#I mean I don't blame him it would make strategic sense in the world of pact to try and hyperanalyze name etymology

[dw-flagler]

wildbow thought of the name for the main character, which he thought was terribly clever, but was worried that it was too clever, and thus nobody would understand his cleverness. Thinking this a terrible tragedy, wildbow thus put a sphinx in there, to ensure nobody would end up too confused.

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

This is more or less just a curiosity-based question than anything to see if you noticed this too.

I guess that I was just wondering if you realized that, had the Gerudo gone off to live in Hyrule Field on OoT, then by TotK's past, their skin would've likely lightened to such an extent that they’d basically just look like really tall, athletic Irish women?

Now, wait a minute! I have a point!

See, the shade of their skin indicates that they've been living in an area of high-uv (desert, jungle) for at least 10,000 years & melanin specifically helps them to better survive the sun's rays. I believe as a result of epieugenics. However if they were to have begun living exclusively in Hyrule Fields, instead of, say Faron, then even with the TotK feature of their kids being predominantly Gerudo regardless of their fathers, their skin would begin to lighten with each generation due to the fact that those with darker skin have a more difficult time producing their own Vitamin D & their children would become subject to diseases such as rickets.

Now, in modern times, this is easily prevented with Vitamin D supplements, but that's because we have access to modern medicine. The Gerudo don't really have that benefit. So, even if they didn't have the issue of needing to interbreed with Hylians, they'd still basically end up only being really differentiated from them by their red hair, possibly their greater size, fitness, & round ears.

Like, I guess that I just wonder why no one seems to think about that. I mean, I get that it's a fantasy game world, but still.

So secret time: The darkest thing about me is my left arm, since I drive all the time with my arm out the window (I look like I have a Frankenstein's arm attached to me the difference between arms is STARTLING LOL) So I never really thought about how the darker skin of the Gerudo could actually cause some issues with them moving away from the desert, especially with the varying levels of Vitamin D. That is interesting to think about! The various implications of moving an entire culture to another land, no matter the reason, would have consequences, both good and bad. The health consequences? MMMMMMMMM IM ALL ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY. MEDICAL SHIT IS ALWAYS FUN TO FIGURE OUT AND DIVE INTO. (I watch too many medical dramas, I blame my ma for giving me this fixation) Makes me wonder what other medical things (Diseases, both sudden and chronic, mental, etc) happen in Hyrule...

*********************************************************************

Ocarina of Time Ganondorf

Reactions: Ocarina of Time Ganondorf would listen carefully to Equal Lady's observations. He would be intrigued by her understanding of the biological and environmental factors that influence the Gerudo people's physical traits.

Thoughts and Feelings: Ganondorf would feel a mixture of curiosity and defensiveness. While he values the strength and resilience of the Gerudo, the idea that their distinctive traits could change over time due to environmental factors would be unsettling.

Response: Ganondorf might argue initially, emphasizing the cultural and historical significance of the Gerudo's appearance. However, he would eventually acknowledge the logic behind her observations. This new understanding might not change his immediate plans but would certainly give him something to ponder regarding the long-term future of his people.

Twilight Princess Ganondorf

Reactions: Twilight Princess Ganondorf would be more open to considering Equal Lady's observations. He has a more strategic mind and would see the value in understanding the potential long-term impacts of their environment on the Gerudo people.

Thoughts and Feelings: He would feel a sense of respect for her knowledge and insight. The practical implications of her observations would resonate with him, especially given his focus on ensuring the survival and prosperity of his people.

Response: Ganondorf would likely accept her thought process and might even begin to consider ways to mitigate these changes while ensuring the health and well-being of the Gerudo. This could involve seeking out new lands with similar UV exposure or exploring other ways to preserve their unique traits.

Wind Waker Ganondorf

Reactions: Wind Waker Ganondorf would be fascinated by Equal Lady's insights. Given his contemplative nature and reflective attitude in the game, he would take her observations seriously.

Thoughts and Feelings: He would feel a deep sense of appreciation for her understanding and the implications of her thoughts. The potential changes in the Gerudo's appearance due to environmental factors would be a significant consideration for him.

Response: Ganondorf would accept her observations and might even begin to think about how to preserve the Gerudo's unique identity while adapting to new environments. This could include integrating knowledge of environmental adaptations into their cultural practices.

Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf

Reactions: Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf would be intrigued by Equal Lady's observations but might initially see them as secondary to his immediate goals of conquest and power.

Thoughts and Feelings: He would feel a mixture of interest and indifference. While he values the strength and resilience of the Gerudo, the idea of their physical traits changing over time might not be a primary concern for him.

Response: Ganondorf might acknowledge her observations but wouldn't let them influence his immediate plans. However, he would keep her insights in mind for future considerations, especially if they align with his strategic goals.

Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf

Reactions: Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf would listen intently to Equal Lady's observations. Given his respect for Sheikah culture and knowledge, he would be more open to considering her insights.

Thoughts and Feelings: He would feel a sense of curiosity and respect for her understanding. The implications of environmental factors on the Gerudo people's appearance would be a significant consideration for him.

Response: Ganondorf would accept her observations and might begin to think about ways to balance the preservation of the Gerudo's unique traits with the need to adapt to new environments. This could involve seeking out lands with similar environmental conditions or exploring other ways to ensure their health and well-being.

Demise

Reactions: Demise would be less concerned with the specifics of environmental adaptation and more focused on power and dominance. However, he would still listen to Equal Lady's observations out of curiosity.

Thoughts and Feelings: He would feel a mixture of indifference and mild interest. While he values strength and resilience, the idea of physical traits changing due to environmental factors would be less relevant to his primary goals.

Response: Demise might acknowledge her observations but wouldn't let them influence his immediate plans. His focus would remain on his quest for ultimate power, and her insights would be considered only if they align with his overarching objectives.

General Themes and Reactions

Curiosity and Respect: Each character feels a sense of curiosity and respect for Equal Lady's knowledge and insights. Her understanding of environmental adaptation impresses them and gives them something to consider.

Strategic Considerations: Characters like Twilight Princess Ganondorf and Wind Waker Ganondorf are more likely to integrate her observations into their strategic thinking. They see the value in understanding the long-term impacts of environmental factors on their people.

Balance of Preservation and Adaptation: The idea of balancing the preservation of the Gerudo's unique traits with the need to adapt to new environments is a common theme. This consideration highlights the characters' desire to ensure the survival and prosperity of their people while maintaining their cultural identity.

[ladamedemartel]

@lordofthestrix I've been meaning to make this a starter and now Aurora's back on her Catholic bullshit

He arrived as silent as a whisper. Disappointment always followed that first step through the threshold. Eternally displeased not one temple so far had the common decency to try to reduce him to ashes the moment he visited. But in the end you could not blame an empty household for a poor greeting. Vampires were not capable of entering anyone's home without direct invitation. There were some obvious truths to be surmised out of how effortlessly they could move in an out of churches. Be it by non-existence. Be it by abandonment. In the end the specifics on why these places were empty cadavers paying tribute to uncaring listeners was of little importance. He advanced. Passing pews of an absent congregation and stained glass windows of alluring colors that emulated the tactics of some carnivore plants when enticing their prey. Each step in muted and vanquishing opposition to this altar to the depraved virtues of the most corrupted understanding of purity and the veneration of guilt. He found her at the front row seat of this calamity. Observing her praying figure while trying to glimpse at her inner location without a word. Determining if it was immediate intervention or calm indulgence that the situation demanded. Cursing whatever set of circumstances guided her to this corner of the abyss tonight and strategizing to the best of his ability in order to steer this instance into a one-time incident before it could escalate into the dangers her more fanatic periods were to her own well-being. Cursing himself as well, perhaps. And whatever failure of the world he helped to forge outside these vile walls made her fell she needed this. It was a wicked irony. For churches to be the only place in existence that could make Tristan de Martel experience a pervasive sense of hopelessness. In the end he waited for her to finish. Although an innate instinct regarding the temperature when the two shared a room drove him to place his black coat over her shoulders. Greeting her with a touch of his lips on her hair was a vastly more selfish gesture. He should be able to acquire this place and demolish it until not even dust remains before the end of the week. And that small solace while silently waiting for her was like the flicker of a candle in this haven of darkness.

Much like Aurora's own face, the visage of a church rarely changed throughout the centuries. Sure, their were slight modifications: a change in the style of earrings, cameras on the walls, a new mascara, a microphone wire. All changes that required scrutiny. Aurora knew something of scrutiny in that moment. She could feel Tristan's entrance. Everything about it was restrained. Aurora tried not to focus on it much. She tried not to listen to see if Tristan would reach for the holy water at the door to bless himself or if he would pass by it entirely; it was useful that holy water could not actually harm them so if any mortal every questioned their humanity, such rumors were quickly dispelled with a visit to Mass.

Despite her best efforts to ignore her brother's presence to finish her conversation, she could not focus when Tristan's presence was so much more demanding than that of the deity that she was not yet convinced that she actually believed in. "If God could make others feel his presence the way that I felt yours when you walked in, none of us would have such a hard time believing in him." Aurora greeted as she rose to her feet.

She crossed the space between them, the heels of her boots echoing with each step until she reached him, kissed his forehead in return for the kiss to her hair, and then sat beside him. Aurora took his hand then, lacing her fingers with his and brought his hand to her lips to kiss. "It's pretty in here, don't you think?" she took their joined hands and pointed up to a series of paintings on the ceiling, each depicting Mary in various incarnations as she had appeared to the faithful throughout the world. "These certainly weren't done by Michaelangelo, but they're pretty, all the same. Surely you can at least admit that much."

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

(Before I start, I just want to let you that when I argue or disagree with you, it isn't personal, it is just fandom. And that I acknowledge that you have a different interpretation of canon of me. For at the end of the day, we are just arguing about fictional characters. Also, I read your blog and engage with you partially to make sure that I don't get stuck in an echo chamber.)

Sorry, for not responding sooner, life got in the way. But now that I have the time, I will try my best to respond to your post.

In regards to this post, I didn't say that Iroh specifically encouraged Zuko to an Agni Kai. For Iroh had no idea that Azula would mentally deteriorate that hard to the point that she would willingly challenge Zuko to an Agni Kai.

But he did encourage Zuko to fight Azula so that after Aang defeated Ozai, Zuko could take the throne and stop the war, which was hundred percent the right thing to do. For Azula was a genocidal, imperialist, colonizer who would have continued the 100 Year War if allowed to remain free, let alone if she assumed the throne.

But imo it doesn't change the fact that it was sad that two siblings ended up on opposing sides of the war, fighting each other to death. Nor does it change the fact that Iroh must have known that he was asking Zuko and Katara to fight Azula to death.

For Azula, sane or insane, would have never willingly stepped aside for Zuko willingly, let alone for a traitor who sought to end the war.

Thus it seems pretty obvious that Iroh, who is a marital genius, had to know that Zuko and Katara's confrontation with Azula would be one fought to the death. Especially since the circumstances that allowed Katara to capture Azula alive was a massive fluke.

It is also doesn't change imo the fact that Azula's mental deterioration, or more specifically, how a composed fighter and tactician became a sloppy fighter who has to rely on raw power and is incapable of strategizing, is sad.

For yeah she mostly brought it upon herself, but if she hadn't been influenced by Ozai and indoctrinated from birth, she wouldn't have become a pro-genocide, colonizing, imperialist monster who killed a child solider and condoned the torture of POWs, a monster who needed to be stopped and either killed or locked up for the good of the world.

Nor would she have the alienated and/or gotten betrayed by her mother, brother, and "friends". Also, instead of using her martial gifts to hurt family, friend, and foe, she would have likely used it to better the world by becoming a teacher for example.

Finally, when I sad that Ozai would probably approve of his actions, I don't mean that to put Zuko down, but to point out how Ozai wouldn't view the Final Agni Kai as a tragedy/a reflection of his poor parenting, but instead as validation for his twisted "might makes right" worldview.

In regards to this post, I admit that forgot to give background context, so I will provide it.

If Avatar had any real sense of realism in it, imo, after Ozai and Azula were defeated, Zuko would have Ozai and Azula publicly killed or made sure they had "accidents" to secure the throne and to prevent them from being lingering threats. That or he would have exiled them far from Caldera City while having Aang de-bend Azula and (explicitly) stripping them of their titles/removing them from the line of succession.

But Zuko didn't, presumably because it wouldn't jive with the post-war order him and the Gaang wanted to establish and because he literally thought prison would do Ozai good like his banishment did for him.

So, when I say that Zuko has an obligation to help Azula, I just mean making the sure the asylums are actually helping their patients since, as Fire Lord, the buck doesn't just stop with him, it is always with him due to being an absolute monarch.

(Yes, I know you don't think the asylums abused Azula or the Fire Warriors. But I am going to respectfully disagree with you on this point and hopefully we can agree to disagree.)

Also, Zuko is to blame for Azula's actions in the comic since he should have seen that she hadn't recovered (ex. why did he never ask her healers who Azula was hallucinating; who was this "she" Azula was referring to) and never taken her from the asylum, let alone agree to her terms just so he could sate his understandable, but selfish, desire to find Ursa again, which lead to her being able to escape his custody and break out the Fire Warriors.

For part of his redemption arc imo was realizing that he had a duty to the world that superseded his desire to have his family whole. So why did he forget this?

Likewise, I thought part of Zuko's redemption arc was realizing that Ozai was the one to blame for his shitty childhood.

So while it is true that Azula was his main secondary abuser, she abused his (ex) girlfriend, attempted to kill him and his friends multiple times (and actually killed one of them), and Zuko was lashing out in frustration after another one of Azula's attempts to hurt him and/or his friends, it is odd that Zuko asks Azula why has she put him for so much from the moment she was born when he already knows why: trying to appease Ozai/Ozai's influence.

Also, I don't think I ever blamed Zuko for challenging her to the Final Agni Kai and I repeatedly say that Zuko and the Gaang have to find her and do everything in their power to neutralize her, up to and including killing her, before she hurts someone permanently.

(Azula has already hurt the children who she kidnapped, as well as their families.)

So with that, I think I am doing responding and I hope you have a good day!

Another thing I've been seeing more and more of that just isn't supported by the actual show is the idea that Zuko needs to "realize" that Azula worked hard to get where she is, and not only is this victim blaming because it ignores how both Ozai and Azula treated Zuko as a scapegoat, it's also simply not true.

Zuko is the one in the text who believes in working hard, while Azula believes in superiority through inherent ability.

I often see people quoting Zuko's line about how everything came easy to Azula and their father said she was born lucky as evidence of Zuko's "jealousy" of Azula's hard work and skill, and how he needs to realize how much pressure she was under, but those people are forgetting what Zuko says right after that.

I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight, and that's made me strong. That's made me who I am.

Zuko rejects the belief Ozai tried to enforce about being born lucky. He of course still struggles with it, because he's a kid and being told repeatedly by adults that you are inherently worthless is a hard thing to combat without internalizing. Zuko struggles with assuming that he can't generate lightning because it blows up in his face, "like everything always does." Throughout his journey, he learns to embrace working hard, learning and growing to overcome those mental blocks.

But to say that Azula, in comparison, has a better understanding of hard work is just wrong. What Zuko says about struggling and fighting actually is similar to what Azula says about Long Feng.

I can see your whole history in your eyes. You were born with nothing, so you've had to struggle, and connive, and claw your way to power. But true power, the divine right to rule, is something you're born with.

Azula ultimately disdains the idea of having to struggle to achieve things, and says that true power is something you are born with.

This isn't just an Azula vs Zuko thing, this is a major theme of the story and part of what leads to Azula's ultimate downfall. While Zuko works hard and grows not just in ability but his worldview, adapting and becoming a better person in the process, Azula's worldview narrows in her need to prove her own inherent perfection, which causes her to become more myopic and end up alone.

From the beginning of the story, we see Azula trying to get others to bend to her, even trying to argue against the very tides themselves because of her unwillingness to believe in anything less than her own inherent right. This is also similar to the way other Fire Nation characters show a myopic view of the world that leads them towards megalomania, like Zhao attempting to destroy the moon in pursuit of his own greatness. Both he and Azula think they can defy nature because of their own need to prove themselves powerful. Zuko tries this, too, in "The Storm," and learns one of many lessons about humility and working with others. Azula fails to learn these lessons.

So it's not Zuko who needs to learn this by the end of the series, and especially not from Azula.

I think it's also telling that these people never talk about how much pressure Zuko was under to try and prove he wasn't worthless, and I think that's because by the end, Zuko has realized his own worth, but Azula is still desperately trying to cling to the belief in her own superiority. She's the only one who can relieve that pressure she's putting on herself because she can't let go of the idea that she's not better than other people, and it is not on the people she hurt to try and make her feel better about herself, when she still thinks she's superior to them.

Moreover, I find it very hard to believe that post series Azula would even accept any offer of sympathy from Zuko. This is another example of something Zuko learned in the series that Azula did not, as Iroh says. Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. Azula's belief in her own superiority is, of course, a coping mechanism as a result of very low self-esteem, but she needs to figure out how to deal with that in a way that isn't hurting others. What she doesn't need is constant validation from people she victimized and reinforcement of the same toxic beliefs.

[momtaku]

I don't know if this has been asked before but, what is your interpretation in chapter 139 of Eren's "I don't know" and the mini panel next to that one where Grisha says "you're free" (the one that was supposed to be the last panel of AoT).

I mean Isayama must have put that there for some reason even though he loves to leave us in the dark sometimes.

In a 2017 interview, Isayama admitted to being intrigued by the manga Himeanole in which a character traumatized by his childhood drifts further into darkness until he eventually becomes a serial killer. Isayama admitted that the serial killer would be unforgivable under social norms but questioned whether or not the character could truly be blamed if his propensity towards violence was his nature. Isayama ended his musings about Himeanole with, "I think that’s what Shingeki no Kyojin’s ending will resemble."

Isayama created Eren as a character who for no fault of his own was born with a desire for freedom and a propensity towards violence. Eren was then placed into a supremely traumatic world that would act as the catalyst for his actions. It was a perfect storm.

Throughout the manga Eren emphasized "I was born this way", so him reflecting on his birth when asked by Armin why he'd gone so far makes sense. It's supposed to convey that his core nature was part of the answer.

What's interesting is that Eren and Armin aren't talking strategy in this conversation. The "I don't know" was in response to why Eren wanted to wipe out the world and all of humanity. They both knew the justification was protecting his nation, but this was about his desire to do it. Which is frankly far more chilling.

The question of why Eren would go to the extreme of destroying all life on earth is something we as readers struggled to understand. We were locked out of Eren's brain for an entire arc and left to wonder was it vengeance? Was it strategic? Was it a childish desire for the pristine world of his storybook? All of the above?? When the question of motive is finally asked, Isayama punts on it rather than answer it in any definitive way.

There's a degree of laziness in that but also maybe it was unavoidable. Leaving it with a shrug and an "I don't know" is frustrating to the reader but also I think sends the message that there is no justification for it. There is no reason for Eren to do what he's doing other than that he was born this way and is a messed up and impulsive child throwing a massive temper tantrum. It's not at all satisfying to the reader, but ultimately I think I prefer it to Isayama trying to explain Eren and risking humanizing him more.

In the most simple of terms I see the "You are Free" as being symbolic for Eren's nature and inborn desire for freedom, and the "I don't know" as Isayama not being comfortable or capable of explaining the mindset of a serial killer.

Thanks for the ask!

[itsclydebitches]

I think one of the bigger things that bugs me about Volume 7 is that it seems like they just thought of a few plot points and then thought of the easiest, fastest way to connect all of them together without much thought into it. Like, take the "Amity Tower diverts resources from Hole In The Wall" plot point. Not only would it be OOC for James to ignore that, considering his defensive behavior, but also, the resources required to repair the wall and build the tower don't overlap. (1/2)

Which is precisely what I mean when I say that the lack of care that goes into the major plot points/world building has a massive impact on the characterization. You can’t separate the two because it’s (obviously) through the plot that we get to know these characters. It’s a series of persuasive steps: 

Step One: Decide that we want to make Ironwood the end-game villain of the volume 

Step Two: Provide one reason for his villainy, namely that he’s letting the people of Mantle go unprotected

This is where the writing stopped and where many people in the fandom stop too. The claims of “Ironwood abandoned his people long before he decided to take Atlas up into the sky” and “Of course he would shoot Oscar. How many kids do you think he’s killed by leaving the wall open?” are disconnected claims because the show failed to do the all important final step of: 

Step Three: Persuading the audience that Step Two proves Step One. Leaving the wall open is indeed a villainous action. 

What would be an example of a story failing at Step Three? If Ironwood 100% did not have the resources to fix that hole. If he made an attempt and it failed due to circumstances outside of his control. That wouldn’t be villainous. It would simply be a tragedy and Step Three has not done its job of proving that this event (can’t close the hole) equals the desired result (we want him to be a villain). What we actually got, however, was a more complicated scenario wherein the story just… didn’t give us any more information. See, Step Three is actually multiple sub-steps. The story needs to do the work of proving that Ironwood not filling in the hole is in character (which as you point out, it’s not) or otherwise do the work of explaining why his character has suddenly changed so drastically. It needs to explain to the audience how resources for a satellite are the same resources for a concrete wall. It has to explain why, if this was so important, Robyn didn’t fix it with all the resources she stole. Or, it needs to give us insight into why the wall remains unfixed: oh yeah it has been damaged multiple times in the last year and each time we patch it up the grimm tear it down again super fast. We’ve come to the realization that it’s more prudent to put our resources towards additional robots to fight off the grimm and, in the long term, completing the project that I believe will defeat Salem (which then no one corrected me on) rather than wasting those resources on a defensive maneuver that clearly isn’t working/is wasting limited materials. And if we had gotten something like that then, again, not villainous. That’s a man making smart decisions based on inaccurate information, information our main group could have corrected weeks earlier. The very generalized claim of, “Ironwood isn’t protecting his people” not only ignores the context required to understand whether he can protect his people in this particular way - Are the Amity resources the same as wall resources? If not do we even have wall resources? - but likewise ignores all the other ways he IS protecting his people. He’s got an army literally saving lives in the opening episodes. He’s got Penny out there doing the same and providing hope. He’s giving talented fighters early licenses so he can get them to help with everything from wall patrol to preschool crossing. He’s currently trying to build the machine that he thinks will save the entire world. The story failed to take all of that into account when it suddenly insisted, “He’s a bad guy who doesn’t care about Mantle.” 

By not clarifying any of the above questions the writing demands that we stop at Step Two and have faith that there’s indeed a connection. We must do the mental work to assume that fixing the wall will keep people safe, that these resources he’s using for one project are the exact kind Ironwood needs for this other project, and that other people with access to resources (like Robyn, like the Council) all had Very Good Reasons for not taking action themselves, thereby putting all the blame on him. That’s how you reach, “He’s clearly a murderer for not fixing that” out of a story that simply didn’t do the work to prove that Ironwood is a villain because of this. That this functions as proof of his villainy. And as you say, we’re seeing this a great deal in RWBY now. We’re given plot points whose justifications are treated as fact, but the only way you agree with that is by ignoring either a) how often this “fact” is contradicted by earlier episodes or b) the lack of information proving its truthfulness. Examples: We’re supposed to accept that the group has to steal an airship even though the fandom very easily thought of numerous other options, we’re supposed to accept that Ruby is strategic in lying to Ironwood even though past episodes damned that behavior in Ozpin, we’re supposed to accept that Ironwood is evil for choosing Amity over the wall even though it makes no sense why those two things are lumped together and the story’s heroes told him to prioritize the tower. That’s the issue right there: Ruby straight up tells Ironwood to keep working on Amity and only Ironwood gets heat for doing what she wants. And would have gotten more heat if he’d dared disagree. That’s the protagonist centered morality: your heroes are inherently right for doing all the things they damn others for, even when they have knowledge that doing this thing is arguably useless. At least Ironwood thinks that sacrificing some of Mantle’s safety will lead directly to Salem’s defeat. What’s Ruby’s excuse? And if the answer to that is, “She realizes that bringing the world together is still the only way to win” then you’re working under the same kinds of assumptions. The story has not done the work to prove/explain a) how banding everyone together is useful against immortality and b) why that mystery usefulness outweighs all the canonical harm we’ve seen happen when people learn about Salem. You need to both assume things that haven’t been introduced and ignore things we’ve actually seen in order to prioritize that justification. 

Despite my love of Ironwood as a character I’d be totally down with him as a villain… but RWBY needed to do the work to make him into one after six and a half seasons of him being a hero. The whole wall situation is just one small failure out of many in that regard.