#(indirectly or otherwise) allowed him to get killed!

[dankovskaya]

Like it's just Winick wanting to retroactively set up precedent for the insane behavior he wanted Jason to engage in but it just makes Alfred and Bruce seem like a couple of vile cunts like even if they didn't telegraph it to him at the time imagine raising a homeless child you took in off the streets while secretly convinced that there is a little bit of something evil in him and that he has the capacity for awful things without proper guidance or whatever.

#Like its internally justified by Winick showing that they were right Lmao but its SICK... #dc #And its just stupid because its a million times more interesting if he WOULDNT have ever had the capacity for any of this if Bruce hadn't #(indirectly or otherwise) allowed him to get killed!

[balanceoflightanddark]

One of the great misconceptions about Azula is the notion is that she's self-serving. That everything she does is to further her own gains, and she'll backstab everyone else in the process whether it be family or friends. Something that's supported by Bryan himself in the Season 2 commentary:

“Yeah, unfortunately in real history, there are people like Azula, who are just so charismatic, but sort of soulless that they’re… You know, but they’re able to climb to positions of influence. Same with, uh, people like Long Feng, unfortunately throughout history. People who are willing to sell out their own–own countrymen, just for their own, uh, security, you know, their own job security.”

And in many ways, that's how it's framed. Azula bringing her brother back to the country is always framed by everyone as using him as leverage in case the Avatar was somehow alive. We see her brutal recruiting of Ty Lee. We don't see a whole lot that suggests that Azula is doing this for anything other than personal gain. After all it's a trait that's pretty endemic to the Fire Nation, especially with her fellow main antagonists Ozai and Zhao.

The thing is though...Azula's problem wasn't that she was selfish.

Her problem was that she was selfless.

Let's wheel around to when she brought Zuko back home. Mainly, there was no way in hell she could have known about the spirit water. She only learned of the possibility when Zuko indirectly brought it up, and that's when she starts to think up of the leverage angle. Plus, it's been said a thousand times before that Azula didn't necessarily need Zuko to secure Ba Sing Se. And even if she did, she could've easily backstabbed and captured him with the Dai Li if she wanted to secure her path to the throne while also taking the glory of slaying the Avatar.

She didn't. Instead, she allowed Zuko to take the glory and return home in honor with no strings attached. Even when her initial orders were to capture Zuko to begin with. And in doing so, damaged her own claim to the throne since the "rightful" heir returned with a tad bit more glory than her.

And we all know how that eventually ended.

This wasn't exclusive to Zuko. Arguably her biggest Achilles' heel was her unwavering devotion to Ozai, something that she was carefully groomed to do once Zuko proved to be an embarrassment to her father's name. Almost everything she did was to get in his good graces and his acceptance. And she didn't except any reward for it either outside of approval. She was initially stunned when Ozai wanted her to be the Fire Lord, clearly not expecting him to bestow such honor upon her.

Course that was spoiled a bit when Ozai proceeded to throw her to the side. All that work, all that devotion, years of trying to be the perfect servant...wasted.

Mind you, Zuko and Ozai are probably the only two family members in the series to have shown her something regarding affection. Her relationship with Iroh was strained and more formal than anything, while Ursa made her feel like a monster. Even her friendship with Ty Lee and Mai was poisoned because her belief that she was a weapon and thus expendable warped her genuine affection into something more akin to a military unit. Again, all to prove she was as ruthless and heartless as her father.

Azula's problem wasn't that she was power hungry, cause she never expected to get power. Her problem was that everything she did, she did for somebody else. Think about it. She wanted Zuko home so she sacrificed her path to the throne. She wanted Ozai's approval so she became something she hated. Azula was desperate for some kind of acceptance, otherwise her mother's rejection wouldn't have shaken her so bad.

It's not like we have don't examples of selfish and egocentric behavior from the series. Zhao was willing to put the entire world at risk by killing the moon just to stroke his own ego. Ozai was willing to burn down the Earth Kingdom (killing who knows how many innocent lives) and proclaim himself as Phoenix King just because he could. Even Zuko was willing to put the safety of the world and backstab his own allies just for a chance to return home and claim his birthright.

Azula...doesn't come even close to those levels of narcissism and self-interest. Cause she based herself around pleasing others and wouldn't stand up for herself when she was crossed, both from personal experience and a low sense of self-worth. In many ways she was like Zuko in trying to please her father.

It's just unlike him, she wasn't presented with a way out.

#azula #princess azula #azula meta #atla meta #azula is NOT power hungry #ozai's a+ parenting

[magicwhiskers29]

For the latest ask game...Great Ace Attorney, specifically

Favourite Character:

Gina, my girl Gina!! I love her development!! She adds to the atmosphere so well in Unspeakable Story, and I love her and Gregson's dynamic in DGS2!

Least Favourite Character:

Roly Beate. I think his gag is a little obnoxious, but I'm less endeared to him than Pat, so... I don't really actively dislike him that much, but he annoys me, so if I have to pick a least favourite...

5 Favourite ships (canon or non-canon):

-Ginasusa

-Haosusa (/Susarei)

-Ginasusaohao

-Asoryuu

-Nikosusa

Character I find most attractive:

Uhm. I don't know if I feel qualified to answer this. Maybe I'll just say whose design I like best... In which case, Gina again, maybe? I think she's very well-designed! :)

Character I would marry:

Also not that qualified to answer this one, uh... I could marry Courtney Sithe to make her history of marriages/relationships even more confusing? lol

Character I would be best friends with:

Iris!! We both like writing and science so I think we'd be cool buddies

A random thought:

Killing off Jezaille Brett at the start of DGS2 is an excellent way of setting the tone for the rest of the game, as well as setting up that, yeah, important characters can just die, so that Gregson's death works better later. I think it's a very shocking reveal that she's the victim, and I like it a lot.

An unpopular opinion:

Idk if this is that unpopular, but I asked my friend, and they told me this is at least a weird opinion, but Return of the Great Departed Soul is my favourite case in the doulogy, and my favourite case in Ace Attorney overall.

My canon OTP:

There aren't that many canon ships, to my memory, but the Vigils (Evie and Daley Vigil), I guess? Better than the Beates or the Garridebs...

My non-canon OTP:

I guess since this says OTP I can't say Ginasusahao, so uhm... Ginasusa, maybe? That's probably my favourite DGS ship, but I'm not like, that attached to it specifically, so...

Most badass character:

SUSATO MIKOTOBA!!! She saves you in court so many times, and she will take down anyone she needs to with a Susato takedown <3

Pairing I am not a fan of:

Hm... The most I think I get towards DGS ships I don't care is ambivilent, tbh. I can usualy see why people like them, though. I guess the ones I stear most clear from would be Baroryuu or Asobaro? Nothing against then, and I can get why people ship them, but they're not really my thing.

Character I feel the writer's screwed up:

Right, this isn't so clear-cut as it would be as if I was writing this about PL, but if you'll allow me to be petty for a moment, I do have a few minor grievances with Susato. I love her writing for the most part, but I think there was a major missed opportunity in the specifics of her ending.

I don't think her thematic beats about choosing her own path work quite as well if her sole motivation to return to Japan at the end of DGS2 os for Ryuunosuke. Like, yes, she chooses to follow him over Kazuma, that's something, but she's still just choosing to follow another character, when she was previously set up in Blossoming Attorney to be capable of standing on her own if the law only allowed it! I think i would have liked it more if it was at least implied that she returned to Japan to help Ryuunosuke AND start to try to begin her own legal career.

Otherwise, I think her ending's uncomfortably similar to the midpoint in her arc for the ending of Unspeakable Story. Albeit indirectly, she's once again returning to Japan upon her father's request, and I think that could have been avoided a little if her motivations for wanting to return were established as being outside of what other characters want, because that is her arc!

Favourite friendship:

Kazuma and Susato. Everything they do with those two is so interesting to me, and I love writing about it. It's so interesting how core Kazuma is to Susato, but how also she can't mean as much to him, because he only met her properly after he's already decided his mission. But she still means a lot to him, and I just, augh. I love the tragedy.

#ace attorney #the great ace attorney #dgs #dai gyakuten saiban #dgs spoilers #dgs2 spoilers #answered asks #alto-tenure #whiskers rambles #Ask game

[m1rthal]

I see a lot of misunderstandings coming from Jason's moral code, and I would like to touch on that a bit.

Jason doesn't want solely want revenge on the Joker. Yes, that is part of the reason he wants the Joker dead, but I feel that a much larger part of it is that Jason wants to prevent other's death.

The Joker has killed hundreds of people over the course of years of terrorizing Gotham and its citizens. In all of these years, a single bullet could have prevented all of this pain and suffering. That is what Jason wants. In getting revenge for taking Bruce away from him, the Joker will never be able to hurt anyone else again.

In certain comics, there have been versions of Batman that did kill after Jason's death, but to me these versions are highly unsatisfying because they only focus on the emotional satisfaction of getting revenge, but never take into account the practical part.

The Joker has a long history of breaking out of Arkham constantly to cause more death. Bruce has tried and failed to stop this. Every time that the Joker escapes, he causes nothing but death and misery. Therefore, by killing the Joker you save more lives than you take.

I have trouble with Batman's moral code because it fails to take into account the Trolley Problem. I'm sure that everyone reading this has heard of the Trolley Problem, so I won't bother summarizing it for you. By refusing to pull the lever, you let many people die. By pulling the lever, you cause less people to die. Sure, you should search for a better option, but when it comes down to it, you should pull the lever because refusing to pull the lever is just as much causing death as pulling it is. To put it simply, inaction is equivalent to action, it's just the act of not choosing.

By letting the Joker live, Bruce is indirectly killing the people the Joker kills, or at the very least allowing it. Bruce is not saving lives, he is killing just as much as he would be otherwise. But Bruce refuses to acknowledge this constantly, and that is my problem with Batman's moral philosophy.

Jason, on the other hand, has seen what inaction leads to. He has felt it like few others could have, and is just one of many corpses in the graveyards that the Joker has filled. He realizes that his choice of not killing the Joker is far worse than killing the Joker outright.

In UTRH, Jason tries to teach Bruce that lesson, but Bruce refuses to learn. He refuses to choose, ignoring the consequences of his inaction. That is why Jason becomes so frustrated in the final scene, and, to put mildly, fucks up big time.

If Jason just wanted revenge for his death, he would have tortured the Joker and been some with it. Or he would have forced the Joker to die and come back like he did, so that the Joker went through the same pain Jason did. But Jason didn't stop there. He wanted to make sure that the Joker would never hurt anyone else again.

To summarize my perspective on Jason's attitude towards killing, if it saves more lives than it takes, then it must be done. Bruce on the other hand, refuses to believe that killing is ethical under any circumstance.

To be clear, I'm not trying to say that Bruce's way of thinking is entirely invalid. If people think that murder is never okay under any circumstance, then all power to them. I may not personally agree with their own ethics, but I cannot make them change what their moral code is.

Here are some dumbass point people make for Jason's morality

"Jason never really wanted to kill the Joker in UTRH, because if he did he would have done so right away." Firstly, he wanted to torture the Joker for revenge, and kill him to save others. Secondly, he wanted Bruce to make that decision, not him, for reasons seen above.

"But in UTRH, Jason said that he would have gone and killed the Joker out of revenge of it was Bruce that killed him." Fair point, but I don't think that that is what he was saying. Jason was saying that if it was Bruce who had been killed in Ethiopia, then that would have been the eye-opener for Jason like Jason's death should have been for Bruce. He's not saying that out of vengeance, but to tell Bruce what he would have done in Bruce's position.

"But in the alternate endings of UTRH anniversary edition, Jason does kill out of revenge." I'm not really sure that is the case. I mean, he already has different circumstances of the past so I'm not sure what this would even count towards our main Jason, but also even as Red Robin he just takes his code like above. He thinks that he's saving more people by killing.

I know that Jason's and Batman's whole moral code is highly controversial, often because it extends past the point of characters and translates into our own world, but I just wanted to put my take in there. I know that I always have had a different view on ethics than other people in my town, so I wanted to get my own opinion on what Jason is thinking.

Of course, I am doing a LOT of projecting onto Jason in this entire thing, and I will admit that I have read zero of the comics, but I'm still a fan of Jason. My lack of knowledge shouldn't make me and my whole point of view entirely invalid, and I understand that other people have different opinions. Just try to keep things civil and not take this too personally, I guess I'm trying to say.

#jason todd #batman #utrh #red hood #jason todd hc #jason todd headcanon #jason peter todd

[dangermousie]

So, let's talk about daddy and backstory.

I mean - the HELL!!! The kid was almost homeless because his awful parents just couldn't be bothered and then after that fight where someone died, daddy finally showed up, and the moment he did, decides his friends and his girl, who are the only reason he made it through, are no good for him.

Sure, I too go after quasi-homeless hoodlums because I see one and think "he must be rolling in dough!"

The thing is, we find out that fight that resulted in that kid's death was indirectly because of JXY - the guy who started it did it because he went after JXY, Qi Lian intervened and then later the guy retaliated blah blah. But as CFZ points out, none of this is her fault - they were all teens and didn't know better. If all these people can see, why can't daddy? Because JXY is not the right type of girl apparently. Even tho, as CFZ puts it, she's the only reason Qi Lian didn't lose hope in life in high school. Like - the HELL!!!

Finding out he wanted to study so he could go to the same college as her, awwwww! Honestly, if it wasn't for her, he'd be a wreck or dead. (I loved the little detail that high school QL didn't want her to know the fight was because of her so she wouldn't feel bad; it's quite in keeping with present QL who won't tell her about the chip. He will tell her most things, but not if he thinks it will break her. One can take issue with that trait, but it's definitely consistent.)

It's actually such an interesting narrative thing to me - she still doesn't have 95% of her past memories so it's sort of like a clean slate. And that's good, because she can still feel sorrow, guilt, and pity, but it's a bit less immediate. But she still feels them for the past QL as the past of the present QL who she does know and love even if not fully remember all their history.

And then we get to the crux of why I think daddy is so awful. He shows up after never checking on his kid and then finds him understandably distraught - is he loving, is he supportive, is he allowing his friends and his girl there - when they'd help? Hell no! He screams about his disappointment, he slaps his son and he goes to see JXY and blackmails her because she desperately needs money to treat granny - he pays her a pittance to leave a note she's leaving QL. Who does that?! It's like removing all of QL's support system so he'd have nothing and become a doll for daddy. It's clear that if it wasn't for that, QL wouldn't have agreed to go abroad to have his brain rearranged - Daddy is responsible for this, ugh. Because when we see QL, he's depressed and distraught of course, but not to a degree where a brain rinse is a worthwhile risk. In fact, CFZ says he was hoping JXY would be there for him and help pull him through (but she left and changed her number as per agreement. The thing that kills me, she did not know about the fight, the death or the fact that QL was distraught and desperately needed her support, she'd never have taken the money at all otherwise.)

#cdrama #lin yi #liu haocun #derailment

[scythemichaelfaraday]

I am once again realizing that engaging with anything JTHM related while actively struggling with many mental illnesses is in fact bad for my health.

Under the cut: a love letter to JTHM with a side of divorce papers. Also an apology to anyone in the community who I've hurt directly or indirectly.

I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I found a space for JTHM in my life when I really needed it to find me. It helped me find my best friend, my spouse, and many cool people who have made all sorts of impacts on my life.

It helped me feel seen when I was struggling with coming to terms with the "darker" and "scarier" symptoms (homicidal ideation, delusions, paranoia) of my disorders. It helped me feel like I wasn't alone in my despair and my anger and angst.

It helped me process when I lost my sister to suicide. It helped me explicitly write out my darkest fantasies of violently killing the people who kept my sister from coming home from the morgue. It helped me take out all of my pain and trauma out on a single individual that already was hurting so deeply, so why not hurt him more. But as time has gone on, I've realized that I have distanced myself farther and farther from the source. I've created a Johnny of my own- one different but cut from the same cloth of Jhonen's. It became unclear to me where I started and Johnny began. I integrated so much of myself into my version of how I wrote and drew Johnny that it started to seem more like a mirror than a self-portrait.

I cut my hair like him. I wore similar clothes. I acted in a similar manner. I imagined myself looking like him when people perceived me, despite being... 5'1", filipino, and not-at-all thin.

I had a dilemma, I wanted to be him, but I also wanted him to be more like me.

I styled his hair to be more like mine: less spiky, more soft, rounded, full with my current (constantly changing hair color) to match. I gave him my glasses. I put him in my clothes. I gave him undiagnosed chronic pain, then MCTD, then fibromyalgia. I gave him a cane. I gave him self harm scars in the exact same places mine are. I later gave him my "sexuality" (both in terms of orientation and otherwise) and my gender identity. He has my Bipolar, BPD, PTSD, ADHD, ED, Anxiety, etc. And finally, I gave him my partner, or at least the characters that my partner also furnished for themself.

At this point in my journey of mental health, I can say that I've turned Johnny into quite the projection. Even before I met my current partner, I gave him a spouse and kids, things that I vehemently denied wanting, but secretly desired to be stable enough to have. Well... less so the kids.

I wanted him to recover in the same way that I wanted and still want to. Not to be "fixed." There is no fixing mental illness, just treating it and learning how to live with it. Fucking up and fixing along the way. Just like I gave him those other things, I inserted a support system into his life; I gave him a family; I gave him a purpose outside of the one that Jhonen made him for and... it felt freeing but it also felt scandalous. Sacrilegious. Forbidden.

I was so afraid that people would see the Johnny I "created" and shun him and by extension, me. "He's out of character. He would never say that. This is who he is. This is who he is only allowed to be."

As someone with Borderline, I internalized the outcry of OOC as an attack against my constantly fractured sense of identity and kept myself stuck in the ways I always were. I believed that in order to stay within the community/fandom, I would have to stay as sick and as disordered as possible or else I'd be an outsider someone who just "doesn't get it." Someone who "doesn't get Johnny."

And maybe I do, maybe I don't. Maybe there really isn't "getting" Johnny in the same way for everyone, but this isn't about that.

On the opposite hand, when I became more secure in my recovery (or at least during a phase of it) I was more defensive of my depictions. That other people were talking about me behind my back, that I was pariah of sorts that dared to think differently. I thought: these people want to stay stuck, they want Johnny to stay stuck. They engage in these things that are so sickening and awful. Why can't they be like me and just hurt themselves?!

Then, someone's response to it made me realize that I was no better no different than them. What gave me the right to judge people for how they coped with their trauma and disorders? My cutting, my vent art, and interaction with the same exact media was just the same as them engaging in a community that while I still wouldn't become a part of, I have newfound respect for. We are all just trying to fucking cope with our awful lives and experiences and I had and have NO RIGHT to judge them for it.

So to be crystal clear without naming names: I am sorry for what I've said about people who engage with the TCC. I am sorry for what I've said regarding people liking Jimmy. I have not sent anon hate or any hate to people who like Jimmy, but I have made comments such as "liking X is like you being the Jimmy" and thus have contributed to the fandom's hostility towards people who like Jimmy. It is through these people that I've discovered that there is a lot more nuance than I can personally appreciate for the character. I may not like him still, but I do respect and admire anyone who can find comfort in him or otherwise.

Since then, it's been a journey of accepting that from the start, I have engaged with the community from a standpoint of mental illness. Much like someone forms a trauma bond with a friend or acquaintance, I trauma-bonded with JTHM and have been "married" to it for 7 (heh heh) long, complicated years. It's been my personality, my identity, my story, my thoughts, my everything. I didn't lose myself in JTHM, because I never knew who I was, and I still don't. But remaining married to it has severely impeded my ability to learn who I am.

I did character analysis after character analysis. I combed through every last page, read every last note Jhonen wrote, turned the book over and over to read the hidden messages in the borders. I tried to parse who Johnny is, who he wants to be, his likes, dislikes, his dreams, nightmares, fears, everything. I asked him everything about himself, but I didn't once turn those questions towards myself directly.

I want to learn who Zzy is. What Zzy wants. What Zzy likes, dislikes, fears, aspires to, everything. And with this final step towards freedom from JTHM, I think that I am ready to learn who they are. Or at least, try. I want to try for them.

This doesn't mean that I will be leaving behind the Johnny I've built, but rather that I will work towards making him something of my own rather than the extension of something that was never mine to begin with. I love the world and story I've built with him too much.

So thank you, JTHM, thank you Jhonen, for giving me some serious pain food to chew on. My monster's teeth have been continually sharpened and worn down all these years thanks to your help, but I think I can take it from here. I will never forget the awesome people you've connected me with, the experiences you've granted me, and the relief you've offered.

However, we also have not been good to or for each other. I made you into everything about me. I forced you into every corner of my life. You convinced me to abandon all hope of wellness and manipulated me into the temptation to stay with you even when I knew it'd be better to distance ourselves. You kept me from discovering myself in some of my most formative years. These are things that will take a while to recover from. And these are things that cause me to tell you that we are done.

This isn't goodbye forever, but this is sayonara for now.

#jthm

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Somebody wanna tell me real quick what the fuck Nina's doing working for Kazuya???

You wanna tell me Nina is so beyond personal bias and feelings and that she has become so cold that she will accept jobs from literally anyone? Even if it is the person who had her captures, forced her into cryosleep and indirectly caused her pregnancy and amnesia (I think the super soldier program that resulted in the birth of Steve was initiated after Heihachi took over but Nina was put into cryosleep under Kazuya's orders)?

That makes absolutely no sense both in regards to who she is as a person and her character development. Yes she is ruthless and cold but, so far, her goals mostly aligned with the "good" side of things.

In Tekken 1, she was hired to kill Heihachi, who was an asshole. In Tekken 2 she was hired to kill Kazuya, who is an even bigger asshole. In Tekken 6 she worked for Jin, who seemed like the ultimate asshole but in the end we learned that he had concocted the most fucked up way ever to save humanity from the devil and its influence on individuals like him who possessed the devil Jin. Furthermore, she was shown to back out of assignments if they crossed too far into the morally wrong side. In Tekken 4 she hesitated to kill Steve and ultimately refused to do so after learning that she was, in fact, his mother. She says she felt nothing in 5 but the matter of fact is that she ultimately did not kill him. She reiterates this sentiment in Tekken 7, that although he is biologically her son she feels no connection to him whatsoever, but I feel like this was mostly her playing it cool to prevent Steve from getting too attached to her, a literal assassin. That last one is my own assumption so disregard it if you will but my point still remains; she was tasked to kill her own son but didn't.

During Tekken 6 and 7 we see a clear bond between Nina and Jin. Not necessarily a romantic one (although I shipped them as a teenager, but realistically none of them would allow themselves to fall for anyone, for various reasons) but you could tell they were close. Jin trusted Nina enough to actually reveal his plan to her as it was Nina who revealed Jin's ultimate goal to Lars and the players. She was the de facto leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu and actively searched for Jin. You mean to tell me that all of that was "just business" and that she would just as easily switch sides just for a paycheck?

I pray Namco has an ulterior motive written for her that they will reveal once the game launches, in a similar fashion to how Jin was seemingly portrayed as "just another Mishima" as soon as he wielded the Zaibatsu's power in his hands but ultimately redeemed / will redeem himself, otherwise this is a disservice to Nina, her fans and comically bad writing; the assassin who double crosses everyone, works for everyone, is loyal to none and feels nothing, ever? Fuck that. We know that's the facade she's trying to sell to everyone to look as professional and capable as possible but she has shown her true emotions time and time again.

Furthermore, her, essentially, taking Anna's job (and look, with the bob cut and dress) diminishes the latter's chances of making an appearance even further... She kinda took Bruce's job too lol

#Tekken #Tekken 8 #Nina #Nina Williams #Jin #Kazuya #Jin Kazama #Kazuya Mishima #G Corporation #Bandai Namco #Video Games #Gaming #Fighting Games #Mishima Zaibatsu #Steve #Steve Fox #Anna #Anna Williams #Lars Alexandersson #Lars #Heihachi #Heihachi Mishima #Bruce #Bruce Irvin

[acoldsovereign]

CONTINUNITY (PT. 2)

As mentioned here, Maiz originally had a set end. This changed due to in-universe interactions with other muses and the choices she made-- so much so that it no longer applies to her in the manner it once did. Instead, she now has a choice (albeit unknowingly) to create a better ending for herself or not.

SUPER ERA (EXPLANATION):

It goes without saying, but again for those in the back-- Trunks (@peoplcshope) had a mission. He didn't complete it*** buuuuuuut:

Because he didn't, he actually (indirectly) prevented the abysmal future that awaited her and the greater DBS continuity. Kinda**. The version of Maiz 'responsible' for the events leading up to that catastrophe is dead already. Killing Maiz in the present wouldn't have done anything -- 'cause here's the kicker-- she didn't cause the war between Universes 6 and 7. Her slaves did; their descendants, in particular. Somewhere down the line, she was successful in obtaining a thirteenth and fourteenth planet. Her empire spread so wide that she had to conquer an extra world than necessary. She set up a complex system that allowed them to 'self-govern' but only according to her guidelines. To her rules. To her liking. Some 'space years' after this, she dies. The slaves left with her instructions know what to do, but they were so mind-broken and without personal will/identity that the Council of Fourteen became stagnant not so long after her passing. They fell apart without their tyrant to lead them. To grieve, some killed themselves. For the ones who were left, they tried to bring her back to life. Nothing worked. Over the years, they fell into disarray and further madness. They split the Council. One half went against Maiz's orders and began mindlessly invading and conquering planets under the protection of the Galactic Patrol. The other half mastered interdimensional travel and opened a portal to Universe 6, spreading Maiz's teaching and severely warping the tenets of Saiyan Culture into what it wasn't. This earned the attention of the Pride Troopers, who received distress signals. The slaves here took on the identity of Maiz themselves, while the ones who remained in Universe 7 called themselves her descendants, then later "her reincarnations". Long story short, the Galactic Patrol and Pride Troopers had different ideas of dealing with this invisible, sudden threat as neither of them wanted to get their respective GoDs-- or worse, the King of All involved. They launched a counterattack that forced them to take 'sides'/set up base on different planets/parts of the Galaxy on such short notice, kicking off the space war. The cosmic and spatial walls separating both Universes were cracked. Universe 7's Earth was caught up in the crossfire and subsequently destroyed.

The scenario detailed below is a hypothetical** future. It inspired the above scene! I can't take full credit for it because it came through a conversation I had with another mun-- @roseplendence.

Depending on how close they got (platonically or otherwise) before this conversation, Maiz would not only know of Black's former occupation but his identity and the source of many miseries in the Universe: the Kais not being able to intervene and the laziness of many Gods of Destruction. This information would come up as a sidenote for her questioning her existence; why is it she got to live when nobody else did? Who decided the Saiyans should all destroyed at once? (It was the closest she ever got to venting about anything-- she doesn't normally do that). Black, through a misunderstanding thought she was blaming him/his kin, and told her how things actually worked and then . . . came to regret it. Sure, he ended up venting as well-- and then apologized for it, but he wasn't expecting her to go and do something about it. To his dread and horror, Maiz intends to use power of spite and anger to avenge both her and him. This puts her within the path of Beerus, who deletes her and all of her incarnations. Permanently. If it was romantic, he would've fallen into a deep depression and steered clear of people for a while. He's long-lived so a while . . . really means that for him. Wracked with guilt and remorse, he would also not take in any students for the same amount of time if it was platonic. Either way, she's mourned.

To reiterate: the above scenario is HYPOTHETICAL! It doesn't happen, so don't be too sad!

The reason why it's mentioned is because-- *drumroll* of the section below!

DEATH OF A DESPOT:

These two scenarios have one thing in common: Maiz's death & the impact of it. So remember at the beginning I mentioned she was originally meant to die horrifically? The thought experiment with Black is the closest scenario to that vision, except she was all alone with nobody to mourn/care about her. The reason why it's no longer canon/necessary for her (aside from muses and interactions swaying my heart) is because I re-remembered at the time that RP is collaborative writing. If Maiz did not have any of the interactions or ships she did, I have no doubt in my mind her ending would be worse and her character would've developed differently.

Anyway, her death can still happen, but it's moreso entirely dependant on the other muse(s) and the circumstances now than me coming in pre-determined about a desired outcome (I'm actually happy about this if you couldn't tell. I have more stories to explore which is always a good thing! *Thanks mutuals for opening my eyes*). With this said, I have approximately three verses where she's dead-- one was talked about before in a prior post, the other two are derivatives**/possible scenarios from the Future DBS storyline/AU.

Fun fact: The concept of Rengakura (this TOTALLY ✨sane✨ goober who's not crazy at ALL) came from this storyline.***

***Maiz posed an ultimatum to Trunks-- if he couldn't stand the way she rules, he should shut up and do something about it. If Jay had his Trunks pick the wrong move . . . the bad future would've been triggered AUTOMATICALLY. I expected the worse but the bastard (I say this lovingly) was intelligent enough/surprised me so I had to improvise. Instead of bloodshed, carnage, doom and disaster-- what happened was Trunks being assigned the position of Maiz's Ambassador. He actually put his mouth where his money was. Even Maiz wasn't expecting him to actually go for the option he did. 😭 You know what happens when Maiz likes you enough and you exceed her expectations? No? Go ask Trunks why he's a dad. I dare you.

Back to the point-- because the above factors are in play, the two possibilities aren't accessible. Buuuuuuut, they were fun to think up, so I'll briefly go through them anyway! (>:3) If the unsavory future is triggered/activated, and Ren is present, two scenarios are likely:

{SON OF A CONQUERER}: Trunks tries harder to get Maiz to care about the impact of her actions. Not to redeem her but to try and appeal to her maternal instincts. "He shouldn't grow up surrounded by death and destruction." Something like that. She, surprisingly, would listen and think about it. Fast forward some 'space years'-- their son is eight. In the midst of liberating a planet from her rule, something goes wrong and Trunks' worse fears come to life. She is killed during a long, exhausting fight by the subjects she once subjugated, and Ren watches from a bad angle that incriminates a frozen, shocked Trunks. His heartache increases when he's angrily confronted by Ren, who accuses him of not doing anything. Trunks tries to explain what happened but his son isn't hearing it-- Ren vows to kill him to avenge his mother and flies off to presumably train for that particular goal in mind. He tries to look for him but unfortunately, Ren's inherited his mother's uncanny ability to hide/suppress his ki. In this verse: Maiz's army has been more than halved, so they're not a Universal threat but the other parts (the schism which divides them, the suicides and mass loss of identities) happen. Trunks sadly has to deal with that all on his own, on top of mourning his wife. He doesn't meet Ren again until he's a teenager. They fight-- Ren, eagerly, Trunks, reluctantly. He'll beat him up but he's not killing his damn son.

{BREAKER OF CANON}: The above but instead of Ren confronting Trunks, he breaks down in tears and screams, making Trunks realize he'd been watching the entire time. He runs over and holds him close, apologizing for his weakness-- for not being able to save her life. Everything else follows-- the schism, the suicides and mass loss of identities. Trunks orders Ren to stay close (to him) and stay inside as Maiz's empire crumbles without her. Despite his dad being King of the Council of Twelve (he gained the title when they were officially married), it seems as if Maiz was a special glue holding everything together. Hating to sit around and be useless, he makes a declaration: "I'm going back in time to save mother." Trunks immediately rejects it-- time travel got him tangled up with Maiz (and Cell... The Androids..... Etc) to begin with. There's no way in hell he's allowing his son to be subjected to anything like that. Plus, it's illegal. Not that it ever stopped Trunks but still. Ren, up until this point has been obedient as far as his parents were concerned. This is the first time he disobeys Trunks. In the dead of night when his father is exhausted, he tinkers away. He is desperate, traumatized, sad, scared and just wants his mom back. This eight year old makes a portable time machine (similar to the wrist device Trunks wore as a Time Patroller) and activates it. He leaves his father a note so he doesn't worry. Ren does not know how terrible his mother is before Trunks. He doesn't know how they actually met. He doesn't have a plan going in. He has no defense against Maiz, who is callously laughing at his pain and threatening to kill him: "I don't have a son. That implies I love someone and I don't. No one is worthy of me." She has no qualms brutalizing or eradicating a crying child, even if he clings to her leg, even if he suspiciously looks like her.

#Ship Dynamics: You're Lucky to Have Me #{{ This is easily my favorite part about Maiz. she's dangerous alive and she's dangerous dead. heeheehee. :3 she's v influencial! #suicide tw #child abuse tw #murder tw #slavery tw #{{ Also can you tell I was a fuckin' DM for D&D before? 😭 I have stories to TELL......... the shit I've made my players go through. LMAOOO #{{I have all of those notes too..... I may have been a cruel God but at least I was FUN (and funny). 🤣

[snzysimper]

Alright, here we go. This is probably the longest thing I’ve written in such a short amount of time and been happy with. It’s probably not 100% what you are used to, but what matters is that it was fun for me to write. If this somehow magically happens to blow up, who knows? Maybe you’ll get more content like this.

I’m thinking about writing a different ending for this, just so that the people who enjoy more fluff can appreciate this.

Regardless, enjoy.

All Good Things Come to an End

3k words

CW: trauma(?), brief mention of character death, angst

Fandom: Eddsworld- Red Army

|| I am allowed to write what I want and I would appreciate you keeping whatever rude comments you may have to yourself ||

———————

It had been nearly a year since the falling out of Tord, otherwise known as “The Red Leader”, and his 3 former roommates. Everything had gone fine up until he nearly killed Tom, did kill one of the neighbors, and blew up the house. But that was ok. Who has time for friends when achieving world domination? The world isn’t going to take over itself, you know. Besides, he had other friends. Well, not exactly friends. More like people who were forced to obey him. Two in particular; Paul and Patryck. Not to say that they didn’t care about him. They were the ones who rescued him after his giant robot exploded. Although they obeyed Red Leaders every order, that doesn’t mean that they did so correctly. They were the ones who crashed a plane which resulted in a zombie apocalypse. Despite all of this, Red Leader finally accomplished his goal. With him in control, things slowly began falling apart. For civilians at least. For Red Leader and his army, everything was sunshine lollipops.

For the most part.

Recently, Red Leader often could be found thinking about his old friends. Especially Edd. He could live with never having to see Tom or Matt ever again, but not Edd. He was different. For some reason, he felt almost..guilty? The look of pure shock, sorrow, and betrayal on Edd’s face when Red Leader had said that they weren’t friends had haunted him for years. He longed to see him again, even if it were only for a second. Just to make sure that he was safe and hadn’t been killed off in the war. He would never forgive himself if he had indirectly killed his best friend. He kept this all to himself, but that doesn’t mean that no one noticed his change in attitude. Paul and Patryck sometimes asked him about what was on his mind. He eventually opened up and explained how he was feeling. He trusted the two of them more than anyone else. Despite him often being snarky and blunt towards them, they held a special place in his heart. They were the first people to join his army and were always the first to offer assistance with whatever he should need. While they did their best to comfort him, it didn’t help ease the pain much.

With fall rapidly turning into winter, Red Leader longed for Edd to be there with him. He was always so kind and nurturing during the cold days of winter. They would sit on the floor in front of the TV, wrapped in blankets, drinking hot cocoa to their heart's content, and spend time talking about whatever came to mind. Now it would never be the same.

“You have a fever.” Paul removed the thermometer from Red Leader’s mouth. 38.4°C. Red Leader got up from the couch where he had been sitting. “I’ll be fine.” He headed towards the door, but not before Patryck had seized him by the wrist. “No.” He began leading him back to the couch, but Red Leader wasn’t going down without a fight. “Get off me!” Patryck normally would have obeyed, but not this time. Not with his leader in such a state. Paul got up to assist Patryck in putting Red Leader back on the couch. His attempts to free himself from their grasps were all in vain. He just didn’t have the energy. He eventually gave in and allowed them to sit him back down. Red Leader crossed his arms and frowned facing the ground. “You are to stay on the couch until we say otherwise.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Red Leader looked up at Patryck with only his eyes. “I didn’t realize you were the one giving orders around here. I expect you would like me to go out and watch the prisoners for you as well?” Being low on energy wasn’t going to stop him from speaking to his men in a disrespectful manner. “Well, I am today.” He pointed at himself with his thumb. “And I will be until you are better.”

Red Leader sighed. “Fine. Whatever.” He fell over onto his side, his arms still folded. The Norski muttered some sort of foreign profanity under his breath. Patryck faced Paul. “Come on, we need to go get supplies.” Turning back to Red Leader, he very sternly said, “And you better stay put. I don’t care if we have to tie you down with rope. You are resting.” The two headed out of the base, leaving Red Leader alone in the common area.

It was just him and his thoughts with nothing to distract him. He once again began to think about old times with Edd. He was always so gentle and understanding when he was ill.

“Lay on the sofa. I’ll be back with some medicine. I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to be alone.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t worry, when I come back, you’ll have me all to yourself.”

Edd would never force him to do anything he didn’t want to, although he would heavily suggest doing so. He almost always would give in to Edd’s requests. How could he not? He was always so patient and kind. Red Leader shivered. He felt like he was outside in the snow with nothing but a t-shirt, despite having on his hoodie and his uniform. He aggressively rubbed his nose in an attempt to relieve the itching sensation. He tilted his head back slightly as his breath began to hitch. “Hhh hH-nkkt!” He held his nose shut as he sneezed.

“Come on. Don’t do that. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“So what? It’s better than me sneezing and getting you sick.”

“I don’t mind. Just as long as you’re feeling better. So please, don’t hold your nose. Besides, you’ll feel better if you let them out.”

He sniffled, not wanting to drip snot onto himself. “H’tkkchh!! H’kkccht!” He had to admit, not allowing his sneezes to come out at full force hurt his already pounding head. It hurt. Everything hurt. He ached all over, his throat was sore, his head was pounding. He was overall miserable.

“Here, I have some medicine for you.”

“snDff, th-thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’m going to heat up some soup for you. Stay right here.”

What he wouldn’t have given to have been back home, his real home, curled up on the sofa with Edd, watching whatever happened to come on the TV. He sniffled, trying to think of something other than the already perfect life he’d once had. No matter how hard he tried, his mind kept going back to memories of him and his friend.

“Please take the medicine.”

“No, it tastes like chemicals.”

“And there’s probably a reason for that.”

“Case in point, I’m not taking it.”

“Your nose is so stuffed up, you probably won’t be able to taste it anyway. Please just take it.”

He couldn’t take it anymore. Memories of the strong relationship he’d once had had taken over his mind. He had bottled up his feelings of sadness for too long. He reached his breaking point. He began crying, tears rapidly running down his face. “God DAMNIT!” He grabbed a pillow from the sofa and chucked it full force at the wall. He brought his knees to his chest and sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I-I-!!” He shouted in emotional pain as he lowered his head. He had no problem being loud and letting everything out. He was all alone. No one was there to see him as such an emotional wreck.

Right?

Having tired himself out from crying, Red Leader fell asleep for a good long time. Not to say that it helped much. When he woke up, he was still exhausted. Someone had thrown a blanket over him while he was asleep. He glanced out the window wondering how much time had passed. He looked around the room. Paul and Patryck still weren’t back? He groaned. His head was pounding and his nose was so stuffed up he could barely breathe. Upon further inspection there were some grocery bags on the ground by the door as well as a note that had been left next to him on the couch.

“ ‘There’s medicine, tissues, and some cough drops in one of the bags along with other supplies we needed. Be back in a bit.’

-Patryck”

He tossed the note off to the side. Where the hell would they have gone? Technically they weren’t permitted to leave the base without permission, but Red Leader was too tired to care. He mustered the energy to get up on the couch and walk over to the door and grab the supplies. He found several packs of tissues, cold and flu medicine, cough drops, and cans of soup. He rolled his eyes. Having to pay for guns, tanks and other various weapons and technology didn’t exactly leave them with much money for common household utilities. They didn’t even have a can opener, let alone a microwave. He staggered back over to the couch where he put the supplies on the couch next to him. He picked up one of the soup cans and attempted to open it with a knife. He eventually managed to make a big enough hole to be able to drink the broth. Despite this, his stomach still hurt from not having consumed any actual food. “Hhk’tcch!! Eh’schh!! H’mptch!!”

He tried to go back to sleep, but he was abruptly woken by chaos from outside the base.“Hold still, you’re only making things harder for yourself.”

“Get off of me. I didn’t do anything illegal.”

“You are being ordered to remain silent.”

Red Leader groaned. From what he could hear, Paul and Patryck had a new prisoner. The last thing he felt like was interrogating someone and finding a new cell to keep them in. After a bit more struggling, Paul and Patryck entered the base, leading a man with his hands and legs tied. A cloth had also been shoved into his mouth. From what he could see, Paul and Patryck had had to beat him up a bit in order for him to comply. “Jævla, what did you two do this time?” His already hoarse voice was even more shot from yelling and crying. Paul shoved the man to the ground causing him to fall to his knees. “We decided to hunt him down.” Red Leader groaned, getting up from the couch. Removing the cloth from the man’s mouth, Red Leader kicked him in the stomach, to which the man fall forward onto the floor. He might have felt like hot steamy shit, but for now, he had to look professional. He was about to carry out his usual routine of laughing and going through the whole process of what being held captive would entail, but he suddenly stopped.

“Edd?”

The man glared at him. “What the hell do you want?” It was clear that the man had no difficulty recognizing his former friend/roommate. Red Leader looked up at his men. He was suddenly filled with rage. “What did you do to him!!” He pushed Edd to the side with his leg so he could confront the two. “What is wrong with you? Why did you capture him! He hasn’t done anything bad.” Patryck had no problem retaliating. “What we did was bring you your precious friend. All you ever do now is mope around telling us how much you miss him. So we captured him and brought him to you.” Red Leader sighs. “Untie him.”

“Are you certain? He is most likely going to try and-”

“Now.”

“…yes sir.”

Patryck and Paul left so that the two could be alone. Red Leader glanced in his direction every so often. Edd had been tied down to a chair by Paul so that he had no chance of escaping. Red Leader took some time to study him. He had changed a lot since he had last seen him. He was taller and more muscular. He had a much paler complexion than he used to, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He had grown facial hair, making him look older, despite only a few years having passed. “Edd-”

“Shut up.” The man glared at Red Leader, flipping him off. After a few more minutes of silence, Edd looked back up at him. “You’re a bastard, you know that?” Red Leader sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for things to happen the way they did.”

“Bullshit. You knew what you were doing. You would have killed us if you had gotten the chance to. You almost did kill us. You’ve killed so many other people. What’s to stop you from killing your friends too?”

“I-”

“Oh. Wait. You have none.”

The heater turned on, humming quietly. It had been a while since it had been used, so it was covered with a layer of dirt and dust. The air filled with the smell of burning dust. While Red Leader was happy that it was starting to get warmer, it came with a small price. He rubbed his nose, trying to be as discreet as possible, but Edd knew him too well. He sat quietly, waiting patiently. “H’ktcch!! Kt-CHss!” He did his best to be as silent as possible, but it would be near impossible to expel the irritant from his nose while doing so. “Hmpt’chh! Hh hhH-!! Hh’gGesshs!!” Damn it.

Edd smirked. “You’re pathetic. Just as weak as you always used to be.” Red Leader couldn’t help but agree with him. While Edd’s reaction to him showing signs of illness felt like a stab in the chest, he knew he had no right to complain. Not after all that he had done. “He’schh! H’chhs! K-tchiih!!” Edd rolled his eyes. “Are you quite finished?”

Nope.

“Hn’kkchh!! Hhm’pptcch!! Hek’tchh!”

“You disgust me, you know that? If I get sick because of your disease ridden ass, you will have hell to pay.”

After a short moment, the sneezing had subsided. For now at least. Sniffling, he thought about something he could do to try and make Edd not completely hate him. After a moment, he got up and walked over to the pantry where he dug around and found a can of cola. He stashed them in the back of the pantry. He walked up to Edd and put it in his lap, refusing to make eye contact. “I thought you outlawed this years ago. Or was it more of a direct target?” Edd looked down at the can of soda that lay in his lap. “You think this is going to change my view on you?” He looked back up at Red Leader. “You said it yourself, Tord: who needs friends when you have control of the world? For you everything has been perfect. No one in your way and being able to do as you please. Not for us though. Our lives have been nothing but hell. Even the slightest mistake can result in capture and being held hostage by you and your army.”

Damn, it had been forever since someone had called him by his true name. No one in his army even knew his name. He made himself clear that they were to refer to him as The Red Leader. Being called Tord almost hurt. Too many memories.

This was a mistake. He decided that having Edd there only made him feel worse. He wasn’t the same sweet, gentle, caring Edd he used to be. This whole thing was a mistake. Why couldn’t he have just been happy with what he had? All the time they spent together, all those adventures. They were nothing now. He had just taken it all for granted.

He pulled out his knife and walked over to him. Edd laughed. “What, you're going to kill me off as well? I wouldn’t put it past you.” Tord carefully sliced through the rope holding him to the chair. Before he could back up to let him stand, Edd shoved him out of the way, picking up the fallen cola can. “Good bye, old friend.” Opening the can of cola, Edd headed for the door. “Should we meet again, I hope you’re able to put up a better fight.” He slammed the door behind him, once again leaving Red Leader alone in the base.

“I’m sorry. It’s our fault.” Tord was curled up in the corner of the room, quietly sobbing. The two soldiers felt horrible. They thought bringing his beloved friend to him would help, but it only made things worse. Once Red Leader was over his cold, they would most certainly be punished. After a moment of thinking, Paul walked over to him, kneeling down. “Hey,” he smiled at him. “Why don’t we watch a movie? Then you can get some sleep. You’ve had a long day.”

Reluctantly, Tord nodded, getting up from the floor. Perhaps this was the start of a new friendship-

No. This wasn’t the same. And it never would be. Nothing could ever fill the empty space in his heart which had once been occupied by his dear friend. There was no fixing what had been broken.

As he slept that night, he dreamt of himself asleep with his head on Edd’s lap. Even if it was just a dream, it made him happy to be with the real Edd. The Edd that he knew and loved. The Edd that he had broken and destroyed. He would have loved to stay there forever. But all good things must come to an end.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It’s easiest to just wait it out. Besides, I don’t have to burden you with taking care of me.”

“You’re not a burden to anyone. Never say that about yourself. We’re best friends. We’ll always be there for each other! Now, try and take a nap, alright?”

“sNDDFf!! Ok.”

“Sleep well, Tord.”

END..?

#snzblr #Edds / World #EW Red / Army #Red / Leader / Tord #snzfucker #snz fic #snz fet #snzfic #simper writes

[thenexusofsouls]

What would the circumstances have to be for Freya to fall in love again? What type of person would she be interested in?

{i am the caretaker of souls} Alright, I promise I will not turn this into a rant about Freya's psychology too much because we'll be here all night if I do that, heh. I'll just try to get to the heart of your questions, because honestly I could rant for days about everything involving Freya and love, haha. Under the cut because LONG.

What would the circumstances have to be for Freya to fall in love again?

Well... I'm not sure how this would happen since she was fatally wounded, but she would be most receptive to love after the events of Winter’s War. This is for two reasons. First, she learned that Ravenna, and not her lover, killed her daughter. Now granted, her lover technically did kill her daughter but it was made clear that Ravenna used some kind of magic on him to compel him to do so and that he otherwise wouldn't have done it. So that would shake her entire trauma-coping axiom of "love always ends in betrayal" enough for her to question if it really might be possible to have a successful loving relationship.

Second, Eric and Sara pretty much proved to her that yeah, sometimes love does manage to get through everything unscathed. They both survived the first time she tried to keep them apart, ended up back together despite everything, and were still together at the end of the movie. I think Freya was a bit biased against Eric specifically, since she tried to kill him initially but only chose to imprison and punish Sara. Maybe she sees women as victims and men as abusers or aggressors because of what she had thought her lover had done to their child. And then when she meets them outside of Sanctuary to acquire the mirror, she makes a comment to Eric something to the effect of, "You knew, didn't you? You knew she would betray you and you spared her still." And correct me if I'm wrong, but I see a bit of confusion and/or surprise on her face and hear it in her voice as well. She genuinely doesn't understand why someone would allow a betrayal like that. At the end, just before Freya dies, she says to them as they hold each other, "How lucky you are." It mirrors the beginning of the movie when she said it to all the children in Eric and Sara's original group when she first stole them from their village. Except back then, she meant that they were lucky to have been saved from all of love's evils, whereas at the end of the movie, she means that they are lucky to apparently have a love that is unbreakable. The fact that Freya thinks they're lucky for that reason is her indirectly admitting that she wishes she had a love like that too.

So after she learns her lover didn't actually betray her, and after she sees through Eric and Sara that true, loyal, unselfish love is actually possible, I think a lot of Freya's trauma coping mechanisms would be placed in question. Namely, leaning hard into the fact that love essentially must have been an evil force to hurt her so much and that others should be saved from its destructive powers. The events of the movie throw a wrench into that which would crack the façade she'd built around herself for years and given that she obviously wants to love and be loved, and still has the capacity to love (no one will ever tell me she didn't love her "children"), I think it would be most possible for her at that time. If she'd managed to survive her wounds, of course.

I think before that time, she would have been a much harder nut to crack, but no impossible. I think more of the circumstances of how Freya might love again have to do with the types of men who might pursue her...

What type of person would she be interested in?

Someone very confident as a person and in their own skin, most definitely, but as far as personality... I think there are two types of people who could win her over with the right amount of persistence.

I actually have written Freya in a ship with one of my friends OCs, Talyc ( @bloodwontwashout ), who pretty much wins her over in ever thread with what I think boils down to two things: persistence and not letting her get away with her own bullshit. Talyc is an alpha male type personality, he's very confident, he doesn't back down from something - or someone - that he wants, and he isn't afraid to call people out on their bullshit. Freya is used to being in charge and having no one challenge her, so when Talyc does, they clash in a way that usually ends up in a ship, heh. I've written threads with Freya and Talyc during the events of the Winter's War, before it, and in a crossover verse where we kindof threw Freya's world and Talyc's world together and they were vying for territory, and every time, he ends up winning her over eventually. Sometimes it's by calling her out on how much her "do not love" law makes no sense, or how easily he can see that she either doesn't believe it or doesn't want to believe it.

Sometimes I've written Eric and Sara as well to have their whole deal in the background while Talyc is watching Freya dealing with them and being like... okay but why? Heh. He challenges her supposed beliefs that she hides behind to cope with her trauma and gets her to admit to him and to herself that she doesn't really want to believe that love is a lie. Freya's fragile mental state depends on no one questioning her, and when Talyc does, she eventually crumbles and he's there to pick up the pieces. In every type of thread, Talyc doesn't give up. He's persistent. That's essential for anyone who wants to win Freya over because she's her own best obstacle, and she will avoid the issue, deflect to something else, or shut down her potential ship until he goes away. Well, Talyc doesn't go away, he tries harder, heh, and the result is that Freya is pushed past the point of what her glass house (or ice house, haha) of carefully constructed lies she tells herself can withstand, and when that breakthrough happens and she's forced to process and deal with her trauma in a better way, Talyc is there to help her through it.

Something else Talyc uses in his arguments as to why Freya should be with him is having more children. His background and situation usually revolves around the importance of legacy and having children is a big part of Talyc's personal legacy. In many verses he had a wife and son who were killed, so especially in verses where he's lost his family, Freya can relate to that pain, and I think that gives Talyc a special kind of automatic in with her on some level. Him suggesting that they would both want to have more children after losing their own... That goes a long way with her. Because she does want to have more children. She misses her daughter. You can’t tell me she doesn’t with the way she sits by that empty cradle and just... broods. She's hard-pressed to admit that to anyone, or even to herself, but she does.

So yeah, I think someone who could meet her on her own level, possibly also royalty, but also meet her on her own trauma and confidence levels... that's who's going to win her own. Freya is a very strong personality, so you have to be able to be strong along with her and be willing to be patience and persistent enough to not put off by her first ten rejections, heh. Because she will look right in the eye of someone she has feelings for and is attracted to and tell him to leave and never come back if you let her. So it takes some who can get through the walls she builds around herself.

I will say... that Talyc is a very intense personality. There are a lot of hardcore aspects to his way of thinking and his background. I think the opposite type of personality might also have a chance with Freya. Someone like Eric, for example. I am NOT suggesting Eric himself, that would not work, heh, but I more mean someone with Eric's personality, specifically either before he and Sara are separated or after he finds out she's still alive. In between that time, with the first movie, he got very dark and combative, but let's just look at his happier times. He was very easy going, comfortable with who he was, and he really didn't care what anyone thought of him or if they agreed with him, how stupid or silly he looked, etc. When Mrs. Bronwyn tries to get through to Eric that Sara has betrayed them, he replies very casually with a cheerful smile, "I don't need you to believe what I believe," because he has decided that Sara is still on their side and no one's going to tell him otherwise. He’s stubborn, but in a very endearing sort of way. Someone like that... I think might eventually get through to Freya. He's fine with being the only one in the room who believes something, and once he believes in something or someone, there's no shaking it.

I'm not sure why someone as goodhearted as an Eric type personality would want to be with an "evil" queen, but assuming they did, I think her coldness (no pun intended lol) and attempt at being emotionless up against someone who wears their heart on their sleeve and who is very openly and warmly emotional might lead to something eventually. Whereas someone like Talyc will chip away at Freya's ice until he's made a hole big enough to get through, someone with Eric's personality would melt it slowly over time to where she becomes emotionally attached gradually because he just doesn't go away, haha. Eric was very persistent with Sara and wasn't going to give up on their marriage, and again, I think Freya needs that same kind of stubbornness in a potential ship because she's not going to let her guard down easily.

So I think it's going to take someone very confident and persistent, for sure, but then beyond that it'd take someone who's going to actively and directly push through her mental defenses and coping mechanisms, OR, it'd take someone who is just so genuinely warm and kindhearted to remind her of who she used to be and what she wanted years ago and be able to get her back at least partway to being that woman again.

AND THAT WAS LONG, I'M SO SORRY, heh. I have a lot to say about Freya, so be warned... any future questions might lead to similar rants, haha.

#muse: freya #{ i am the caretaker of souls } ᵒᵒᶜ

[regularfrankiefanamelia]

My favourite RH characters from least fave to favourite!

So, I decided to make this official ranking of my the characters! I like nearly everyone (except for last place) and this list is mostly subjective with a few exceptions. HERE I GO!

The Usherette is not included because all she does is sing a mid tier song.

10th place: Riff Raff

Sorry fans of the ‘Raff, but this man is my least favourite character. This is mainly for personal reasons since personality wise he acts like a guy I’d rather forget, but him killing Frank didn’t help him. As a CHARACTER he is amazing and one of the better written ones and I think he and Magenta should’ve been the protagonists but otherwise…. I dislike his personality and his creepiness. You’re allowed like him, I don’t.

9th place: Eddie

Eddie did nothing. Nothing. I don’t care about him. At least Hot Patootie was good. Will I be executed if I say the 2016 remake version was my favourite Eddie? Still don’t care.

8th place: Narrator

Depends on the narrator. But they do their job well! :)

7th place: Magenta

Wish more could be done with her and that she did more. She is aggressive against Frank. That’s it. She also just joins Riff in whatever. She had potential but SOMEONE had to kill her in revenge of the old queen -_-

6th place: Rocky

Rocky is such a good character omfg! I know in the movies he doesn’t do much but in the stage versions he is allowed do shit and just… His relationships with Frank and Janet is outstanding and Sword Of Damocles was amazing!

5th place: Dr. Scott

Dr. Scott is an underrated character and y’all are sleeping on him. Yes, I know he’s a nazi, I am NOT defending that. As a CHARACTER he is great. Plus, he may have indirectly saved Brad and Janet at the end so…..

4th place: Columbia

Columbia is just so good. Seriously. But she’s also interesting and mysterious to me. Where did she come from? Where did she go? Where did she come from Cotton Eye Joe? /j Why did she live with the aliens? This woman was used and manipulated by Frank and even after she calls him out… she still sacrifices herself to save him. Idk, a part of that resonated with me. She’s my darling and deserves a life away from Frank.

3rd place: Brad

OH BRAD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Why the fuck does everyone call him an asshole?! Even after Janet cheats on him, he forgives her and defends her from Frank. HE LOVES JANET SO MUCH AND BRANET IS MY FAVOURITE SHIP IN THIS MUSICAL! Also Once In Awhile is my favourite song.

2nd place: Janet

Janet is a great character and I hate Richard O’Brien for doing her dirty in the unmade sequels. She is the first person to treat Rocky like a human and show basic empathy, the woman is on a case of self discovery, and THE FUCKING HUG AT THE END OF SUPERHEROES GETS ME! SUBJECTIVELY she is my favourite character because of how sweet she is and also because I feel so bad for her.

1st place: Frank

Frank is an amazing villain and character and he is so cruel and in the movie is played amazingly by Tim Curry and I wish they glamorised him less and showed him as the monster he truly is. I like when he is revived so he can do more evil stuff. I want DRAMA! I want him to FUCK SHIT UP! He has to exist, otherwise we have no musical. Frank IS the musical. Frank is amazing, but I wish fans knew him in the right way.

#rocky horror #rocky horror picture show #rocky horror show

[nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice]

I couldn't really get into Azula, tbh. I mean, she is a Whole Look and I appreciate her lack of chill, but she felt like she needed more dimension.

AIGHT! LOOKS LIKE IT’S TIME TO WRITE SOME MORE AZULA META. Because I’m not about to have one of the most complex antagonists in television history slandered like this.

If you want to talk dimensions, let’s start there. From the basis of her actions, we can characterize Azula as many things: manipulative, ruthless, ambitious, and lacking in empathy. We see her as a military strategist: commanding the drill to go through the wall, conquering Ba Sing Se by staging the coup, and planning the destruction of the Earth Kingdom with Sozin’s Comet. We see her as a master manipulator: convincing Mai and Ty Lee to join her hunt in season 2, convincing Zuko to betray Iroh, lying to Ozai about Zuko killing Aang, and stalling Sokka at the invasion by taunting him about Suki. We see her trying to kill her brother and uncle all throughout season 2 just on her father’s orders, shooting Aang with lightning in the season 2 finale, almost killing Zuko multiple times in season 3, and nearly killing Katara in Sozin’s Comet. 

So from her actions, we can characterize her simply as power-hungry and lacking in empathy, sure, but it’s in her motivations that her dimensions lie. And everything, everything Azula does in this show is to prove to her father that she’s worthy of his favoritism.

We’re introduced to Azula in season 1 indirectly via Zuko and we know some things about their father already. The two main things being the whole ‘burned half of Zuko’s face off and banished him for speaking out of turn and refusing to fight him’ and the whole “[their] father said [Azula] was born lucky” and “[Zuko] was lucky to be born.” At the end of season 1, Ozai calls Zuko “a miserable failure” and we see him about to send this mysterious sister figure to do something about that. We know that Ozai had absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for his son and horrifically, publically abused him over what exactly? Showing weakness. 

That’s what we know from season 1. With Azula’s introduction in season 2, it’s clear that their upbringing was way more messed up than just this one instance. We start to see that there are these cracks in the royal family and the manipulation and callousness goes way beyond Zuko’s banishment. 

From the Zuko and Iroh plot of The Avatar State, there are a couple key moments where themes of favoritism, perfectionism, and jealousy enter. It starts with the three-year anniversary of Zuko’s banishment where he’s sitting in self-loathing just wanting his “father not to think [he’s] worthless,” holding onto Ozai’s approval as the achievable thing that will mean he’s worth something. We see Azula practicing lightning bending (something we have never seen a firebender do on the show before, it is clear that she is incredibly talented) but still berates herself for being ‘one hair out of place’. We see Zuko lash out at Iroh for implying that Ozai might not really want him to come home despite what Azula says, and we know that Iroh genuinely cares about Zuko and wants him to be safe, but Ozai doesn’t. Iroh introduces the concept that “things in [their] family are not always as they seem, but Zuko reduces this to sibling rivalry, and there’s a reason why. Zuko and Azula have been raised under a competition for their entire lives, and for that entire time, Azula was winning. And by this point she’s still winning. She’s ecstatic that she’s the favorite child while Ozai wants to “lock [Zuko] away where he can no longer embarrass him”. By the end of this episode, one thing is clear: Azula and Zuko are competing with each other. Only one of them can be good enough for their father. But while Zuko takes his first step to cut himself off, Azula doesn’t want to stray from this competition that she’s winning.

In Zuko Alone, this favoritism goes deeper. Just like with Ozai, Ursa’s approval and love is conditional, but these are conditions Azula isn’t meeting. She’s not as empathetic or sweet as Zuko and their mother isn’t shown treating her with the same affection as she does with Zuko. It’s not just Ozai favoring Azula over Zuko with that one scene of Ozai smiling when Azula performs her firebending and frowning when Zuko performs his, it’s Ursa favoring Zuko over Azula. It’s Ursa treating Zuko with gentleness and care and only reprimanding Azula for the way that she is.

Despite the fact that she’s obviously getting all her ideas from her father. This mentality of ‘I must do anything for the throne, even throw my own sibling under the bus,’ is all from Ozai. And when Ursa leaves, there’s no one to keep her in check. There’s only one parent to win the affection of and she’s already succeeding because all she has to do is be a better firebender. All she has to do is follow Ozai’s example of callousness and ruthlessness in order to be the favored child. And keep in mind, being ‘the favored child’ under this roof isn’t something petty, it means ‘one of you gets to be the heir and the other might not be allowed to live.’ This episode reveals what’s been going on in Zuko and Azula’s head this whole time. It reveals that they’re both constantly thinking that only one of them is going to be seen as worthy in their father’s eyes, as they were taught to believe that Ozai was more ‘worthy’ than Iroh since Iroh retreated from Ba Sing Se after Lu Ten died. And the other one, the one that wasn’t seen as worthy, that one was ‘disposable.’ And for most of their lives, the ‘disposable’ one was Zuko. 

But while Zuko spends most of the series slowly learning, with Iroh’s help, that the situation shouldn’t have been like this, that parental love and protection shouldn’t have to be conditional, Azula is still stuck in this mentality. And season 2 is full of examples of Azula doing everything in her power to prove herself to Ozai. Her task was to just bring Zuko and Iroh home for imprisonment, but along the way she added ‘capturing the Avatar’ and ‘conquering Ba Sing Se’ as additional tasks for herself. Why? Because those were the things Iroh and Zuko failed at doing. And she needs to prove that she’s better than them, otherwise what’s going to stop Ozai from deciding that she’s the person who he’s going to be disappointed in next? But if she does these things, if she conquers Ba Sing Se, if she finds the Avatar, that means she’ll still be considered useful to him, right? That means she’s the one who “has father’s love,” right? 

Because that’s what Azula strives to be over anything else: useful. She wants to be the person he relies on. The child he believes in. There’s a really good example of this early in season 2 when Azula goes to Omashu to get Mai: 

Azula takes control of the situation. She doesn’t really have anything to do with this city or the fake plague or the hostage trade. This is entirely the governor's responsibility and she’s just there to pick up her friend, but since she’s there, she has to make sure things are in order for her father. So she strips the governor of his power, takes control of the hostage situation to ensure that Bumi doesn’t slip through her fingers, and renames the city ‘New Ozai’ just for good measure. We see Azula as the actual proactive villain for all of season 2 and she would be well within her rights to name the city after herself. But she doesn’t. Because that’s not why she’s doing anything she’s doing. 

The flashback showing where she suggests burning down the Earth Kingdom reveals a lot with her body language. She suggests this by interrupting Zuko, who’s more resistant to the idea to ‘destroy their hope.’ He doesn't agree with Ozai’s idea, but she needs to show that she’s on her father’s side. She’s the one who can be as ruthless and destructive as he is. So she suggests this and looks to Ozai for approval, and once he gives it, that’s when she looks pleased. The actual plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom isn’t what brings her joy at this moment, it’s Ozai’s approval of her suggestion. We didn’t see her clap once his back was turned. This isn’t about the plan itself, it’s about Azula’s ability to be the heir she thinks Ozai wants her to be. 

And it’s in this moment in Sozin’s Comet shows exactly where Azula’s been coming from this whole time: 

This whole time, it hasn’t been about the destruction. It hasn’t been about what she wants. It’s been about being the favored child. It’s about being better than Zuko. In Azula’s eyes, she’s done everything right. She’s master lightning. She wasn’t the traitor like her brother or uncle. She conquered Ba Sing Se. She showed her father that she was on board with the destruction of the Earth Kingdom and proved her loyalty. She did everything right. But there’s a part of her that was waiting for this shoe to drop for years, ever since she watched her brother get his face burned off for not meeting Ozai’s standards. And she sure as hell remembers that all throughout the series and it shows: she can’t afford to be imperfect because she knows the consequences if she’s not. 

But in this moment, her fear shows. Her fear of not being good enough. The fear of being imperfect, disposable. She’s been terrified of this moment her whole life and has done everything to delay it. This moment: where Ozai casts her aside, where she isn’t good enough to come with him in her eyes. There’s no one left but her: no Iroh, no Zuko, no Ursa. Everyone else left and there’s no one else to compete with. And she’s left alone with this meaningless position of Firelord now that Ozai’s about to declare himself ‘Phoenix King’ and she clings onto that position because it’s her last chance to prove herself after this rejection. 

She goes off the deep end because she’s all alone. She’s snipped out anyone who was imperfect. She cut off her friends once they betrayed her. Azula isolated herself on the throne and demanded perfection because that’s what she saw her father do. Family wasn’t important to him. Loyalty and perfection were. So that’s the example she follows but it’s lonely and terrifying, so she loses herself. All her fears about not being good enough come back up after Ozai leaves her behind. That’s why she mentions Mai and Ty Lee. That’s why she sees Ursa. These are the people who didn’t choose her, and now that her father has left her behind and she hasn’t met his standards for the first time in her life, all those vulnerabilities and insecurities come to the surface. The thing Azula fears most over anything else is rejection, which is why she’s obsessed with perfection. Because she’s been taught that if she’s good enough: if she perfects her firebending technique, if people fear and respect her, and if people choose her, then that means she’s not disposable.

And at the end, she’s the one who challenges Zuko to an Agni Kai. To prove one last time that she is worthy. That she was worthy all along and that her father was right to choose her to be Firelord. 

And there’s an interesting parallel to consider here. The first time we ever see Azula is at Zuko’s Agni Kai with Ozai in the season 1 flashback, and at that one she’s smiling at her brother getting punished because it signifies to her that she won. Ozai picked her. Zuko was the disposable one. And in the end she wants that to still be true and finds that it’s not. In the end she loses and she doesn’t know what to do with herself now that she’s the one cast aside. 

And that’s the tragedy of Azula, really. This entire time she was conditioned to think that her value and the value of the people around her rested in perfection and she spent the entire series trying to prove herself. She was convinced that love was something that needed to be earned and that if she didn’t get results, if she didn’t win, then she didn’t deserve it. 

And that’s just a small piece of her character if we’re being honest. This doesn’t get into the details of how Ursa’s treatment shaped her, how her relationship with Zuko was ruined by their parents, how her bending is a reflection of her mental state, or how he relationship with Mai and Ty Lee reflects her view of herself and others. Azula is one of the most complex villains in television history not only because she has a rich backstory, interesting motivations, or unique persona, but because underneath everything, she’s just a teenage girl who doesn’t wants her dad’s approval and is so deeply terrified of being cast aside. She may be ruthless and she may lack empathy, but those traits stem from deeply rooted damage and vulnerability. 

(For some more Azula meta I did a deep dive into how The Beach foreshadows her breakdown and reveals her vulnerabilities and here where I talked about how she and Zuko were pitted against each other and had their relationship damaged by parental favoritism.)

#hot leaf meta #azula #atla #zuko #ursa #ozai #iroh #avatar the last airbender #sozin's comet #zuko alone #the avatar state #the babes are asking #I kind of feel that this ask might have been a joke #but I needed to get some meta out of my system #long post #what does that tag even do? #does anyone actually have 'long post' as a blocked thing? #tw: abuse

[somewhereinthepines]

smth to think about.

this is part of personal notes, + some trimming of newer notices/hcs there and here. so it’s safe to say, that i have a noticeable pref, when it comes to shipping dynamics in the dark picture’s games, but it’s still pretty interesting how ‘leveled’ both of those ‘pairs’ are, as a part of general narrative. 

they have a lot in common. even if the timeline/reincarnation theory isn’t something, that the creators were going with, there are still a lot of similarities between john & dar. and then, there is an interesting tendency, when you compare their ‘soft’ companions/the better half, andrew & salim. which is a subject, that i will ran my mouth about here! this isn’t an analysis per say, but might be considered such if one wants it to be. otherwise, it’s just personal thoughts and notices. 

misleading guidance ;

so, john & dar are technically put in powers from the start. such as john being the professor & andrew his student; dar being a captain & salim being his lieutenant. it’s up to the player just how far their obedience will go, but the natural build of this was basically presented as: ‘final boy’ & their superior. why final boy? bc both, andrew and salim can die only near the very end. and while dar’s death is scripted and therefore can’t be changed, john’s death can be determined and it’s possible and most likely for him to be andrew’s last remaining companion, even if one picks 'everybody dies’ route. what also matters here, is that ending for both salim & andrew can change depending on if they followed along with every offer/command, that was given to them by dar & john. in both cases, blind obedience can lead salim & andrew to joining their superior, respectively by getting shot by rachel/andrew (anthony) shooting himself. and it’s also while small something, still something nonetheless. 

this shows a curious little mechanism, that gets triggered, when you allow ‘the demon on your shoulder’ directly influence your gameplay. it’s out of question, if dar / john think that this is what’s the best, bc they do, they really do. but the game itself doesn’t want to give the player an easy way out, and while they establish both salim & andrew guidance from the start, it should be measured by you, personally, how ‘right’ it is to just follow along with dar / john’s ideas each time. it has more plot-connected weight in john/andrew dynamic, bc john is also the main character. while in salim’s case, most of his choices, when it comes to obeying/disobeying dar don’t have as much result. they affect smaller parts, and mostly tied to the development of salim’s personality in specific gameplay, rather than him actively influencing other characters. 

john can indirectly kill or help to kill off the rest of the cast (even andrew & himself to some extent), when dar can only influence eric’s fate, and indirectly nick’s (by wounding him), to a degree salim’s as well. it make sense, though. bc the main tie of dar / john always be salim / andrew, and their main interest is always stated plain and clear, as they only care about their only well-being and well-being of their companion (even if to somewhat smaller amount lol). john pretty easily shrugs off the death of his other students, but keeps saying, that he and andrew need to stick together, and that he will make sure, that both of them will get out of here. and dar would still make sure, that salim would get free, if jason & nick had captured him, no matter how low/cool their relationships are. to degre, john / dar designed in a way, that would ‘protect’ the ‘final boy’, and also attempt to unconsciously mislead them from time to time. 

but as controlling, pushy and basically, plainly states dismissive/selfish as dar / john were in some of their stubborn decisions, there was always a ‘softer spot’, that they saved for salim / andrew. it’s less noticeable with dar, duo to how non-bullshit he is at times, but the very thing, that he doesn’t outright shoot salim on the spot, in route, where he rebels against him, says something. or the fact, that it was implied that no matter what route it is, that part of dar’s main objective (beside killing the americans) was to find salim. 

it’s up to the player, if they wanna stick with dar / john’s guidance all the way, but dar / john would be sticking with salim / andrew either way. their narrative is heavily intertwined with choices, that the other two make. and they’re there to make picking those choices ever harder lol. 

the presence/lack of power dynamic ;

as we know, salim & andrew as unspoken, ‘main protagonists’, that basically drag the narrative forward. the way they see the situation is prob the closer to how the player might see it. andrew is concosed and to a degree, he has to rely on john. meanwhile, on a more grounded level, salim has to follow the suit, bc he and dar are on the same side, and technically surrendered by the enemy. trusting them seems like the most ‘oblivious’ decision to a degree. but…it’s not fully ‘correct one’. 

dar / john can successfully feed the distrust, antagonism in salim / andrew, when it comes to the games ‘main enemy’, which till some time, remains established as the americans / mary. they can feed it to an extent, where salim can shoot eric/wound jason, basing his response on fear (rightfully so btw) in face of what the americans would/could do to him. and then, andrew can choose john’s side on the whole witch trial issue, and decide that mary is at fault for everything. 

yet. the power dynamic is probably, where dar/salim and john/andrew have a very big difference. in LH, it’s not set in stone, and john would back off, if andrew would ask him to. meanwhile, in hofa, dar would most likely push and push, until salim would do what he wants or do it himself, and ignore all the arguments, that salim has on his side. both john and dar are technically in a position of power, but only dar actively uses it and can even abuse it, if he sees fit. esp bc where john has lawful and personal limitations, considering how far he can go, dar doesn’t have such things. his hands aren’t tied at how ‘far’ he can take the punishment, when someone disobeys him and his personality, seems to be one of the ruthless and cold circle. john most likely have grey-ish moral, aka ‘at extremes, what works, that works’ and dar is more of radical in nature, so it make sense, that his moral is partly tied up to cicustemses/the actual state of iraq during that time, including 80-90x. while john thinks that he’s right, dar sort of ‘knows’, that he’s right. and where andrew can actually be on ‘lawful’ side of disobedience and thinking with his own head, salim technically isn’t allowed to do the same. 

so, yeah, considering all of this, the power dynamic exists mostly only in hofa. dar can invoke his position of power via ‘rules’ of the narrative even, like a grounded level of it. where john is just well, john is too much of a pushover, when it comes to andrew, so technically, his ‘influence’ on him is questionable, and in most cases, depends on andrew’s behavior. and on how many times in the row, andrew agrees with him. 

yet, out of all the characters dar / salim and john / andrew have similar odd thing, when salim / andrew play around with titles and then switch back to name bases. it’s pretty casual, but i love how salim jumps from calling dar ‘captain’ to calling him by his name, as well as revealing hints, that they have a lot of familiarity between them, despite the difference in ranks. andrew, on other hand, uses ‘professor’ when referring to john, way more often, than other students, but he also easily skips back to calling john by his name as well. though, out of all the students for andrew the title of ‘professor’ must have more heavy and personal weight, same as for salim, where dar is being his captain. like remember the bit about dar / john being placed as ‘guide’, well, it comes back to this. esp considering, that you can low-key make andrew / salim into a nervewreck, into a cynical paranoiac. which is also why it would make sense for them to keep closer to a person like john / dar, who would give him directions. but titles are part of power dynamic, so the way they twist it and play with it’s a quite nice little touch. 

it might have happened before ;

something, that i can’t quite unthink, is a notice that my friend brought to my attention. mainly, this picture. 

it makes me wonder, if following the reincarnation/different timeline theory, dar / john, a person who basically can be considered as them (including james and others), are kind of stuck in loop, of being a part of the military. not every time, but repeatedly being stuck in the position of lieutenant or captain. and funny enough, we saw something similar in the man of medan, where one of the sergeants was anthony’s older model. and considering, the time period it makes sense for him to be there, if he’s the same person (andrew), who was in the picture, but younger. then, we also got daniel, in the said picture above. and also in the man of medan. and then, even in the hofa. 3 times in the row, he presented as part of military. ah, and jason too. he was in the man of medan as well. and tbh, he also can be one of the other man on the side. which would make it pretty ironic, if he had to fight against his once fallen commander in another time life (jason vs dar). 

in this part, salim doesn’t have much placement lol. bc it’s sorta implied, that john & andrew met repeatedly, around time, when john is 40-43 and andrew around 18-20. and while it’s not stated anywhere or even was shown, i do hc, that john met andrew as dar. possibly, he even was the one who had killed him.

then, if alt timeline, and john was actually real, it’s not all that impossible, that he and salim wouldn’t have crossed ways at least once. esp with john being a college professor. 

the dark pictures give an easter eggs with ref to their other games, be it a future ones or already existing, but i wonder, if they will eventually make this connected universe, even more complicated, than it was presented so far. i mean, an aliens are basically were established there, as well, as hints on witchcraft...what’s next? and would be it all that crazy, if alt timelines/reincarnations be a thing there too? 

#the dark pictures house of ashes #house of ashes #dark pictures house of ashes #dark pictures little hope #dar basri #salim othman #little hope john #little hope andrew #john/andrew #dar basri/salim othman #long post #dark picture games

[elia-de-silentio]

Recap on The Decay of Angels

Above, our introduction to the villains that have dominated the Bungou Stray Dogs manga for a few years as of now. It tells us two main things: that they are terrorist, and that they are five. Of them, two are known: Dostoevsky, already introduced in the previous arc, and Gogol, who debuts in this chapter.

As of chapter 88, all of the five members are known, and a few of these identities have been puzzling for the public at large. So, I want to try and recap what we know of them, and maybe make a little sense of it (spoiler, I didn't, but I found a few interesting facts).

We already met Fyodor in the Cannibalism arc, and gained an idea of who he is, how he operates, and what he wants. He's the leader of his own organization, but fights his battles mostly indirectly, by manipulating others into fighting for him.

He aims at destroying Yokohama to find the famed Book, the one to rewrite reality, for the purported reason if creating a better world, one without the 'sin' of ability users. Why he does think like that, or exactly what kind of different world he does envision, is unknown to this day.

Later, in chapter 56, we are shown the Decay of Angel's deeds, four in one week, which our resident nerd Kunikida explains are related to four of the five signs of the imminent death of an angel (or 'deva' in the Buddhist conception):

They skinned a legislator's torso, made a shirt with the result, and put it back on him, all in five minutes = the angel's robes are soiled.

They melted off the face of a deputy commander in the coast guard with a corrosive poison = the angel's garland melts away.

They stuck an air compressor in the mouth of the secretary of a general in the ministry of defense, causing his blood vessels to pop out = the angel's radiance fades.

Lastly, an official for the military police was injected a drug that caused him to kill himself = the angel's armpits start to sweat.

Moreover, they're suspected to have ties in the government; turns out, Gogol was cosplaying as a secretary in there.

He takes hostage a bunch of government officials, and threatens to saw them in two ("losing delight in their heavenly thrones")

The next chapters are dedicated to introducing Nikolai Gogol: an eccentric individual with a powerful ability and the most likely perpetrator of all the aforementioned crimes (since Fyodor was in jail at the time and, as we'll see shortly, the other members aren't particularly suited to these kinds of jobs).

However, he admits that he does feel guilt for what he does, and it's the reason he keeps doing it: he wants to free himself from the concept of morality, from his own conscience.

While this is a rather interesting philosophy, it doesn't expand much on why and how he joined the Decay of Angels. Was he a 'normal' person with particular ideas on morality that were brought to the extreme by the other members in order to make him useful, or was he already a murderer, and joined the Decay to have a wider choice of targets?

Boh. We'll only know quando Asagiri si decide a recuperare il suo arco porca pupazza with time. Still, the important part is that he doesn't seem to share Fyodor's objectives, nor does he say anything about the greater plan and his ideas on it. This is the first indicator that the Decay is a rather fragmented group, everyone is in for his own goals.

However, the last interesting thing is that the plan involved his own death: those in the Decay have no problems sacrificing their own members (even if I have a little theory that Fyodor might have planned for his survival, but I'll talk about it in another post).

Next, a wounded Taneda adds an information about the Decay of Angels: of the three members still in the dark, one has the ability to exchange knowledge he wants for information the person he touches wants. Namely, they're looking for a book, one that makes so that what is written on it becomes the truth - something already hinted by Fyodor. They managed to locate one page of it, and used it to frame the Armed Detective Agency to create a chaos and instigate a sort of Ability Civil War to destroy the city.

Their 'knowledge broker' is revealed to be Sigma; a reveal that is quite a surprise for the reader, since the manager of the Sky Casino has been introduced rigging a game to allow a person desperately in need of money to win; a very positive introduction, for a member of a 'murder association'. Later, it's revealed that he didn't even want to stab Taneda, only scare him off.

In fact, he hasn't even joined them because of some ideal: Fyodor found him when he had no past nor family nor anywhere to go, and offered him a place to belong in exchange for his services. When it turns out that his colleagues in the Decay have planned his demise (and two!) and Atsushi shows him kindness, he promptly cooperates with the Agency; or tries to, before one of Fyodor's lackeys shoots him.

It's also revealed that the group has created some explosive coins, released to the population at large to make some other acts of terrorism.

After some other shenanigans, we are introduced to their boss: Ouchi Fukuchi, officially the war hero who wants to save the world from the 'terrorists' known as the Armed Detective Agency by instituting an international police force.

Unofficially, a former torturer sanctioned by the government, traumatized by what he found himself doing. He wants to take down every nation, throwing the world into anarchy, because he believes countries and governments responsible for wars; and he also wants to stick it to his childhood friend who wasn't with him on the battlefield and got a found family he didn't have, and so framed him as the leader of the terrorists.

His actual plan was to terrorize the population and the government enough that they would gladly let him create an international armed force at his commands, which he would actually have used to break down the concept of 'State'.

Lastly, the fifth member: Bram Stoker. Another interesting case: like Sigma, he doesn't have any particular ideal that brought him to the group; on the contrary, he dislikes them. He used to be known as a calamity for his ability to turn others into vampires, and swore to never do such a thing again. He breaks this promise because Fukuchi threatened to kill him otherwise, and already keeps him in a state of prisony; personally, he has no interest in destroying the world, and thinks Fukuchi should do it himself. Considering that he interacts only with him, and doesn't keep track of the time well, I wonder if he even knows the other people in the organization.

Another interesting thing, is that he is the first British author to get introduced, except for Agatha Christie, who is hinted to be the leader of an organization of European Ability Users, but hasn't made an appearence since chapter 12/Dead Apple, and insofar hasn't had any impact on the plot. Maybe Stoker will be the element that brings the 'Order of the Clocktower' in?

Anyways, here they are: a group of people with vastly different goals and mindsets, ready to send each other to death and put dents into the others' plan (Sigma being ready to tell everything to Atsushi, Fyodor likely putting intentional mistakes in the Page he redacted to undermine Fukuchi).

Honestly ... it's amazing such a branco di disagiati group of people that want so wildly different things managed to last so long, let alone do this much damage. I mean ... how and why these people came together? What do they have in common?

To try and find answers, I did a little research.

First of all, the name 'Decay of Angels' comes, surprise surprise, from a book.

'The Decay of the Angel' by Yukio Mishima is the last novel in a tetralogy that follows the story of Shigekuni Honda, law student in the first novel and retired judge in the last, as he spends his whole life looking for the reincarnation of his deceased schoolfriend, finding them in people that seem to inevitably meet an early death, and ultimately destroys himself.

In the last installment, Honda decides that the reincarnation is an orphan, Toru, that behind a nice and normal facade hides antisocial tendencies. The interesting thing is that Honda notices them, but dismisses them as 'guile': what makes him decide that Toru isn't the reincarnation of his friend is the fact that he doesn't die on a certain date. And after all he had decided that he could be his friend after noticing a similar mole pattern; both very superficial things to originate and conclude such a fixation.

So what? I don't know.

Is a reference on how Fukuchi envied his childhood friend Fukuzawa for never dirtying his hands the way he had to do, and for having a found family, or a 'path in life', and decided to do a distorted version of such, with a few criminals and a plan to destroy the current order? Not sure.

Let's move to the artist, then!

Yukio Mishima was something of a conservative, and he strongly opposed the westernization of Japan, arguing that it left its people rootless. By this, I mean that he founded a private militia, the Tatenokai, composed of a bunch of students recruited with the newspaper, who until the 1970 did not much more than physical exercise and worship of the Emperor.

On the 25th of November 1970, however, Mishima plus four (!) of them briefly seized control of the Self Defense Force headquarters and tried to encourage the soldiers in a coup d'etat. They failed; Mishima and Masakatsu Morita, one of said four followers, committed suicide by seppuku, the latter despite his commander's wishes. The other three ended up in prison.

So, we have a strong believer in the traditional values of the State; quite the opposite of the 'anarchist' Fukuchi.

However, Mishima does not appear as a character, even if, since he was a writer, he could very well have. Instead, a bunch of appearently unrelated figures compose the terrorist group.

Fukuchi Genichirou was a translator, journalist, and playwriter. He, too, was a conservative: in his youth, he wrote an article criticizing the government and was subsequently arrested; he was released for the intercession of an influent friend, but this is remembered as the first episode of suppression of free speech in the Meiji Restauration.

He later founded a very short-lived political party that pursued the sovereignity of the Emperor, enforcement of a Constitution established by the Emperor and election among limited people. This party disbanded after one year.

Fyodor Dostoevsky is best known as a novelist, short story writer and journalist. He was also involved in politics: initially, he was interested in socialism, fluctuating among several groups due to an interest in social reforms in favor of destitute people.

The last group he joined (despite having been described by Bakunin as essentially a bunch of posers) got him convicted for reading papers that criticized the Russian government and religion, and nearly sentenced to death; the letter by the Tsar that commuted the sentence in prison and hard labour arrived just as the convicts were right in front of the firing squad, leaving them all free to enjoy this deeply traumatizing experience. He was considered one of the most dangerous prisoners (he read some books). Later in life, he moved towards more conservative beliefs (conservative for Russian standards: he criticized both socialism and capitalism, idealized the monarchy, and asserted that every social problem could be solved with Orthodox Christianity); but he didn't try to take an active role in politics.

Nikolai Gogol was a novelist, short story writer, and playwriter of Ukrainian origins. Despite costantly satirizing the government in his works, he was a strong supporter of the tsarist monarchy and criticized those who wanted a costitutional monarchy.

Fittingly for 'a character with no past', researching Sigma was a real pain. Shoutout to @gravitycantstop for pointing me in what is probably the right direction.

Sigma was a pseudonym of Russian journalist and writer Sergey Nikolaevich Syromyatnikov. Appearently, decent information about him is available only in Russian. Now, one day I'll speak every language in the world, but insofar my knowledge of Russian is limited to 'vodka' and 'syrniki', so I can't say much about him. If anyone who reads this speaks Russian and can provide information, please do so!

[Edit: thanks to @heydeliah , now we know about RL Sigma's political inclinations: he was a conservative who supported an authocratic monarchy, just like the above two]

Lastly, Bram Stoker: he had a keen interest in Irish Affairs, was a strong supporter of the Liberal Party, which favoured social reforms, personal liberty, and reducing the powers of both the Crown and the Church of England. He supported Home Rule brought about by pacifist means, was an ardent monarchist, and believed Ireland should stay in the British Empire, which he saw as a force for good.

So? I'm not sure what to make of all of this. The only thing I can say is that a bunch of real-life right-wingers has been turned into essentially a bunch of far left extremists? Sure, Stoker has been around for too little to express any ideology besides 'fanculo 'sta merda I want to sleep', and the lack of information on Sigma means that I can't make theories on him. But still, it's the closest thing I could find that binded them all together.

I admit I'm still unsure about what this could mean. Surely they weren't the only boomers ante litteram strongly conservative authors Asagiri could find, so ... I guess we have to wait and see? I literally made this post as I went, trying to find a common denominator, and this was all I could manage.

Anyways, I hope this can be somehow interesting.

Thanks to anyone who bothered to read my ramblings!

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd meta #bsd theories #bsd spoilers #bsd fyodor #bsd gogol #bsd sigma #bsd fukuchi #bsd stoker #bsd decay of angels #bsd doa #elia's recaps

[borisbubbles]

Character analysis: Vivienne de Fer (Dragon Age Inquisition)

So, if you’ve wondered where I popped off to the past two months or so, I’m going to give you an answer - I finally bought Dragon Age Inquisition (legit on my gaming wishlist since its 2014 release) and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. 

The main draw to this game however, isn’t so much the gameplay (if you want a game that feels similar but has better gameplay - Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is what you’d want instead), but the storytelling and particularly the character development are top notch. All nine companions are fascinating and fleshed out in such a realistic manner I’m still gasping in awe on my fifth playthrough.  Thus, a post on it is in order. It’s a bit different from my usual content, but don’t let that discourage you - clearing my head from Dragon Age will allow me to let Eurovision back in and continue my unfinished 2020 ranking.  In this post, I will be analyzing one of DAI’s most interesting characters - none other than Madame de Fer herself, Vivienne.  Now, I’m under the impression that this is a rather unpopular opinion but I absolutely love Vivienne. And no, I won’t apologize for it. As a Templar-thumping elitist with a icy, sardonic demeanor the sheer ‘Idea Of A Vivienne’ is meant to make your head spin. Dragon Age has always been a franchise in which mages are a socially surpressed group and to be confronted with a socially confident enchantress who likes Templars and seemingly supports the social shunning out of her own ambition is the walking embodiment of flippancy. 

and yet, I feel a lot of sympathy for Vivienne. 

Yes, she’s a bitch. She knows she’s one and she’s a-ok with it. I won’t argue with that. Sadly, the “Vivienne is a bitch” rhetoric also drastically sells her short. Vivienne is highly complex and her real personality is as tragic as it is twisted. 

Madame de Fer

So let’s start with what we are shown on the surface. Vivienne is a high-ranking courtier from an empire notable for its deadly, acid-laced political game. She seemingly joins the Inquisition for personal gain, to acrue reputation and power, and eventually be elected Divine (= female pope) at the end of the game. She presents herself as a despicable blend of Real Housewife, Disney Villain, and Tory Politician, all rolled into one ball of sickening, unctuous smarm. Worse, the Inquisitor has no way to rebuke Vivienne’s absurd policies and ideas. You can’t argue with her, convince her to listen to your differing viewpoints or even kick her out the Inquisition. She has a way with words where she can twist arguments around in such a fashion that she lands on top and makes the other person look like the irrational party.

“Thus speaks the Inquisitor who has made so many mature and level-headed choices so far. Such as releasion malcontents upon the population without safeguards to protect them should they turn into abominations. Very wise. I rearranged some furniture. Lives aren’t thrown into jeopardy by my actions. Perhaps a little perspective is needed.”

She’s Cersei Lannister on creatine, Dolores Umbridge on motherfucking roids. If you look at merely the surface, then yes, Vivienne looks like the worst person ever created. I love a good anti-villainess however, and she’s definitely one. 

Yet, she never actually does anything ‘evil’? Yes, she is ‘a tyrant’ as a Divine, but 1) the person saying this is Cassandra, whose dislike for mage freedom is only matched by her dislike of being sidelined 2) Divine Vivienne isn’t bad to mages either? (hold that thought, I’ll get to it). She never actually sabotages the Inquisition, no matter how low her approval with the Inquisitor gets. She never attempts to stop them, no matter how annoyed she is. She’s one of the most brutally honest companions in the cast, in fact. (It always surprises me people call her a ‘hypocrite’ - you keep using that word and it doesn’t mean what you think it means.) The ‘worst’ display of character is when she attempts to break up Sera and the Inquisitor and even then - are we going to pretend Sera isn’t a toxic, controlling girlfriend with a huge chip on her shoulder? I love Sera, but come on.  

Vivienne is a character where the storytelling rule of Show, Don’t Tell is of vital importance. The Orlesian empire is an empire built around posturing and reputation. Nobody really shows their true motivations or character, and instead builds a public façade. It’s like how the Hanar (the Jellyfish people) in Mass Effect have a Public name they use in day-to-day life, and a Personal Name for their loved-ones and inner circle. Vivienne’s ‘Public Visage’ is that of Madame de Fer - this is the Vivienne who openly relishes in power, publicly humiliates grasping anklebiters with passive-aggressive retorts, the woman who is feared and loathed by all of Orlais, and this is the Face you see for most of the game.

The real beauty of Vivienne’s character and the reason why I love her as much as I do (which is to say - a LOT) are the few moments when - what’s the phrase DigitalSpy love so much - Her Mask Slips, and you get a glimpse of the real woman underneath the hennin.

This is the Vivienne who stands by you during the Siege of Haven and approves of you when you save the villagers from Corypheus’s horde.

This is the Vivienne who comforts you when you lament the losses you suffered.

This is the Vivienne who admires you for setting an example as a mage for the rest of Thedas.

This is the Vivienne who worries about Cole’s well-being during his personal quest, momentarily forgetting who or what he is. 

This is the Vivienne who, when her approval for the Inquisitor reaches rock bottom, desperately reminds him of the suffering mages go through on a day-to-day basis because of the fear and hatred non-mages are bred to feel towards them and how this can spiral into more bloodshed without safeguards. 

This is the Vivienne who shows how deep her affection for Bastien de Ghislain truly is, by bringing you along during his dying moments. I love this scene btw. This is the only moment in the entire game where Vivienne is actually herself in the presence of the Inquisitor - needless to say, I consider anyone who deliberately spikes her potion a motherfucking psychopath ^_^)

“There is nothing here now” fuck I *almost* cried at Vivienne, get out of my head BioWare, this is WRONG -- people who delude themselves this is an irredeemable character. 

So, who is Vivienne really?

Understanding Vivienne requires recognizing that the mask and the real woman aren’t the same person. I think her relationship with Dorian is the prime example of this. I love the Vivienne/Dorian banter train, obviously - an unstoppable force of sass colliding with an unmovable wall of smarm is nothing short of a spectacle. However, there’s more to it than their highly entertaining snipes. As the incredibly gifted son of a magister, Dorian represents everything Vivienne should despise, and should be a natural enemy to her. And yet, she doesn’t and he isn’t.. Their gilded japes at each other are nothing more than verbal sparring, not dissimilar to how Krem and Iron Bull call each other names when they beat each other with sticks. In what I think is one of the most brilliantly written interactions between characters in DAI, I present Vivienne’s reaction when the Inquisitor enters a romance with Dorian:

Vivienne: I received a letter the other day, Dorian. Dorian: Truly? It's nice to know you have friends. 🙄 Vivienne: It was from an acquaintance in Tevinter expressing his shock at the disturbing rumors about your... relationship with the Inquisitor. Dorian: Rumors you were only too happy to verify, I assume. 🙃 Vivienne: I informed him the only disturbing thing in evidence was his penmanship. 🙂 Dorian: ...Oh. Thank you. 😳 Vivienne: I am not so quick to judge, darling. See that you give me no reason to feel otherwise.

Madame de Fer can never be seen directly expressing approval to a relationship between the Herald of Andraste and an ‘Evil’ Tevinter ’Magister’. By this subtle, subtle conversation, Vivienne indirectly tells Dorian that she considers him a good match for the Inquisitor and approves of the romance. It’s one of those reasons why I could never truly dislike Vivienne - between the layers of elegant poison lies a somewhat decent woman who never loses sight of the bigger picture. Not a good person maybe, but not one without some redeeming qualities.

The crux of Vivienne’s personality is that she, like all DAI companions, is a social outcast. She’s a mage in a fantasy setting where mages are psionically linked to demons, and grew up in a country where the majority religion has openly advocated the shunning and leashing of mages (’Magic exists to serve man’ - the Chantry is so, so vile in this game.). Vivienne’s “gift” was discovered so early in her life that she can barely remember her parents. Vivienne grew up in a squalid boarding school, learning from a young age that she’s dangerous and her talents need to be tamed and curbed. She is also terrified of demons, as her banters with Cole point out:

Cole: You're afraid. You don't have to be. Vivienne: My dear Inquisitor, please restrain your pet demon. I do not want it addressing me. Inquisitor: He's not doing any harm, Vivienne. Vivienne: It's a demon, darling. All it can do is harm. Cole: Everything bright, roar of anger as the demon rears. No, I will not fall. No one will control me ever again. Cole: Flash of white as the world comes back. Shaking, hollow, Harrowed, but smiling at templars to show them I'm me. Cole: I am not like that. I can protect you. If Templars come for you, I will kill them. Vivienne: Delightful. 😑

Vivienne’s Harrowing is implied to have been such a traumatizing event to her that she’s developed a pavlovian fear of demons ever since. (Hence her hostility towards Cole.). Vivienne is fully aware of the inherent dangers of magic, and projects this onto all other mages. 

Besides, given how Dragon Age has a history with mages doing all sorts of fucked up shit, ranging from blood magic, murder, demonic possession and actual terrorism (yes, *ElthinaBITCH* had it coming, but let’s not pretend like Anders/Justice was anything other than a terrorist), Vivienne’s policies of controlled monitoring and vigilance are actually significantly more sensible than the options of ‘unconditionally freeing every mage all over Thedas’ and ‘reverting back to the status quo before the rebellion’. They’re flawed policies, obviously. When Vivienne says “mages” she pictures faceless silhouettes foremost and not herself. Regardless, unlike Cassandra and Leliana, Vivienne is aware of the fear others harbour for her kind, and how hard it is to overcome such perceptions.  

Additionally, Vivienne’s a foreigner. She is an ethnic Rivaini, a culture associated with smugglers and pirates (Isabela from DAO and DA2 is half-Rivaini). This adds an additional social stigma, again pointed out by Cole:

Cole: Stepping into the parlor, hem of my gown snagged, no, adjust before I go in, must look perfect. Vivienne: My dear, your pet is speaking again. Do silence it. Cole: Voices inside. Marquis Alphonse. Cole: "I do hope Duke Bastien puts out the lights before he touches her. But then, she must disappear in the dark." Cole: Gown tight between my fingers, cold all over. Unacceptable. Wheels turn, strings pull. Cole: He hurt you. You left a letter, let out a lie so he would do something foolish against the Inquisition. A trap. Vivienne: Inquisitor, as your demon lacks manners, perhaps you could get Solas to train it.

This is the only palpable example of the casual racism Vivienne has to endure on a daily basis - Marquis Alphonse is a stupid, bigoted pillowhead who sucks at The Game, but remember - Vivienne only kills him if the Inquisitor decides to be a butthurt thug. She is aware that for every Alphonse, there are dozens of greasy sycophants who think exactly like he does, and will keep it under wraps just to remain in her good graces. 

Finally, there’s the social position Vivienne manufactured for herself, which is the weak point towards her character imo. Remember, this woman is a commoner by birth. She doesn’t even have a surname. Through apparently sheer dumb luck (or satanic intervention) she basically fell into the position of Personal Mage to the Duke of Ghislain. Regardless, ‘Personal mages’ were the rage in Orlesian nobility, and the prestigious families owned by them like one may own a pet or personal property. By somehow becoming Bastien de Ghislain’s mistress and using his influence, "Madame de Fer” liberated herself from all the social stigmata which should have pinned her down into a lowly courtier rank and turned the largely ceremonial office of “Court Enchanter” into a position of respect and power. This is huge move towards mage emancipation by the way, in a society where, again, Mages are feared and shunned and are constantly bullied, emasculated and taught to hate their talents. Vivienne is a shining example of what mages can become at the height of their power. Power she has, mind you, never actually abused before her Divine election. Vivienne’s actions will forever be under scrutiny not because of who she is, but because of what she is. The Grand Game can spit her out at any moment, which will likely result in her death. 

Inquisitor: “You seem to be enjoying yourself, Vivienne?” Vivienne: “It’s The Game, darling. If I didn’t enjoy it, I’d be dead by now.”

Whether Vivienne was using Bastien for her own gain or whether she truly loved him isn’t a case of or/or. It’s a case of and/and. The perception that she was using Bastien makes Vivienne more fearsome and improves her position in the Grand Game, but deep down, I have no doubts truly loved him. Remember, Vivienne’s position at the Orlesian court was secure. She had nothing to gain by saving Bastien’s life, but she attempted to anyway. That Bastien’s sister is a High Cleric doesn’t matter - Vivienne can be elected Divine regardless of her personal quest’s resolution. She loved him, period. 

No, I don’t think Vivienne is a good person. She treats those she deems beneath her poorly, like Sera, Solas, Cole and Blackwall (characters I like less than Vivienne), which I think is the #1 indicator for a Bad Personality. But I don’t think she qualifies as ‘Evil’ either and I refuse to dismiss the beautiful layering of her character. I genuinely believe Vivienne joined the Inquisition not just for her personal gain, but also out of idealism, similar to Dorian (again, Cole is 100% correct in pointing out the similarities between Dorian’s and Vivienne’s motivations for joining, as discomforting it is to her). 

In her mind, Vivienne sees herself as the only person who can emancipate the mages without bloodshed - her personal accomplishments at the Orlesian court speak for themselves. Vivienne isn’t opposed to mage freedom - she worries for the consequences of radical change, as she believes Orlesian society unprepared for the consequences. Hence why she’s perfectly fine with a Divine Cassandra. Hence why her fellow mages immediately elect her Grand Enchanter of the new Circle. 

Hence why Vivienne is so terrified by the Inquisitor’s actions if her disapproval gets too low. The Inquisitor has the power to completely destroy everything she has built and fought for during her lifetime. Remember: Vivienne’s biggest fear is irrelevance - there’s no greater irrelevance than having your life achievements reverse-engineered by the accidental stumbling of some upstart nobody. This is the real reason why she joins, risks her life and gets her hands dirty - the only person whose competence Vivienne trusts, is Vivienne’s own. 

Even as Divine Victoria, I’d say she’s not bad, at all actually. Vivienne has the trappings of an an Enlightened Despot, maintaining full control, while simultaneously granting mages more responsibility and freedom, slowly laying the foundations to make mages more accepted and less persecuted in southern Thedas. Given that Ferelden is a feudal fiefdom and Orlais is an absolute monarchy, this is a fucking improvement are you kidding me. (Wait did he just imply Vivienne is secretly the best Divine - hmm, probably not because Cass/Leliana have better epilogues - but realistically speaking, yes, Viv should be the best Divine and it’s bullshit that the story disagrees.) 

Underneath the countless layers of smarm, frost and seeming callousness, lies a fiercely intelligent and brave woman, whose ideals have been twisted into perversion by the cruel, ungrateful world around her. Envy her for her ability to control her destiny, but know that envy is what it is.  

The flaw in Vivienne’s character isn’t so much the ‘tyranny’ or the ‘bitchiness’ or the 'smarm’. Her flaw is her false belief that she is what the mages need the most. Her belief that her competence gives her the prerogative to serve the unwashed mage masses... by ruling over them. For all intents and purposes, Vivienne is an Orlesian Magister and this will forever be the brilliant tragedy of her character. She was created by a corrupt institution that should, by all accounts fear and loathe her but instead embraced her. It’s that delirious irony that makes Vivienne de Fer one of the best fictional characters in RPG history.  the next post will be Eurovision-related. :-) 

#RPG #Dragon Age #Dragon Age Inquisition #Vivienne #Vivienne de Fer #Madame de Fer #DAI #Dragon Age 3 #BioWare

[dangermousie]

CFC 188

1. XQC keeps having nightmares after HY’s supposed death but what strikes me is not that but that he is not experiencing any extreme falling apart I thought he might - collapse, breakdown, in the hospital. I guess it’s because he’s already so miserable than even such a big catastrophe is not as far to fall as if he fell from a perfect state of bliss. And because he treats himself as a machine and so does not allow himself the indulgence of crippling misery because machine’s only utility is when they are in operational state. That is how me made through so many miseries before.

2. This said, his nightmare, with HY finally giving up on him and leaving like the rest is heartbreaking for both of them and all the more heartbreaking because, unknown to XQC, this is what’s happening in reality - clearly HY (who is obviously not dead) finally gave up. (I do hope this means it’s XQC;s turn to chase and show his love. It’s too lopsided otherwise.)

Even in terrible MTL, this breaks my heart.

3. Chen Man is not dead. I knew it. I knew I couldn’t be this lucky. I am glad for XQC’s sake but every time CM appears on the page, I am more and more tired. If/when I reread this, he’s an automatic skip - because for me he has committed the worst thing a character can be - no, it’s not being a terrible person or coming between the OTP or whatever, it’s being boring.

4. Wei Er Ge telling XQC that He Yu is dead and I love that he knows it’s going to devastate XQC. Honestly, I love Er Ge. He’s such a sane character and drama free in the middle of all this insanity yet enjoyable to read about.

5. XQC wondering if his dream is HY’s soul coming to say goodbye. Of course it’s not, if for no other reason than HY is very much alive, but I find it so interesting than in his dream, HY told him he tried to get sincerity from anyone for his 20 years and never did - it means that XQC doesn’t just know all HY wanted was to be loved genuinely by someone, anyone, to have his care returned, but that he also that subconsciously he feels guilt for how he treated HY, that he subconsciously knows he was wrong.

6. HY leaving his “in the event of my death” note and contained, controlled XQC, upon being given it to read, digging his fingernails into himself!

7. The fact that in his note, HY says he hopes it will never be needed because he’s only 20 and he has someone he likes - and then I flashback to last chapter and his welcoming death when he was still so hopeful even in the middle of all the horror he was in with infiltrating Duan before. OMG.

8. Yessss! I guessed right! LZS is not LZS but Wei Rong who replaced LZS (the actual mother of HY.) That explains so much. WR had a thing for HJW and was pissed he picked LZS (that explains why she hated seeing XX happy and marrying the man she loved; it explains her hatred of red at her own wedding - actual LZS was fond of red.) And yeah, no surprise, she is the one who poisoned LZS with RN13.

9. Real LZS met XQC’s parents when she was pregnant and asked for help investigating all of this!!!! So yes, XQC’s parents clearly got killed because they got involved in HY’s matter and just all the connections! I wonder if they met Wei Rong, then Wei Rong murdered them, faked her own death in an accident, killed real LZS and replaced her (shortly after birth.) No wonder current LZS disliked HY - he’s the living symbol of HJW’s love for another woman! (Unless it turns out HJW was under obedient water for 20 years tho, still no excuse for him being a shitty dad just because his wife didn’t care about the kid.) I do like the narrative symmetry that XQC lost his parents indirectly because of something connected to HY’s life but HY will be providing love and care to him now. And that HY lost the love of his mother (and by extension his father) but he will receive love of someone whose parents tried to bring justice to him. He may not have survived if not for XQC’s parents and because of them, their son will now have someone to love him.

10. This is all great but HY spilling all these beans (which were supposed to be spilled only if he was dead and thus it was “safe”), means the org will know he is not really on their side and god knows what they will do to him.

#cnovel #meatbun doesn't eat meat #case file compendium