#and learning

[jttwlmkaddiction]

Theory: Macaque is partly the reason Wukong sucks at communicating with MK

Don't get me wrong, the Monkey King just straight up sucks at talking things out, but I don't think Macaque helped.

We don't know how long they knew each other before the Brotherhood but we can assume it was long before that point. He almost seems to be a relationship that mimics not just friendship but an informal mentee-mentor one as well.

Wukong is a natural leader, loud and charismatic where Macaque clearly is confident but prefers to be his 'shadow'.

He's more like a right hand monkey to Wukong, but their relationship isn't necessarily defined in that way, or at all. The two have no trouble speaking their minds or messing around so there is definitely a mutual respect. Wukong doesn't necessarily listen to Macaque, though this doesn't seem to really upset him, nor does it seem to bother him that Wukong treats him as something like a younger brother (or whatever) where he expects him to just always be there and to go along with his wild plan of the day.

If you look at it as a Mentor/Mentee situation, their fight might look a little different relating to modern day.

Macaque finally breaks and now that Wukong HAS to listen, he tells him exactly how he screwed up, not with the Jade Emp fight but with him, specifically. Wukong is angry too, but once Macaque leaves, his anger doesn't seem to linger.

I think he listened, and we can tell in modern day. And not necessarily in a good way. Wukong withholds a lot from MK. He doesn't treat MK as an equal until the end of S4. He holds him at bay, and focuses on their mentor/mentee and friendship relationship. Macaque had made him realize that he'd ignored his best friend's 'military' guidance because he'd taken his friendship for granted rather than seeing him as his right hand man. Wukong doesn't want to hear that from MK, wants him to remain MKs hero rather than equal that he would have to listen to, because he failed so badly with Macaque and can't really open himself up to that kind of potential to fail so badly again. He was afraid MK might turn on him or fail him like Macaque did, and he might get MK hurt by not letting him help.

However - when MK and Macaque retrieve Wukong from the scroll, the two have their little non-verbal exchange and after that point Wukong changes his angle on teamwork. His guilty conscious probably got a kick start from the Samadhi fire thing and failed LBD fight, and after spending so much time in the scroll alone reliving his mistakes and subsequently getting Macaques forgiveness or approval or whatever that was, he was finally ready to swallow that fear of screwing up his relationship with MK and to work with everyone else.

[leamiche]

agata forest

[flightyalrighty]

zuurmmm

She's listening

[winke77e]

Checking In

Hey Y'all

Just wanted to check in and announce that I am NOT DEAD.

Okay? Cool cool

I'm in a Homeless 'shelter' right now and the wifi they have is so terrible that I can't even load a gif, so I have leave to use public libraries just to get stuff done.

Don't know how long I'll be here. I'm getting a lot of assistance but I still need to find a job that pays enough to actually allow me to rent a fucking apartment. And, you know America, the place where costs are high and pay is so low, it's deadly.

Lucky I have someone helping me job hunt too :) It's all about who you know, and I am meeting all the people, Istg

[traumahoney]

the world is so broken right now. i live in the US and for 7 months, i’ve watched a genocide take place 7,000 miles away. i hold it in my hands. it’s only getting worse.

for four years i’ve watched my government strip rights away from women. from queer kids. from people of color. i’ve held them in my hands. it’s only getting worse.

[judas-isariot]

"But you looked happy"

Being happy doesn't mean I loved myself.

[ferinehuntress]

So, out of desire to kind of expand into some more DnD forms of Barbarian subclasses, looking at different backgrounds and all, Karlach is going through a bit of a change.

1) Karlach is not a Zariel Tiefling. She is a Variant Tiefling, her lineage comes from Soneillon, Queen of Whispers, a Succubus Demon Lord. Hence, her more hypersexual desires and activity. This changes her abilities at the beginning. Instead of Infernal Legacy and +1 to intelligence this is what she will have

Feral. Your Intelligence score increases by 1, and your Dexterity score increases by 2. This trait replaces the Ability Score Increase trait

Hellfire. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Burning Hands spell once as a 2nd-level spell. This trait replaces the Hellish Rebuke spell of the Infernal Legacy trait.

2) Karlach is not an outlander background, it is changing to that of a Soldier Background. Karlach did not grow up in the wilds, she lived in Baldur's gate, so this makes NO sense to me. So instead, she is a Soldier Background, which is this

War has been your life for as long as you care to remember. You trained as a youth, studied the use of weapons and armor, learned basic survival techniques, including how to stay alive on the battlefield. You might have been part of a standing national army or a mercenary company, or perhaps a member of a local militia who rose to prominence during a recent war.

Rank: Commander in Zariel's Army

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Intimidation

Karlach was given the title Fury of Avernus, and she often talks to the others with the title 'soldier'. But the way she acts, she is very strategic, and she knows war. and you listen to how she talks at times, she sounds like a commander, not just a canon fodder soldier on the front lines. to me, Karlach has experience and knowledge of leading a war she never wanted to. Most canon fodder soldiers don't get special titles either, that tends to be people higher up who have made a 'big notice'. So yeah, Karlach is a Commander of Zariel's war by force.

3) Last but not least. Karlach's subclass. Instead of Wildheart (which I don't see NAYWHERE in my searches) I found Path of the Beast.

Barbarians who walk the Path of the Beast draw their rage from a bestial spark burning within their souls. That beast bursts forth in the throes of rage, physically transforming the barbarian. Such a barbarian might be inhabited by a primal spirit or be descended from shape-shifters. You can choose the origin of your feral might or determine it by rolling on the Origin of the Beast table.

I really like this one, as it allows me to play more into Karlach's family and how they are very much more into appreciating what they have, not being very materialistic, and their nuturing love for animals that Karlach gained. This also gives more to her more beastly nature as well, that she has a natural beast within her due to someone down the line being an archdruid. This digs more into that animalistic nature that I love to give all my characters. I'm thinking Karlach's inner beast is either a wolf or Bear, or perhaps a little of both.

[evilbubu]

I love being creative. I love drawing and doodling. I love writing stories. I love paiting. I love editing videos. I love editing pictures. I love making things online like moodboards and posters. God put me on this earth to create and enjoy my hobbies, and if I'm not going to have a fucking blast while doing so <3

[vivilove-jonsa]

Reminders for me 😆 “Write the damn book”

[chaoticcollectivestrawberry]

This is more of a personal post than a Kotaloystan, but it does involve Kotallo so have a picture.

Kotallo’s story arc really struck me when I played this game because he expressed emotions and frustrations I have experienced myself. I live my life with a disability that affects many more aspects of my life than I let on. It's an every day thing. Now, I'm not missing a limb so I present as able bodied. And, to be fair, I am mostly able bodied.

But I have really been struggling these last few years with my disability. It is beginning to compound itself into more aspects of my life than it did even five years ago, and I am struggling to figure out how I am going to cope with it for the next few decades. I became disabled in my teens. I'm in my early 30s now. Hopefully I've got many more years to go.

But how does this relate to Kotallo? Much of his dialogue and the way he speaks about himself reminds me of how I cope with my disability and the changes I have to make to accommodate it. When Aloy meets him at Stone Crest, Kotallo insists that he will never heal. And he's partially correct. His arm will not grow back. My leg will never be fully functional. We both will have to endure neurological issues forever. Like Kotallo at the Bulwark, when he refers to himself as maimed, I use derogatory language as a way to deal with my own body image. I went so far as to have it put on a high school sports shirt in place of my name. Not healthy, I know, but there you have it. It's how I coped.

The most striking moment of Kotallo’s dialogue was when he tells Aloy that the absence of his arm is always present for him. I get this. People often ask me about my issues and the way I describe it is that I am always aware of my leg. Sometimes it hurts more and sometimes less, but I am ALWAYS aware of it. I know where it is and what it's doing all the time. Hearing that awareness mentioned in a video game... yeah. I had to take a moment.

When he finally gets to test his new arm and then immediately takes it off, he says that this is who he is now. It's not giving up; it's accepting himself for who he is and appreciating how he has changed. This is something I am still working through nearly two decades later. I hope that I will get there, but I'm also not on a NPC character arc to be wrapped up in the course of a game.

Basically, I suppose I'm saying that it was kind of a wake-up call to me that characters with whom I identify can be exciting, likable additions to media. I'm sure there are other examples, but this is the first time that I have heard dialogue from a character with a disability with which I identified SO personally. And I know people are correct when they say that I can still do stuff, even with a disability. Kotallo climbed a freaking mountain with one arm. I know it is possible. But sometimes it's just nice to play a game and say, hey, that character is going through the same thing that I went through and they're also struggling and that's okay. It's okay to not be okay.

This isn’t a pity post. It's more a cathartic exercise for myself amongst a bunch of strangers. These are emotions that I don't particularly feel comfortable sharing with people in my life because many don't consider me disabled. I try to hide it but, deep down, it is something with which I need to come to terms.

So, thank you, Guerilla Games, for including a character to whom I could relate and who could motivate me to seek a bit more help dealing with my own issues.

And making him so swoon-worthy was nice, too.

[abc-felixx]

call me a marine coastal zone the way I’m shallow, warm, and nutrient rich

[gavinstrick]

my alcoholic mother just apologized to me for drinking too much for the first time in my life ?!!?! progress ?????

[indydrawsstuff]

I've never drawn Monster Kid before. So. Uh. Have a Monster Kid.

[thisisthewaytomando]

Idk if I mentioned this yet…

I GOT MY INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT 🎉😭❤️

[cutthroat-coquette]

That last person you kissed is very lucky. Hopefully it Leads to something promising and fulfilling. Does he even know the woman he has in front him😏

[edjectedly]

You can't control what situations need closure