#like everyone else is letting their personal grudges and trauma consume them and she's just like 'I think I will not do that'

[balis77]

Shout out to Sevika for managing to dodge like, 20 different death flags she had going into this season.

Like she could've easily gotten greedy and went off the deep end to try to take power for herself, gotten killed by any of the main cast, new or old, to establish threat, or even wind up as collateral of the greater conflict. But instead she kept her head straight, made intelligent decisions, knew which battles to fight, and ultimately ended up in a much better position than she started in because of that.

I can respect the shit out of that.

[aspoonofsugar]

What do you feel about Kogami from Psycho Pass?

Hello anon!

Sorry for the late reply, but here I am!

It has been a while since I have watched the series, so keep it in mind when it comes to my answer. I will also link to my Akane meta and my Makishima meta because I have talked a little bit about Kogami in both.

I think that to analyze Kogami’s character one should consider the fact that he has an internal objective:

And an external one:

And that these two objectives do not overlap:

Akane: “He said that he wants to be a detective rather than a hunting dog, but the look in his eyes…was unmistakably…:

In short, what Kogami wants is to go back to be a detective and to stop being a “hunting dog”. As he himself tells Akane, a detective is a person who does not act because of duty, but because of a personal idea of justice.

Kogami is a person who values justice a lot and is ready to take personal responsibility for the choices he makes to reach it:

What is Kogami’s idea of justice?

He wants to protect people and in order to do so he wants to catch criminals.

In short, in his mind protection and killing/catching criminals are two ideas which can not be separated, but this is also why he struggles at maintaining an equilibrium between them.

This is made clear in episode three where his methods are compared to Ginoza’s ones.

Kogami and Ginoza have opposite approaches when it comes to them solving a case. They are both extreme, but in opposite ways.

-Kogami is ready to do everything to catch a criminal to the point that he is self-destructive. At the same time, his behaviour ends up putting his colleagues in danger as well.

-Ginoza follows the procedure no matter what and the story makes clear that he does so because he wants to protect himself. He does not want to become a latent criminal like his father and Kogami and, even if he assumes an antagonistic behaviour towards Akane, it is implied that he does so partially because he is worried for her wellbeing and he is scared she might end up like Kogami.

It is interesting to highlight that Akane ends up finding her own way to be a detective which lies in the middle between Kogami and Ginoza’s ones. On one hand she manages to develop her own idea of justice and to stick to it. On the other hand she manages not to become a latent criminal like Kogami.

The fact that Akane’s psycho-pass does not get darker after going through an experience very similar to the one Kogami has had is a key difference between the two of them.

What is the root of this difference?

After all, both of them happen to lose a friend by the hands of Makishima Shogo, but Kogami ends up becoming a latent criminal, while Akane does not.

To try and find an answer, let’s start by the fact that the two of them have opposite ideas of justice:

Akane thinks that people should protect the law, while Kogami thinks that the law should protect people.

I would like to highlight that their different conclusions must both be considered valid even if one might prefer one over the other:

What is more, we should consider that the two different concepts of law and justice Akane and Kogami reach are coherent with each character’s personality.

-Akane is not a violent person to the point that she prefers not to kill people and I think she avoids doing so throughout the whole season. This is also probably among the reasons why her psycho pass is so clear.

-Kogami has a violent side he has shown multiple times and it is probably because of him being unable to control this side after the death of his partner that he became a latent criminal.

Let’s make clear that I think it is wrong to say that Akane is a better person than Kogami because she is less violent. At the end of the day this is what the series wants to criticize about the Sybil System’s approach:

Latent criminals are people just like everyone else and the Enforcers especially are described in the end not like animals, but like people with different ideals and a different conception of justice from the one commonly accepted by society.

In short, Akane and Kogami both have a personal idea of justice, but the one Kogami has leads him to enter into a conflict with Sybil and society in general, while the one Akane has can coexist with the system, at least for now.

So, every idea of justice is necessarily linked to a person’s personality, at least under certain aspects.

The problem is when these aspects of a person’s character ends up becoming limitating.

For example, if Akane had shot Makishima she would have saved Yuki, but she does not both because by that time she has still to mature and to become completely independent, but also because she has a very low tendency to violence. This is shown once again when she refuses to kill Makishima when she and Kogami catch him on the top of the tower.

In other words, if Akane’s not violent side can lead her to struggle under certain conditons, Kogami being violent makes so that he does under others and this is his major struggle throughout the series.

Let’s once again consider what led Kogami to become a latent criminal. It is not that he used profiling and so started thinking like a criminal and it is not that he became so close to an Enforcer that he was changed by the latter’s personality. In short, it was not because of the things Ginoza keeps advising Akane to pay attention to. It is because Kogami could not overcome the loss of a friend and let himself be consumed by revenge. This is something which could have happened to Kogami even if he were not an investigator. It is simply that deep down he has always had the potential to react in this way to this specific kind of trauma. Feeling rage for the death of a loved one and wanting to punish the one who is responsible for it is not a wrong response. However, it is clear that in Kogami’s case these feelings have taken over him and have consumed him.

In short, it is made clear that by the end of the series Kogami is acting because of a personal need of taking revenge rather than because of a wish for justice. To be more precise, it is possible that these two things (just like the wish to protect and to kill criminals) have ended up becoming one and the same in Kogami’s mind.

Let’s consider this scene:

I think that it perfectly illustrates Kogami’s struggle between him maintaining his own idea of justice and him wanting to kill Makishima himself. Let’s highlight that these two concepts are both present in Kogami until the very end. He wants Makishima to be stopped no matter what, but he also wants to be the one to do so. The result is that he leaves some hints behind, but he does so in a way that it might be difficult for his ex-colleagues to find them. All in all, it is a compromise he comes up with to balance out his two different desires.

At the same time, the story shows that Kogami ends up doing selfish things in his pursuit of Makishima.

For example, he tells Akane to kill Makishima on the top of the tower despite knowing perfectly that if she did she would have probably become a latent criminal. Similarly, he involves his ex-teacher whose crime coefficient rises up after Kogami’s visit and ends up being arrested as a result.

There is also the fact that, despite perfectly knowing Sybil is an ambiguous system, Kogami never tries to unveil the truth behind it:

Rather than fighting the system he focuses his attention on Makishima because it is with him that he has a personal grudge. Despite Makishima writing him that he has figured out the truth behind the Sybil System, Kogami never tries to ask him what is it that Makishima has discovered. He does not do so even when he is about to kill Makishima and it is already clear Makishima has no way out. All in all, Kogami never shows any interest in it.

All of this is meant to highlight that, despite Kogami saying that he is acting out of a desire for justice and despite the fact his actions superficially end up being coherent with his own ideals, he is really acting out of personal feelings:

Kogami himself knows deep down that killing criminals is not the same as protecting people, but in the end he is not able of letting go of his desire for revenge.

This is interesting also when one considers his foiling with Akane during the last couple of episodes. At the end of the series both Kogami and Akane are running after a fugitive criminal and they are both shown to be able to perfectly read their target’s way of thinking. Kogami’s target is Makishima, while Akane’s target is Kogami himself. Kogami wants to kill Makishima, while Akane wants to save Kogami. In short, Akane is the one who is acting to protect someone, while Kogami is acting to bring someone down.

Finally, let’s highlight why Kogami is similar to Makishima.They are the same not because of their intelligence or their philosophy, but for their most human qualities. Both characters are intelligent, have a sophisticated vision of people and of the world and claim that they are acting because of it, but in the end they are motivated by far shallower and more intimate reasons.

They even end up telling each other what these reasons are:

On one hand Kogami tells Makishima that he is acting the way he is for no other reason than his willingness to be accepted by society and by others. Makishima feels lonely and he is throwing a tantrum because of it.

On the other hand Makishima tells Kogami he is lonely as well since he decided to cut the relationships he had to run after Makishima.

In short, Makishima is unable to create positive relationships even if he desires them deep down, while Kogami despite having many important people in his life leaves them behind in order to run after Makishima. In a sense, he chooses the relationship of hunter and prey he has with Makishima over the ones of friendship and comraderie he has in society. This is because deep down Kogami wants an enemy rather than a friend:

He needs to keep fighting to keep himself together.

In short, Makishima is so twisted that the most genuine relationship he can build is the one with a person who wants to kill him, while Kogami is able to have healthier relationships, but still chooses the most unhealthy one over the others.

This is why Kogami ends season one not as a detective, but as a hunting dog:

He succeeds in his external objective of killing Makishima, but fails his personal one of going back to be a detective.

Thank you for the ask!

[ozcarpin]

Yang for the character thing

give me a character (from anything ever) in my ask and I’ll rate:

Yang Xiao Long

looks: somewhat attractive | eh | not really my type | pretty | handsome | beautiful | stud | gorgeous | SWEET LORD MERCY

I actually really love Yang’s design. I feel like it really embodies who she is as her best self. Its open, friendly and warm. It mixes the aesthetics of someone who clearly knows they look good and has the confidence to embrace it while still having a practical element that gives you a more mature feeling. Yang feels like a big sister, one that a young Ruby could definitely look up to and I really love that vibe you get. She looks like someone that would give amazing hugs. 

can you relate to this character on a personal level?: no | not really | somewhat | yes | they are me

(I’m putting this under a readmore cause MAN did it get long 0.o’)

I feel like Yang is the type of character that I’m supposed to relate to, and done well I feel like her arc is very genuine and empowering. She’s a young adult trying to find herself and hoping to have the most fun out of life she can get as she does it. She’s an older sister who feels responsible for her more anxious little sister and wants to do right by her while still living her own life. She’s fierce and loyal and determined and just about stubborn enough to outlive God (if Salem hadn’t already taken that trophy). 

Yang is like the mom-friend mixed with the cool aunt; she wants you to succeed and she’ll do everything in her power to make sure you stay safe while you do it, but she also wants you to take risks and not take things too seriously. 

On the flipside of this, Yang can be very hotheaded. She’s easily annoyed and holds grudges. When she’s upset, everyone knows it and she’s very confrontational with her emotions, not just physically, but verbally. She is, quite literally, a sunny dragon, and I feel her characterization really embodied this well. 

On a base level of characterization, I really like Yang. She has strengths and flaws, and those flaws often come from the same places as her strengths, which really is just wonderful to see. Going back to her Goldilocks allusion, I really love how so much of her arc is in finding the ‘just right’ version of her. Passionate and strong, but not thoughtlessly so, loyal and determined, but not blind. Stubborn and confident, but not arrogant. Learning a balance between her responsibilities as a Huntress and older sister, while still finding ways to bring lightheartedness and joy into her life and the lives of those around her. Coming to terms with the tragedies that have taken place in her life without letting them consume her. 

That said, I feel like the later volumes have really struggled in showcasing this dichotomy with Yang. Mostly because I feel they just haven’t given the proper amount of time for it, but it feels like, in many ways, Yang has just lost her warmth. I really liked how they were showcasing her healing process post-Beacon at first. I thought it was a really nice touch that she took a while to accept that her arm, this intimate part of her that she’d lost (simultaneously with Blake) could simply be ‘replaced’, particularly when she was concurrently working through her feelings of abandonment that came with that loss (Ruby leaving as well). Her fears and doubts were really well-shown I feel, and it was a very relatable moment. 

Then she puts it on and we skip ahead to her and Tai sparring and having a good time (and a better talk). I would have liked more time being given into showing Yang adapting to this new arm, maybe her putting it on for the first time (did it hurt? Does she feel anything with it?) she seems to have as much bodily awareness of it as she does her other arm so is it similar to FMA rules? Does it hurt to be in Atlas and having the metal cuff attached to her upper arm when its so cold? Small things, I know, but I feel like it really would have been cool to explore these things as an extension of her ongoing trauma. Since putting it on, her new arm is pretty much just treated as a better version of her regular one, and past the hand shaking I feel that there were so many easy, small ways that could have shown what she was going through adapting to this new part of her body and how it tied in with her emotional affect. 

I know that we’re supposed to take her irritability and short temper as signs of her trauma, but even that just seems all over the place. Its established that she’s still hurt by Blake, (and I actually really loved that scene with Weiss) but then that isn’t really addressed. And I’m not talking about the big hug at the end of Volume 5, I get that the happiness of seeing each other could outweigh that resentment in the moment, what I mean is that, until ADAM literally brings it up John Mulaney style to Yang (’oh no, that’s the thing I’m SENSITIVE about’) because for some reason he knows that, any contention shown between them is about Yang’s arm and her ability to be physically capable, not her feelings of abandonment. 

Instead Yang just becomes unreasonably angry at everything and everyone else, Ozpin, and by extension Oscar taking the biggest mound of it. From being outraged that he gave her Uncle and Mother what is essentially a second semblance, to screaming in Oscar’s face because she wasn’t done screaming in Ozpin’s, to getting angry about hearing that Ozpin had helped to save Oscar and Maria’s lives, Yang just adopts this cold and exclusive persona to anyone that isn’t directly in her closest circle. She’s infuriated about secret-keeping unless she and those close to her are the ones doing it and she demands trust while betraying it on an offhanded whim. 

Starting out the series, Yang was one of my favourite characters, and as a basis of who she is, I really love her and want to see her grow into the person she’s always had the potential to be. But I don’t relate to the Yang we’ve gotten on-screen these last few years. I feel like shortcuts have been taken in her development (especially regarding her and Blake and her PTSD which has seemingly disappeared since they murdered Adam with no repercussions whatsoever) and I feel like in some ways her hotheaded nature has been perverted as a means for plot contrivances, even when it goes against her other characterizations. Yang is meant to be passionate, not cruel. She deserves better than her latest characterizations. 

would you date/be friends with this character in real life if they were real?: total bros | friends | best friends | date | become their steady boyfriend/ girlfriend | neither | i don’t know

Yang’s the type of person I’d love to be friends with on a good day, but I don’t see us having much in common to be friends over. I tend to be l’awkward. 

[warsofasoiaf]

Character analysis about the Dead Money characters (Father Elijah, Dog and God, Dean Domino, and Christine) from Fallout New Vegas please!

Sure, I can do that. I’ll do a short analysis of running themes in this one, and I can discuss individual characters upon request.

The primary theme of Dead Money is the toxic and corrosive effects of greed. Just as the Cloud of the Sierra Madre corrodes the flesh, so do does greed of the treasures of the Madre rot the spirit. The promise of an untouched vault of treasure within the Sierra Madre casino lures treasure hunters to their doom. Every character wants something so intensely that it goes far beyond physical sense. Dog eats to the point where he swallows a slave color that chains him to the site, God desires to be in constant control of Dog that he delights in the murder of any in his path as an exercise of his supremacy. Christine is consumed by her hunt for Elijah that she puts herself in constant danger and nothing she loses can cause her to abort, the crew at Big Mountain use her as an experimental plaything and Dog captures her to fit her with a collar, but each time she loses she simply hurls herself back into the hunt. Dean Domino is utterly consumed by greed, working since before the bombs fell to break into the Sierra Madre and satisfy himself with the fortune within and his personal hatred of Sinclair; Dean could have left at any time, but even the end of the world didn’t end his greed. The bombs took his skin, but they could never take his greed; his greed is a bottomless reservoir that sustains him even in the hostile Madre, he adapts and endures this hellscape because leaving means letting go, and Dean can’t. Father Elijah is consumed by the thoughts of recapturing old technology that he sent the Brotherhood to their doom at Helios One, nearly died in Big Mountain, and now created a system to break into the vault no matter how many bodies he leaves on the way, how many treasure hunters he lures and enslaves to make it happen. Elijah is endlessly frustrated, the greed of the teams causes them to turn on each other, but even the threat of death cannot cure human ills. The Cloud itself is the very manifestation of this greed, it preserved the Sierra Madre untouched as a preservative, like Dean Domino it sustains itself past the end of the world even as it literally rots everything away, greed renews itself even as it destroys the objects of its affection. The casino is a character just as the other characters are. Sinclair built it to impress a woman, attendees flocked to it with promise of riches and prestige. Greed led to disaster, unsafe construction in the Villa as corrupt workmen lined their pockets, and Sinclair used the people of the Madre as guinea pigs for Big Mountain’s experiments just so he could access their wondrous technology. The Madre is an illusion, a wholesome past that never existed as the rot was paved over and hidden.

This greed is not for mere materialism, there is a greed to the arc words: “Begin Again,” imperfectly applied it is the trap of the Sierra Madre. The idea that you can change your fortunes constantly runs through the Sierra Madre, all it requires is that you be smart and lucky enough to win it all at the Sierra Madre. It’s an illusion that draws in and destroys; the Madre kills all who try. Casinos use this trick in the modern era, anyone can win big if you’re smart and lucky enough, and it keeps people playing, spending money at games they’re more likely to lose until the house wins it all, and their new beginning is that of a pauper, not a prince. The Madre takes it one step further, offering the chance at a new life, turning back to halcyon days through the power of longing. This is another human characteristic, an exaltation of a time of yore where everything was simple and a desire to go back. Attempting to turn back time leaves you like the Madre itself, or the Nameless One from Planescape: Torment, an eternal blight that consumes all it touches where there is no peace and the illusion dissipates. The Ghost People are another relic, they need neither food nor sleep, and they can’t seem to die simply by blunt force trauma, but they are murderously insane and if their suits are punctured, they die, the Cloud rips them apart and eats them, the reality of their world kills these relics of the past. 

The only solution, as Vera Keyes puts it, is to let go, but letting go is hard. Letting go means giving up a piece of the self that remains constant, and there’s no guarantee that the void will be replaced by something wholesome, or by anything at all. Constancy provides security and stability, even if that constancy is entirely negative; it’s why so many people are unable to let go of their grudges and hatreds. If the Courier does not persuade those within the casino to let go, the casino will consume them just as it has everyone else, Dog, Christine, and Dean will join the bodies already within the casino. The Courier may also fall prey to this The Madre offers untold wealth in the form of solid gold bars, but they’re so heavy that it will literally weigh the Courier down, there is no escape without letting go. Accessing the final terminal recklessly, greedy for more information, leaves the Courier trapped. Letting go may not even save you, Vera tried to let go but the casino wouldn’t let her go, Sinclair’s desire to protect her left her trapped and caged. Sinclair himself tried to let go of his hatred on Vera’s discovery, but he died choking trying to undo the traps motivated by his own hatred, by the Cloud that his greed allowed into the Madre in the first place. Growth, true wholesome growth, is rare and often tainted by negative emotions, and is always at risk, but there is true reward for it. Love, life, family, those to care for and to care for you, these are true treasures and the Sierra Madre’s offerings are empty illusions in comparison. These things can be earned by beginning again, but it takes effort and is often painful. Leaving the Sierra Madre means pushing for something more. In the Courier’s case, it’s making the Mojave under the flag of their choice, but in everyone’s case, beginning again can mean focusing on things that are truly important, done without the greed of endless grasping. That’s the genuine promise of Dead Money, not the illusion of gold bars and a past that never existed.

Thanks for the question, Messenger.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[vannistilldraws]

I’m weak and a mess and this is the “Domesticated” AU (that name won’t stick) 

This takes place after the Good/Everyone Lives Ending where Connor brings home a bunch androids promising them a home until they can stay somewhere else (presumably with Markus) 

 LONG READ BELOW 

 • Once the Cyberlife building was emptied they found RK800-60 (bullet wound in head) fixed him up and walked him through rehab which ironically lead to him seeing Connor walking Sumo and 800-60 pointing him out and apologizing. Connor offers him to live with them and the bill for 800-60 repair goes over to Hank who is naturally pissed off. They let him stay as long as he gets a job and pays for his share in the house and the bill given the Hank for his repairs. Hank complains “I’m not gonna call you Connor and Connor 2!”. As of his first sign of individuality he named himself Collon.  •Collon is embarrassingly scared of Hank since he DID kidnap him and hold him hostage and tried to shoot him. Collon spends most of his time with Connor and Sumo while Hank could care less about Collon and doesn’t mind having him along as someone else is helping pay.  •Collon is mostly quiet and nervous about a lot of things because his entire world view was shattered and has repressed flashes of his life before deviancy. His quiet nature is there just to make himself seem invisible and not having to own up to the fact the people he hurt most are so nice to him. He plans on repaying Connor and Hank in every way possible to make amends for his actions not realizing he’s been forgiven. As time goes on he speaks up and has grown a close bond with both men. 

 •RK900-87 was the one remaining of his line. Not many were made and some were destroyed in the camp. Some were even destroyed before completion. 900-87 was assigned to the Detroit Police Department as a partner/punishment to Gavin. Immediately getting there he recognized Connor and flipped over Hank’s desk to tackle Connor (which he later blamed on Gavin) clearly pissed about him almost being deactivated because Connor turned into a deviant. After breaking up the argument he properly gets into one with Gavin AGAIN and Gavin refuses to house him. Naturally Connor comes in to ask him if he’d like to sleep on the couch..that goes over as well as Collon did. 900-87 promises to pay his share and asserts he could bring in more than Collon. He names himself Carter.  •Carter is the snarkiest of the group and holds a clear grudge against Connor but won’t act on it. He makes smart comments (tbh all of them are sassy little things) thinks he’s superior and all in all doesn’t really speak around the house. Truth is he knows he would have no where else to go and won’t speak up to keep himself from spilling jealousy or anger.  •He hasn’t lost his stoic personality or blunt way of speaking. This pissed off the naturally pissed off Gavin who he’s still partnered with. The two butt head every minute but have a mutual bond of shit-talking everyone in the office. •His blunt attitude has coming in handy since he won’t bullshit around the bush and tell you straight out your importance. 

 •Lastly Cade and Conrad. Based off of the abandoned male YK500 android on Alice’s gallery wiki. •A childless couple during the hype of the YK500 sale wanting a male and female twins but were short handed to two males. The first child was named Cade and the one supposed to be Kaylie was named Connie. For six long years they kept the couple company and soon by chance the mother became pregnant. Around this time is when the spread of deviancy became a public issue the woman abandoned both boys fearing for herself and her baby since her husband was gone. She thought that android children shouldn’t yell or fight or love like actual brothers did. The streets were not kind to the boys, Connie (now Conrad) have an arm and eye not his own. Cade having a replaced arm and leg and one eye missing. Hank is actually the one to bring the boys in mistaking Cade for a real child while Cade was trying to rob him. Not until Connor pointed out that Cade was an Android did Cade start persisting on going back out in the storm to find Conrad, who was seeking shelter with an arm dislocated. What was meant to be a two night stay turned to their forever home. •Cade takes on the older brother persona protecting Conrad. He knows he was the preferred child and was angered at his parents not showing affection to his brother. He’s blunt, a brute and will do anything to protect his brother ever if it means he doesn’t have a place to lay his head. Cade gets along with Hank and Carter since they all have the same cynical attitude and outlook on life. •Conrad is physically weaker than Cade due to his continuous loss of blue blood on a daily due to blunt trauma caused by their previous father. Once in Connor and Hank’s care he’s physically okay but mentally scarred. Due to this Conrad fears most physical contact from anyone but Cade. Conrad takes on a provider role and watchful eye of his brother. He has no ill feelings towards Cade about being the lesser brother.  •Feeling guilty both boys only excepted blue blood transfusions and Cade’s new eye and kept their entirely different body parts. (Cade still refuses to have a new LED inserted and Conrad won’t take his out) Together their bill barely even touched the amount Collon owed. •Both boys were designed as physiological androids to help grieving parents who have lost kids, are unable to have kids, or want to be prepared to have kids and consumers should not get attached to them. Their main and most important function is to mimic real child behaviors. •Cade’s first act of deviancy was saving Conrad from being destroyed and essentially sent him on the spiral of distrusting humans and wanting to be alive, thus taking out his LED.