#meta?

KIRIONA IS HARROWHARK'S DOING!

KIRIONA IS THE WORK!

HARROWHARK SPLIT HER SOUL AND THEN SPLIT GIDEON'S!

IANTHE UNDERSTANDS THE SPACE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH- AND HELPED!

IANTHE PUT GIDEON BACK TOGETHER!

HARROWHARK AND GIDEON TRADED SOUL PIECES!

IF THERE WAS A BOOK THROUGH KIRIONA'S EYES IT WOULD BE NARRATED BY HARROWHARK!

ONE EYE WAS GOLD, NOT BOTH!

IF EITHER REMEMBERS THE OTHER, THE PLAN FAILS!

BUT THEY BOTH INSTINCTIVELY KNOW TO SEARCH FOR THE OTHER!

THEY'RE BOTH HALF A LYCTOR TOGETHER!

THEY BOTH DIED!

THEY ARE BOTH REVENA-

The first instance I noticed this REALLY happening is at the start of the game when you are closing the Breach. You've gathered your allies (mages or templars) and there's Cassandra. Okay, yeah totally makes sense she's there. Then Solas is ALSO there...okay, that ALSO makes sense. Given he's the Fade Expert TM.

But then he's...giving orders? Rushing to the front of the small army beside Cass in a confident stride, "Focus on the herald, let her will draw from you," waving his staff like he's waiting to signal an attack?

In that moment he seems to be really drawing upon his experience as a leader, forgetting he's drawing upon an experience he's got no way of explaining away were someone to point it out. And I LOVE IT. I think this was such a neat detail to add that gives us that little bit more of foreshadowing to the reveal of his true identity because it ISN'T how a 'nobody who grew up in a small village' should be acting. But IT IS how a rebel leader would be acting, drawing upon his experience to improve morale. And it's just so subtle enough you miss it your first playthrough. (or maybe not if you've got Iron Bull levels of intuition)

Same premise exists for his first kiss scene. Again if you are Lavellan, you're still under the assumption that Solas is this wandering mage who hasn't been around people much. Who withdraws himself from the spotlight, from others, keeping to himself mostly. And it makes sense that in the first kiss scene she's very much the one to take charge. She's the one who flirts with him, turning an initially innocuous sentence from him and exposing it for the intimate declaration it can be. She turns his face and kisses him because she knows he won't be the one to initiate this.

I think it's also telling she's about to walk/skip away in that scene too. In a cheeky 'whoops' sort of way probably thinking he'll let her go. That he won't take the initiative to-oh and he's grabbing her by the waist, shoving his leg between her legs and using fade tongue, kissing her like he's she's just snapped something inside of him.

And she has, really. He's been trying so very hard to keep up appearances and here she is, the woman who changes everything, kissing him in the realm that feels most like home to him. His kisses aren't gentle or reserved, like you'd THINK they would be. He isn't holding back or conscience about how desperate he's coming across. This isn't the kiss you'd think the gentlemanly, composed, reserved advisor to give. It's the opposite of what she (and the player) expected from him given how he has tried to protray himself. It's no wonder she looks so dazed when he comes up for air.

...which, of course, is something he told no one about. if anything, he initially tried to get them to think positively about their high school days.

but after they drink some more, he's the first one to start talking about their past seriously

also, if you go back and watch this scene, he's the only one whose face we don't see while jyushi is teasing them with their old pics. everyone else starts laughing at his antics, except karamatsu. in fact, he actually has this reeeeaaaaalllly subtle moment where he hunches forward slightly. like he visibly tenses up a bit (i wish i knew how to make gifs man).

with karamatsu the writers like to take a very “show don’t tell” approach. Yes there are episodes where he narrates (overseas vacation) and that could be considered his inner monologue, but for the most part we kiiinda don’t really know what he’s thinking. especially when he's being insulted. like he straight up either doesn't respond or he just goes "mmmm~~?"

(and as we know, he gets insulted a lot)

the thing is, this is by design. Because not only do we have a direct quote from his voice actor (yuichi nakamura) about it.

we also literally have an entire skit criticizing him for it.

but i think that this tendency to hold things in directly stems from that fight on the roof. The one time he really tried to step out of his comfort zone and approach his brothers about something earnestly, he started the worst fight they’ve ever had.

(also side note, he actually only starts opening up about it after he takes a couple sips from the beer osomatsu got for them)

Now I’m not going to argue with the director over whether karamatsu is a 100% bonafide kind good hearted person or not (though i should note that this was from 2016 and his characterization has changed a lot since then). but i think it's important to note that the rest of them lowkey forgot about that fight while karamatsu consciously held it in because he didn't want to remind them of it and potentially start another fight.

when they discuss their regrets, the rest of the bros are more-so regretful over how they acted as teens. they discuss how their teenage "weirdness" stemmed from their dislike of being sextuplets. this dislike further manifested as a dislike for each other. but karamatsu's regret was over his failure to bring them together. i do appreciate that this strong piece of characterization was based around the love he has for his brothers.

The fact that Paul McCartney, one half of a doomed psychosexual duo who believed they dreamed the same dreams for years, asks (John, I guess?) "Are you gonna be in my dreams tonight?" and added the quiet “love you” buried in the background as the closing song for the last album is... wild.

Here's the thing about The End.