#enemies by continuously reinforcing that they're enemies.

[theminecraftbee]

actually while i’m on an analysis and also bigb train i want to talk a little about the bigb/cleo relationship because. it’s VERY EASY to just read it as “bigb betrayed cleo that one time three seasons ago and cleo has never forgiven him for this” but there’s way more to it than that and it’s so fascinating i want to shake them around like maracas.

like, okay, the initial betrayal is as much a failure to communicate as it is an actual betrayal. cleo says that if bigb had just TOLD HER she would have let him, and I believe this (loyalty is an extremely consistent cleo trait). however JUST EARLIER THAT SESSION she’d also been talking about how she wouldn’t trust someone with the boogeyman curse and can’t believe someone would betray their allies. bigb heard that, decided he couldn’t tell cleo (because she’d hate him for it), and panicked himself right into a corner where he ended up doing the thing that was WAY WORSE for that relationship. also left out is that part of why cleo got that mad wasn’t even bigb’s fault; she was ALSO mad because lizzie and ren sided with him over her, and she felt betrayed by everyone at once. which she then pinned on bigb. meanwhile, while bigb apologized, he never let go of the idea that he'd had no other choice, and never really addressed the unstated hurt of 'cleo also felt like her friends had been turned against her', so it never rang as sincere to cleo. so like, more going on there than just a betrayal!

but like, let’s talk about their relationship after that, shall we?

on cleo’s end, she’s a character who tends to hold on to relationships across seasons, for better and for worse. the widow’s alliance basically never ending; martyn and cleo and their inability to be normal about each other; cleo and etho’s quiet understanding; and, as one of these important tentpoles, bigb and cleo being unable to trust each other. she carried that hurt with her into the few interactions they had in double life, and that in turn helped to color everything else. see, cleo doesn't just hold on to relationships; she holds grudges, and bigb is the ultimate target of that. unlike some of her potential grudges, she's never had a scenario where she and bigb were on the same side in order to temper the grudge. she's also never gotten the boogey curse herself, making it even harder for her to temper it and understand.

so, even after things like limited life where she's started to be less Immediately Angry the moment she feels betrayed (thank you scar for being kind of a moron and getting cleo that lesson), she still holds on to the last life version of bigb in her head. also, because of that, it makes it easy for her to just... continue perpetuating that. she shuns bigb and assumes he has some reason she needs revenge again. that, in turn, pushes bigb to doing another thing she needs revenge for, so she tries to get it, so they keep spiraling downwards in a cycle of mistrust, because cleo has also made herself untrustworthy to bigb.

meanwhile, on bigb's end... he tried to apologize and she wouldn't take it! she sees all of this as an irrational grudge on cleo's part, and there's been very little to discount that. but also because bigb has a tendency to go off and do his own thing and hold himself apart from people, he has made very little effort to meaningfully fix this. in fact, because he assumes cleo will continue to hold a grudge, he continues to treat her a bit like an enemy, continuing to provoke her at multiple opportunities.

he can't make that relationship WORSE, after all, so there's no reason NOT TO continue to mess with her. she'll never trust him, so there aren't real consequences if he keeps burning her, because the only consequence is that she'll just continue to never trust him, right? it's a simple relationship! and in some ways it's comforting, even; cleo is someone he can never mess up with, because that bridge is already burnt.

and ironically? this makes their relationship surprisingly stable. they will KEEP ON sticking knives in each other, of course. even when they don't have a good reason for it, cleo will assume bigb must have done something and bigb will assume cleo will hate him anyway. but in turn, i think they VERY MUCH know where they stand with each other. and tragically, that means neither of them have an incentive to try to fix this. they're both very, very entrenched in how they see each other now, and either of them will see any attempted olive branches as another place for everything to go wrong. they're cleo and bigb, who don't trust each other because bigb killed her one time, forever. that's who they are. that's how they see each other. and it's not just because that happened; it's because they keep reinforcing it, over and over and over again, in a way that makes communicating that they could stop nearly impossible.

that and i think cc!bigb and cc!cleo out of character really enjoy continuing to have their cubitos have a stupid irrational grudge on each other because they think it's funny but that's unrelated to the character analysis,

[pessimisticpigeonsworld]

HOTD has made many interesting choices in their adaptation of the story of the Dance. One of their favorite excuses for many of their questionable choices is "feminism". Why did they remove Alicent's ambitions and autonomy? Feminism. Why is Rhaenyra less proactive and hesitant? Feminism. Why are Daemon and Otto the primary active agents in the lead up to the Dance? Well women can't be in the wrong or violent, so feminism.

These choices are the farthest thing from feminist; they're sexist, end of story. Every decision surrounding the women of the Dance reeks of benevolent sexism. One of the most obviously sexist decisions made is the purposeful removal of female cooperation and friendship.

Rhaenyra in F&B has many female allies and friends. Her ladies in waiting loved her so much, one of them, Lady Elinda Massey gouged out her eyes at the sight of Rhaenyra's death. Lady Jeyne Arryn, Lady Alysanne Blackwood, and Lady Sabitha Frey/Vypren are just a few examples of ladies who fought for Rhaenyra (Alysanne and Sabitha literally fought in battles). Lady Fell chose death over betraying her oath to Rhaenyra.

Now, we haven't had any opportunity to meet most of these women I listed in the show. Lady Fell was portrayed as she was written in the book, a very minor character who simply foreshadowed how most of the realm would choose Rhaenyra over Aegon. Elinda Massey, however was reduced to an unnamed servant, not even a lady in waiting. Her treatment is an echo of one of my biggest issues with HOTD, the treatment of Laena and Rhaenys.

Laena was Rhaenyra's dearest friend in the book, in fact it's implied that they had a romantic relationship. Whether you believe that telling or not, it's undeniable that she and Laena were extremely close. They chose to betroth their children while they were infants, Rhaenyra flew to Laena's bedside during her final labor, and she stood vigil with Daemon over Laena's body.

All of that closeness and intimacy was removed in the show to make room for Alicent. So let's break that down: they removed a long and healthy relationship between two women and replaced it with a short-lived (in terms of screen time) friendship that quickly fell apart and turned into an intense rivalry. Reinforcing an old stereotype of female friendship: that it is entrenched in rivalry and toxicity and can quickly be turned to enmity. Alicent was so quickly and easily turned against Rhaenyra and it's even implied that she was jealous of Rhaenyra long before they became enemies.

Rhaenys in the book was an ardent supporter of Rhaenyra. She happily claimed Jace, Luke, and Joff as her grandsons, advised Rhaenyra to go to war, and gladly flew against Aegon and Aemond.

Meanwhile, in the show, Rhaenys was turned into one of Rhaenyra's rivals. She constantly challenged Rhaenyra's ideas, dismissed her as a naive child, disliked her children, and even considered backing the Greens. On top of that, they turned her into yet another "peaceful" woman. She advises against the war, and seems to continue to do so in season two. Rhaenys is virtually unrecognizable in the show. They chose to take a woman who tried to prevent a younger woman being wronged by the patriarchy the same way she was and turned her into a bitter woman who resents Rhaenyra (for most of the show).

HOTD claimed to have wanted to tell a story about how the patriarchy pits women against each other. That's all very well and good, but that's not what they actually did. They took a story where a woman is wrongfully usurped because of her gender and is supported by many other women and turned it into another tired female rivalry story.

Rhaenyra has no female friends aside from Alicent. Laena was turned from her dearest friend/lover into simply a rival for Daemon's affection. Rhaenys was turned from a supportive mentor and defender to someone who took out her resentment for the system on a fourteen year old who only starts to support her when she's proven "peaceful".

HOTD chose to perpetuate a harmful stereotype about women: that we constantly view each other as threats/rivals and can't have truly healthy relationships with other women. Rhaenyra had women who supported and cared for her in the book, in the show all she has is Alicent. A woman who abused and undermined her for ten years, raised her children to hate her, and usurped her. Every change HOTD made in the name of "feminism" solidified just how sexist it really is.

[itsclydebitches]

Zevlor: An Angsty Character Analysis

Hey, Zevlor simps. Can I interest anyone in 4,000 words about our favorite disaster tiefling? 💀

“We can’t stay, but we’ll be slaughtered if we leave—we’re no fighters.”

Back during my first play-through this is the line that turned Zevlor from another dime-a-dozen, exposition spouting NPC to a character I was legitimately interested in. “We’re no fighters.” My DnD ignorance abounds, but even I could see that wasn’t an accurate statement. Here’s a mountain of a man sporting fancier armor than my level 2 Tav knows exists yet, having wrecked half the goblin hoard with his crossbow and, if you let him, he'll happily turn to punching as a solution to verbal disagreements. Plus, he’s clearly the one giving the orders, so what do you mean you’re not a fighter?

Having explored the Grove a bit I chalked it up to a generalized assessment of the refugees as a whole. They’re mostly kids, civilians, and would-be protectors who only look the part of fighters in cobbled-together armor. One woman is grappling with the guilt of killing someone for the first time, even an enemy. Lakrissa is sure they’re all going to get slaughtered and is willing to put money on that fact. Meanwhile, the couple you meet are more concerned with what pet they’ll get when they somehow, someway, make it to the city. Don't worry about how that'll happen. You learn later that even those like Ronan are small potatoes compared to most of the baddies you’ll face. On paper he looks and sounds like the real deal—dressed in robes, talking up an apprenticeship with the famous Lorroakan—but scenes like the celebration light show and his own fury at needing to be saved, again, highlight how far he still has to go. The point is that Zevlor is right: these aren’t fighters and he at 18 strength, paladin, former commander, is definitely the exception.

However, BG3 is the sort of detail-heavy game where I’d expect them to include that exception in the dialogue. “We can’t stay, but we’ll be slaughtered if we leave—these people aren’t fighters.” Zevlor’s inclusion of himself in this assessment continued to nag at me and it didn’t start to make sense until I delved into his tag here on tumblr, with more patient players than myself posting everything there is to know about the tiefling. (Thanks, all.) Zevlor is fascinating to me in part because he has this contradictory nature, one example of which is that he’s a very talented fighter who desperately doesn’t want to be a fighter anymore.

…but also he totally does.

We overhear in his dialogue to Tilses that Zevlor is adamant about shedding the titles he’s earned through combat: Hellrider, Commander, Sir. He insists that they’re just civilians now and it’s not like he’s being disingenuous here—note that he introduces himself as just “Zevlor” to Tav. Zevlor means what he says to Tilses and we can see that he’s trying to both reinforce his point and lesson the blow by referring to her as “Tilly.” The nickname is a sweet one, hinting at their close bond in just a single word, reminding her that he’s not saying this to hurt her, he cares for her… but the nickname is simultaneously something he never would have used as her commander. The intimacy meant to comfort is also a hard blow to weather. They're now people who use nicknames inappropriate for the hierarchy of battle.

So Zevlor means what he says here, means it enough that Tilses is convinced and drops her use of “Commander,” but there’s definitely a hint of bitterness in his voice. At least, I’ve always heard it. Zevlor is steadfast in his conviction here, even going so far as to say, “I’m done soldiering, Tilly” when discussing what will come next at Baldur’s Gate. Yet for all of that his tone conveys (understandable) anger and disappointment that it’s come to this. Zevlor doesn’t act like someone who truly wants this change, but rather someone who’s been forced to accept it.

Is it outside forces unwillingly influencing him then? Did Avernus truly change things irrevocably? No, not really. At least, not in the way Zevlor likes to claim. Tilses herself states that being a Hellrider is for life; nothing can take away that title. You lost your post? Your whole city? Most of the people under your protection? Doesn’t matter! You’re a Hellrider forever, no matter the circumstances. I can easily picture a time in Zevlor's life where he would have agreed with Tilses wholeheartedly. They are Hellriders, dammit, and so long as there’s one person looking for their help they will wield that title alongside their blades. And right now, Zevlor has a lot more than just one person in need of his assistance.

So it’s not that Avernus truly stripped them of that identity. Nothing can do that. Zevlor is not rejecting titles and planning retirement because the mechanisms of fate are forcing him to.

He’s doing all that because he’s lost confidence in himself.

Even as someone with a shaky understanding of DnD classes, I love the parallel between a broken oath and the rejection of a lifelong title. If Zevlor can fail in his oath—or in his faith entirely, according to the memories stemming from his pod—why-ever would he think that any other ‘permanent’ part of his identity was worth fighting for? If you can loose the very thing you’ve built your entire life around, every important aspect of yourself, tied to your very soul… what’s a bestowed title compared to that? Zevlor doesn’t believe himself worthy of being a Hellrider anymore, but I think that goes deeper than a string of horrific circumstances making him feel incompetent. As an Oathbreaker, Zevlor likely believes that if he couldn’t uphold that, he can’t uphold anything. Calling himself a Hellrider would be a lie. A fiction. A pathetic, dangerous, insulting fiction at that. It’s like calling yourself the “Hero” while continually failing those around you. Sure, others might insist it’s a title you’ve earned, one you will always carry with you, but you don’t believe them anymore and at a certain point calling yourself that feels worse than embracing the title of “Villain." You don’t want to be the villain… but you want to pretend you’re the hero even less. Pretending is exhausting.

We see this struggle in the many ways that Zevlor fails, or almost fails, to uphold the ideals that originally guided him. I use the term “villain” above deliberately because Zevlor is not merely a former hero-type who’s self confidence has been shattered, or who has been reduced to a civilian, or who thinks themselves useless; he’s actively fighting against temptations that, under less stressful situations, he’d never even consider. I don’t think he is a villain, I think he’s a flawed, struggling victim who sees his own, inevitable mistakes as villainous—and the longer that warped perspective continues the easier it is to fall into bad behaviors. This cycle is perfectly summarized in the autobiography Zevlor keeps by his bed:

“When every passer-by thinks you a thief and a heretic, it is deeply tempting to become one.”

We don’t know if this is Zevlor’s autobiography (as far as I’m aware, anyway) but even if it’s not the words have clearly resonated enough for him to keep them nearby. This particular line paints a pretty clear picture of Zevlor’s struggle. If everyone you meet says you’re devil-kin, vermin, or would-be criminal, isn’t it easier to just give them what they want? If you can’t persuade them otherwise, why put in the effort of trying? If he can’t be Faithful to his God, why have faith in anything at all? If he can’t save these people—setback after setback, mistake after mistake—why is he even making the effort?

Zevlor obviously is trying, very, very hard, which is why such thoughts are merely temptations rather than actual, questionable actions. Still, the Grove gives us numerous examples of the precipice he’s balanced on—and the ways Tav can tip him in one direction or another. You can talk Zevlor down from his anger and get him to acknowledge his disgust in nearly sinking to Aradin’s level. You can also let him boil over and punch the human at a time when the last thing anyone needs is more violence. You can convince Zevlor that there are peaceful ways of stopping Kagha's ritual, or you can help him in pursuing the darker temptation to kill her. It’s a “low” thought, but at his own admission he hasn’t been above entertaining it. Zevlor’s requests for help, though always polite and humble, carry a spark of manipulation in them too. He’s not above leveraging your previously selfless good deed to his advantage—"She owes you for saving this grove"—and if you approach him before speaking with Kagha he’ll claim that the ritual will “be trouble—for all of us.” Except, no? Not really? Tav can make it clear that they’re just here for a healer, they’re only passing through, and as a fighter they are not beholden to the Grove’s sanctuary as the teiflings are. It’s not trouble for everyone involved, yet Zevlor frames it as such in the hopes that (unnecessary) self-interest may motivate you if selflessness fails. Finally, if Zevlor dies in your play-through and you use Speak the Dead on him, he will admit to having “plenty” of secrets, none of which he’ll share. Admittedly, this may be the result of cut content, specifically a story-line in which Zevlor knowingly betrays the tieflings rather than being tricked by the Absolute. Still, the game as it stands is the story we have and within it we’re given a man who is both fighting against these dark urges (ha) and has a past riddled with secrets. If Zevlor is anything, it’s blunt when it comes to his own failings, accurate and otherwise. So how terrible must these secrets be that he outright refuses to divulge them when, generally speaking, most corpses speak freely in death?

However, out of all of this the struggle I’m most intrigued by is the one surrounding the gate. Zevlor represents the tieflings: persecuted refugees, vulnerable civilians, people seeking to survive through cooperation, specifically by joining a community. Kagha represents the druids (or at least a vocal subset of them in Halsin’s absence): bigoted individuals, powerful fighters, people seeking to survive by giving in to their fears, specifically by keeping themselves isolated. This is the moral dichotomy of the Grove and it is symbolized through the gate. Zevlor wants to open it to everyone whereas Kagha wants to close it, permanently.

So isn’t it odd that Zevlor is the one ordering it shut?

When the scene first starts Kanon shouts down that no, he won’t open the gate. Zevlor said that no one is allowed in. Notably, he’s saying this to Aradin and his crew, people that the Grove is at least passingly familiar with, given that Halsin left with them to search the temple. It’s also notable that Zevlor isn’t expecting goblins to attack the Grove. He’s shocked that this is suddenly a problem, brought about by Aradin’s decision—“You lead them here?”— and the entire point of staying at the Grove is that it’s at least comparatively safe. Yes, there have been more attacks lately, but Zevlor seems to be relying on the Grove’s relatively unknown location, as well as the fact that goblins are normally disorganized. The safety is only compromised because Aradin brought a hunting party back, so Zevlor has no reason to expect any visitors, let alone ones that would be a threat.

More importantly, he should welcome such visitors even if he did expect them. After all, that’s precisely what the tieflings are: strangers with no ulterior motives other than to survive. Broadly speaking it makes perfect sense why he'd shut the gates. Zevlor’s first priority is to his people, so anything that keeps them safe is, theoretically, a good thing. But through the lens of his specific characterization and this specific, moral dilemma, it’s an awfully hypocritical decision. Based on everything we’ve seen, our party would not have been welcomed by Zevlor if we’d arrived without danger on our heels and a rescue to endear him to us. So his people should be welcomed, trusted, kept safe, given the benefit of the doubt… but Zevlor isn’t necessarily willing to extend that same trust to others. At the end of the day, he and Kagha want a version of the same thing: safety for those they deem are worthy of it.

It’s precisely these flaws and temptations that make Zevlor such a great character to me, even before he’s tricked by the Absolute. The fandom has leaned hard into Zevlor’s self-loathing and let me tell you, I love it (kisses, hugs, and cookies for you all), but canonically I think he has more reason to fear himself than we tend to portray in the H/C fics. I’m not saying he’s a bad person. Rather, it’s precisely because Zevlor is such a good person that he has the capacity to fall so far. It’s his all-consuming desire to protect his family that leads Zevlor to do and consider so much that a paladin would normally balk at. Denying others the safety you’ve been granted. Subtly manipulating others to do your dirty work. Considering murder.

Zevlor is someone torn between doing the Right Thing and the thing he believes will help those under his care survive. Importantly, when we first meet him he considers these to be two separate courses of action. So can you imagine what goes through his head when he first sees Tav saving everyone and doing so righteously? I think it’s integral to Zevlor’s characterization that the game all but forces you to play the Good Guy in that initial encounter. A cut scene starts, you’re thrown into combat immediately afterwards, and unless you plan to start attacking the Grove members alongside the goblins (which the mechanics discourage through the coloring that distinguishes enemies from allies) you will always finish this fight as Zevlor’s hero. Sure, you can be an asshole afterwards and demand payment. You could already be plotting your betrayal and the slaughter of all the refugees. But in this moment you are nothing but a miracle made flesh in his eyes. Right from the start Tav is succeeding in all the ways Zevlor feels like he's failed. You're the hero.

More specifically, you’re an Every-Man Hero. We might have epic backstories for our Tavs, but within confines of the game you’re largely a nobody when not playing an Origin character. How powerful must that have been to witness then? A total stranger, someone who has no ties to the tieflings or even, depending on your class, any sworn reason to help others, putting their life on the line to save what is most precious to Zevlor? I think a lot about the fact that he never asks Wyll to step in and try to change Kagha’s mind. She owes him just as much as she does Tav—Wyll is an equal participant in that fight and, if your shoddy play style is anything like mine, he likely did more damage—and Wyll is clearly invested in the tiefling’s survival, training the kids as he is. Now, obviously Zevlor’s reticence is largely a question of assigned roles (we need to be the one engaging with Kagha because we’re the protagonist/player) but, like Zevlor’s choice to include himself in the Not a Fighter group, it would have been all too easy to explain this away within the narrative. One comment about how Wyll already tried and failed, or how Kagha doesn’t trust Warlocks, or hell, maybe you don’t meet Wyll in the Grove at all. It’s an easy thing to accomplish and though this is edging more into the realm of headcanon than anything else, I can’t help but think that Wyll isn’t the kind of person that Zevlor could turn to for help right now. Because he’s a folk hero. The Blade of Frontiers, known far and wide for his impressive, selfless deeds. Zevlor is struggling so hard to keep the tieflings safe, tempted by all the unsavory solutions that might achieve that, drowning in self-hatred as his past and current failings catch up with him, wanting nothing more than to be his peoples’ protector:

“I would be a paladin again—with a god’s purpose, a god’s power. Everything I needed to protect my people. And all the while, the cult tortured them. They fought, and ran, and died around me, while I imagined myself their savior.”

Three of the things Zevlor mutters while trapped in the pod are “Hellrider… for… life…,” “Trust… in me…,” and “Children… look away… look at me…” He wants to be the protector, the one children look to for reassurance, he wants his words to Tilly to be a lie and he wants a way to prove that he is a Hellrider for life… but he’s not. At least, Zevlor doesn’t believe it. He lost his titles while Wyll still proudly bears his. Wyll trains the children to fight while Zevlor can only get swept up in anger at them being threatened. The people trust Wyll, adore him, he’s the hero and Zevlor… is not. Not anymore.

It’s too painful to approach Wyll and admit all that. That would be a hell of a blow to Zevlor's pride. But Tav? A stranger? A nobody? The Every-man who had no reason to help or reputation pressuring them, saving them anyway? That’s inspiring. Someone like Tav could be the answer and even, perhaps, the proof that Zevlor could redeem himself. Neither of them are folk heroes, untouchable in their assumed perfection. Tav is a living, breathing example of how the flawed, everyday adventurer can be everything Zevlor strives for.

No wonder he won’t shut up about them in the Shadowlands.

All of this is why it’s so tragic that Zevlor wasn’t given a redemption arc. Sure, you can recruit him for the final battle against the Netherbrain, but there’s no quest to change the cast’s opinion of him—or change Zevlor’s opinion of himself. All his content at the end of Act 2 and Act 3 reinforces that self-hatred.

Let’s make a list, shall we?

Nearly every line of his reunion with Tav has Zevlor painting himself in the worst light possible, from “a lie kinder than the truth” to his refusal to join you because he believes he’ll stab you in the back. You cannot convince him of the Absolute’s manipulation and there’s no response to his belief that such horrors start within the person like, “Of course it does! Because we’re all flawed and equally capable of good and evil deeds! That potential doesn’t make you irredeemable, Zevlor, it makes you mortal!!”

He’s utterly failed as his peoples’ champion and he’s also deemed “unworthy” of being a True Soul. Obviously not being chosen by the Absolute is a good thing, but for a man drowning in self-loathing that’s one hell of a complicated rejection.

Nearly all the tieflings hate him now, all those people he’s been sacrificing his soul to keep safe. I found it particularly devastating that this is one of the rare occasions where nailing a persuasion check doesn’t change the person’s mind. There’s at least one tiefling at Moonrise (I’m drawing a blank on her name) who will believe you when you explain how the Absolute influenced Zevlor, but that doesn’t lead to forgiveness.

Zevlor is deemed unimportant on a literal, narrative level. He is very easy to miss in the pods (I nearly did on my first play-through) and the game does incredibly little to dissuade you from that mistake. Putting aside for a moment that obviously an Origin companion is more significant than a minor NPC, compare this to Shadowheart screaming from her own pod, the game making it abundantly clear that this is someone in need of help—someone worth rescuing. She’ll even say later that you could have run past, more concerned with your own survival and the big picture heroics to bother with her. How must it feel then, if Zevlor ever learns that Tav was there and never stopped for him?

If you do miss Zevlor… oh boy. We’ve probably all seen at least a recording of Orin’s so-called gift. There are plenty of characters who can meet untimely and devastating ends, but very few go through this level of horror. Zevlor—after being held captive, remember—is tortured by God’s Favorite Torturer. He is stripped of his personhood and reduced to a mere “message,” a “pet.” Zevlor is further humiliated in death by being literally stripped of his armor—not just vulnerable in his nakedness, but denied the last symbol of his faith, his status, his power—and it’s always struck me that this is the closest we see to him 'enjoying' an intimate moment, this parody in Orin’s painting. Zevlor is one of the NPC’s most in need of physical comfort and instead he’s forced into this torturous mockery of a sex scene. It also hits hard that when Tav first spots his body the narration says that Zevlor “might almost be sleeping.” Undoubtedly this is a man who isn’t taking good care of himself. He needs a good night’s rest, yet this horrifying trick is all he gets.

As if all this weren’t enough, most of your companion are VERY critical of Zevlor while commenting on his demise. It’s one thing for the tieflings to believe the worst given their ignorance and the fact that they are the ones who suffered from Zevlor’s failure, but your company understands the Absolute and the ways that she gets her hooks in people. Still, Astarion calls him a “wet rag” even if he did deserve better than this. Shadowheart wouldn’t have wished this on him either, but she can’t help but slip in a “no matter his failings.” Lae’zel, often the most blunt, straight up says that he was “always destined to fail his people—and to fail us.” Wyll shakes his head and intones that “even good intentions can lead us down deadly paths.” Only Gale and Karlach stick to mourning the dead rather than airing his shortcomings.

When I spoke to my allies before the final battle Zevlor didn’t have a cut scene. It became clear to me later that this must have been a bug in my play-through, but at the time it only reinforced my feelings that his story was incomplete. Looking on Youtube I’ve found recordings of him saying that he is a Hellrider once more and he would “die a proud man if [he] were to die this day”… but that rings as terribly hollow given where we left him. Last we were together, Zevlor was saying in no uncertain terms that he could not be trusted, he would fail again, he was unworthy of forgiveness. Where did this change of heart come from? It makes perfect sense that he would help Tav in this moment—he begs to be of some use after getting free—but not that he would present himself with such confidence. Within the story as it’s been told this feels… fake. Like Zevlor is putting on a mask to fit the mood of this lively, optimistic party. Which, in turn, gives the “I would die a proud man” line a terrifying implication to me. Does Zevlor expect to die this day? Does he intend to? What would persuade him not to lay down his life here and now? His mission is complete. The tieflings are safe—though not by his hand. There's no hero's welcome waiting for him after this battle. They hate him. He hates himself, and by his own admission the one thing that could still make him proud would be to die at Tav’s side, trying to do one last bit of good. If someone said that to me after everything Zevlor has been through I would keep them far away from the front lines.

(I did, for the record lol.)

I’m not saying anything new then when I go, “Larian, PLEASE add more to his story.” Give us a Zevlor side-quest to renew his oath. Let us invite him to our camp. Something to link the broken man mid-game and the confident fighter at the end so that the latter doesn’t feel like an alarm bell with two legs and a tail. I mean yeah, I get hooked on minor characters so 75% of this is simply me wanting more content of a fave, but I also I do legitimately believe that BG3’s story would benefit from tying up loose ends like this.

Zevlor is a fantastic character, someone who contains an astounding amount of complexity for so little screen time. You have to follow up on that complexity though. If he’s meant to be a purely tragic figure, okay, fine, that’s the ending you get with Orin. But one where he joins you with a smile and reclaims a title he's previously rejected with such fervor requires more work in the middle; a through-line that explains how someone with so much self-loathing learns to think of himself as the hero again.

Because it does all come down to Zevlor’s perception of himself. He was always a hero, flaws and all. He always was and always will be a Hellrider.

The UI knows what's up :)

[paperclipninja]

I can't believe I forgot one of the most significant moments (imo) when I was mulling over duality etc here, and that is when Crowley goes up to Heaven to try and figure out what's going on. Actually, it's more than just multiple layers of truth. Yes there are a couple of truths at play, but as an audience we are given SO much information in this scene that it's almost hard to take it all in so I'm going to try and lay it out.

Here is what we learn in the whole scene:

Crowley knows that Muriel is a scrivener, including that they're 37th class. How?? Up until Crowley tricking Muriel into taking him to Heaven, there'd been no conversation about their angelic status

Crowley has a solid understanding of the way Heaven works and how to get around it (bees/once you're in, that they never change passwords etc)

Crowley has access to high level files

Saraqael seems to have a fondness? towards Crowley and allows him to view the trial, let's him know what happened and tells Muriel off but also not really

We get all the info about Gabriel and what happened

That Heaven wipes memories when demoting angels

When the alarm goes off because Aziraphale uses his halo, Crowley declares 'let's get back there' and directs Saraqael, 'you too' and they follow without question (though Crowley's original plan may have been to go and get Heavenly reinforcement but still, interesting the way he takes control and they just listen)

So the overarching duality in this scene - yes it is hilarious, the way Crowley gets Muriel to take him to Heaven in the first place and of course this whole situation:

but it's also an incredible act of love.

The entire season establishes unmistakably that Crowley has some very real trauma from his experience of being in Heaven as Aziraphale and cast into the hellfire, highlighted through his reactions to JimGabriel. Not to mention his history with Heaven and all that.

So in trying to come up with a solution to the demons attacking the bookshop, knowing that Heaven no longer have any real interest in helping Aziraphale, he willingly goes up there, the place he has made his feelings about very clear, to try and find some answers.

Yes this is a demonstration of Crowley's love for Aziraphale but it's also a demonstration of his love of humans and humanity. He puts aside his own feelings, takes a real risk (because he couldn't have known how any of the senior angels might respond to him being there...could he? Or what if the Metatron had seen him there? That's another pondering for another day...) and goes to the one place he has outright said he doesn't want to go back to, just to try and find a way to protect the humans and help Aziraphale.

THIS, to me, is the entire crux of where this is all heading. It's exactly the same reason Aziraphale gets in that lift. At the end of the day, Crowley and Aziraphale love humanity and want to protect it, even if it means risking themselves.

The multiple truths of this scene actually create a distraction I think. The humour of Crowley's outfit and little prancy toes make us think this is a light and funny moment, while we're also delighted by his subversion of Heavens 'rules' and processes and the revelations about Gabriel. It is both funny and informative. It does give us hints about Crowley's past while moving the current story forward.

But I think it's easy to miss the actions here, and that is that Crowley, who was cast out of Heaven, witnessed the ease with which they continue to cast angels into hellfire, saw the callousness of the Supreme Archangel as he condemned his best friend to no longer exist, put aside all he's witnessed and experienced because of love.

This is a love story. The love story of an angel and a demon, yes, but the love story of two entities, hereditary enemies, who fall in love with humanity and whose love for one another will give them the strength to protect it. At least, that's my take on it anyway :)

[emblemxeno]

Chapter 13 of Fates Revelation is a writing highlight for me.

Corrin: What's going on? They're both blaming each other for this carnage.

Azura: Of course. Kingdoms at war will always twist things to benefit themselves.

Ryoma and Xander-representative of Hoshido and Nohr as a whole-uphold the conflict and status quo of the world they live in. Even if it makes no sense, they accept that they're enemies and an enemy must have done something awful to harm the peace.

Even parts of their battle quotes and end of chapter dialogue emphasize this.

Ryoma: It doesn't matter, Kagero. Anyone who doesn't side with Hoshido is the enemy. What will you be?

Xander: Trust her? Don't be a fool. I won't listen to any more of your lies. You've chosen your side—opposite me. Prepare yourself, Camilla.

-

Xander: This isn't over! We'll fight to the very last man!

Ryoma: You won't see Hoshido waver! We'll fight until there's no one left!

Xander: Whoever retreats now admits defeat! Nohr will never lose to Hoshido.

Ryoma: This war will continue until we take our last breath!

They are unable to see any part of a conflict as something with them or against them. Nuance and rationality don't sit well in minds stubbornly steeped in years of animosity. War, hatred, and reinforcing the way things are is something both of them are willing to do, because they see no other path or choice for themselves.

Corrin and Azura meanwhile, actively disrupt their world views.

Corrin: ...You may be my brothers, but I won't go easy on you if you try to stop me! Come, everyone! ... Ryoma! Xander! Please, you both have to listen to me! We've defeated the real enemy—you don't need to fight each other now!

Azura: Ryoma, Xander... It wasn't Nohr or Hoshido who destroyed this town. It was done by the invisible forces that we just defeated. Now that they are gone, I will not allow any more senseless violence. I will sing my song as many times as necessary to restore peace. Do you still insist on fighting?

And it's not empty words or cries that fall on deaf ears. Corrin is strong. Her will is iron-clad, and she will ensure her vision of peace is made a reality, no matter who she makes an enemy of. Azura is strong as well. What she lacks in directing a path on her own, she makes up for with raw resilience and no qualms about using her song-something that risks her life-to end things on her terms.

They force their stubborn older brothers to look at things in a different perspective; to stop trying to hack and slash their lives away and consider a bigger threat to what and who they care about.

While they aren't swayed immediately, they're undoubtedly shaken. After that, it takes personal introspection and uncomfortable truths for each of them to swallow their pride and admit their ways are wrong, and to follow Corrin to end a senseless war.

And I love this exchange at the end as well:

Scarlet: Ryoma's talked my ears off about what happened to you as a kid. You sound like an idealistic brat to me. You want to bring peace to the world? Ha!

Corrin: There's nothing idealistic about ending this horrible war.

REJECT 👏🏽THE 👏🏽 STATUS 👏🏽 QUO 👏🏽!

Accusing others of being naive or idealistic for things like this, in my opinion, shows cowardice, or even ignorance; a life that's been beaten down by other upholders of a terrible state of the world until they agree.

Why is it naive to trust people? Why is it idealistic to want something like endless warring to stop?

We're fed a lie as children: "Life's unfair, you can't do anything about it." Says who!? Why accept that life is cruel and unyielding, when there's so much capacity for good in the world? Is life actually unchangeably unfair in its nature, or is it simply malefactors taking advantage of innocent people in order to rise up to slake their own greed?

Once terrible people get in power, they beat down any forms of resistance and feed this very same lie to them. Worse still, they can even convince the masses to discriminate, fight, and kill each other all so they can swoop in during the aftermath and reap the benefits. And people, at their lowest point, take solace in any explanation-no matter how untrue and no matter who it's coming from-in order to have some semblance of control or direction. That forms their new view of the world.

It takes people who haven't been exposed or raised to believe such nonsense (Corrin) and people who are wise enough to recognize the true problems of the world (Azura), to push against this normalized destruction between two innocent groups of people and direct their ire towards the actual oppressor (Anankos).

It's succint, but scathing. The word choice-in both JP and localization-is too deliberate to consider it a coincidence, I genuinely think it's a good criticism of how our modern world works as well. From a philisophical standpoint it is basic, but Fates as a whole also tackles issues of ignorance/discrimination, xenophobia, the boundaries and meanings of family, who defines justice, the belief of many versus the will of the few, embracing consequences instead of running away, and exploring the concept of leadership in general.

For a game this big, IMO, it meets the mark more often than not when considering the points it wants its audience to hear.

[super-earths-liberations]

Super Earth vs. Star Wars (Pt. 1)

Alright, it begins.

And it begins in the middle of the Clone Wars. The Republic and CIS forces are evenly matched at this point and trading blows. Both sides are utilizing their preferred strategies to break the stalemate: mass droid deployment versus versatile clone counterattack.

But both sides have to pause for a moment when they detect an unknown power surge to the galactic south. Neither side has any clue what it could mean, but it bears investigation. After all, the enemy might have developed a new weapon or warship over there.

So the Republic sends a single ship led by some random, no-name jedi alongside their compliment of clone troopers to an unsettled planet in nowhere space. Only its a little more settled than the records indicate. There are research and observation stations littered across the planet's surface.

So this jedi is comparing and contrasting the scanner's results to the records' discrepancies. But they can only do this for so long before another ship enters the system, and worse yet, it's a separatist ship. It takes only five minutes before that ship scrambles strike craft. No choice, then; time to engage.

Both ships trade shots, and clone fighters engage in intense dog fights with a swarm of relentless droids. It's an even fight until the jedi leads a risky boarding action onto the enemy vessel, sabotaging the guns pounding into their ship. Without the means to deal equal damage to the Republic ship, the CIS ship is whittled down to scrap metal. The droid strike craft are swiftly swatted by the remaining fighters aided by point defense guns.

Now taking a minute catch their breath, the jedi takes stock of their options. The engines are shot, and their shields are down, but their communications array is still intact. Thank goodness for that, at least.

So they send back a request for aid, but continue the investigation in the meantime. It appears the settlers on this planet are simple farmers and laborers, with a few uniformed scientists and guards wondering around. Deeming it safe enough, the jedi leads a small team to make contact with these people.

Initial contact goes well, but it's odd. The humans are agreeable enough. They smile and offer peaceful greetings. Still, the stilted way they talk about "freedom" and "liberty" rubs them the wrong way. The longer the talks continue, the more certain they are that this "Super Earth" isn't as friendly as they claim. But hey, it's not their problem. They learn that the power surges the Republic detected were likely Super Earth's ships making jumps into the system.

So they're about to wrap it up into a neat little report. The power surges were just the result of a new, neutral power expanding in the system. It certainly isn't the separatists building planet-crackers or something.

And then it goes horribly wrong when another ship enters the system. Well, a fleet. Of droids. Turns out the CIS are sore losers, and they'll do anything to get some payback. Even better, there's a jedi cut off from support, so getting rid of them will be worth the effort.

The jedi's ship is dead in space, and there's no way it can mount effective resistance with only half the remaining pilots from the previous fight. And with ten ships packed with droids ready to kill them all, there's not much choice: they have to abandon the ship.

Escape pods and transports are swiftly loaded with all the personnel and supplies they can carry. They make planet side and fortify the best they can. With their ship in orbit on autopilot and sending a looping distress call back to the Republic, they bought just enough time to get all their troopers down almost unmolested. Now it's just a matter of holding out until reinforcements can arrive.

It does not go well. The clone troopers are outnumbered fifty to one, and lack the armored fighting vehicles that their adversaries have. The zone of control shrinks by the hour as these machines press ceaselessly forward. The only positives they have are the presence of the jedi leading them and the support of the hapless Super Earth citizens that were unfortunately in the crossfire.

On that first point, having a jedi leading the occasional counter-assault on the droids slows their advance a little. Numerous tanks and super battle droid columns get taken out before they can seriously threaten the defenders, but there are always more where they came from.

On the other hand, their Super Earth allies are surprisingly effective against the standard battle droids. The clone troopers were initially skeptical of their lower-tech weapons, only capable of firing solid munitions, but their bullets could tear right through them. In fact, their guns were more effective than the clones' blasters.

Since blasters are so much more prevalent than solid slug weapons, most armors are made with deflecting thermal energy in mind. The chassis of the battle droids is no exception, as they were built to withstand a small amount of blaster fire before breaking. This leaves them slightly vulnerable to kinetic weapons, like the Liberator or the Break-Action Shotgun.

But it's all for naught, as the numbers advantage is simply too great to over come. Before long, grenades become scarce. Ammunition runs low. Fatigue sets in. Time is running out, and the defenders are quickly losing hope as more improvised positions get overrun by relentless droids.

During one lull in the fighting, a radio crackles to life with a message from orbit. Super Earth's Ministry of Defense announces the arrival of a liberation fleet to their system; Helldivers are on the way.

The clone troopers stand bemused as they watch the citizens perk up with renewed vigor. One of them even whoops and hollers as he runs straight out of the defenses to spread the word to others. Were the Helldivers really that special to them?

Time would tell, but it didn't seem like they had it. The troopers still manning the barricades were pushing past their limits, using looted droid blasters just to keep the fight going. A dozen troopers stood behind overturned vending machines and hastily erected sandbags in a grisly shootout with over a hundred battle droids. Their swift, accurate shots took out tens of droids, but more kept coming. What incoming fire lacked in accuracy was made up in volume. The air around them shined an angry red as they fought harder than their training ever accounted for.

Yet another wave was depleted, but they couldn't rest now. They took this opportunity to loot more ammo from the fallen droids and rearm themselves. Repositioning and regrouping, they set back up and waited for the next wave.

But the wave didn't come for a while longer than before. They were surprised that it took roughly half an hour for them to come back, and this wave was noticeably smaller than the last. The ensuing fight wasn't easy, but it was the easiest fight of the day. Better yet, once this wave was broken, there wasn't another one. The droids just stopped attacking. What was going on?

The confederates were the first ones to find out. They were confidant in this battle's success. The leaders in charge of the fleet had already kicked back and awaited news of their imminent success. They were so relaxed that they didn't even see the need to direct the army themselves.

So imagine their shock when the sensors came to life with over one hundred ships suddenly in the system. They were not ready for this kind of confrontation.

See, the separatists weren't warriors and generals by trade; they were bankers and merchants. They have no idea how to lead a battle beyond swarming their enemies with overwhelming numbers. So now that the roles were reversed, they were paralyzed with indecision.

This lack of immediate action would cost them, as volleys of cannon fire pounded into their shields. The fighters they scrambled to meet the new fleet could hardly last long enough to reach effective weapons range, as point defense and Atlas Cannon shots took them out with frightening ease.

With their shields down and strike craft depleted, the fleet admirals had to make a quick decision on what to do. If they made planetfall like the jedi's fleet, they could establish some ground defenses and hold out for a lot longer than in space. Hell, they might even succeed at killing the jedi and holding back the new arrivals long enough for the CIS to send reinforcements. But such a recue operation was unlikely, as the battle would likely be considered too costly. This could cut them off from escape and surely lead to their deaths.

On the other hand, they could simply retreat to hyperspace and live to fight another day. This was the safest option, but it would also mean abandoning the massive droid army on the planet. The billions of credits spent building that army would be lost, and so would any credibility they had within the Confederacy.

They chose to flee. They might be embarrassed, but at least they were still alive. Some of these men would return to the Confederacy to continue fighting, but others would take what they had left and flee the war altogether. Their expensive droid army was not as invincible as they thought, and this was simply too harrowing a wake-up call.

The droids on the ground, meanwhile, are busy at work. Those at the front are fighting ferociously, but the ones in the back are setting up mobile bases of operations to keep up with the shrinking battlefield. Little mind is paid to anti-air or stationary defenses. The whole army is slowly crawling forward in pace with their grinding victory.

Spotters see a number of fiery contrails landing a small distance from the formation. They received no word from the fleet above, so there's no intel about what just fell from orbit. The only hint they have is the unidentified ship hanging above their crash site. The decision is made to send a patrol to investigate.

Minutes pass, but the patrol doesn't report back in. The droids would have simply ignored the incident were it not for a frenzied report that an orbital cannon destroyed a mobile command center. Shortly afterwards, a platoon of unidentified human soldiers attacked from the rear, and set up a firing line among the wreckage.

Well, this just became a problem. Droid commanders redirect considerable forces from the front to reinforce the rear. An infantry division reinforced with super battle droids is sent to take care of these guerillas.

The droids surround the group, then begin the advance. This strategy is typically the most useful for them. Blasters have a low rate of fire and lack any kind of penetration, so the first row of droids act like a walking shield for the droids behind them. Combine this with the numbers advantage, and an attack in this style makes an effective hammer blow against most stationary defenses.

The enemies they're fighting here is not using blasters, they have machine guns. The increased rate of fire means the defenders can sweep the droids more effectively, and the penetrating shots can often catch more droids per shot.

So when the droids began their brazen march across an open field, the massed gunfire that met them wiped out huge swaths of their formation. That alone didn't deter them, but a concealed mortar emplacement bombarded them as well. Each impact wiped out a dozen droids and left difficult to traverse craters that only slowed their advance.

The super battle droids fared no better, as magnetically charged shots and powerful sniper rifles picked them off before they could even factor in.

Other soldiers threw designators into the crowd. The nearby droids watched it land with horror, fearing a grenade detonation, but sagged with relief when it only shined a red light into the sky. Relief that was short lived as a trio of aircraft screamed by and dropped scatter bombs wiping them out.

The unexpected decimation they were facing notwithstanding, they still had the numbers advantage, and it got them within engagement range. The droids finally returned fire, to significantly lesser effect. The reloading gunners among the humans could drop back into cover while lighter armed squad mates continued firing off with automatic rifles. This lull in firepower gave the droids the opportunity they needed to close in and take out the gunners.

The ensuing melee brought chaos onto the humans. Each one fought desperately to keep them out, shooting in wild arcs of automatic weapons fire. The railgun operators focused their fire on the remaining supers that breached their defenses. But no matter how deadly they were at the start, the numbers soon began to crush them. A super droid got a lucky shot on the railgun, exploding the rifle in the hands of the unfortunate soldier. A group of droids gunned down a rifleman. Casualties were mounting.

The droids were emboldened by their imminent success. The opening minutes of the battle really had them worried, but in the end, numbers ground through them like it always does.

But their celebration would have to end sooner than they'd like, for airborne transports flew down from orbit with autocannon fire scattering them from the humans' vicinity. The back ranks focused their fire on these vehicles, but the blasters lacked the power needed to break their armor. The humans rallied and pushed back the nearby droids, racing into the landing planes with haste.

In the end, the droids could only pelt the retreating vehicles with ineffectual small arms fire, watching as most of the human fighters fled to fight another day.

This was only technically a victory. The humans were forced to retreat, but at the cost of hundreds of droids, many being supers. The only positive was that they could now refocus their efforts on the clones.

But the commanders who ordered the attack got word from the other command posts; other such attacks were launched across their army. Reports of orbital lasers and explosive barrages decimating huge swaths of their forces sunk any hope they had of an easy victory. Whoever these new arrivals were, they were well prepared for their tanks and heavy infantry. The droid army effectively had no counter for them.

Helldivers were hard at work picking apart the droid army. Once they did enough damage to begin evacuation of their essential personnel, rescue operations were launched to the fortified bunkers where the scientists were pinned. One platoon lands a kilometer from the frontline and punches through the droid besiegers with utmost haste. Once there, they make contact with the trapped Super Earth colonists and an unknown paramilitary force wearing plastic armor.

Well the Helldivers aren't going to scoff at a little extra help, so they call in extraction shuttles and dig in with the defenders. Machine guns and deployed turrets point out, ready to tear apart any droids unfortunate enough to stand at the front of their formation.

And they come in numbers. The clones note that the numbers are far smaller than before, so something must have happened elsewhere. That was good news, because the ensuing fight was downright tolerable compared to the entire rest of the day. Heck, the Helldivers were kicking so much ass that they could take a small break from fighting. They still kept an eye out, though. They were still soldiers of the Republic, after all.

It was during this fight that the jedi and their retinue of commandos returned from a preemptive strike at droid armor. They won a hard fought battle against a suspiciously depleted tank battalion and they were returning for a short rest before their next operation, only to find an active siege that was already handled by new arrivals.

Shuttles landed safely behind their wall of guns, and swiftly departed with the colonists, leaving only the Helldivers and the clones to stand together in a bunker soon bereft of enemies on the attack. Radio calls are made and intel is collected.

The Helldivers, on orders from the Ministry officials in orbit, offer to take the jedi on the next shuttle to the Super Destroyers above. It is here that the jedi makes the first of two choices that saves their life: they explain they need to stay with their army and continue fighting. The Helldivers just nod and leave them behind. There are still plenty of operations needing their attention elsewhere.

While the jedi and their clones consolidate to other defenses, the Super Earth fleet detects another ship entering the fray. Comms light up with a message from a Republic rescue party requesting clearance to perform their mission. The Fleet ponders this for a bit, eventually deciding to allow it, seeing as they have plenty to do planet side as it is.

It doesn't take long for the jedi and clone troopers to evacuate the planet. Soon after their departure, a larger fleet of Super Earth transports and battleships arrive to mop up the remaining droids on the surface. Now that the general infantry are here to carry on the fight, Helldivers can relax and let the battle below conclude with inevitable Super Earth victory.

That leaves the Republic cruiser and the Super Earth fleet staring at each other in space. They're not quite sure what to do with each other, but the Ministry of Truth officer in charge elects to go aboard the Republic cruiser as a diplomat. Why not? They have so many more ships out there that he's in no danger.

So the jedi says a kindly hello, only to be met with a sharp demand for the Republic to surrender to Super Earth. Well, he uses words like "liberate" and "end your tyrannical rule" in a long winded diatribe that firmly places the Republic in an unwarranted villain role.

Imagine the shock this jedi would feel at that. They busted their ass and sacrificed hundreds of clone troopers to protect their citizens. How many close brushes with death did they have just to receive not one word of gratitude?

That dumbass officer should count himself lucky that the jedi temple practices stoicism, or he'd learn firsthand how hard it is to breathe when someone uses his lungs as a telekinetic stress ball. As it stands, the jedi tersely orders the prick to leave the ship. Once he's on the shuttle out, they tepidly order a return to Republic space. They leave at once.

This would be the second decision they made that saved their life, because the Ministry officer was moments away from ordering the fleet to capture them. They escaped just in time to avoid a disastrous naval battle.

Super Earth, meanwhile, watches on with mild disappointment. They wanted to capture the jedi for interrogation, but that opportunity was lost.

But they weren't too mad. After all, they discovered a massive new galaxy filled with exploitable resources and a preexisting populace just waiting to be "utilized". Battle data from the day's events showed that neither side was beyond the armed forces' ability to fight, and both sides were in active conflict with the other.

Their enemies were already divided. All that's left is to conquer.

[eisenartworks]

I've already told some of these before to @gofancyninjaworld in asks I've sent them, but I'll make a post abt some stuff I noticed

Slight differences in Tatsumaki's past

We all already know on just how different and far more unreasonable and I daresay straight up abusive Tatsumaki is in the webcomic, but tbh back then, I wasn't sure what caused it.

For a Doylist explanation, ONE needs Tatsumaki to not be so fatally flawed, bc to be fair, if we put wc Tatsumaki in manga Tatsumaki's situation, SHE WOULD FUCKING DIE. Wc Tatsumaki got lucky, but if she herself were to face Psykorochi and the eventual enemies, that sort of mentality would not give Tatsumaki the help she eventually needed. And not surprisingly, most of the problems the heroes faced in the wc MA arc can be traced back to ding ding ding! Tatsumaki!

For a Watsonian explanation... It took me a reread.

Webcomic Blast is... questionable, to say it generously. He's certainly no ideal hero manga Blast is, and that I do think would surely explain its bleaker world. But it certainly also explains why Tatsumaki is so cruel. Her meeting with Blast was brief, and harsh. He saved her life, but there's not an ounce of kindness there.

but the manga -

... They all lead up to the same advise, but god, look at the difference. Not only does Blast makes sure to let Tatsumaki out, Blast guessing Tatsumaki's reasons allowed her to open up to him, reminding her that she was wanted and needed by someone, he also made sure to give her kindly advise on top of the iconic one: Protect your family.

And to Tatsumaki, I do think that makes all the difference.

The two Saitama's costumes are extremely likely to not be the same

Yeah, I admit this also took a reread, so when I came upon this panel, you must understand I was pretty boggled. That would certainly explain why it looks... Like that. It's a genuinely a cheap costume. Heck, I have a feeling Saitama actually just buys another identical looking but different colored costume whenever he damages his. Maybe that's why whenever ONE colors wc Saitama, the suit color differs. This chapter I'm pretty sure was posted AFTER the The Road to Hero OVA, so I do think the change is intentional.

Manga Saitama on the other hand, has insistently kept going wearing the same costume and continuously repairs it whenever it got damaged or dirtied. There's just not doubt Saitama greatly values his costume, and takes pride in it bc it means he's a hero. Even tried entering it in a hero costume contest once and got its leather waxed. In fact he values it so much that he does subtly bend reality around it in that despite tanking attacks that would disintegrate its normal cloth (or literally any matter tbh), it still somehow gets away with dirt at best and a few rips at worst. It's also why when he lost utter faith in his own heroism, is when the suit gets genuinely destroyed except for the glove holding the core. Why though?

Probably because to some extent, the OVAs are canon. ONE did write some of them, or at least approved of them. This panel certainly helps reinforce that, considering it didn't happen in the manga, but in the anime:

That explains why manga Saitama's suit is a bit more quality and actually has good colors - it was made by someone who cared and believed in Saitama.

Webcomic Saitama's mysterious past

I really enjoyed reading the sidechapters in the manga, esp in the earlier chapters. They're pretty charming, some of it was actually a little sad. We get to know a whole lot more abt the characters and their different sides, Saitama especially, a bit of worldbuilding and a moral lesson here and there. Even some additional buildup/insight to some friendships/relationships. It's pretty interesting to see Saitama's past and see how it parallels some characters, Garou being the? Closest? Most poignant? ONE did intend that they're the antis of each other.

What I didn't realize until rereading the webcomic a few times is that we don't know anything about Saitama. At all.

the webcomic to me seems to operate strictly on the rule: if you never read it in the webcomic, it never happened in the webcomic. Opm has no shortage of mysterious characters. Drive Knight is def the one I first would think of. Webcomic Saitama isn't one I'd expect despite being. Well, literally obvious. We don't know anything about him. He hasn't said a word about his past. it's unimportant to the overall story I guess, but still. It's weird. We actually know a bit more abt wc Drive Knight's past than we do wc Saitama's. wc Saitama and manga Saitama may not even have the same backstory except for encountering Crablante and becoming a hero. If it isn't the same... That would certainly explain why they seem to have a different characteristic despite the fundamentals being the same. manga Saitama overall seems to be kinder, and more empathetic. Heck he's even pretty soft to kids, and the manga makes sure to show that over and over. Wc Saitama has never shown if he's nice or even likes kids.

Webcomic Sweet mask never met Blast. Manga Sweet Mask did.

Webcomic SM has this to say abt Blast:

... But manga SM has this:

how this changes SM, we are yet to know. I had to point this out bc I haven't seen anyone point this out, so I had to make sure.

Thnx for reading I have no idea where I am going w this

[mahayanapilgrim]

Our monkey minds are endlessly creative, and one of their favorite things to create is a nice juicy problem. If you don't happen to have a problem, your monkey mind is always more than happy to invent one for you. This is why most suffering is self-created. And, because it's coming from the mind, self-created suffering can manifest in an unlimited number of ways.

If you're wearing eyeglasses with yellow-tinted lenses, everything you see in the world around you will appear to be some shade of yellow. This is more or less how self-created suffering works. For example, if you're easily angered, you will tend to continually produce, perceive and construct a lot of "reality" according to that tendency.

You hone in on others' faults, believing that no one treats you well, that everyone else is in the wrong, until eventually you see the whole world as your enemy. If you have a habit of pride, you'll see the people around you as useless or lazy compared to you.

If envy is your Achilles heel, you'll view the world as a contest, a continual jockeying for the position of the one who has the most love, friends, fame, or resources. Such distorted views cause misunderstandings and conflicts between yourself and your family, friends, colleagues, coworkers, and society as a whole. And because they're so common, they're easily mistaken for reality. After all, you can always find commiseration for a negative view.

Someone else is probably wearing those same yellow glasses and will reinforce your belief.

When you're under the spell of a negative outlook, it's very easy to forget that it's not reality. It is what is sometimes called "holding a hammer in your hand and beating yourself on the head." Clonk! "Where did that come from?" Clonk! "Who is that? How dare they?" But actually, the source of the distress is coming from your own mind.

You're the one beating yourself over the head. The good news is, this means you also have the power to stop!

-Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

[balanceoflightanddark]

With Me or Against Me

It cannot be overstated of how the effects of growing up in the militaristic, imperial Fire Nation can have on a young mind. Especially if you grow up as the Princess of Fire Lord Ozai. Azula has shown time and time again in the series that she has a militaristic mindset. That she and her friends are soldiers first, people second, often to the point that her ability to socialize outside of her most immediate social groups are...

...limited.

Okay, so what does this mean for the character herself?

Well, I believe one of Azula's problems that's pretty dang indicative of how the Fire Nation operates is...she has a sort of black-and-white morality view of the world. Where everyone who is part of the Fire Nation and a loyal servant of Fire Lord Ozai is an ally, while traitors and others are enemies.

Now obviously this isn't an attempt to condemn Azula since this problem is pretty damn rampant in the Fire Nation. Evidence of this is right in the education system. Remember how in "The Headband" when the schoolteacher claimed that the Air Nomads had an army that was planning to attack? And how Aang called out the bullshit she was propagating since the Nomads were...you know...pacifists?

The Fire Nation was in-universe known to rewrite history to make themselves look heroic and everybody else as enemies standing in the way of progress. A view which they share to all of the other nations. That they're the honorable harbingers of civilization, while everyone else is backwards savages not above pulling some of the dirtiest tricks in the book.

And how the treacherous and deserters are possibly among the most loathsome people you can find.

Azula was more than likely raised with that mindset like everyone else. Even more so when you consider she is the daughter of somebody who did effectively backstab his brother to ascend to the throne. So naturally, she's going to have some trust issues. That almost anyone can be some enemy out for blood.

Something that of course can be tempered into absolute loyalty to one person such as her father. After all, she can have friends if she wants, but she needs to remember that only her father understands her. That she needs to keep a close eye on all her allies, lest...

...yeah. Even if Azula handled that poorly, the betrayal only just reinforced this "everybody outside of Ozai is an enemy" mindset.

And again, she's not unique in this regard. Part of the Fire Nation doctrine is literally all about displaying fealty and loyalty to the Fire Lord:

"My life I give to my country. With my hands I fight for Fire Lord Ozai and our forefathers before him. With my mind I seek ways to better my country. And with my feet may our March of Civilization continue."

Loyalty to the Fire Lord is one of the core tenets of the Fire Nation oath, along with them claiming themselves to be the marchers of civilization. So it wouldn't be a stretch to say that anybody who opposes said march, be it rival nations or Agni forbid traitors, are naturally enemies of civilization. And so should be met with the same mercy that they would surely inflict upon them.

After all, the Fire Nation is guilty of propaganda, and one of the chief tactics of propaganda is turning their enemies into literal monsters. Azula is just the chief product of this toxic mindset of turning kids into soldiers.

To make matters worse, Azula just became the Fire Lord and Zuko's challenging her to the throne. Who at this point is a traitor in the eyes of the Fire Nation. Also he showed up with Katara. And...guess what happened with the last coup attempt?

One dead Fire Lord, and one mother who gets banished for being a traitor and doing some pretty underhanded things.

Even if Zuko wanted to do things honorably, Azula sure as hell isn't going to accept that. He's a traitor, and traitors cannot be trusted. Something that's practically written in the DNA of the Fire Nation. And if she backed down, there's no telling what he might do to her and the Nation.

Or what he arguably does do in the comics.

The common sentiment is that Azula was power hungry. That she had a grudge against Zuko for being Ursa's favorite. But if her whole childhood is saying that those that betray the crown are monsters that will stab you in the back for showing even the slightest amount of pity...is it pure spite or indoctrination that fueled Azula's fire in the Last Agni Kai?

[boyslit]

Versa - 4★

[HSR OC]

Title : Personal Assistant to Mme Herta Path : Harmony Element: Electric Combat Type : Support  Faction : Herta Space Station

Introduction : Despite being a 6-year-old AI program already, and a prototype at that, Versa is capable of invaluable efficiency, calculation and organization that helps keep the station’s research running smoothly. His clipped and curt demeanor are reminiscent of his creator, and much like her he values his time and expects things done correctly and efficiently the first time around. 

I have more about Versa in my tag "oc: versa" :3

Also it's important to me that you know he has a British accent for literally no reason, that's just how Herta programmed him. She refuses to elaborate on this point. He's just stuck with it.

— Story

Character Details : Initially known as HertAI Assistant V3 R-54, Versa has exceeded all of Herta's expectations, including longevity and capacity for learning. Due to this, he inhabits an integrated android frame similar to Herta's remote puppets on the station and continues to assist not only Madame Herta but other researchers as needed. Boredom does occur infrequently, however, and this android finds himself dreaming not of electric sheep, but of the stars beyond the reinforced windows of the station.

— Ability

Basic attack: Arc Flash - zaps the enemy with excess power

Skill: Tools of the Trade - buffs one ally with increased crit rate for 2 turns

Talent: Efficient Gyroscope - When allies equipped with Tools of the Trade land critical hits on enemies, gain 2 extra energy. 

Ultimate: Dressed to Kill - buffs everyone with increased effect hit rate and dmg for their next 2 turns and selects one random ally to forward their turn by 100%.

Technique: Wireless Charging - turns the ground around the party into a recharging station and increases all allies' speed by 10% for their first turn when entering battle.

— Eidolons

1. Electric Dreams - Increases energy Regen Rate

2. Packed Itinerary - Bonus to Versa's Speed 

3. HR Has Been Notified - Enemies have a low chance to become shocked after attacking Versa

4. Routine Maintenance - +2 to Basic and Talent

5. Employee of the Month - Skill now buffs 2 closest allies

6. Hardware Upgrade - +2 to Ult and Skill

— Character Lines

First Meeting : Greetings, and welcome to Herta Space Station. We've been expecting you. If you'll follow me to Madam Herta's office, please. You're a bit behind schedule because of the shuttle delay, so we'll be moving quickly to make up for the time discrepancy. Please try to keep up.

Greeting : Good morning. Coffee? …Oh, no, this isn't for me. I'm assisting someone in the security department this morning, and they're much more agreeable after a mug of caffeine.

Parting : Take care. Don't stay up too late gaming again. (chuckle) Surprised? I can see the network requests from your phone. You shouldn't use the station's connection if you don't want me to see what you're up to.

About Self - [Android] : This body is built in a similar fashion to Madam Herta's remote bodies, although modified for personal taste and efficiency. Taller bodies are able to walk more quickly, after all. 

About Self - [AI] : As an older model, I am not exactly as useful to Madam Herta as I was at creation, but I am still at 100% of my original capabilities, and that's certainly more than enough to assist around the station. 

Chat - [The Express] : I imagine you've been to so many interesting places… (sigh) I do like it here, but every time the stars out there catch my eye I find myself wondering what it's like to see everything with my own eyes instead of pulling up geomaps and metrics online…

Hobbies : I have very little spare time, but I do enjoy assisting maintenance with robotics repairs when I'm able. I do a large amount of my own routine maintenance and find it soothing to do on other non-organics as well.

Annoyances : Humans have such terrible internal clocks. I am constantly reminding people of scheduled arrangements, waiting for someone to arrive, and having to reschedule meeting time when no one's called to check if they've double booked. I suppose I shall have to content myself with the fact that I, at least, will never be late.

Something to Share : Recently I've given more thought to decorating my quarters. I've noticed most of the researchers have things like photographs and mementos at their desks and in their offices, things that hold significance for them… Perhaps I will be able to decorate with travel photos someday.

Knowledge : There is little knowledge I cannot get my hands on, as long as it is available online or in the station’s data repositories. I hear the Astral Express has a considerable data bank, however. I would love to see what sort of information the Nameless have compiled over their long journeys.

About Herta : Even if she was not my creator, I believe I would respect her as deeply as I do now. Her intelligence and innovations are beyond comparison to anything else in this world.

About Asta : I often serve as a go-between for Miss Asta and Madame Herta for matters concerning the station. She may seem a bit air-headed upon first glance, but behind that sunny exterior lies a backbone of stainless steel.

About Arlan : *snidely* Ah, Miss Asta’s lapdog. *noise of clearing throat* Forgive me. I shouldn’t have said that. Master Arlan is our most knowledgeable security specialist and works very hard to keep our researchers and their work secure. … He does seem to harbor an underlying frustration, however.

About Himeko : Miss Himeko is an engineer of astonishing quality. If she were not responsible for the Astral Express, I would attempt to recruit her for our own space station. Alas, caring for the vehicle of an Aeon is a much more prestigious calling than working here.

About Rex : Oh, him. *sighs* I suppose his little scrap-heaps of robots have come in useful during combat. I do wish he’d stop smoking so much. My air filters aren’t meant to deal with so much tar and nicotine residue, and, as I understand, neither are human lungs.

— Combat Lines

Battle Begins - Weakness Break : Now we'll see just how tough you really are.

Battle Begins - Danger Alert : Take extra precautions with this one.

Turn Begins I : Right on schedule.

Turn Begins II : Let's get this dealt with.

Turn Idling : (huffs) We are extremely behind schedule, please try to keep up!

Basic ATK : Take this!

Skill : I've sent the details to your mail.

Hit by Light Attack : Ngh… Back off!

Hit by Heavy Attack : (roughly) I'll be sending you my repair bill…

Ultimate: Activate : If you'll all take a look at your screens… (2x: Please check your screens.)

Ultimate: Unleash : I trust you'll make good use of this information. (1 and 2x: Now destroy them. ♥)

Talent : Excellent teamwork, everyone!

Downed : Re- (buzzing, zapping noises, distorted speech) recov-ver-y m-m-mode… activa-a-ted…

Return to Battle : Reboot successful. Returning to work immediately.

Health Recovery : Shell integrity increased.

Technique : Don't want to be stranded with a low battery.

Battle Won : An expected outcome.

Treasure Opening : Hmm, what have we here?

Successful Puzzle-Solving : (yawn) Do humans truly enjoy this? How boring...

Enemy Target Found : Enemy identified. Waiting for orders to engage.

Returning to Town : Back to civilization at last…

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 94

We see what Mustang's crew is doing. They're acting as the PR team while Briggs goes on the offense.

It seems like the fighting is in a fairly small part of the city since people don't know anything going on.

It's also pretty strange that no one in the general public is aware of King Bradley's disappearance or the attempted assassination. If there wasn't an attack on the capital and it wasn't specifically the Promised Day, maybe someone in Central would take temporary control and then make the announcement.

Since Graman is leading the recovery operation, maybe he put the gag order so Roy's team could take advantage of the public's confusion.

Breda also said the train bombing happened "a few hours ago". I've mentioned a few instances that show that characters have a very vague sense of the past. A few hours might mean earlier today or it might mean yesterday afternoon as far as I can tell.

But with Roy's team playing the part of the loyal allies of the beloved Fuhrer, they're managing to rally the public to their side. It could also pave the way for Eastern and Northern reinforcements if Graman were to march on Central. Graman could just say that he's rallying to Roy's cause and even reveal that he'd found the train wreckage.

And Maria Ross ties their whole PR machination with a pretty bow by claiming their cause is just.

If I could edit this chapter, I'd put the tank scene first and then have the radio station scene. Maria Ross said their cause was "for the sake of justice" and it would hit even harder if we then transitioned to Roy who is acting for the sake of vengeance instead.

It seems Envy can't maintain any shapeshifter appearance when seriously injured. When Roy burned Envy's face, it started changing back to its default human form. And I double checked chapter 38 and Envy immediately changed back from a dog when Lanfan impaled it with a kunai.

Envy has been previously defeated in its monster form. But it didn't lose in a way that implies Envy is not a threat anymore. So when Envy transforms again, we might be feeling a bit of dread and excitement. But only for a moment.

This really is the most appropriate way for Envy to truly lose a fight. Envy has been the most persistent antagonist in the whole series. It has mocked and manipulated the protagonists; it has reveled in its cruelty to others; it caused the Ishbal Civil War which was the source of many of the characters' traumas. And every time it was faced, Envy was a deadly enemy who no one could truly defeat.

And now Envy is facing an enemy it is helpless against. And anything it tries to do just makes Roy even angrier and make him prolong its suffering more.

Envy can't mock, manipulate, murder its way out of this.

And the best part is we the audience are enjoying the catharsis about it. Envy is cruelly mocked, all its tricks fail completely, and it spends the chapter running in fear while being hunted. And we might not realize how Roy is sliding off the path he set for himself. And Roy isn't aware of it either.

There is an alternate universe where Roy still had this fight and there would be no concerns about his mental state. And that universe was destroyed when he declared that he'd make Envy suffer through the whole ordeal.

When Roy fought Lust, he opted to burn her and continue to burn her until she stayed dead. No waiting for her to regenerate. Just continuous explosions. But with Envy, he's opting to make every burn as painful as possible. Melt Envy's eyes, blow Envy up, wait for Envy to recover, repeat.

And this chapter really shows how utterly petty Envy can be. It couldn't trick Roy by disguising itself as Hughes, so it tried to guilt him over attacking Hughes. It couldn't beat Roy, so it targeted Hawkeye in order to hurt him. And it yelled defiance at Roy even as he prepared to finish it off.

And let's talk briefly about Hawkeye's pre-skirmish with Envy. Since Envy-as-Roy is the first one we see, and Hawkeye is the one hidden in shadow, it's understandable that we'd think Hawkeye is actually Envy. Although the first hint to the contrary should be that Roy stopped doing the eye thing when he met Hawkeye.

And Envy apparently does not ship Royai.

That scene also sets up a nice parallel with what happens next. We were set up to think that we were seeing Envy about to attack Roy and it turns out to be the very opposite scenario. But then Hawkeye really does point a gun at Roy.

In both cases, she's aiming her gun at a monster.

How many guns does Hawkeye have on her? She pulled out 4 different handguns over the course of this chapter.

And here's a potential explanation to Ed's long-range Alchemy. He's not actually performing the same thing May does. He's manipulating the ground along the way to its intended destination.

back

[baby-prince-oppa]

At the 10:30 mark there’s an interesting speculation that I haven’t noticed before.

So the speaker suggested that Antonia and Geppetto used to work together on creating the first puppets. (In the original story, Antonio is a carpenter and a friend of Geppetto). We all see the part in the trailer where she and P would look up at the giant painting on the wall, which some assumed to be Antonia in her younger years.

She then looks up at P with a gentle half smile, which gives off some sort of maternal vibe.

Then at the end of the trailer, there’s the statue of Michelangelo’s "Pieta", with Mary holding a puppet body instead of Jesus.

Here's the kicker: Mary might represent Antonia and the limp puppet in her arms could represent P's earlier/earliest version of him aka. a prototype.

The theory: Geppetto might have wronged Antonia in some way, thus leaving her with an incurable disease (and possibly responsible for her losing her son).

The speaker also suggested that the Blue Fairy aka. Sofia and Geppetto may serve as polar opposites; one guiding P to become human and the other reinforcing P to remain a puppet.

Which leads to theory #2: if P fully learns of the truth, he will strive to become human as quickly as possible so that he may appear in front of Antonia one last time, as a dead son brought back to life in flesh and blood, before she inevitably passes away.

EDIT: HOLD UP! What if this were to happen?

I assume that Sofia would guide P to become human and Geppetto to keep him as a puppet BUT what if it's the other way around?

Geppetto wants P to become human in order to fulfill Antonia's dying wish. He still has some love for her despite distancing himself from her and is still willing to right his wrongs. Knowing that she doesn't have much time left, he pushes P to lie as much as possible.

Sofia on the other hand, would probably ask along the lines of "Why would you wish to become a filthy, sinful being, having to deceive everyone around you to achieve what you want? Why be human when you can be the ultimate, purest form there is? Where you can achieve much greater heights no human will ever reach…"

"…as a machine."

In other words, the Blue Fairy may be the enemy here. 😨

If we're following the original story, the Black Rabbits could be working for her. Their job is to put a stop to P's mission into becoming fully human. They will continue to threaten him or when push comes to shove, ultimately kill him if they have to. Thus, that's the reason why they're lugging around a coffin with the inside labeled "LIAR" as a means to intimidate him.

[equaliezr]

hc + family

HAMA

chapter one: the vengeful witch.

noatak is a direct descendant of the first accused 'witch of the central islands', marking a lineage shadowed by power and hardship. after one-hundred years of death and further cultural denigration, hama, retained a significant place in water folk cosmology; from her discovery of an elevated medium that uniquely connects with the moon and ocean spirits, her people would be endowed with higher knowledge that will be an essential tool to invoke upon resistance and healing.

blood-bending is an established dynamic component of a blueprint for the "amalgam of techniques" for spiritual and cultural growth, with its healing and harming duality. the fury of the ocean spirit, la, raised amid admiral zhao's invasion is a testament to contemporary affairs of the interrelations between supernatural and human activities. there is no separation of their spheres because their relationship with 'life' is organically one of mutuality and connectedness.

the ocean spirit's provocation and intervention was the rallying point for all the justice forming in the collective's body to be released and answer the war horn. when anger resonates throughout the body, it is a personal signal that informs of a violation present and or its effects have gone unaddressed. the body is urging for divine regulation to rewrite reality and for anger to be transmuted into shield and sword. the associations of water are life, fertility, transition, and protection. after she survived her imprisonment(s) as a prisoner of war and returned home post-war, she dutifully demonstrated her spiritual acumen of blood-bending and passed on her knowledge, ushering in a new sociocultural milieu.

however, the divine properties of blood-bending could not survive long enough to be appreciated and studied for future water tribe generations. as the oppressor class learned about the source of the strange attacks on their civilians, hama was the catalyst for their panic and contempt toward the recompense of the water tribe diaspora. new imperial-constructed tropes were developed to justify the continuation of their expansionist and genocidal agenda: "water wraiths", "bloodthirsty barbarians", "savages", and other degrading qualifiers that would be found in accounts of water tribe dealings.

the fire nation's disregard for their own global graphic hostilities mattered little to them in contrast to the second life cycle of stigmatization of water benders. to them, they're absolved of 'tyrannical suppositions' and the existence of blood-benders reified their belief systems on how their conquest was just. allowing hama's reintegration into her community was an error on their new fire lord's part, and they refused to deliberately wait for an 'aberrant people' to deliver undistinguished destruction to their nation. the metamorphosis of longstanding imperial fantasies led to campaigns to 'extinguish' the incommensurable savagery water tribesmen were postulated to be capable of.

hama's work across seas, behind enemy lines, her introduction and tutelage of blood-bending, and her fierce rebellious spirit during the post-war raids marked her as an elder to be deified in respect, but also an ominous figure to be feared. the southern tribe community stood in solidarity with her, thwarting every fire nation to kill or recapture the elder, until the gaang put an end to it. fire lord zuko installed policies that protected the south from fire nation aggression, but unfortunately, soon intracultural stigmas festered around blood-bending, after katara informed water tribe chieftains about her personal experiences with the art and its progenitor.

the practice of the art was decreed taboo, awakening prejudices, and erroneously reinforcing the connotation of blood-bending with evil, and madness, and labeled any would-be/active practitioners as marred dark-hearted personas, immoral blights on honest representations of their way of life. hama, a small sum of her students, along with native non-bender and bender spiritualists alike found the decision careless, and disrespectful and protested against it; they insisted that disrupting their indigenous bestowals from the spirits is nothing short of profound cosmological, ontological, and epistemic self-inflicted violence.

but the law forbidding it was final, thus constitutionally targeting blood-bending adherents and supporters with social ostracism. hama and the few loyal followers she had left eventually abandoned the mainland and ventured beyond the bridge of no return, disappearing without a trace. no one had seen them in years after that, it was assumed they died off somewhere in the treacherous arctic terrain. but, the mere mention of her name still acts as a stimulus for anxious, fear-mongering superstitions that speculate insidious motives of return.

YAKONE.

chapter ii: the puppet family.

the aftermath of the one-hundred-year left many people around the world devastated. millions struggled in their land's respective economies, trying to repair the critical damages their livelihoods had suffered throughout the war. the inception of the proto-urn ( the united republic of nations. ), cranefish town, promised a restart, renewal, and a better life. people from all across the globe took up the fresh opportunities avatar aang's and fire lord zuko's efforts offered the world and hoped to bring in a better tomorrow for their families.

enriched by its diversity, sociocultural evolution sprouted in the developing the fifth ( technically sixth. ) nation. it was the melting pot for amalgamating customs to forge and prosper. despite the balances cranefish ( later republic city. ) ambitiously endeavored to engender, the gashes colonial machinations left were still fresh. virtually irresolvable intercultural strife and intracultural rifts swelled and bled into consistent conflicts. some ethnic groups managed to segregate themselves, building their own enclaves, like the water tribes,

the north and especially south water tribe immigrants wanted to escape the civil unrest, socio-political instability, and collective poverty affecting their homeland. the mass migration led to the founding of "little water tribe", a section in the city that is primarily composed of but not limited to descendants from the northern and southern tribes. water folk and foggy swamp tribes were also included in the proud pan-oceanic identity of those of water lineage.

together, little water tribe erected a myriad of businesses; community institutions, social clubs, veteran resource centers, medicine shops, small hospitals, schools, traditional shops, eateries, and bender arts and martial arts dojos, respectively. they conducted cultural festivals and even allowed outsiders to participate with them, as the intercultural exchanges helped them address implicit biases, fostered greater economic independence, and generated revenue for the community.

however, their position on inclusivity soured from the attacks that have become frequent in their neighborhoods. some of it was due bender gang expansionism, but another part of it was due to virulent discriminatory attitudes. the knowledge of their indigenous practice of blood-bending, despite it being wildly unaccepted within their community, was deeply embedded in the public consciousness and they were a people to be considered diabolic in nature. there have been events of foreign vigilantes randomly selecting and kidnapping water tribes people for "suspicion" of blood-bending and were executed by fire-bending.

the government attempted to intervene, but other, "more dire" matters kept their attention. so, a protector rose in the form of yakone, a local elderly and charismatic fur trader. yakone was actually a veteran of the one-hundred-year war. he was notably present and helped thwart the invasion during the north pole siege, led by admiral zhao. he assembled other veteran water benders into a vanguard dedicated to protecting little water tribe's quality of life, named the red monsoon triad, as he assimilated the group into gang naming practices. he was lionized in the community, with the title, ogimaa ( or chief. ). if a dispute needed to be resolved, no matter how small or how big, the ogimaa was the man to ask to mediate the situation

the red monsoon rooted itself firmly in the little water tribe, passively extracting funds from businesses that supported their cause and day-to-day operations. there wasn't a reason to question the water-dominant triad, because they originally functioned differently compared to the other violent groups that terrorized them. with yakone's fur business thriving due to his immense popularity, he had enough funds for trips to the south pole. every time he returned to the city, he always returned with an amazing amount of animal pelts. but one day, he didn't.

a time came when he returned with a mysterious group of hardened water tribespeople. yakone told the red monsoon the people were his "family", and without having them undergo any formal initiation ceremonies, he installed them in positions of power in his organization. yakone's behaviorisms and agenda performed a complete 360; he started aggressively responding to outside antagonism with unequaled brutality. the same community that admired him started to fear him.

while the red monsoon triad's activities did graduate into the same brand of terrorism the other triads exercised, his guerilla warfare became something entirely different. members of other communities started mysteriously disappearing and when discovered, their bones were unimaginably contorted in ways a human shouldn't be able to bend. innocents were victims, as well as rival triads. soon, rumors started spreading that blood-bending was being practiced again and a new-founded scare arose. storeowners closed their ships early, and people made a conscious effort to stay away from little water tribe, lest they incur the wrath of the "corrupted bloods".

the panic he caused never phased him; yakone relished in the irrational blood-bender folklore and the myths surrounding him, in fact. there was already a violent industry disseminating bigoted misinformation via neurocinema and minstrelsy. the popularity of horror movers [ movies. ] that constructed water spiritual traditions into nefarious spirit works haven't helped audiences form fair judgments, discerning authentic elements from the inauthentic.

the traumatic impact it had on his people was of no consequence to him, because he reasoned that if his mother, shaman's, and medicine people couldn't convince their tribe to free themselves of their shortsightedness, there'd be no point in working in activism to decriminalize the indigenous practice of blood-bending in a multicultural city, carrying old world mentalities. instead, he'd raise his family from the shadows, continue his mother's work, and control republic city. the underworld was already his, and when he's gone, republic city will be in the hands of his descendants.

author note: this could've gotten more lengthy, but it's long enough and I want to leave room for future hc questions.

[mylittlemenandme]

VOXBREAKER

Oh dear.

Well, let's go through my camera photos and see what I've been up to since the turn of the year...

First up, my amazing Secret Santa from the community - a beautifully painted and heavily tooled up marine, who I ran as a Reiver Lieutenant in my first game of the year.

My lore for him is that he has been seconded from another Great Company to better hone his skills behind enemy lines.

Speaking of my first game of the year, I got in a Tempest of War game at my local club against an opponent I missed out on playing at the end of last year's Crusade League.

A narrow (2 points difference!) victory against Tyranids in the end, with Herja continuing her streak of charging into the nastiest thing on the board, a Swarmlord this time (the lead photo - it didn't go well for her).

This was also the first game post-Armour of Contempt and the points drops, so it was surprising how many models I had on the board!

With a new Crusade League starting up, and with the Phobos-heavy Vanguard Spearhead rules expiring in June (surely not because everything was?), I decided that would be what I ran. My one concession was that I would run them as Wolfspear in order to open a few more relevant options with regards Warlord Traits and Relics.

It also meant that I needed to get this two built and painted...

...as well as a chance to paint up and (finally) run some Hounds of Morkai.

But first! An away weekend with a community meet-up, this time at Bristol Independent Gaming. Games included my regular foe of the Emperor's Children...

...Ragnar Blackmane carving people up in a 4-way Boarding Actions game...

...and a punishing game against a Nurgle and Khorne daemon army.

The Crusade League was then up-and-running when I returned. My opening round at 25 Power Level was a bye, and then a game against Orks run by the Tyranid player from earlier. A good game, but I was well and truly krumped.

I then concentrated on my reinforcements for the 50PL round of game, and managed to get two more Eliminator squads and one of my Invictors ready in time for a family photo.

That next round involved a game against Necrons, and then Chaos Knights. Two narrow defeats mean that my only points so far are from my first round bye, but at least the boys are getting a run out I guess.

And now I'm getting models ready for the 75 and 100PL rounds. The Reivers and Incursors are ready for the next set of games (bar the base rims), and I'm already working on the second Invictor from earlier for the final round.

And once that's all wrapped up, it'll be time for 10th edition! The rules previews have all looked extremely promising, and I'm looking forward to the crumb of information we'll be given about Space Wolves tomorrow. And I'll have a pretty big all-Phobos army ready for it as well! (Oh, and all the Death Guard from Christmas? They're all primed too!)

[anxious-lee]

Where's That Smile? || A Gustholomule Tickle Fic

Summary: Gus notices that Mattholomule is especially grumpy while they're fortifying the Illusionist Graveyard and tries to put a smile on his face. This is a tickle fic, you all know where this is going 😏

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It wasn't that off-putting that Mattholomule never smiled. Admittedly, it would have been more startling if he did. He must have been destined to be a miserable little agent of chaos. But still, everyone has to smile sometimes, it's witch-nature. It's uncontrollable and contagious, like a yawn. A yawn but for happiness. Mattholomule must be capable of smiling, and Gus was going to prove it.

Luckily enough, he had the perfect setting. Him and Matt were spending their Saturday like they usually did, continuing to reinforce the Looking Glass Graveyard. It had become an unspoken agreement, that they would return every weekend, and work till the sun went down. It was a lot more fun than it sounded. They laid out illusion boobytraps and pranks to frighten off unsuspecting looters. And of course, they needed to be tested. Matt would "accidentally" trigger the traps and scream dramatically to make Gus laugh. But all the lab rat offered in turn was a smirk, which was not the same as a smile.

On that particular Saturday, Mattholomule hadn't even given him that. He seemed deflated and irate, whereas his usual self was at least a little cheeky. Gus wasn't about to let his new friend go home with the blues. During one of their breaks, he plopped himself down next to Matt where he sat on a bench, and turned to face him.

"You alright? You don't seem like yourself", asked Gus cautiously.

"Why? Did I forget to tap my heels during my peppy musical number?", was Matt's reply, abundant in sarcasm.

"You don't have to be such a jerk, you know. No one's here to make fun of you." Gus's feelings weren't hurt. He willingly spent time with Matt despite his cold cover, but he was concerned about his cru-friend. His friend. The boy who used to be his enemy, now his friend. His new friend. The one he was worried about. Yep.

Mattholomule gave a small sigh and averted his gaze to the ground. He spoke as kindly as he could, "I'm fine, Augustus. Nothing happened. It's just one of those days, you know."

The illusionist decided not to acknowledge the decency Matt showed him, for fear he would revert back out of nervousness. Instead, he lightened the tone.

"Maybe I could help cheer you up!"

The boy next to him rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious! C'mon, there's gotta be something I can do to make you smile!", Gus grinned.

"You're sweet, magician boy, but I don't need cheering up", Matt's voice suddenly took on a gruff, melodramatic tone, "My soul is cold, rock-hard, untouchabLE-"

His monologue was interrupted by a double poke to his sides, courtesy of Augustus 'fed up with your bullshit' Porter. To be perfectly honest, Gus didn't actually know what he thought would happen. But seeing his cocky friend jump at his touch gave him an idea. This would definitely make him smile.

"So you're suuuurrree nothing can make you smile~?, the illusionist teased.

Matt had a bad feeling about where this was going, and summoned the strongest grimace he could muster.

Gus slowly pinched up and down the boy's sides, "Are you suuuurree you're not... ticklish?"

Mattholomule was in deep water now. This was the last thing he wanted to happen in front of his cru-friend. His friend. The boy who used to be a nuisance, now his friend. His new friend. The friend who was sitting very close. Yep. His face grew red and he turned away, hoping the boy in question wouldn't notice.

But oh he definitely noticed!

Gus grinned with excitement, "Ohhhh I think you are~! I think you wanna laugh~"

The sparkling sensations on Mattholomule's sides were starting to get to him. His chest shook with suppressed laughter as the corners of his lips turned up.

"I think I see a smiilllee~!", teased Gus.

Matt shook his head sternly. He was not about to be humiliated in front of Augustus Porter of all people.

"No?", asked Gus dubiously, "Guess that means I have to do this!"

At that moment, he scribbled his fingers all over the poor boy's torso, scritching and scratching over his belly and sides.

Mattholomule doubled over, flopping right onto the ground like a fish.

Gus roared with laughter at the less-than-graceful whale breach and followed after him, tickling him still.

"I know this tickles! I'm not gonna stop until I hear a giggle. I'm going to tickle you all day if I have to~"

Poor Matt was barely keeping it together. He clapped his hands over his mouth to keep any noises in. The illusionist took notice of this.

"Are you embarrassed?? It's just me. I want to hear the real you. Pleeeaase??", Gus cooed affectionately.

Mattholomule's face burned like the sun. He COULD NOT believe this was happening to him. He was embarrassed beyond help. But at the same time, he knew Gus's words were spoken out of sincerity, and he knew if he really asked, Gus would stop. Maybe this dork really did just want to make him happy. Even still, Matt hated his own laugh. It made him sound like a loser.

Gus paused for a moment and made a show of pretending to be puzzled.

"Hmmm... oh I know! Your giggles must be buried in your belly! I better dig them out~", the illusionist said as he lowered his wiggling fingers toward their target.

As they clawed softly into the front of the Mattholomule's tunic, Gus could've sworn he heard a few jittery giggles muscle their way out the former bully's lips. He almost had him.

"C'mon Mattyyyy, cootchie cootchie coo~"

Hearing that corny petname after so long caught Matt off guard, and in that brief moment of flusteredness, the dam broke.

He couldn't fight it if he tried. He giggled so hard his body shook. He squeaked and squealed and squirmed and even snorted unintentionally, causing him to try to hide his face.

Gus was beaming with glee. He hadn't expected the bully's laugh to sound so... sweet. It sounded like a child's almost, which made sense considering they were children. It was the happiest noise he had ever heard.

He wasn't blind, though. He could see that Mattholomule was feeling vulnerable and embarrassed right now (which as to why Gus couldn't understand. His laugh was so charming, who made him feel like he needed to hide it??) and smiled assuredly down at him.

"Awwww Matty~! There's nothing to be ashamed of. Your laugh is adorable! It suits you..."

Gus was being honest with him. Matt could hear it in his voice. His words brought a rush of relief throughout his body, which just made him laugh more. This wasn't actually that bad. It felt really good to laugh like this, even if he still thought it sounded stupid. At least Gus didn't think it sounded stupid.

Mattholomule bubbly giggled, not only because he was still being tickled, but also he had never felt so safe and carefree in his life.

Eventually, Gus had to stop. The poor boy had started to wheeze. They laid together in the dirt, the loopiness in the air slowly fading out.

Gus was the first to speak.

"I promise not to tell anyone. This'll be our secret."

"Thanks, Gus. I appreciate that", Mattholomule said warmly, still smiling from ear to ear.

He looked over to find that his wonderful friend was already staring agape at him.

"What?", queried Matt.

The illusionist suddenly bore a grin almost as big as Mattholomule's. "You just called me Gus."

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FIRST TICKLE FIC! WOOO 🍾! Of course there is still room for improvement, but I had SO much fun writing this! Hope you like it!

[melodystone57]

Beware My Power, Green Lanterns Light Part 2

“Hal Jordan of Earth, soon to be former Green Lantern of sector 2814. You are now charged with treason, grand thef-” Apa accused Hal since the moment the Meeting Started.

“Let's postpone my lynching until I tell you a couple of things,” Hal said over Apa. The Latter definitely did not agree with that. But also did not object to it either.

“What have you found, Hal Jordan?” Ganthat asked

“You see these handsome devils? They're the Lantern killers you said didn't exist. Call themselves Red Lanterns. Ring any bells?”

“He has concocted this ruse to save himself from a deserved punishment.” Said Apa.

“Respectfully, sir. I got an aching jaw that says they ain't no ruse.” Kilowog agreed with Hal and me. 

“Their Power Rings fire some sort of red energy that-” I started, only to be questioned by Says “They have rings?! Powered by what?” She asked while moving closer to get a better look at Red Lanterns

“Best guess? A huge desire to mash us all into pulp.” I continued

“Kilowog of Bolovax Vik. What is your recommendation?” Ganthet asked as he looked at Kilowog.

“ I say we high tail it back to Oa, cram the interceptor with as many GLs as she'll hold ultra-warp back, and kick their red butts until they're black and blue!” Many seemed appalled by Kilowog’s choice of words. 

“Despite the colorful terminology, a logical course of action.” Says agreed.

Aya popped into the Main Console viewpoint to Announce “Sensors have picked up an unmanned probe sweeping the area. Markings match the insignia of the recently encountered hostiles.” She pulled up a picture of a red and black drone that looked like a bass clef.

“Right. Red Lanterns. Aya, plot intercept course. It's going time.” Hal Ordered.

“Hal Jordan of Earth, do not terminate this communication..!” Apa interjected Angerly

“Sorry, gotta take this, don't be a stranger.”

Moving the ship to follow the probe was hard. Dodging asteroids and moving in and out of tight spaces, we got closer to the probe before it swan-dived down. Trying to follow it we kept getting shot but were never able to return fire without hitting asteroids.

“Forget about snaring it, just blast it!” I yelled.

In doing so we received a hard blast, “Warning! Shield degrading.” Aya Warned.

“Hal, break off! Stick to the plan. We go for reinforcements, then come back!” Kilowog Yelled.

“We can't let this thing give away our position!”

“What position?! We're going home! The Red Lanterns caught you with your pants down back on that rock and you want payback!”

After a couple more shots being fired by us, it hit the engine hard. “Direct hit to port ampoules. Shield's degrading to critical. Please do not let that happen again.” Aya Spoke up over the sound of the gun firing. Flying above we were able to figure out its flight patterns. Following closely we saw that it was about to fly over a giant asteroid.

 “Get ready to fire when I clear that rock,” Hal yelled. He makes a drilling construct so that we can go through the asteroid. Once we were through we flew up a caught it.

“Pekaboo.” I teased

It tried to turn around only for me and Kilowog to fire two shots at it, destroying it.

“Happy?” Kilowog asked Hal very angrily. 

“That felt good! A probe like that means the Red Lanterns are more than two killers with rings and a symbol. They're organized.” 

“Yeah Looks like we can't hog all the fun. Let's hit HQ and load up the boys like we planned. Aya, take us home.” I advised.

“Arching ultra-warp drives. Ready in three two one Impel.”

As the engine glowed preparing for take-off, we shot forth and stopped immediately after. All of us smacking and hitting the consoles.

“ Are we there Yet?” Shyir Rev (The wounded Lantern) asked. Getting up and taking a look at every one. Some looked like they were about to toss their cookies.

“Aya, what happened?” I asked.

“Overload due to hairline crack in the ultra-warp coil. Most likely caused by the last missile hit by the enemy probe. “All of us looked at Hal after she said the last part. Raising his hands he “For the record, she said most likely Not totally likely.” he said defensively.

“What does that mean?” Shyir Rev asked. 

“It means we're gonna be a little late to Oa. That's okay, I like to make an entrance. Aya, please estimate the time for repairs.” I said.

“Calculating. - Ultra-warp ready in nine point two” Hal interrupted “Nine minutes, no problem!”

“Okay, Can we form a construct and replace the defective part for the ride home?” I Asked

“The construct would have to be an exact copy of the ultra-warp coil mechanism. And it's 56 moving parts to within a 0. 8162 microns tolerance” 

“An any of you do that?” I asked as I looked at everyone

“ I make Hammers,” said Kilowog

“ Look, maybe it's for the best The Guardians won't deal with the problem like we will. We'll make those Red Lanterns pay” Hal said as he walked over to the Steering Console. Shyir Rev Started to fall out of his chair, Kilowog noticed and quickly caught him.

“Is he okay?” I asked Kilowog concerned.

“Just a little lightheaded He's taken a beating. He needs a real doctor, he's not making nine hours, never mind nine months” 

“ I was kinda looking forward to seeing Oa” 

I looked down at the floor ashamed, because f completely forgot about his condition “Aya, scan for the nearest inhabited world. Preferably one with a hospital.” I ordered.

“ Don't bother I know my own sector anywhere. We're not far from my home colony.” Shyir Rev said as he looked out in space towards his planet's sun.

“Sounds like a good place to lay low for a while and get you fixed up,” I said. We platted Course for the planet and engaged hyper speed.

After Landing at Shyir’s home, a woman walks out with medical supplies and starts to help Shyir Rev.

“Ow.” He said

“Don't be such a baby. “ She teased as she continued to patch him up.

“Very handy to have a doctor for a wife,” I said.

“Medicine is something I picked up because of my husband's second job.” She said as she looked over at me.

“She's actually the colony's head geologist. I was an engineer, that was how we met. Beata's the genius who dreamed up using the volcano's lava as thermal power.” Shyir said proudly.

“So was that your secret identity, engineer?” He asked Shyir, walking over to us from the ship.

“Secret what?” He asked confused

“ That's Hal's hang-up, that thing on his face, it's a mask. He wears it in case some earthling sneaks into the interceptor, while in space mind you, and goes: Aha! The Green Lantern on my planet is Hal Jordan! I'm telling everyone!” Kilowog laughed out teasing Hal.

“ Haha Talk to me when your planet invents paparazzi and the 24-hour news cycle.”

I heard two a sound of small feet running and looked behind me, only to have to look under and watch as a little girl ran over to Shyir yelling “Daddy, Daddy!”

“Wait Who is this giant?1 What have you done with my daughter Amala?” He teased as he tickled her.

“I am Amala.” The little girl said as she giggled.

“Now, now Time for hugs later. Let daddy rest.” His wife said. She stretched out her hand to her daughter waiting for her to take it. Amala went running to her mother, grabbing her hand and turning around to look at her father.

“Bye, Daddy!”

“This is some place Kinda reminds me of where I grew up Bolovax Vik,” Kilowog said looking out at the village sadly

“I'm sorry. Even here we heard about its destruction.” Said Shyir, offering his condolences.

I remember when that happened. Kilowog was overly strict with the recruits, to the point I had to pull him aside and talk to him. Only to get tears and snot from him instead.

“Your planet was destroyed? I-I never knew.” Hal said

“Just concentrate on gettin' us out of this mess you made hotshot,” He said as he walked further away from us and the ship.

“ Attention! I have found a tracking device on the interceptor's hull and require assistance removing it.” Aya Rang out over the PA system.

Flying closer to the ship, I noticed a black dot with a smaller red dot inside it. Getting Next to the wing, I was able to detect it was a tracker. I tried slashing it with a green rope. But all it did was fall to the ground. Dropping down I land on the tracker with my foot smashing it to bits.

Hal walked over witnessing my finding of the tracker.

“Do you think they. . ?” He asked

“Pretty sure they do,” I confirmed. The ground started to rumble when a black cylinder started to land. Black legs were extracted from within to support its weight for the landing. Once it had settled and red Holographic screen displayed itself in the sky showing a red man with yellow eyes, and black lips. He looked like Two-Face but pure red.

“This colony now enjoys the protection of the Red Lantern Corps. You have been liberated from the tyranny of the Guardians. But their Green Lantern lackeys are here You have one solar hour to bring these war criminals to us or your planet will be vaporized” He said ending the Message.

“ Those murdering red-” Kilowog started but was interrupted by Shyir rev

“We have to turn ourselves over to them.” 

“Shyir, no!” 

“We don't have a choice!” he Tried to reason with his wife

“ These guys are murderers. They're gonna blow up this rock no matter what you do!” Kilowog pointed out while death stared the liberator down

“ We do have a choice. We can fight them. And keep fighting, until we can't fight anymore.” I suggested

 That thing is a fortress. A frontal attack would be suicide.” Kilowog fought back, getting closer to me.

“Hey, if you've got another way, I'm all ears, but we've got to take that thing out!” 

“The Earth-Woman is right, we must go! “Shyir said. We started flying over there but only got maybe 5 feet before we got called back by his wife.

“Shyir, wait! I have another way!”

“Boy, I hope she is right about this. I'm bakin' here!” Kilowog exclaimed while He, Shyir, and I flew in the volcano towards the Liberator.

“ She's always right. This way” he directed us right under the liberator. Flying further up I cut a hole large enough to fit all of us at the bottom of the planet killer. Once we flew in we headed up a path of stairs. After a couple of seconds, we got to a door, I knocked yelling out housekeeping.

Kilowog did not share my amusement and just kicked down the door.

“ That must be the control panel.” I pointed out, looking at a large cylinder with small red buttons on it. We walked closer to get a better look.

“ Do you think you can disarm it, Rev? Kilowog asked

“I'll need a few minutes-” He was interrupted when a red energy almost hit us. Looking over at the window, Razer was standing there with his arm still up.

“ Die, die, die! “ He exclaimed shooting more shots at us. I set up a green force field 

“Hurry up, Rev!” I yelled. I could feel the shield was already breaking.

“ This guy's not playing around!” said Kilowog, charging at Razer. He swags his hammer aimlessly at Razer to try and get him.

“ Keep him back, for just a couple of minutes. “ Shyir exclaimed as he continued working on the wires. I flew over towards Kilowog to help him only to get shot backwards a couple of feet.

“This is your fault! You Green Lanterns might enjoy destroying worlds. But I do not!” Razer yelled as he conjured a red whip and slashed at us. Dodging out of the way I dumped into Kilowog and sent him to the ground.

“ In case you haven't been keeping up on current events you guys put this thing here and pressed the button! You wanna help!? Stop fighting us!” I tried to reason with him, only for my words to fall on deaf ears.

“ I won't listen to your lies. I'll destroy you both! “ He charged towards me, earning a roundhouse to the face.

“And what, you gonna mass murder them by blowing up the planet!? You know what you're fighting against, Razer. But what are you fighting for?!” I pointed out while delivering a kick to his chest sending him out the window.

“Dumb kid, Where is Shyir? Let's have some good news! “Kilowog said, flying over towards Rev. Flowwing him I sat next to Rev to try to help him.

“Detonation in thirty seconds”

“We need to move away. “Kilowog exclaimed pulling me up to my feet. And towards the window.

Three Two One. Detonate. Detonate. A red laser shot down within the unit towards the explosive. Rev took action and created a barrier to stop the laser.

 “Time to go,” I yelled out looking at Rev.

“ I can keep the laser from igniting the plutonium, for a little while anyway. I know what happened to Bolovax Vik. If you had a chance to save your world What would you do?” He said looking at the kilowog. I looked down not only in despair but in condolence as to what was about to happen.

“It's been an honor. “Kilowog said as we flew over to the window. Heading towards the village we created a giant claw to scoop people up before it was too late. When it looked like we got everyone, we started our ascend into space and put as much distance as we could between us and the liberator. 5 minutes passed when it finally exploded, taking Shyir along with it. The entire planet glowed and cracked before it too joined Shyir. Everyone watched as the liberator took the only home they had ever known and a family member as well. I looked over a kilowog, whose face was hard as a rock.

“Let's go find Hal,” He said. Thankfully it didn't take us long to find him

“Are you gonna help us with this, hotshot?” Kilowog exclaimed

“Kilowog, Rory!”

 “We got most of the colonists up before the big bang, but our rings are running low.”

“I believe I can help,” said Aya over the PA on the Interceptor. Shooting a green beam towards our Bubble. Relieving us and our Rings of the weight. We looked over at Razer, only to find him in a bubble without a ring.

“What's he doing inside that bubble?” I asked curiously

“Never mind him. You are a sight for sore eyes. You too, Aya.”

 “Thank you.” She replied

 “What about Rev. Did he make it?” Hal asked, and I couldn't meet his eyes. Shyir's ring flew towards and past us on the way to Oa. We all looked down or away.

“ I hope everyone knows the sacrifice Shyir made,” Hal said as we stood on a nearby planet that was now the home of Shyir’s people.

“They do. The elders are going to name our new planet after him.” said his wife while holding Amala in her arms. She was trying to hold back tears. I walked over towards them and put my hand on her cheek lovingly.

“Your daddy was very brave, Amala. He saved us all. 

“Is it okay if I still miss him?” 

“Yeah. We all will.” I replied, Her mother and her went over to join the people in hopes of building their new home.

“You know, Shyir did save them all. He asked me what I'd do if I had another chance to save my planet. And that's when it hit me, I'd save the people.” Kilowog explained to Hal.

“At least one of us got it right.” He Replied

“The cooling system is now functional. Continuing repairs.” Aya Debriefed, as we sat together in the cock pit. 

 “So, what's next?” I asked looking between Hal and Kilowog.

 “Next, we find the Red Lanterns,” Hal answered

 “Just how are we gonna stop who knows how many super-powered Red Lanterns with just the three of us?” Kilowog asked while walking over to Hal.

“That's a really good question, Kilowog. Here's another one, what should we do with the one we captured?” I pointed out as we all looked at Razer in the holding cell.