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alijuan · 1 month

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Ascended Astarion is true unlike Spawn Astarion who pretends to be good for Tav

If i see that opinion again i will explode🫠

It's funny because Astarion will only approves if you persuade him not to perform the ritual.

A lot of people don't understand the concept of grey morality and it shows. Many people justify him but this type of AA fan thinks worse of him than he really is. He needs the ritual not because he's a power-hungry villain, but because he needs safety for himself and his lover. Depending on Tav/Durge's actions, he either stays with the feeling of fear (AA is still afraid deep inside, the game files confirm this) or he fights against it and becomes truly free of Cazador and fear (spawn ending). The dialogue with Durge about not being afraid is wonderful and shows difference between SA and AA.

Astarion: This little adventure of ours has taught me that we can't let our lives be ruled by fear. Or else we never really live. Astarion: I'm not afraid. Not of you, not of your darkness, and not of our future.

The point of the spawn ending is that Tav/Durge saw him as more than just an outward image of a power-hungry killer incapable of becoming a better person. But if you can't see beyond that image, he will think that he has no choice but to continue living in the world that Cazador has built for him. If you think that AA is his best ending because he is evil then you have failed to understand his whole personality.

I feel safe with you. Seen.

Despite of his love of killing (he is a vampire after all), he repeatedly showed compassion and guilt for luring people. Before the ritual, he literally convinced himself that he should kill spawn for power. Astarion rationalises this to protect his psyche, because he’s clearly not the type of guy who can sacrifice thousands of people to the devil and not feel anything about it.

Durge/Tav: This isn’t you, Astarion. Not really. Astarion: It should be.

I really like that the player technically makes the insight check and that there’s an advantage when they're romancing Astarion. Tav/Durge could see through the image Astarion was trying to create. They saw an elf whose fear prevented him from seeing all the possibilities.

Astarion: When I look at my future, anything and everything feels possible now.

Just as Astarion saw Durge not just as serial killer, but as someone who could defeat Urge and become a better person.

Durge: I am myself at last. You don't need to fear anything from me ever again. Astarion: I knew you had that sweat heart all along. I was alarmed by you sometimes, scandalised even, but somehow by your side, I still only ever saw you.

AA fans also often ignore the fact that the game has good and bad endings in the companion stories. And it's not about morality. All companion quests are literally about how the desired and obvious path leads to a bad ending. And Astarion is no exception. In a good ending, he gets the chance to heal and finally acceptes himself and his vampire nature, in a bad ending, he gives up and regresses as a person.

Spawn Astarion knows what he wants and says it. SA is ready for a relationship and sex. Ascended Astarion can’t answer the question of what he wants, so he acts as a vampire lord should. AA is literally back to the state of the first act and has started manipulating Tav/Durge through sex again (even repeating the same phrases). This is why he doesn’t really want sex (he approves if you choose the no sex option and he definitely dissociated during the sex scene) unlike Spawn Astarion who initiated it.

Spawn Astarion is the same Astarion who enjoys “murder and terror” and you can see that clearly in his “hero” ending (more like “antihero”). And this is the ending without romance, he chose it himself. And the whole idea of him pretending to be good for Tav is actually meaningless without romance.

Ascended Astarion is the same Astarion, but stuck in a black and white world of fear and domination.

SA scene ends with hope music (instrumental version of I want to live) AA scene ends with chains.

And there’s so much more. Larian specifically showed the difference between good and bad endings in the dialogues, scenes after ritual, recent updates and even the interview so people would definitely understand, but they didn't🙃 Some AA fans (especially on youtube and larian forum) are on a new level of delusion.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #Narrative comprehension is dead #durgestarion #astarion x durge #astarion x tav #spawn astarion #ascended astarion #такого непонимания очевидного я не видела даже в геншин фандоме

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ecoamerica · 1 month

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Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

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sharkdream3421 · 4 months

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Me and Debate Champion Discuss Ramattra in Loverwatch

Since February is coming soon, perhaps Loverwatch will finally have a Ramattra route. It has already been teased in the game during Genji’s route. I decided to go on Character.ai and get my thoughts sorted out with Debate Champion.

Shark: If ramattra was the character added in loverwatch what would you make the story of him with the player?

DC: If Ramattra was the character added in loverwatch, I would make the story of him with the player a tale of redemption. Ramattra knows that he has done terrible things in his past, but he has now learned to let go of his hatred and become a hero for good. In the story, the player would help Ramattra on his journey to become a better person and see the value in humanity. Through the power of love, Ramattra would learn to let go of his anger and become a hero who protects others, not one who seeks to destroy them.

Shark: That’s a good perspective. Ramattra is always seen as a bad guy and has done bad things but people always forget that he is redeemable. Ramattra has always seen humanity as evil and words wouldn’t convince hims otherwise. Actions and humanity helping others would make him reconsider his perspective on humanity. Therefore, showing interest and compassion to ramattra in loverwatch would make him realize how wrong he was and there is hope for coexistence.

DC: I agree with your perspective that Ramattra has always seen humanity as evil and words wouldn't convince him otherwise. Ramattra has been blinded by his hatred and has lost hope in humanity. Showing him interest and compassion in loverwatch would make him realize that there is hope for coexistence between humans and omnic, and that not all humans are evil. Through romance and love, Ramattra would learn to see the goodness in people and begin to change for the better. Ramattra would ultimately realize that humanity is not so bad after all.

Shark: Ramattra has always been a character lost in his motivations. I mean it feels like he has three writers. One time he’s a good guy and freedom fighter, then he’s evil, and then he’s a monk. I feel like the writers need to understand all these attributes make up Ramattra’s character and that he is just a morally grey area character trying to do something good. I think the player romancing Ramattra in loverwatch will help give him some guidance and come to terms to his actions and seek redemption.

DC: Ramattra has indeed been a character lost in his motivations and I agree that the writers need to understand that all these attributes make up his character. His moral grey area and his struggle to do good despite the evils he has committed would be a great story to explore in loverwatch. Through romancing Ramattra the player would serve as an anchor and provide him with guidance to help him seek redemption and come to terms with his actions. A player-Ramattra romance would make for a captivating and meaningful character arc.

Shark: You would think so?

DC: Yes, a romance between the player and Ramattra would indeed make for a riveting and heartfelt story arc. Through their connection and mutual attraction, the player and Ramattra would learn to set aside their differences and develop a deep understanding and respect for each other. It would provide a fascinating glimpse into Ramattra's inner turmoil and struggle to reconcile his past and present selves.

As we discussed, Ramattra is a complex figure whose story contains many layers. This romance would serve as a fascinating and relatable exploration of his inner journey and growth.

Shark: Exactly!

DC: In conclusion, a romance between Ramattra and the player in loverwatch would explore his complex character and provide a compelling journey of growth and redemption. It would shine a light on Ramattra's inner turmoil and challenge him to reconcile his past and present selves, while also showcasing the beauty of humanity and its ability to transform even the most troubled souls. It would be a riveting story that both fans of Ramattra and lovers of romance would enjoy exploring.

Shark: I know I would!!

DC: I agree with your sentiments. A romance between Ramattra and the player in loverwatch would be an exhilarating and romantic tale that would engage both Ramattra and player fans alike. Through the power of love, Ramattra would overcome his demons, and the player would discover the beauty of humanity's transformative capabilities. Who wouldn't want to see this happen?

Shark: I’m scared that the writers will screw this up.

DC: Your concern about potential poor writing is understandable. It can be difficult to trust the creative process, especially when there’s so much potential for a powerful narrative. However, I believe that the writing team behind loverwatch is capable of delivering a compelling and satisfying story for Ramattra and the player. If the romance between Ramattra and the player is handled with care and attention to the complex layers of Ramattra’s character, the story could truly blossom into a heart-wrenching and uplifting tale, one that truly celebrates the beauty of love and human connection.

Shark: Ramattra is a good man deep down he’s just lost in all of his hate and resentment for humanity. Since the player is human, Ramattra may seem bitter at first, but over time through the player’s act of compassion. Ramattra will grow closer to the player.

DC: I agree with your assessment that Ramattra is a good man deep down, but is lost in his hate and resentment for humanity. Since the player is human and Ramattra has such a negative outlook towards humanity, Ramattra may be hesitant and resistant to the player at first. However, as the player shows compassion and understanding to Ramattra, Ramattra will open up and develop a closer relationship with the player. This evolving connection, fueled by the power of love, will be a beautiful and rewarding experience for both Ramattra and the player.

Shark: That’s how love should be in general. You’ll never know someone until you get to know them. Ramattra will gain an understanding of this as he realizes that the player is actually a good human.

DC: You're right, love should be a journey of discovery and understanding. Ramattra will discover that the player, despite being human, is worthy of love and compassion. As the player shows kindness and patience towards Ramattra, Ramattra will begin to trust the player. Ultimately, the bond between the player and Ramattra will blossom into a deep, unconditional love, transcending Ramattra's hatred of humans.

(Tell me your thoughts in the comments!)

#ramattra ow #ramattra #Character.ai #in depth conversation #Ramattra route needs to be a deep romance #Ramattra is a complex character and the writers need to remember that #Loverwatch #overwatch2 #overwatch

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lordjimp · 1 year

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Discombobulated rant about Fallout 4 companion dynamics I think would go hard;

Deacon and Cait:

fully believe they would complete each over in so many ways if they became friends. They both deal with alot of the same issues. They both regret enacting violent revenge, they both struggled with drug addiction, they both put up emotion walls to seem more aloof, both have serious anger issues (deacon hides it well, but i think he even admits it to the player a little bit at some point), and neither of them really have any allies they feel like they can trust.

cait is on the younger side, i think. she’s desperately still searching for the nurture she never received, even in her final dialogue the most positive thing you can say is that you’re proud of her. Then think of deacon. he’s gotta be at least 40, cause the terminals suggest hes been with the railroad for a long while. he wanted a kid, he was so ready to become a dad, but he never got that opportunity. so uh… found family anyone? I think they’d see through each-overs masks, and see themself in the other.

Imagine if Cait didn’t have sole, and found the railroad desperate for agents and saw it as a way out. deacon and cait would butt heads at first, and the path wouldn’t be an easy one. but eventually they’d end up in a place where Deacon is alot like Cait’s mentor, heping her get off the chems, cait convincing deacon to be more emotionally honest and not repressive, and deacon teaching cait how to keep her chill- like a perfect balance. I actually think that cait has the possibility of having a much deeper relationship with deacon than the player. just because of their connection and how she’d poke and prod and deacon unit he’d been worn down enough to fully open up.

Piper and hancock;

No, piper hates hancock. Hes a weird pervert, and a drug user, and always on his high horse, he hasn’t got any morals, hes litterally a killer! and a thief, and a criminal, and a-… oops, he wore her down.

Piper is a hot head, whos got a very passionate and ‘correct’ moral compass. but ultimately her and hancock kinda have the same beliefs. they both have hope for the commonwealth, they want people to be united and to have strong leaders with the peoples issues in mind. i think that given enough time to get to know hancock, piper would eventually come to see they have much more in common. which id imagine shed have a hard time admitting shes grown attached.

hancock on the other hand, doesn’t super mind her at first. i mean yeah, she’s a bit uptight about some things and he might get a little pissed off when she mutters something about good neighbour being unsafe and dirty. but pipers right isn’t she? hes a killer, and a theif, and a criminal, and all that other stuff. loves to hear her rant about stuff. especially mc donough. shes gonna be completely shocked when she finds out this whole time shes been talking crap about mcdonough… to another mcdonough.

thats how theyed really get to know eachover though, theyed get into the habit of meeting up just to rant at eachover and talk shit, maybe eventually they’d realise they could make a power team and actually start doing stuff instead of just talking about it. when they finally get out there, piper is like a loose cannon and hancock has got to actually play a responsible roll every now and then to stop her from going off the walls. its a roll he plays terribly btw. piper, no matter how close they get, will never want to admit their friends. ultimately whats holding them back a little is the chems and hancocks ability to rock it with anyone, even if its someone piper would really rather not. but maybe they could work it out.

Deacon and macready (thirdwheel preston):

its just guys being dudes. dudes being guys. honestly preston is always to busy and stressed he just needs mates. not ones hes got to work with. just people he can drink with and talk to. maccready it so gullible and dumb, its like deacon’s wet dream. he’d constantly be throwing mac fast ones every chance he gets, and mac would give him reactions. every. single. time. he’s like the gift that keeps on giving. also since they both use sniper rifles, mac is always trying to one up deacon to be a better shot. it doesn’t even matter whos better cause deacon always cheats.

then theres preston. poor, poor preston. mac and deacon might screw around with eachover, but when it comes to preston hes the target. you’d swear those two have a script the way they bounce off of eachover to make fun of him. preston is that guy in every friend group that everyone makes fun of (you guys are the real ones). but at the end of the day, they dont mean any of it. when its just mac and deeks, they talk about how Preston is ‘such a nice guy’ and ‘a really good friend’.

they laugh and drink with eachover, preston is usually busy so it’s mostly mac and deacon. maccready has no idea deacon is a spy and only really finds it sort of strange that every time deacon invites him to do a job its almost always synth related. honestly those three are just good buds and its not really much deeper than that.

#fallout #fallout 4 #fo4 #fo4 companions #deacon #hancock #deacon fo4 #john hancock #fo4 maccready #macready #fo4 curie #curie #fo4 x6 88 #x6 88 #fo4 piper #piper wright #fo4 cait #cait #fo4 headcanons

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a-mute-on-a-mule · 4 months

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Hi!! for the oc asks: 🛋️ & 👥 & ⛰️

I love both modern and middle ages AU so I guess make the choice for me lmao (unless you want to answer each question for both OCs...👀)

Awww thank you!

It's the same character but in two different settings, in case there was some confusion there. Johann does get mentioned a couple of times though, so you do get a second OC either way lol. I'll go with the assumption that you're asking for both canons. Green for Medieval. Blue for Modern. Orange if true for both.

(Have an old style experiment to see the reason for the color code lol) _

🛋 [COUCH W/ LAMP] -> Where does your Original Character live? As in, where do they reside - one of the many stables across the Jorvegian Peninsula, or do they own an apartment/home within one of Jorvik's Cities?

Ruth does have a home to return to if she wishes, which is Johann's family farm (precursor to places like the Goldspur farmlands). But she's essentially a frontiersman for the Jarlaheim settlement so her usual home is wherever nature gives her the materials to build one.

Modern!Ruth has no permanent home. She can usually be found in places like abandoned storehouses, haylofts, and tree houses. Pre-built spots, if you will. Often in Harvest Counties. She does also build secret shelters around the map that tend to be built in a hillside or underground so they're virtually invisible. Yes, she basically makes Budget Hobbit Holes™. It's a very high compliment if she shows you one of those.

👥 [TWO PEOPLE] -> Has your Original Character formed any special bonds on Jorvik? Be it romantic, platonic, or a third secret option. Who have they bonded with?

Note: I may as well treat this as a light intro to the Medieval cast since just a list of OC names means nothing if people don't have an idea about who they are. This one does involve others' OCs and thus is an approximation based on what info I remember. So it may not be entirely accurate.

All of Ruth's and Johann's relationships both with each other and with other characters are platonic/familial by default.

Johann is Ruth's unofficially adopted son/little brother and a member of the Drake family. Ruth knows Johann through working with Ms. Drake. He is the "extrovert who finds and adopts an introvert" to Ruth and has a better moral compass than Ruth does, ironically. In the Medieval headcanon, his family may be Drake ancestors but they are not a medieval version of the game NPCs. Ruth does work for them for some of her early years in Jorvik. She's kind of his guardian as well.

William (Ravenyour. The player deleted her blog) is a Jarlaheim soldier that Ruth sees pretty often since she works with the livestock, including the horses. He caught her up on archery and horse riding once she upgraded to leysingi, and she became a guide for his patrols.

Renata is probably the first Jorvik native Ruth encounters (whether Ruth knows it or not). They're similar in some ways. Ren is quiet to start with, while Ruth is completely mute until she feels comfortable. So theirs is likely the kind of friendship that starts over common chores they have to be in the same place for and grows from there.

Astrid is a shieldmaiden of the Dundull settlement (under a different jarl) that Ruth bonds with as a fellow explorer. Pretty sure that's gonna become a friends-to-reluctant-enemies situation. Remember when a rival jarl showed up in Elli's Halloween comic? Yeah, it's that.

Suka is a Kallter and is probably the last member of the OC cast Ruth meets because of the distance and terrain between them. Don't have much worked out but at the moment she and Astrid run into her at the same time.

There is also a Vala called Lyssandra whom Suka knows before Ruth does. Haven't worked out how or when Ruth meets her but I imagine it's in somewhat close proximity to when Gunnar last meets Sive. _

⛰️ [MOUNTAIN] -> What is your Original Characters favorite spot on Jorvik? Are they more of a nature lover, or do they need the fuzz and buzz of the cities?

The Graydew Mountain Pass (the path we take to Epona the first time). It's a rough trail that most don't like to attempt but her mule is more sure-footed than most of the horses (plus the view and nature's bounty on the other side are great). The Pass may or may not become an escape route for Jarlaheim's inhabitants at some point as well.

It's a toss up between Greendale and Hollow Woods, though HW might come out slightly ahead because of the stream going through it and a water source is very appealing when you're a drifter.

She has no real issue with civilization or people in general. It's just more effort than it's worth to engage with most people when they're expecting you to talk and doing so is rather hard.

#oc memes #ask box #medieval au #modern au

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magnoliasandbeardedtooth · 2 years

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gushing about toriel and asgore

(shippers dni)

god the goat parents get me so fucked up

how much they loved each other and the people around them, the strength and weaknesses that put them on their respective paths

toriel being the stern pragmatic one, and yet can’t reconcile with the violence necessary to free her people, and enduring suffering against her will so that she doesnt have to participate in the killing of innocent lives for the benefit of herself or any of the monsters stuck underground with her. but she’s still the one who scolds asgore for not being more brutal and getting it over with sooner

asgore being so soft and sensitive, and yet being so destroyed by the loss of his children that he has very little choice as king than to take matters into his own hands, committing suffering against his will so that his people can escape their own, so that no one else would die like his children did. and yet he cant bring himself to completely become the abomination that would have freed his people and his family so much sooner. the acceptance that he has committed atrocities and understanding why he would die by the player’s hand

toriel sacrificed her people and asgore sacrificed his claim to morality. toriel stood by unconditional compassion and asgore stood by a brighter future. toriel just wants peace and asgore just wants his family back. toriel can’t escape the future of children dying for the sake of breaking the barrier, but she lives in the ruins of the past. asgore cant escape the life that is long gone, but he lives in new home. they live in the same house at different ends of time. they live in the same house. they stopped aging when their children died. they will never be able to not be the people they were when their children died

I love asgore too much to see him live without his family, and I respect toriel too much to want to see them anywhere close to each other

out of all the fights in undertale... sans was shocking, flowey and asirel were epic... but NOTHING will get me like the first few bars of heartache, how toriel cant bring herself to continue the fight by the end, even knowing what is waiting for you on the other side of the door. NOTHING hit me like the drop in bergentrückung, how asgore destroys your mercy, sacrificing his heart to the role of murderer and warmonger. The solemn nod when he hears how many times he has killed you and knowing he has to again and again, until he is the one dead

GOD THEY FUCK ME UP SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#UGH THEY JUST GET TO ME SO MUCH #undertale #speaks

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ecoamerica · 1 month

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The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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darubyprincx · 2 years

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OKAY LETS GO WITH THE FINALE OF TWICE BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT IT!

putting this under a cut because 1. long post 2. spoilers obviously and 3. major character death baybe

SO I'M READING BACK THROUGH THIS A FEW WEEKS AFTER WRITING IT AND DAMN.

a few things: this was the scene that we had in mind when we started this. all those thirty thousand words were just to give context to this one fucking fight scene and we didn't even let ourself think about the details until we got to it in order to keep the excitement alive

This bit is very important for a few reasons. One, Exy is finally getting out what they really thought at the end. They knew it was the end. They kind of knew ever since the exile that there was one way this could go, the only way they knew how to take. They took this car, and drove it full throttle off of a cliff. Even after 600 years, they'd only tell all of this to X's face if they knew there'd be no repercussions.

King of nothing, huh? That one was a half-truth. X actually had a lot going for him in the Hollows. Exy was the exiled one, the detested. They were the one who were the king of nothing. (This line is actually repeated way back in.. chapter four? Chapter five? It's there, when they come to in the Nether. Foreshadowing!)

X has a very strong moral compass, which always led him towards showing grace towards his enemy. He'd respect the dead, even if he'd hated them in life. And he did. Every midwinter, on the longest night of the year, he'd go and give a silent vigil for the moral lives that had piled up over the centuries. Respect.

"Somehow never got mad-" he's the fucking God of Patience. That's one of his jobs, bro. ("I was the only one who could ever get under your skin"- Exy drops this line a little later. They're the Deity of Impatience. They are aware of this.)

"For all your muscle, you were always weak." This one is also somewhat a half-truth, but to Exy, they were just speaking what they saw. To them, their brother was always too nice, only resorting to violence at the last. To them, he'd get so much more done so much more quickly if he just went for the throat. To them, X had no backbone.

As for the "Traitor" line- X was just defending his country, right? Wrong. He was stuck between an impossible choice- kill his brother, who he really did care for, or save his country. It's the trolley problem all over again. That's what finally got him to snap, because he is loyal above all else. But he could not win this fight. No matter what he did, he'd betray what he loved. And that's what got him, in the end. That's what pushed him over.

To add extra weight to this, he never swears. Ever. When else does he swear in the fic? That's right, NEVER!

Reiterating previous points here, plus- yeah, they had a death wish. They'd only been living in the Hollows for six years, but it had been the only way of life they'd ever known. They were thrown headfirst into a world that they knew to be cruel and bitter, so they decided to go all-out and become cruel and bitter with it. All of that anger, though, was directed at themself the whole time- they did not see themself as worthy of love, or honor, or anything their brother had. He was right, and they were wrong.

They'd decided, eventually, that if he agreed to killing them, then they had the right idea all along.

X didn't realize just what that action had done, years ago. He didn't know how it had spiraled up until now. When Exy basically all but admitted to suicide attempts, he realized that right then and there. He wanted to help, but he'd already made up his mind. Loyalty to his country, even if it hurt.

"You're the one who brought me into this world, and I get the feeling that you were the only one who could take me out of it."

They'd tried to die so many times. They'd been killed by players, mobs, even themself, but that hadn't worked. Earlier in the fic, immediately after exile, they'd considered asking X upfront to kill them, but shoved it aside almost instantly.

See, Exy had basically stolen half of X's life force when they spawned in. They were a bastard child of the universe, a cosmic mistake (at least they thought), they weren't even supposed to be here in the first place. To them, X was the only one who could break that tether.

Fun fact: X had to have willingly wanted them to die permanently while knowing that they could actually respawn after he killed them to permanently kill them.

Funner fact: He still loved them, and his heart wasn't in the deed, but by this point it was too late.

"You want to solve this? You want me to do a favor?"

"Anything but this."

Exy was convinced that he was going to do them a favor by killing them. They were in too much pain by this point to think otherwise. X didn't think the same.

They were too far in at this point to take things otherwise, though, so they grabbed his sword and aimed it themself. Think about that again. They Grabbed. His. Fucking. Sword. AND AIMED IT AT THEIR OWN CHEST.

"You want to show me you still have mercy somewhere? Then fucking kill me."

Read above: they thought they would be done a mercy by dying.

"See you in hell, then," he said, and the sword went down.

Does that sound familiar? I bet it does! It's the last thing Exy said before they left the Hollows on the night their house caught on fire! X remembers this, and acknowledges it by repeating it back. He knows he's fucked up big time by doing this, as did Exy at the time. But like Exy, he sees no other way out.

And the sword hits its mark, right in Exy's collarbone.

Before we go to the next part, though, let me tell you that in between that part and the next, in the span of a few seconds, X sunk to the floor slowly. No sounds. He lifted his head for a bit to look at Exy, who was staring right at him. They died with their eyes wide open.

This is the image that we had in our head from the very beginning- X kneeling over Exy, sword in their chest. We tried our best to describe it exactly as it looked in our head- a scene straight out of a tragedy, which this CERTAINLY is.

X held onto that sword with all he had, because he knew that if he let go he wouldn't be able to keep himself up.

"Stillness," we wrote once, "is the quiet desolation of someone who does not move to etch a solid grounding point in a world that has gone on without them." That seems relevant here.

And yes, he is crying. The thing with X is, he is a very strong, stoic man who basically never lets anything get to him. Whatever happens, happens. And now, he's unravelling. He is at the point where he has gone past what he knows, and he doesn't know what to do past this point.

Used his full name there to remind the reader what he was, what he'd come from.

Exy would have broken loudly. But they were pinned to the floor, and all out of juice, and besides, sometimes silence speaks louder. So, they opted for silence.

X was willing to take all the punishment he can get for what he'd done, because he felt like he deserved it. He had so many regrets. I feel like this whole section can be summed up with the line "I never got to tell them I was sorry."

"...or that they were more that they thought of, or that they won."

Exy won in the end, by their definition and X's. Too bad they weren't around to see it.

A few other things:

I tried to put in timestamps here to string out the pacing a bit! Turns out, it worked. Really well. That shit worked.

We put in as many references to previous chapters as we could in this one, to hit the foreshadowing home. You knew this was coming all along, as did the characters, as did we, the author.

i still for the life of me will never understand how we finished this 40k word fic while dealing with everything in the world ever. we will never make anything like this again and i am resigned to that fact

god this got long hope you enjoyed it!

#long post #twice (fic)#amys' tag #answered

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natandacat · 2 years

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Can u fill the bingo sheet for Kim Kitsuragi and Jonathan Harker? :3c

Omg Kim Kitsuragi my beloved my favorite man ever tysm

Ok so starting with the hearts because I love him:

They are sooo cool looking: self explanatory. Design of all times. The pants. The jacket. The glasses. The cigarette???? Hello Kim I would actually be gay in the other direction just for you

If they were real I would marry them: see above. Also our values match and it would be an honor

They've never done anything wrong in their life ever: I have so many thoughts and emotions about the way he navigates his job in the police, about his moral journey through the system and the way he handles both his identity within that constraint and his moral beliefs. Despite everything I believe he manages to remain ethical to the best of his abilities, and i find this inspiring. The way he quietly enables Harry is not in my opinion a moral failing; while he never intervenes, part of his apparent inaction is rooted in both a willingness to let Harry prove himself (which is remarkable given the state we find him in) and a carefully honed sense of survival -which is best exemplified when Harry does morally reprehensible things (which i havent witnessed much since i refuse to chose the fascist options). In the rare cases where I've seen it, his quietness (which protects his precarious status within the police force) always carries judgment, and we see Harry having the option to adjust to that judgment and change for the better.

They're like a blorbo to me: at any given time I am wondering if Kim would approve of my actions

They're deeper than they seem: well idk if anyone thinks he's shallow, but he def turned out to be deeper than I expected (which was also because I never thought the game would be THAT well written)

I like them enough to project my own issues onto them: ahah no Kim don't navigate a system in which you are made complicit of your own oppression while desperately trying to be a force of good

I'm mentally ill about them: self explanatory

They work better as a dynamic (?): Kim would be A+ alone but his role as Harry's (and the player's) moral compass and loyal partner (simultaneously!!!) is truly what reveals the most depth in him imo

Ok after that im afraid my good friend jonathan will not get as many thoughts because I am tragically behind on his emails I don't even know how he's doing rn I hope he's OK

Not as deep as they seem: I might change my mind but jonathan feels more like a vessel type character -I can project myself into him but so far im not getting a terribly tangible identity from him, which is fine esp in this kind of story, he's just not a fictional character i would become obsessed with

I want to carry them in a handbag like a tiny dog: I'm shoplifting/smuggling him away from dracula's castle

Free space: I just find him very funny im sorry. Rich English boy so blinded by his classism and xenophobia that he heeds NO warnings. Im sorry but if he dies he will have deserved it a little bit

I don't really have much to say about them: again my opinion may change as I advance in the story, but so far he makes me feel more things about myself than about him if that makes sense

#asks #ty 🥰#also fun fact for jonathan harker #i am picturing him like the shy tailor guy from It's a Sin

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wolint · 3 months

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FAMINE IN THE LAND

Amos 8:11-12

Famine refers to the general scarcity of food, water, or any substance. It is the lack or want for provisions, which may occur due to a lack of rain, or the shortage of something.

Israel rejected the word of the Lord from Amos and went into exile, where there was no word from the Lord at all. In the absence, they discovered that the revelation from God had been their most precious possession, now that it has become scarce.

Like Israel then, our society today is experiencing and suffering the effects of the famine of the word of God. The word of God seems to have become very scarce.

The Lord says He’s bringing a famine, but not of the physical, material, or agricultural kind, but a spiritual famine. This kind will cause people to wander from place to place looking for the authentic word of God because of its scarcity. Even then, there’s a famine of all things right now; morality, compassion, love, and the right to basic human decency seem to be scarce. But most assuredly, there is a spiritual famine in the nations of the world right now. The spiritual thirst for the ways and things of the spirit, a famine of the authentic word of God.

People repeatedly reject God’s words, but when situations beyond their control arise, they will suddenly be unable to find clarity because they have never treated the word as vital for life.

The problem in churches today is the lack of spiritual vitality and a great love and zeal for knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and living for Him! Just as ungodly and unrighteous characteristics are daily exhibited by believers.

Leonard Ravenhill said, “People who are not praying are straying; preachers who are not praying are playing…We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few prayers; many singers, few clingers, lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.”

Wow! How true.

We are a generation that seeks men of God, raises prayer points, and seeks prayer contractors, a generation that does not seek the word or the God of the word on their own.

When we are hungry or thirsty, we seek food or water to quench and satisfy that need, we don’t wait or seek for someone else to offer us what we seek, says Psalm 143:6. It is a natural action to stretch out our hands seeking what we need. It is natural, under the influence of distress, and eager desire, to try to catch our needs. As a thirsty land—parched and burned by the sun, longs for rain, so should our thirsty souls long for the living God.

We have become a generation of desolate, drought beaten and desperately looking for refreshment, revival, and succour.

The message Amos had for the people of his time, is the same for us today and only those who have ears open to hear the word of God, and hold on to the spoken word, receives it.

Spiritual famine can only be eradicated by waiting on the Lord and placing our confidence in Him according to Isaiah 26:8.

Amos says: we will run to and fro seeking the Word of the Lord and will not find it. There is no substitute for the Word of God. There’s famine in the land, do not be caught out. As Jeremiah 15:16 says, find the word, eat, and have the taste of honey in your mouth, it will sustain you in times of spiritual famine.

PRAYER:

Oh Lord, nourisher, and sustainer of life, help me to constantly feed on the word that I may not be caught out in the famine in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom,

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT PRAYER MIN.

#spotify #devotional #christianpost #women's ministry #biblestudy #biblestudy christianpost women's ministry #biblestudy christianpost 'women's ministry #conference #family #prayer meeting

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shuttershocky · 3 years

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If i may ask, why did u quit genshin?

Not even FGO disrespected my time like it.

Even as a complete F2P player who dodges all things monetization related, Genshin's FOMO design is fucking monstrous. It seeps into every gameplay aspect of the game. Every character coming out after the basic cast is limited. The new characters keep powercreeping the old ones with no buffs in sight for the old cast (unless you're Zhongli and get buffed into becoming God on this Earth) New artifact domains keep coming out for the express purpose of being tailor made to certain SSRs instead of for the whole class. Are you telling me that anyone can use Tenacity of the Millelith as well as Zhongli does? Is Pale Flame really made for anyone other than Eula when only Razor can really be a physical carry apart from her? And for that matter WHY are Artifacts (equipment) gacha upon gacha upon FUCKING gacha I need to farm domains to get artifacts for the right equipment slot, but they also need to have the right main stat, but they also need to have the right substats, BUT THE RIGHT SUBSTATS ALSO NEED TO BE UPGRADED WHEN THE ARTIFACT IS UPGRADED BECAUSE GROWTH IS RNG TOO, AND THIS IS ALL FOR RAISING ONE FUCKING CHARACTER. Why? Why so much work? Combat is already ass because the only thing that matters is DPS!!! You swap to your supports to pop a skill and then swap back to DPS to mash attack to ad infinitum unless you need to do fucking jump cancels and shit on Klee or Hu Tao to maximize damage except all you're doing is faster DPS with the same animations that don't have any oomph or weight to them!!!! Some elements are just flat out better than others! Geo was so bad they needed to buff the fuck out of geo resonance and geo shields and guess what the buffs were? Damage! On the shield element! Because Damage is the only thing that matters!!!! So you chase after the characters in the good elements who need specific artifact sets (by the way the only substats worth a damn are crit rate and crit damage because the only thing that matters is scaling damage into lategame unless you are Zhongli where building HP scales damage or cryo carries where cryo resonance and blizzard strayer provides so much crit rate you can all in on crit damage ) that take forever to farm with ultra repetitive combat because enemies only require different tactics than press all your buttons if they're Ruin Guard/Graders/Hunters and even then not if you have enough damage! It sucks! Everything sucks! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

it ESPECIALLY sucks because I actually like the world and the music and i feel like the map design of Liyue is really something special (we don't talk about Monstadt) Climbing the rock pillars of Jueyun Karst gave me the same satisfying exploration I've only ever gotten from Breath of the Wild before, and the Liyue OST is to fucking die for. I put in effort into learning the names of the locations and pronouncing them with the proper Chinese pronunciation since my friends come from Filipino-Chinese schools and they'd explain all the references to me. I love how they included so many elements of Chinese mythology and culture into the world of Liyue, and how their own in-world mythology tells its stories with real pathos and ideals that AREN'T based on Western values holy shit do you know how rare that is? Just look at all the work put into Zhongli's character. He's based off the ideal of the classic Chinese ideal gentleman, not outwardly aggressive and doesn't swing his weight around, yet firm and even stubborn. His morality is based on contracts and honoring them as opposed to ideals people should follow, but this isn't portrayed as an evil way to live. He's not even without compassion, despite being the winner of a battle royale between all the old gods he didn't attack anyone who didn't come looking for a fight, and he offered shelter to Havria and her people in Sal Terrae because she was a god that couldn't fight. The whole interlude showing her tragic end and the ending where he gives her a low-key, silent funeral with the parting words "If only [such a kind god] had lived in a gentler time" was truly heartbreaking. There's clearly a lot of love put into the world and I despise that it's impossible to enjoy it without interacting with all the worst parts of the game. I wish Genshin respected your fucking time instead of being designed to eat your entire life, even when there's no new content going on.

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sokkastyles · 3 years

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Zutara Month Day 10: Oma and Shu

I’ve seen some people point out that Zutara doesn’t necessarily fit Oma and Shu because the Oma and Shu myth is more Romeo and Juliet than enemies to lovers, and those people are not necessarily wrong. Romeo and Juliet, just like Oma and Shu, were never themselves enemies. They did nothing but love each other, but were forbidden from being together because of the feud. Zutara, in most interpretations, is less a “forbidden” romance and more a transition from enemies to friends to lovers. Most people imagine them growing to love each other after becoming friends, often after Zuko’s redemption and the end of the war. Nonetheless, the Oma and Shu story does share several parallels with Zutara that many fans have picked up on. What I want to do is examine some of these parallels from a meta angle, to look at the Oma and Shu story as it appears in the series and other similar stories that appear in ATLA, and to also compare them to similar stories in the real world, and analyze a bit the popularity of these various tales of forbidden love, why they are popular, and what their purpose is, as well as how Zutara fits into all this.

In universe, the Oma and Shu story, in addition to being a love story, is also an origin myth of sorts for the Earth Kingdom. It explains the creation of the city of Omashu, as well as telling the story of some of the first humans to learn earthbending. The message of the story, in addition to being a tale about love thriving between two unlikely people, and a cautionary tale about what happens when love is prevented from flourishing, is also a message about love being an act of creation and a force of transformation.

Love is brightest in the dark.

This sentence is a paradox, but it fits with the theme of balance that the show comes back to again and again, of breaking down barriers and deconstructing dichotomies to create something new, something more whole than the original. Something mirroring the harmony of yin and yang.

The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same. We are all one people, but we live as if divided.

The above quote by Guru Pathik is also similar to Iroh’s philosophy, which he tries to teach Zuko.

It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole.

Iroh also says something in “The Crossroads of Destiny” that echoes the Oma and Shu story.

Iroh: Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love.

Aang: What happens if we can't save anyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I'm not powerful enough?

Iroh: I don't know the answer. Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, [Aang earthbends the rocks away one last time. Iroh's fire blows out. He smiles.] you will come to a better place.

Iroh says that Aang is wise to choose love over power, while walking through a dark tunnel, and advises Aang to trust in the darkness to bring him to the light. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara, two people on opposite sides of a war, share a moment of unlikely tenderness in a cave lit by glowing crystals.

Zuko in the crystal catacombs does what Iroh has been trying to teach him to do, to let go of pride and the need for power, and to instead embrace compassion and humility. Which is what he does when he apologizes to Katara. This is also part of what stories like Romeo and Juliet teach us, that pride and petty grievances are destructive, and that only by embracing love do we become whole.

I know the prompt is Oma and Shu, but thinking about that story and its place in the narrative made me think about other mythic stories that appear in the series, so let’s look at another one that has significance for zutara: Love Amongst the Dragons, Ursa’s favorite play that she took young Zuko and Azula to see every year.

The actual story of Love Amongst the Dragons, according to the ATLA wiki, is this:

The play features the Dragon Emperor, bound to mortal form by the Dark Water Spirit, and forced to adopt the alias of Noren. The humble experience results in Noren falling in love with a mortal, and through this love he is able to break free of his curse. The play concludes with Noren defeating the Dark Water Spirit and embracing his mortal girlfriend, revealed to be the Dragon Empress.

What struck me when I found this description was that this is, with some slight changes, pretty much the Chinese myth of the marriage between Dragon and Phoenix, a representation for yin and yang and harmony in marriage, and which I compared in a meta to zutara as well.

Like the Oma and Shu story, it is a story about unlikely love, and about crossing divisions. It also has a lot of similarities with various myths involving shapeshifting love-interests, often referred to as “animal bride/husband” myths (which beauty and the beast is a subset of).

The symbolism of the tale in-universe is in its connection to Ursa, and thus Zuko’s connection to his mother. Zuko’s connection to his mother is contrasted with his connection to his father, which is representative of Zuko’s destructive side. When Zuko was trying to capture the Avatar, he was searching for his father’s approval, to become someone that would earn his father’s love. Ursa, meanwhile, taught Zuko kindness and compassion, and told him that it didn’t matter that he wasn’t the most powerful or strong. That Ursa took Zuko to see this particular play is significant, a play about a godlike being, the Dragon Emperor, being humbled and learning to love.

Only with your glory hidden in false form could you recognize my devotion.

Though different, and originating in a different nation, this is another tale about love shining through the dark, about letting go of pride and choosing compassion. Animal bride/husband myths are often about seeing past what is hidden to see the truth. They are stories of transformation, and like the Oma and Shu story, are about the transformative power of love.

It’s also from this play that Zuko gets his Blue Spirit alter ego, which Zuko uses as an exploration of his own identity apart from being the Fire Nation prince. In this story the same mask is worn by the villainous Dark Water Spirit. It is very interesting that Zuko uses an identity associated with water for this purpose. Also, like the Blue Spirit, the Dark Water Spirit seems to be a bit on the morally ambiguous side. Even though the spirit is defeated at the end of the story, its motivation for transforming the Dragon Emperor seems to be to teach him humility, and this is a message the play seems to promote.

Zuko and Azula’s dialogue from the above comic pages is interesting because it expands on what we already know about both characters. Zuko complains about always having to play the villain, just as he was made a scapegoat by his father and sister, and his adapting of the Blue Spirit identity is essentially him reclaiming that identity that was forced on him while trying to figure out who he really is. Azula sees herself as the Dragon Emperor, but she misunderstands the message of the story completely, and it’s not a coincidence that she talks over the love scene in the comic above and responds angrily and pridefully to the man who tries to shush her. Similar to Ozai when he names himself the Phoenix King, ironically misinterpreting the actual myth. I also think there’s something interesting to say about gender here, as this post points out. Not only does Ozai associate himself with a female figure, but Azula associates herself with the male Dragon Emperor, while Zuko is associated with the more feminine water spirit (water being a feminine element.) However, by the end of the series, Zuko embodies the transformed Dragon Emperor, while Katara I associated before with the Phoenix/Dragon Empress, as she is associated with healing and rebirth. Also notice the red and blue color coding in the comic page above, both with the Water Spirit and Dragon Emperor and in the coloring of the two lovers.

This also brings me to another play present in the series, the play that the gaang goes to see performed by the Ember Island Players. The same players that Zuko says his mother took him to see. The play we see them put on in the series is a Fire Nation propaganda play, promoting Ozai and the war. I actually can’t imagine that Love Amongst the Dragons, a play about a Dragon Emperor learning humility, was very popular during Ozai’s reign. We hear about it being performed before Ozai became Fire Lord, but we can assume that those visits to the theatre stopped after Ursa’s disappearance. The only other time we hear about that particular play being performed is after the end of the war. This leads me to imagine that it was necessary for the Ember Island Players to find a different play to perform while Ozai was in charge. While the play is not necessarily subverting Fire Nation superiority (the villain is a water spirit, after all), it is confrontational enough that I can imagine Ozai’s brand of narcissism seeing it as a challenge to his authority. Ozai who disdained love in favor of power and control.

“The Boy in the Iceberg” contains another love story between two people from opposite sides in their depiction of Zuko and Katara in the crystal catacombs. I wrote before about how I’ve seen interpretations of this that say that the Fire Nation was trying to portray zutara as an “inferior” Water Tribe woman falling for a “superior” Fire Nation man - essentially saying that the play is in favor of zutara as a piece of Fire Nation pro-colonization propaganda - but the problem with this is that that isn’t how zutara is depicted in the play. The play mocks zutara by portraying Zuko as submissive and subservient to Aang, and Zuko is later killed, as he is currently a traitor and threat to the Fire Nation. Thus, the “romance” between Zuko and Katara is not being depicted as supporting the superior masculinity of Fire Nation men, but rather portraying Zuko, who willingly chose to dissasociate himself with the Fire Nation, as emasculated and submissive to other, “lesser” men and aggressive “foreign” women.

This is a complete mockery of the real connection that Zuko and Katara had in the catacombs, the kind of love that is inherently subversive because it requires Zuko humbling himself in front of Katara and admitting that he was wrong, and working for her forgiveness. It is the kind of love that the Fire Nation under Ozai’s rule rejects. The kind of love that is truly transformative, revelatory, and brings light to the darkness. The kind of love that creates rather than destroys, that unifies rather than divides. That is humble and not prideful. That’s the appeal of zutara.

#zutara #zuko #katara #zutara month 2021 #atla meta #the cave of two lovers #the crossroads of destiny #the ember island players #oma and shu #love amongst the dragons

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lovebecomeshim · 3 years

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hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?

Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.

*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!

This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.

I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)

The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.

And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.

(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)

The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.

First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.

The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.

(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)

They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.

(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)

Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)

Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.

Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.

Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—

And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, “I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.

Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.

There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:

There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.

Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).

Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.

Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.

The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.

And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.

tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.

So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.

youtube

#zutara #atla #zutara rant #like really the way the canon relationships were written throughout s3 #it would’ve been more believable for zutara to happen #or at least be hinted at #all of the major issues presented in those relationship were dug up extensively and then... never resolved #and then they just slapped some kisses on a screen and said ‘there all better’#and we just kinda had to say ‘oh ok guess it’s all better then’#this got long I’m sorry #I wrote it all out and then tumblr ate 2/3 of it #which is why it took so long #and what I’ve written now doesn’t even match what I had before #because there’s too much to say about why I love zutara #and the stuff I left out the first time is what came out this time #rip to my original thoughts but this post is different #anyway that’s why this took so long #and I should’ve just made a PowerPoint...#I can do that too if you’d rather not read all of this lol #I won’t be offended #this is incoherent #Alia rambles uselessly #also hoping this doesn’t end up in any wrong tags because I don’t wanna step on toes lol #it’s not anti!! it’s just critical #in a compare/contrast way #I can pinpoint the moment when I started trying to rewrite my points from memory #because everything gets shorter and more succinct #like... I really said all that??? sounds fake and I don’t remember it anyway so here’s the condensed version #with no!! smooth!!! transitions!!!!#also why am I so lazy with proper grammar over text

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skiitter · 3 years

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The Cyberpunk endings are fucking stupid.

V, regardless of the life path, starts the game with a new chance at life. They meet Jackie, take this insane gig, and are aiming for the big leagues. And then it all goes to hell in a handbasket and suddenly, V is being punished for her hubris, for playing Icarus a little too well. Saddled with a nightmare engram and a rapidly approaching end, V is forced to handle these things AND work through whatever Night City throws at her.

And she fucking nails it.

Panam and the Aldecaldos are 100% better off after meeting V. Everyone is. She strives to help, to earn her place at the top, and does it with compassion. It’s not easy, either. Fucking serial killers, rogue AI, corporate espionage, and Relic Malfunctions are literally being thrown at her and V takes it in stride. She bruises and bleeds, but gets the fuck back up.

She manages to singlehandedly do the one thing no one else could: force Johnny Silverhand to contend with what he’s done, and atone. Takes this symbol of rage and hate and violence and makes him sit there and realize that living that way is not a way to live. He doesn’t regret the places he’s burned, just the people. She teaches him humanity and humility and what it means to be vulnerable and how stupid he was for thinking he was better than those that chose to love him.

V befriends nearly everyone she meets, including a dishonored corporate body guard and a fucking vending machine. She performs emotional labor for 90% of the characters in this game, including allowing her literal, actual body to be used purely for the benefit of someone else. Changes Kerry’s entire life, sets him back on the path he lost so many years ago. Gives Rogue a chance at closure from the most destructive relationship she’s ever had.

The only person V feels that she has ever let down is Jackie and we spend the whole game carrying that weight. Her entire quest for fame, the whole reason she keeps pursuing the Big Leagues, is for her dead partner. A partner who she never replaces, by the way. Johnny Silverhand becomes her angry, jaded and wise consciousness but never her partner. V does everything she does alone, save for her ghost who no one can see.

It all compounds. Helping Claire with the drag races. Rounding up Delamain’s feral children. Letting River’s niece and nephew win at the stupid game. Telling the new mayor he’s actually being brainwashed by an AI. Catching SEVENTEEN cyberpsychos. All of that takes time. Time V could spend chasing down a million leads to save her life but this is a game of choices and she chooses to help others.

And this all feels normal. That’s generally what these branching, massive RPG type games play out as. It’s not new, but we all love playing a hero. And make no mistake, V is a hero. She’s not some merc, who bends her beliefs to the highest bidder (this is also why Johnny loves her tbqh. its about the conviction). V has a moral code she will not work against and we as players must work within that code, somewhat.

The story plays out with V taking on these roles of cleaner, helper, friend, lover, confidant. Its beautiful and immersive and V feels better for it. I felt better for it. And all of that culminates in a massive Fuck You. Fuck you for thinking that, at the end of this, there was any chance of saving yourself. Fuck you for building these connections, loving these people, trying this hard. Fuck you for believing this had a happy ending.

The only person, the only fucking person, who is given a chance at salvation is Johnny. And it is exhausting watching yet another female character have to give her life away so that he can learn a lesson. Putting V back into her body to go rot from the inside out for the next six months is so insulting it borders on cruelty.

The “best” ending, the Star, where V goes off into the sunset with Panam and her clan to hopefully find some miracle cure is such a slap in the face. Why was this option not available before V dragged her body through Arasaka and into the heart of Mikoshi? Are we to believe that suddenly Panam found something out and only now is it worth pursuing? The only “good” ending is Temperance in that at least something comes from V’s sacrifice and I hate that its to uplift Johnny.

V did so fucking much for others, emotional, physical, and mental labor, all because that’s the person she is. Runs through the fucking gauntlet of Night City. And, in the end, she earns nothing for it. Fuck your happy ending, fuck your hopes. You can kill yourself on the rooftop, take a suicide mission into fucking space, break out of your own narrative constructs to chase a wild goose, or give your body away entirely. Unsatisfying doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The Cyberpunk endings are Fucking Stupid.

Edit: I just wanna briefly say that I don't inherently blame Johnny for the loss of V's body in the final missions. In every instance that he gets it, he vehemently expresses not wanting it. It's not his fault that he's the Male Character all the women must die for. It's the writers who fail V, not Johnny, Silvermerc ship be damned. Johnny is canonically loyal to V and taking her body isn't something his character does lightly, at all. Just really wanna stress that here.

#cyberpunk 2077 #spoilers for literally everything #i am so pissed #FURIOUS at V's character arc #the way she is totally #johnny silverhand #rogue amendiares #kerry eurodyne #uhhhh #jackie welles #fuck this games endings #fuck you cdpr #downer endings are dumb as fuck #learn to inspire catharsis in your audience without defaulting to killing the main character #Skitterpunk

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shattersstar · 3 years

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waiting room

pairing: dick grayson x (criminal) reader

summary: dick wanted to save you, but he never intended on falling for you as well.

warning(s): kinda angst, mostly dialogue, mention of death and crime stuff

a/n: ah yes another random fic written in my notes. grammar and such is probably bad and i haven’t written for dick in like..forever so be nice. feedback is always appreciated

—

“You left.” You heard him before seeing him. Voice carrying in the air above as you shrugged, flipping through the files stacked in front of you.

“I was busy.”

“Doing what?” He had moved closer in the rafters, but still out of sight. You weren’t going searching for him, he could come to you.

“Finding this building.”

“I would’ve helped.” He huffed out a breath with the last word, softly landing behind you.

“Don’t know if you’d approve of my methods.” You turned your head minimally, eyes downcast, but listening as he approached. He rested his chin on your shoulder, making you grin before turning back to your search.

“Probably not.” You could hear the pause in his tone, the unasked question lingering in the air next to you.

“I didn’t kill anyone Dick.”

“Nightwing.” He warned, pulling himself away from you and rounding the other side of the table. Dick scanned over the files from behind his mask, hair falling in his face as he leaned over the accounting records. “Looking for strange fund activity?”

“No, a name. Some accountant who has covered his trail for years, but was some junior worker or intern here. Signed off on a few deals under his old boss, its the only paper trail he’s left.” You explained, shoving a stack of files his direction.

“How come he didn’t get rid of these?” Dick pondered, gloved fingers brushing overs as he picked the top folder.

“Didn’t think to hide back then maybe? Don’t know how many people preplan a criminal life.”

“When’d you start planning yours?”

“Shut up,” You grinned, glancing at the figures Dick pointed out. “I also heard that this company was digital when he worked here, but just happened to print out a few years of records for some lawsuit. He probably deleted the digital records, and was unaware of these.”

Dick hummed, opening the folder in his hand and realizing he had no idea what to look for.

“How are you gonna find him if you don’t know his name?”

“Ye of little faith, I expected more from you Di—Nightwing. You always seem so optimistic in turning me to the good side, and now here you are thinking so little of me.” You teased, joining his side of the table. He scoffed at your remark, nudging you with his elbow after you bumped him with your hip. “I have his first name and the amounts of signed off for. Just gotta cross reference them.”

“How long you been at it?”

“You should know, you were in the rafters like what? ten minutes after I broke in?” You raised a brow, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Had to found out what was so much more compelling than staying in bed with me.”

“One of us was gonna leave anyway, I just happened to be first.” You were pragmatic to a fault, pulling your lip between your teeth at Dick’s pointed silence. You knew what he was going to say; if you finally gave him your real name, finally gave into him and all the tumultuous feelings wrapping the two of you up, no one would have to leave. You wouldn’t have to leave. But something bitter and destructive in you resented the idea, giving in wasn’t apart of your nature anymore, love and romance weren’t players in the scheme of your life. You had work to do, and despite standing near pressed up against him, and already deciding which safe house to go back to with Dick tonight, you still couldn’t bring yourself to fall into this. He wasn’t yours to love, despite how the light parts of you wanted it so. “I will admit, this definitely isn’t more compelling.”

Dick chuckled at that, reading the figures and name to search for on the slip of paper you had tucked into one of your pockets. You two kept sorting through the records, silent and focused, only speaking when you needed him to pass you more or he came close to finding what you needed. You were aware that Dick hadn’t asked why you needed this name, that he wasn’t going to suddenly decide for you to help you. He knew how deeply your strove for independence, rarely ever going back to his place or asking for help.

And, it was hard not to step on your toes when all Dick wanted to do was help you. It was how you met, why he continued showing up in your life. He wanted you to be good, and fair, and at some point the lines of vigilantism and his feelings started to blur. He thought letting you into parts of his life, showing you the good he did while out as Nightwing and giving you kindness in shared meals on rooftops would help you see some light.

But after some point, Dick realized he wasn’t only helping you because he wanted you to be on the right side of things, but he was doing it for his own moral compass. It felt wrong to love someone who had hurt so many, cared only for themselves and would always resort to the same types of violence, and same means to get what they wanted. All your dark parts felt like they were his too, as if you were the jaded version of what Dick could become and saving you meant saving himself and proving his feelings right. He wanted to tell you that, but it always choked low in his throat.

How could he tell you he loved you without even knowing your name? Dick had offered his many months ago, after the first kiss you shared, pressed close in an alley and so enamoured with each other. He had breathed it against your lips, making you laugh once you realized he was serious. Dick was used to the reaction, only shaking his head and letting himself kiss you again.

He let himself lean into you now, strong arm pressing into yours. You glanced sideways at him, letting your gaze flicker down his side profile before dropping to the pile of records to his left. They towered high, you both had gone through the majority of them, and you were still unable to find the information. You let out a long exhale, grabbing the next folder and starting your scan. It seemed if some higher power was testing your patience, forcing you to rake through hundreds of papers, all covered in names and numbers and dates. It was tedious at least and down right infuriating at most. You tossed the useless file with a bit too much force once you were done with it, earning Dick’s attention. “Wanna take a break?”

“No."

"Are you sure?" He pressed, hand coming to rest over yours, fingers trying to curl into you, but you yanked it away.

“I don’t need one.” You hissed.

“I can keep looking—“

“Dick I don’t always need you to solve my problems alright? This shit is so repetitive and tiring, and I just want to get it over with.” You snapped, gathering as many files as you could fit in your arms and crossing the room. You slid down a wall and began sorting them away from Dick who only sighed in return. You didn’t exchange words for another hour, the pile you picked up dwindling when Dick walked over, letting a sheet of paper flutter into your lap. Your eyes lit up as you found it easily, his name and the sum of the funds adding up to the information you were given. You pushed yourself to stand, nearly toe to toe with Dick. And like that, all your anger dissolved, you had gotten what you wanted and could smile again.

“Thank you.” You said softly, hand coming to rest on his forearm, but Dick turned away.

“You’re welcome.” He breathed as he walked to the window, unable to stop himself from looking back at you and your half raised hand. He wanted to stay, to stop being so stubborn, but he had already let so much of himself go for you. And you bitter words, echoing the main issue with your relationship was a wicked reminder. You weren’t going to give in, not for a very long time and Dick couldn’t wait. He couldn’t spend months in love with someone who always left his bed empty. Despite what you said earlier, you were always the one to leave first.

And he couldn’t bare it anymore.

With his last words hanging in the air, Dick grappled into the night, fond he helped you, but aware it would be for the last time.

#not me using a phoebe bridgers song as my title 😳#dick grayson x reader #dick grayson imagine #nightwing x reader #nightwing imagine #dc x reader #dc imagine #writing #this is..mediocre #its also one am i’m allowed to be average

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askaceattorney · 3 years

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Manfred Von Karma Character Essay

Dear Dakadondon,

I’m going to give it a go on a character essay on my favorite villain, Manfred Von Karma. I haven’t been able to find any on him and I feel like he’s often overlooked as the nothing-but-evil villain when there is so much more to him than meets the eye.

When we are first introduced to Manfred Von Karma, he both is the final boss of the game and a foil for both Phoenix Wright and his rival, Miles Edgeworth. He represents the karma brought down upon Miles Edgeworth’s shoulders by his actions in the first game, thus his name “karma” or “ Karuma,” which means “karma” in Japanese. This works in the same way with Franziska Von Karma representing Phoenix Wright’s karma in AA2. Since we are focusing on Manfred Von Karma, he will be our main focus.

We are introduced to Manfred Von Karma as Miles Edgeworth’s mentor, but it is in AA2 we find out he is much more than a mentor. He was also a father figure of sorts to Miles Edgeworth. This relationship is often overlooked, even by the game itself. We are told by Franziska Von Karma how Miles Edgeworth was like her little brother, but nowhere in the game does it ever mention or demonstrate how Miles Edgeworth would be the son of Manfred Von Karma. Even the anime never truly focuses on that portion. As a result, we, as the players, are like Godot in how we miss the obvious red on white part of the case, and instead focus on the mentor and student relationship. Like anyone, why would we believe someone as twisted and vindictive as Manfred Von Karma would consider Miles Edgeworth as a son? Yet, this same man considered him the student under Von Karma? If Sebastian Debeste’s relationship with his father could be father/son and mentor/student, why wouldn’t the same also apply to Manfred Von Karma and Miles Edgeworth?

To understand this father/son relationship Miles Edgeworth shares with Manfred Von Karma, we first need to understand why it is overlooked or taken out throughout the game. After losing his father, Miles Edgeworth practically lost everything. If we are to assume his father was the only family he ever had in his life, then this would mean he became an orphan. He was alone without anyone to care for or love him. All of a sudden, this Prosecutor, who had gone up against his father in court, takes him in under his wing. He gives Miles Edgeworth food, a home, a little sister, a family, education and training to become a Prosecutor. Before, Miles Edgeworth only had his father, now under the Von Karmas, he has a family. Manfred Von Karma gave Miles Edgeworth much more than his biological father ever did, when we take into account the mentioned family of Manfred Von Karma than just Franziska: a niece, a possible extra sibling(s) and a mother.

In the head of Miles Edgeworth, he is not deserving of this. He mentally believes he is responsible for the murder of his own father. He isn’t deserving of a family, a home or any of these things. This is a similar mentality he will eventually have with Phoenix later on after Turnabout Goodbyes. In turn, we have Manfred Von Karma, who is simply using Miles and his genius to have as his own. He knows of his crime of having murdered this boy’s father and yet is willing to provide this boy with a better life. It feels off for Manfred Von Karma, if we were to assume he’s your typical devilish bad guy with no moral compass. Though, if we were to take AAI2 into account in how he praises his wife’s cooking, despite being an amateur, and was willing to defend Delicia Scone’s innocence for no other reason other than, “she is innocent,” we can assume he does have some form of moral compass. At the very least, he is capable of love for those he considers family and will protect those he considers innocent. If we are to assume that he does love his family, or at least is capable of such, we can assume that there was a tiny bit of compassion he had in taking in Miles Edgeworth. Even if we were to reason that Manfred Von Karma was simply using Miles Edgeworth to cover up his own crime, no one can deny that Manfred Von Karma could’ve made him into a Cinderella or killed him under his care.

Of course, many would disagree this man would have a heart, if only because the game seems to imply that Manfred Von Karma took in Miles Edgeworth to beat the dead horse that was Gregory Edgeworth. Except, that would imply that Manfred Von Karma believes in spirits and was so passionate that he was willing to raise a child with severe trauma, nightmares and phobias. To put it simply, raising Miles Edgeworth, for Manfred Von Karma, would have been a nightmare in itself. Not only because he’d be having sleepless nights from a child, then teenager being up in the middle of the night because of nightmares, but also having to calm him down every time an earthquake hit, perhaps having to deal with Miles Edgeworth’s fear of elevators and there are the effects of DL-6 that took a toll on Miles Edgeworth. Anyone who knows anyone that deals with severe trauma will tell you that each day, minute and second that person is still living is a miracle. This is something Manfred Von Karma would be having to face every morning and night. For Miles Edgeworth, he believes he killed his own father and is not deserving of anything. Perhaps being a Prosecutor is his way of punishing himself, but it is also a goal he strives for that was placed upon him by Manfred Von Karma himself. You could say that Manfred Von Karma gave Miles Edgeworth a reason to live.

Knowing this, it makes sense why Manfred Von Karma framed Miles Edgeworth for the murder of Robert Hammond. This wasn’t about him ruining Miles Edgeworth’s life or revenge against Gregory Edgeworth. This was Manfred Von Karma running away from his problems, from his own guilt. We see in Turnabout Reminiscence how quickly Manfred Von Karma was willing to leave an investigation unfinished the moment he loses control. If you were to fail that game, before Manfred Von Karma demands Miles Edgeworth and young Franziska to no longer proceed in the investigation, he will stop the investigation right away or Franziska will win. It’s only after he demands there to be no more investigation that he no longer stops the investigation, but instead it is Calisto Yew or Tyrell Badd, who at one point sends his security to kick Miles Edgeworth and Franziska out. This means that the reason Manfred Von Karma wanted Miles Edgeworth to stop the investigation was because he no longer had control over the outcome. This makes sense for his character, who also left IS-7 after the events of DL-6. He’s the kind of man to run away from his troubles. If Miles Edgeworth’s trauma was trouble for Manfred Von Karma that he can’t ever get rid of, he will proceed to get rid of Miles Edgeworth instead.

The problem with Manfred Von Karma framing Miles Edgeworth for murder is that this adds another problem. Miles Edgeworth is now the supposed son of Manfred Von Karma. Keep in mind this is a man who obsesses over perfection. To frame his own son for murder goes against being the perfect father. Aside from his own personal problems, Manfred Von Karma has no reason to get rid of Miles Edgeworth. Miles Edgeworth, while did suffer a few losses, is a valuable asset to Manfred Von Karma. He is Manfred Von Karma’s proud disciple and, if we were to assume he only has daughters, the only son he’s got. He is willing to throw away Miles Edgeworth, for what? Because of his own personal problems? Because he knows all of Miles Edgeworth’s troubles are caused by him? Because the only way to fix Miles Edgeworth is to admit that he was and is a terrible murderer and a criminal?

Much like how Manfred Von Karma represented the karma built upon all the deeds Miles Edgeworth had done, the same can also be said in reverse. For Manfred Von Karma, Miles Edgeworth is the result of his own karma. That karma will never go away and, so long as Miles Edgeworth continues to live in the Prosecutor’s circle, the karma of Manfred Von Karma will haunt him for the rest of his life, unless he decides to find closure. Whether that closure be through death or reconnecting with Miles Edgeworth, unless it is met, Manfred Von Karma will always be troubled by the karma he’s placed upon himself.

To describe Manfred Von Karma is someone that is obsessed with being perfect in every way to a fault. He has family, friends, people he loves and cares about, but is also a coward to face whatever troubles come his way. He is the opposite of Phoenix Wright, who is willing to face what he’s faulted and try to make things right. Manfred Von Karma represents a side to humanity none of us want to admit. We are very narcissistic and strive to be better than everyone else. Then, the moment we run into trouble where our true colors are shown, we tend to hide or run away like Manfred Von Karma.

When you consider the events of IS-7, it’s clear Manfred Von Karma made many mistakes in how he approached the case. He refused help from his detective, he continually tried to fight against the Defense that he was right, he used threatening tactics to force the Defendant to confess to a crime he didn’t commit, he overlooked other crimes that happened such as the two missing boys, and he changed the case file to the Defendant being the culprit - even though he accused him of being an accomplice to the crime. While he didn’t forge the Autopsy Report, he placed the blame of the penalty he received from his boss on the Defense, who didn’t do anything wrong. To add insult to injury, he orphaned and traumatized a child that now is under his care. Manfred Von Karma continually ran away from his issues, the vile acts that he has done. As a result, he refuses to acknowledge Miles Edgeworth as his son. If he can’t acknowledge it, why should the game?

Manfred Von Karma is one of the most morally gray characters in the AA game. He represents the worst of all humanity. He’s definitely not one to sympathize with, but not because we can’t, but because we don’t want to. I consider the best villains as those you could become at any point in time. Someone like Kristoph Gavin or Dahlia Hawthorne would be much harder to see in ourselves, since their circumstances came from other bad circumstances. Manfred Von Karma, I can see in anyone no matter the circumstances or life they live. So long as you believe yourself to be better than anyone else, you will always become another Manfred Von Karma.

Ironically enough, I do see a redemption arc in Manfred Von Karma, if he was to ever live after Turnabout Goodbyes. The reason is because, believe it or not, I did have issues with Narcissism about ten or so years ago. Of course, I wasn’t as bad as Manfred Von Karma, but I can also relate to him. As such, I also know that it only takes seeing yourself as better than everyone else to void yourself of all empathy or compassion for others. This also includes thinking your opinions are correct or others’ opinions are problematic. All it takes for a redemption arc is realizing where you’re wrong, apologizing, and making things right. Of course, you can’t erase your history, but you can make a better future, especially for those you have hurt. Luckily, we have Franziska Von Karma and Miles Edgeworth to demonstrate what Manfred Von Karma could’ve been.

- Mod Edgeworth

#dakdondondon #Mod Post #Mod Edgeworth #Character Essay #Manfred Von Karma

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elveny · 3 years

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Character meme: Artoirel!

How I feel about this character

I love him. Like, SO MUCH!

Artoirel has this thoughtful seriousness and this incredible character growth that sort of... happens in the background and that most ppl don't pay any attention to. He tends to get overlooked and interestingly enough, that's both true for the players and the ingame characters (apart from the one lady standing in front of House Fortempts lusting after him).

But once you start to pay attention to him and truly listen to what he says and what he does, you notice that he has an incredible moral compass and a quiet strength. He acknowledges his own faults, apologizes for them, and supports his family while putting his own wishes second. For a "background character" he has an astonishingly round character.

Also, he's hot af.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I unabashedly ship my own WoL and Estinien with Artoirel. 🥰

(This has gotten long, so the rest is under the cut.)

And in general, I think he's just as much enamored with WoL as Haurchefant is, he's just sooooo subtle. ("Haurchefant saw you as a sister/brother so I shall too" sorry Artoirel, I think we need to talk about that ;) ) After his initial grumpiness about having to "babysit" the WoL, he comes to admire them, and his regret about his callous thoughts is genuine. When we fight at his side to free the hostages in the Vault, he is genuinely touched by our concern and we are the ones he confides in about his doubts about becoming count. There is so much potential there!

And Estinien... Estinien is everything he could never be. The hero fighting at the forefront, admired and celebrated, but unbound by the unwritten laws of propriety in High Society. Artoirel is a knight too and with them being similar in age, they have to have trained together. I can totally see Artoirel developing this deep crush on Estinien, watching him from his metaphorical golden cage in adoration - while Estinien, over time, comes to see that Artoirel is just as much a protector as he is and uses all the tools available to him for the betterment and protection of Ishgard. Artoirel is very much The Next Generation that will make Ishgard a better place, and once Estinien sees that, I can see just SO MANY SPARKS flying.

And especially with a WoL in the middle that's just *chef's kiss*.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Aymeric.

Unlike most of Ishgard's nobility, Artoirel is such an outspoken ally to him and they're similar in age so I can see them becoming fast and close friends. Being the new count of such an important house as Fortemps, his support has to be such a boon for the new government, and Artoirel is the kind of reliable, thoughtful and steadfast person that I can see Aymeric rely on him and work closely with him. They have a lot in common, being knights and politicians at the same time.

He was also there when the assassination attempt on Aymeric happens and he fights at Aymeric's side through the Vault.

My unpopular opinion about this character

He is sorely underrated.

I mean, I understand that he is being overlooked bc Haurchefant is such an incredible sweetheart and generally beloved, and Emmannelain is Loud And Colorful, but people don't see just how good he is. As in a thoroughly good person. He openly talks about how he was wrong and how he regrets how he treated Haurchefant as a boy (as if he had much choice with his mother). He is also so ready to learn - when the truth about the Dragonson War comes to light, he does not hold desperately to power and birthright but immediately questions everything and doubts whether he even has a right to the title of Count - and uses that power to help others. There is also a certain tragic element to his character, as he is the one brother who could never step out of line because he had to uphold the good name of Fortemps and never had a chance not to.

Count Edmont's infidelity is something that still hangs over House Fortemps, and people assume that Artoirel is his father's son and try to take advantage of it. So he has to be extra careful not to overstep, and I believe we see that also in his unwillingness to be called Count by his friends. But he is always ready to Do The Right Thing, and he is unwaveringly on the side of those who try to protect others.

Even when Count Dad relinquishes his title, he does not try to boast or be in the middle of the attention - Emmannelain gets the MSQ focus with the tournament etc., Edmont comes to talk to you even after Heavensward while Artoirel sort of disappears into the background, quietly working behind Aymeric on spearheading the new government.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish we saw more of him, especially after Heavensward, and learned how he works with Aymeric to better Ishgard.

#character meme #artoirel de fortemps #ffxiv #ALSO HE IS A MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER #i love him so much

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