-hero.

The only thing 'goal' is relevant for in that labeling is whether there is one. Also what the person will do to achieve that goal.

I mean, I even defined what a villain is, but whatever.

People gonna believe what they want regardless of cool things like word and concept definitions.

Is Solas a Villain?

Spoilers for Dragon Age Inquisition and Trespasser DLC. Maybe DAO and DA2 too.

So is he a villain?

Nope!

That's not me being a Solas apologist.

That's me being a pedantic AF writer/editor/word and literary nerd.

Solas, no matter how players feel about him, is an anti-hero.

Firstly, what is an anti-hero?

1. A character who is a hero to some, a villain to others.

Solas was a hero to the ancient enslaved elves, even if he did end up basically destroying the world. If he does what I suspect, he'll also end up a hero to the current generation of enslaved elves, too. He's mentioned he has spies, many, indicating that many people, even good people, serve him. Because they think of him as a hero.

2. A character whose existence offers a critique of social morals and reality.

Can you think of any other character in DA:I who calls attention to the problems of the status quo more than Solas? I mean, truly pointing out the uncomfortable truth?

This convo w/Dorian sort of illustrates that point.

Dorian: Solas, for what it's worth, I'm sorry.

Dorian: The elven city of Arlathan sounds like a magical place, and for my ancestors to have destroyed it...

Solas: Dorian... hush.

Solas: Empires rise and fall. Arlathan was no more "innocent" than your own Tevinter in its time.

Solas: Your nostalgia for the ancient elves, however romanticized, is pointless.

Solas: If you wish to make amends for past transgressions, free the slaves of all races who live in Tevinter today.

Dorian: I... don't know that I can do that.

Solas: Then how sorry are you?

3. A character who is the focal point of conflict in a story.

Rather a no-brainer on this one. I truly think the actual villain/s of DA:D won't end up being Solas. I think, as he was in DA:I, he's a massive distraction. A misdirection of attention.

4. A character who is particularly engaged in the conflict, typically on their own will, rather than for a specific call for the greater good. As such, the anti-hero focuses on their objective first, and everything else is secondary.

Solas, if Romanced, gives up his heart's desire, the Inquisitor, the only person that has ever drawn his attention from the fade, for his goal, even though you can see how much it destroys him to do it.

His heart, hers, his friends... NOTHING can get in the way of the goal. And it's a goal he's taken on of his own will. He's taking the responsibility of fixing his fuck up because he fucked it up. (He's foolish because if he'd just stop and think for a second, he'd realize he's really bad at fixing things.)

5. An Anti-hero is still operating for what they think is the greater good. Solas truly believes that fixing what he broke is for the greater good of Thedas. Not just his own people, (that's an enjoyable side benefit XD) but Thedas itself. Because it was never meant to have the veil in the first place. (We'll just brush that whole evil self-absorbed mage-gods being set free at the same time under the carpet? Because he has "plans". Solas, Solas, just stop and think for a minute!)

6. They tend to be flawed heroes in the sense that they do wrong things/screw up/cause harm.

Welp. That's pretty much a dictionary definition of Solas, isn't it?

So how is that actually different from a villain?

A villain is a malicious, often cruelly malicious character, who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime or hurting others for their own sake. One who contributes evil agency (motivation) to the plot.

The literary purpose of a villain is to stand opposite the hero to help the plot move forward.

In contrast with the hero (which is defined by ingenuity, bravery, pursuit of justice and the greater good), a villain is most often defined by their acts of selfishness, evilness, arrogance, and or cruelty. They are often cunning and display unilaterally agreed upon immorality that can pervert or oppose justice.

In short, an anti-hero is a character who does too much good to be truly bad, and too much bad to truly be considered good.

Solas, as a character, gives unflinchingly of himself to the Inquisition. He gave them his home, if you believe Skyhold is actually his.

He gives of his blood and flesh in battles.

He gives his knowledge.

If Romanced, he gives his heart to a mortal inquisitor.

And he's willing to give whatever is left of his heart, his soul, and very possibly his life to fix what he broke.

Sorry, Solas haters, he's just not the villain you want him to be.

And that's what makes him so bloody fascinating!

Humanity loves our anti-heroes.

Did you know the term anti-hero was used as early as 1714, but that the character archetype has been used by Homer (Theristes), in Ancient Greek drama (Medea), in Roman mythology (Hercules), and in a lot of Renaissance literature (Don Quixote)?

At some point, the existence of an anti-hero character eventually became an established form of social criticism. Which Solas is very good at.

Other examples of anti-heroes most folks will likely recognize

Wade Wilson/Deadpool

Huckleberry Finn

Lou Bloom/Nightcrawler

Bruce Wayne/Batman

Mad Max

Captain Jack Sparrow

Lisbeth Salander (Girl w/dragon tattoo)

Han Solo

Pinnochio

James Bond

Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview w/a Vampire)

Geralt of Rivia (Witcher)

Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)

Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

Indiana Jones

John Rambo

T-800 (The Terminator)

John McClane (Die Hard)

The Beast (Beauty & the Beast)

Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

Magneto (X-Men)

Logan/Wolverine (X-Men)

Riddick

Shrek

Stitch (Lilo & Stitch)

Harley Quinn

Hellboy

John Constantine

Frank Castle (The Punisher)

V (V for Vendetta)

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Sherlock Holmes

Judge Dredd

John Wick

Maleficent

Venom

Angel & Spike (Buffy)

Dean & Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin

Wednesday Addams

I'll stop there, because the list could probably go on for a looong time (as if it hasn't already? 😅)

My work of words is my only income. Please consider a tip or becoming a patron. :)

[kaija-rayne-author]

I've been on a social media break. It's very not good for my mental health right now. I've written two books in the time (or almost 2, still finishing drafting the second). But I'm sure I'll have the wherewithal eventually to do more.

I just don't right now.

[kaija-rayne-author]

Aging is hot. Gray hairs are hot. Smile lines are hot. Get with it.

[kaija-rayne-author]

I’m sure I am late to this joke but I don’t care. This is always on my mind every time I read Halsin’s journal and notes 🦑

Also thank you @grandmother-goblin for the halsin hand gesture screenshots I heavily referenced🫡

[kaija-rayne-author]

it would be an honour