#solarthoughts

[solardriftx]

okay guys can we talk abt the pieces of damon lore dropped in some of the fte’s🤔 loooong conjectural yap session incoming

he gets pretty secretive about his home life if pressed further, but it’s clear that his parents struggled with paying the bills until he started raking in prize money from competitions. i think this little detail can

explain a lot abt his character. for one, his obsession with studying and burying himself into improving his talent. as a kid, it’s possible he placed pressure on himself to pull his weight (his relationship with his parents is evidently affectionate, so i don’t think they forced him into this), so he made sure to excel in school and eventually debate club not only for respect, but to secure the ideal future for himself and his parents. he may have known going into it that competitions had prize money on the line, and the club had the additional benefit of beefing up his college apps. getting into edens garden academy must’ve been a dream come true for the whole family, it’s likely he idolized the school growing up as a symbol of true success and prosperity (hence his bio mentioning there was never a doubt in his mind that he was destined to be the ultimate debater. an ultimate in his eyes was the best thing a young person could be)

another thought, his financial situation could be attributed to a number of things, but if it was due to his parents struggling to keep jobs, it would make sense why damon is so dead-set on defining people (including himself) based on the utility of their skills. he’s seen firsthand how cutthroat the job market can be, so upon initial meeting he either views his peers as inferior due to their less practical talents or as competition he refuses to back down to. he is obsessed with comparing himself to others! in his mind, people are their resume.

also, i wonder if the reason damon is described to be argumentative from an early age in his bio was due to teasing from other kids for being less well off? or possibly getting into spats with his parents under the stress? spats with extended family or other adults who ridiculed his parents? spats with a shitty landlord??? pure speculation, but these underdog scenarios would really showcase his desire to be respected

in a world so uncertain, damon’s tongue is his sharpest weapon and tool, and as such, he holds his talent in high regard as the sole definer of his identity.

[solardriftx]

P:EG SPOILERS UNDER CUT‼️‼️‼️

just finished ch1 and I WAS ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY. i have to yap abt my initial thoughts😭

….

….

- my crack theories were wrong but yk what im SO GLAD this is better than i could ever imagine

- DAMON AND DIANA YOU ARE SO REAL TO ME. she stood up for him when nobody else would. he stood up for her when nobody else would. damon, someone so stoic and logical, was moved to question such a seemingly open and shut case at the sound of her tears, at the impact of her kindness (in the pathos route ) AH😭😭

- the difference between eva and damon…is that deep down damon slowly started to accept others kindness…while eva chose to deny it no matter how obvious it was that some people truly did care.

- i am a SUCKERRR for characters like diana so highly driven by empathy that it is simultaneously their greatest strength but also their weakness. she feels so deeply for *everyone* and it’s what causes her to keep her chin held high even after everything, but the sheer savior complex that’s starting to develop makes me worry for her

- DAMON DAMON oh my god the first time he let his guard down and trusted someone even after scolding everyone else for doing so it blew up in his face. seeing him with tears streaming down his face at the sight of eva’s death (looking almost unaware of the fact he is crying), just to revert to blank shock afterwards, and finally harden into frustration and distrust—oh my god. like i really have to applaud how accurately they captured the behavioral nuances of being emotionally stunted

- the daily life segment was so charmingly written, highly elevated my opinions on characters i previously felt neutral about—namely kai and desmond. they are both very dear to me now. also as much as i somewhat dislike using the term “tsundere” to describe emotionally complex characters…tsundere damon was so real this chapter, very funny to watch

- on this same note damon allowing toshiko’s nickname for him while shooting down the others…they are the siblings ever

- i just really like how these characters try their best to intelligently approach the killing game the way actual people would. when tragedy strikes, it’s all the more chilling knowing you would’ve tried problem solving the same way

okay thats all for now. expect me to be insufferable for the weeks to come💜

[solardriftx]

Damon and Diana, Snake and Chameleon

in the context of chapter 1 i wanted to expand on some of the animal symbolism, particularly damon's symbol of a snake and diana's of a chameleon. buckle up yall!

while the biblical snake symbolism is obvious, i think lots of meaning can be derived from real world knowledge--in particular, the familiar image of a snake shedding its skin. snakes enter periods of heightened aggression when molting due to the sensitivity of their new skin, and i think this will be reflected by damon becoming much worse in the name of defending himself before he changes for the better. his initial distrustful mindset was proven right, the second he even *began* to trust someone it blew up in his face. while he was crying for a moment in the face of eva's death, this sorrow was quickly overrun by frustration and anger, particularly at diana's words.

additionally, while i'm not sure if exact genus/species of certain animals were intended or will become important to interpretation, i'd like to draw a connection between damon's snake symbol and a certain genus. from the green color and his american origins, i think he can be connected to opheodrys, a common genus of green snake from north america coming in two species of rough or smooth variety. these snakes are not commonly kept as pets due to their standoffish and defensive nature around humans, making them prone to biting. despite this, they're non-venomous and generally harmless. damon makes it clear when confronted that he does not intend to harm anyone. in fact, his monologues show he thinks much more about how he would respond if someone were to attack *him* instead, noting the physical advantage some of his classmates have (rough/smooth green snakes are very small). we can even tie these traits of non-venom back to the prologue trial, where he appeared very hostile despite genuinely thinking he was helping. and of course, a connection can also be made to damon's general personality of being outwardly cold when deep down he's just... a guy who gets easily embarrassed.

now onto diana! first off i was surprised she actually mentioned her animal and how it relates to her, i thought the motifs were going to be more of an unspoken thing. makes me wonder if any other characters will mention their animals. anyway, fun fact! chameleons don't change color to camouflage, they do it for thermoregulation and social signaling. for diana, i'm more concerned with social signaling, as chameleons can change into very bold displays of colors to communicate dominance, as paralleled by diana's bold display at the end of the first trial with the intention of rallying the others behind her. this could be a stretch, but diana's darker/bold color pallet could be a reference to the potential spectrum of colors that a chameleon would display under stress.

i find it funny though, that while diana says that she will adapt like a chameleon, keeping chameleons in captivity is notoriously hard due to their highly specific environmental requirements- be it temperature, humidity, or lighting, they're easy to accidentally kill. diana may claim with a brave face that she has the strength to fight this killing game no matter the struggle, yet someone with the stress sensitivity of a chameleon in a situation like this is doomed to buckle.

anyway...can you tell they're my two favorite characters. antag diana im so ready for you if you're real

[solardriftx]

obligatory p:eg spoiler tag

..

…i cant stop thinking abt the damon-diana dynamic this chapter, especially his last line abt being pissed off at her inspirational words, noting how despite everything she *somehow* still held her head high. i believe this is partly due to confusion—damon watched the whole class jump at the opportunity to accuse diana of murder without listening to her side, yet unlike himself, who chooses to shut the world out with a nasty bite when it ostracizes him, a wounded diana welcomes back the world with open arms and promises to save it. to him, nothing could make less sense.

[solardriftx]

the way damon finds common ground with cassidy not based on passion and fun had for the craft itself (the literal act of gaming or debating), but based on the prestige earned by winning and impressing an audience🤔

in damon’s case, can we talk about how the academic system virtually kills students’ genuine curiosity for the subject at hand because they’re conditioned to favor a good grade or winning a competition? this piece of dialogue is just like when you cram for a test last minute, pass, and then forget everything afterward because scores are at the forefront of your mind. it was never about a thirst for knowledge, just surpassing your peers!

canon DR attempted to tackle the flawed aspects of the school system and the concept of gifted kids, but i get the sense that P:EG will really delve into this theme.

[solardriftx]

the ahoge crinkling in dimsay 💀 also their stepladder conversation in the prologue investigation plus this image is really painting a maya fey-pheonix wright esc dynamic except if phoenix was more of an ass

[solardriftx]

damon maitsu and diana venicia character study drabble

i love writing dialogue. i have trouble with motivating myself to do anything else. so have this lil thing from my notes app that encompasses a lot of my thoughts on these two! (this assumes they’ve spent time together and have become a little closer)

[solardriftx]

do yall think connor’s fascination with dogs has to do with dog breeds being specifically “designed” by humans to facilitate their integration into a certain task as an ideal partner similar to how connor himself is, but this is all very subconscious to him