#so I can see why I got that impression
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My thoughts on the Roaring Knight
(they're probably not gonna be very coherent)
First of all, people so confidently pointing at Carol being the Knight are wildin'
It's Dess. But not literally. I think... The Knight was made. Possibly to carry out the prophecy, but the prophecy is at least in part bullshit. I think there is a goal, and how it gets accomplished is less important - therefore making the Knight a tool that can be thrown away if absolute need be. It's about the red soul.
As for proof? Beyond the obvious antlers/summoning a bat that turns into a sword? (Carol uses a katana while the Knight's sword is shaped like a falchion. I doubt this is a pixel restriction issue, it's like that on purpose.) In chapter 4 when the gang is chasing them they act flippant. Childish. Zooming up the stairs while grinning with their hands crossed. Can you picture The Serious Mayor doing that? Or that animalistic, beastly introduction? I can't.
I think they are made from some sort of an essence? Darkness? Of a titan and a part of Dess. I hesitate to throw around any soul ideas because the whole monster soul situation in this game is already so gooddamn weird it warrants a post of it's own. Whether that means Dess herself is somewhere else or.. merged? with it I don't know.
And finally:
(that was the first thing I got when I interacted with the computer on the same route but not sure if intentional tbh bc I didn't interact with it on the prev one. but helluva coincidence ISN'T IT)
#deltarune#deltarune spoilers#deltarune theories#deltarune weird route#deltarune chapter 3#deltarune chapter 4#the roaring knight#deltarune theory#indi's night talk#as for why the bat changes to a sword. can't stab a baseball bat into the ground can you?#y'know I was So convinced it was Dess and then I got to ch4 and immediately got the dialogue#about the mayor killing that guys briefcase with a katana and I was like waiiitt........#but I'm back to my original impression. see above#sidenote they/it knight my beloved#re: the first part of the post -#it's based on Gaster's dialogue when you lose (not die‚ interestingly) to the knight and especially when you lose on their last attack#that's also why I think the theory that the soul is gonna be shattered that I've seen around is wild like#while I don't think that is exclusively the only way we are connected to the game. it is far too central to it for that to happen#I was originally considering possession theories- like the knight possessing different people. I've also seen the idea of multiple knights#but the more I consider it the more it just doesn't seem right#this is all just on The Knight. what exactly is going on with the people involved with What Happened... fuck if I know#it does sort of remind me of Paper Trail funnily enough (but also makes me a tad worried pls don't fuck up the ending like that comic did)#dksfhsdjghdfgj ANYWAY WHAT#ALSO! not really to prove or disprove anything it but I think there's 100% sense of familiarity between Kris and the Knight#I might be talking outta my ass I don't have solid numbers on this but I swear Kris' attacks didn't do as much damage as they should've#and vice versa the Knight obviously holds back too. y'know that and the kneeling.#(need I even mention the palm circles in all of this? I don't need to mention it...#then again I haven't seen anyone else mention it either *squints angrily*)
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dafpork is like a modern day speakeasy to me because everyone comes in like it’s forbidden but since it’s the modern day it’s perfectly normal. Little secret club
LMAO YES!!! THIS IS A REALLY GOOD ANALOGY.. AND SEE IT'S SO FUNNY because i'm like I DON'T WANT IT TO BE FORBIDDEN... i'm such an accidental hypocrite in that regard because i'm like "i want more people to talk about them i want people to be loud and proud it makes me sad to hear that people might have been initially embarrassed to ship them there's so much to love :(((( anyway here's my SHITTY ART of these people i HATE i'm so EMBARRASSED thanks for putting up with me in my SHAME CORNER UGH i'm so EMBARRASSED they're so EMBARRASSING i SUCK they SUCK it all SUCKS" LOL and i do mean it in a joking manner... mostly... but i'm kind of now at the point where i'm like. Okay well you're going to have to put in some more legwork if you want people to talk about them. (but, again, just the fact that people talk about and support them enough is so great! it's so weird and wonderful to me that people are calling it on dafpork on platforms other than this one, people who may not know i exist... it's cool hearing a term you and your friend came up with in a private discord be used, it shows how much growth there HAS been since there really used to be nothing!)
a dafpork speakeasy sounds so cool though oh my god can you imagine Porky and Daffy themed cocktails...............
COME JOIN US AT THE DAFPORK SPEAKEASY. which, you are not supposed to advertise that a speakeasy is a speakeasy. but it's subversive. like Daffy. or something. this is your sign to play pig and duck with us. yes you
#I REALLY LOVE THIS ASK LOL THANK YOU#i'm maybe debating un-hiding my blog and posting in the tags.. before i went to bed last night i sent that latest drawing in a big discord#server i'm in where people know me in a more professional context and then just closed out and went to bed and now i have like 4 pings and#am scared to check them LMFAO but i'm trying to be more brave#IT'S LIKE. I'VE MENTIONED IT A LOT BEFORE. i have a very specific set of circumstances that somewhat justify my neuroticness with all of#this but i've been getting the impression that it's accidentally rubbed off on other people and that really upsets me so i want to stop#being a [Porky voice] craven little coward within my own control#my online and irl life are very intrinsically tied i have immediate family following me and i got my job through being online/it IS online#really... and even if those people aren't following my tumblr it still comes up in search results. so hopefully you can see why i don't wan#my parents or bosses seeing my art of the pig and duck eating face. especially when i want to work with said pig and duck#and am sort of fearful that people might feel like i have an 'agenda' or other motivations for wanting to work with them (push#ship fodder or whatever the damn hell idk). see that latter point i know is more ridiculous and i'm trying to work against it#because i know my intentions and it ain't that! truly i just love the characters and want to explore all of their dynamics. and this is a#part of their dynamic. a recontextualization maybe. but everyone i've explained Dafpork to has been shocked/understanding? i guess? a lot o#'how did i not know this before's. so it's not like i'm 'wrong' LOL. but i just get paranoid and my wires of justifiable vs irrational#paranoia crossed#look yall i was in the South Park fandom when i was 15 getting called slurs and death threats i was there for Steven Universe discourse#seeing the crew get harassed i've had a lot of bad fandom experiences/observations that justify my reticence lol#but that's me!! i don't want that to rub off on other people#my greatest mission is to make people happy and it makes me feel awful to think that other people might be embarrassed because they see me#dealing with my own neuroses and circumstances and adopt them for themselves... no!!!!!!! i would not wish that on anyone#so i'm trying to push my way through. i think also just because these guys are tied so much to my identity and how i make sense of it and#i think hiding and not taking pride in this stuff has been much more detrimental to my own self worth and image than i've realized#there are precautionary steps i do feel the need to take but also maybe there are things more within my control than i realize#AGAIN as an outsider i'm sure this looks bonkers crazy to some people who are like 'it's a cartoon pig and duck who gives a shit'#well a) me LOL but b) they mean a lot to me... like much more than words can describe. and i'm trying to embrace that more#i'm a very unique person with a unique set of circumstances and i shouldn't shun that and adhere to what i think other people expect of me#literally gotta be the change i wanna see in the world. i again know this sounds ridiculous but i yam tired of downplaying it/myself... my#circumstances are complex and unique and i will stand by them and embrace them#the old me would say thank you for dealing with me and sorry for getting weirdly personal on a joke post but the BRAVE ME says i'm grateful
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hummmm i looked around a bit and i guess it just depends on how u interpret their actions…?
#cheese *blush*#i saw some ppl saying that it wasnt friendship which i agree with and that it was simply them being allies which makes the most sense in my#eyes#but i also saw ppl saying hua cheng being mean or cold towards he xuan was to just play it up for he xuans sake since he was in disguise#which is interesting? idk how i feel about it particularly cus sometimes hua cheng was just straight up mean to him LOL#i also saw someone say hua cheng doesnt care for money so he xuans debt doesnt actually matter much to him and he just wants something else#to keep he xuan tethered to the world which is#really really interesting to me and i can kinda see it? although id imagine he xuan pays his debts with information more than actual money#idk! all in all umm its still complicated LMFAO#i will say the way they both suffered probably helps whatever kind of mutual understanding they have of eachother#like theyre both not ignorant to the world and its cruelty which idk maybe its a relief to hua cheng#ive said it before and ill repeat that i do think hua cheng is probably a little relieved that the other ghost king is agreeable#for the most part and he didnt get stuck with some maniac that wants to cause problems all the time#i think its however close to friendship hua cheng is willing to go which isnt far at all but kinda impressive that he xuan has made it#to that point#it is kinda funny how quickly he takes to yushi huang over he xuan who he’s probably known for like… centuries LMFAO#but id assume its just cus shes genuinely kind towards xie lian and Minds her business#whereas he xuan accidentally dragged xie lian into his beef (Lol)#also i just wanna say i dont hold hua chengs meanie behavior against him LOL i just think it . needs to be pointed out for the sake of Well.#making a point#i like when hes a meanie! i support that!#alsp yeah i didnt say this but i always thought hua chengs coldness towards he xuan in black water was because xie lian got involved and#god i cant remember if this really happened but im sure hua cheng has told he xuan to stay away from xie lian LOL#so idk its cool seeing someone else interpret it as#hua cheng playing along and not just him being simply upset his husband ended up in a dangerous situation#but who really knows! hua chengs a little mysterious so i may never get a perfectly clear read on why he does this or that
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bring back technicolor and practical effects now im so serious
#AND PUPPETRY#AND PHYSICAL COMEDY.#im gonna watch wicked this week with some of my family and just from the trailer i can already tell im gonna be disappointed#the colors are too dull to be oz. it just. it feels too modern#i don't know too much about color grading for film but there has got to be a way to make it resemble technicolor?#idk theres just such a charm to technicolor movies and old acting that you just don't see anymore#im so serious about the physical comedy thing too though#i understand that its not exactly safe but. also. it's fucking impressive! and funny! watch make em laugh from singin in the rain#THAT SHIT IS INSANE#and not every movie needs that style! it's a genre specific thing!#i think that might be part of why i like iasip too now that i think about it because they really lean into the physical humor#hm. im not sure where im going with this#i just really love stupidly bright movies and old hollywood acting#anyways#watch singin in the rain. its probably the greatest movie musical of all time im not biased i swear.#fran talks
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watched the first ep of Dead Boy Detectives today, did anyone also think the dialogue was a bit clunky?
I don't mean it was unwatchable or anything i just feel like it didn't feel realistic the way they introduced the characters and world... It felt like the dialogue was for the viewer instead of an in character thing. We were gonna be introduced to a viewer surrogate within the first few minutes, there was no need to have the characters who already know how the show's world works spell it out for nobody... and then explain it again when Crystal showed up? idk it felt like something I would write (not a complient) 😅
#the line ''we have to hide from death... or she'll get us'' was ridiculous#do you think the boy that's been escaping death since 1919 or whatever doesn't know?!#''we have to hide'' was enough the viewer can put 2 and 2 together and deduce it's bad if death sees them#to then minnutes later have them explain to crystal why they have to hide from death again...#just let the characters adress the camera if you wanna spell it out so easily#or you know... trust that the viewer is intelligent enough to wait 2 minutes for an explanation?#it was mostly just that first few mins of the first ep i think#i didn't pick up on anything else that trully bothered me#but idk it felt condecending dkjfghkdfg or simply badly written#which it was a bit of a let down to have it as a very first impression#i guess i went in thinking sandman and got like idk generic teen show#in the dialogue alone btw i actually really like the characters and the premise is awesome!#it just cuaght me by surprise#maybe it because i'm also watching fallout and the dialogue on that is like very well done and everything is a hint for something later#so i'm comparing it idk#anyways... is it just me? or was it actually clunky?#(don't spoil it past ep 1 pls)#angel talks#dead boy detectives#really liking it so far tho!
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Watched that David Tennant game show. And please tell me I’m not only person who was confused as to why it is supposedly to be “too confusing to follow”
Also from what reviews I’ve seen (skimmed through a few) it seems the biggest problem is that the reviewers want it to be more like the traitors (or nothing at all like the traitors) (completely ignoring that the concept of the show is based on a preexisting Korean game show)
#I spent the first 15 minutes just wondering what was confusing everyone (and I never figured it out)#do British people see numbers and get scared or what (I#(I’m joking. mostly)#and even if your don’t completely understand the game there is enough backstabbing etc to keep you invested#also why did I see headlines saying things like ‘viewers switched off after 5 minutes’#all they do in the first 5 minutes is introduce the players which is pretty standard for any game show I’ve seen?#look it isn’t the best game show or the most impressive or original but it’s really not bad#even when you take out the David tennnant of it#also the reviewers manage to be intellectual snobs (one contestant said he applied to love island!) and anti-intellectual at the same time#that said I’m. it huge on gameshows and it can be a bit dull and the format can be a bit tired#and David Tennant is basically just reading out instructions on a screen so if you expected any engagement from him you’ll be disappointed#david tennant#genius game#I am also slightly mad at how reviews completely disregard that the concept originated from a Korean gamehsow bit instead say#‘oh look they are copying British game show the traitors’#(which was actually based on a Dutch game show)#that this show doesn’t distinguish itself enough from the traitors is a fair point you may be able to make#I’ve just got unnecessarily riled up#I think I have more opinions on the two reviews I saw than the actual show#this in not really my thing (and I probably wouldn’t watch it if not for David tennant)#it was just very… okay#I’d rate it 5.5-6/10#when watching it I actually rolled my eyes a bit but then I read some reviews and had to come defend it
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I just binge watched all 9 volumes of RWBY and I've found my newest obsession.
#and my newest ship#rwby#Yang is my favorite#why did it take me so long to watch this show? i remember it being all over my dash at some point#i was like 'who's the blonde and cat girl'?#which yes can refer to more than one show#and i love both ships#i want to hug all 4 members of team rwby#especially after v9 with all the emotional stuff that went on#haven't checked to see people's thoughts but im impressed they took an entire season to explore everyone's emotional state#to allow the characters to reflect on their choices and what's happened and what they should do next#or more who they want to be going forward#i was thinking i wanted stuff like this once they got to atlas and everything got even more intense#but i had no idea how they'd work character driven stories like that into an action packed season#love that they decided to put the plot on hold and allow the characters' stories to take center stage#the way this show could make me scream and cry and laugh every season#it's going in the vault
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is it autism or is it a symptom of previous longterm social isolation and lack of agency ?
#i think. im not good at being a person.#ive finally gotten some alone time and i am reflecting. and well.#i dont think you can make me socially aware ^-^ i dont think i'll ever get good at it.#i donknow why ^-^👍 and i dont think it matters 👍#i think hes getting tired of me alreadyyyy......#and i think. lots of other ppl . dont see me wout him already also.#ive managed this already... impressive ^-^#but the japanese international girls like me so !!! it doesnt matter !!! i have. two nice friends. and 1 intimidating friend.#i will not get bullied or made fun of or be in ungetoutable bad situations bc of. mafia friend.#and then i will recharge and be silly around. nice friends.#i think the fact that im actively thinking about this. doesnt do anything for my case.#i think. im getting masking lessons. when i hang out w him. if it really is the autism. and im failing a little bit.#he thinks ive got anxiety. 💭💭 psych major ass. sorry. my roommates also psych major. why are they. talkers.#theyre scawy.#they both got adhd too. whats with that#anyway.#i want to get a haircut.#and hes like. well. hes literally 4 real a model. and his mom was a model. and all his friends were. guess what. models.#so. scary. so i will go to a shitty salon w a nice normal level of social skill friend and then not say anything i think.#i love yapping on here this is awesome. i can just say anytging.#non u know me in real life#how did i end up making friends w the most 'popular guy' guy in the world this is so stressful.#everyone likes him. there are ppl who only talk to me to get an idea of where he might be at. what happened.#howd i go from friendless loser to. loser but in a completely different friend environment. friends w guy who is too good at making friends#but chooses to hang out w me ? does he choose to do that. is it all coincidence?#how did i get here. it really doesnt feel real#i want. to . explode.#yknow i never even really talked to boys before this also. wtf. wtf..#i have only been saying nice things so far i think but i think its important to know that he. scares me. hes so from bc.#i have always been scared of island ppl theyre. all so mad always. and guess what he is too. and yet here i am.
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Got hired at a different program as a whole ass instructor so my professor can suck my dick 😌
#not snz#so hype rn lmao#going into that interview was wild like i was expecting nothing#but she immediately started with how impressed she was with my resume and that i seemed like the perfect candidate#like !!!!#and the interview itself went so well too like i was vibing#like finally someone sees exactly what I'm worth#not a ta position not a skills instructor position but an actual lecturer position#I'm the professor now bitch#and it's part time for now so i can keep doing all my other things#also i went to the program i was a ta at to say hey to my friends and lld coworkers#and only one of then knew abour the drama bc i told him and everyone was floored when i said she wouldn't hire me#and they gave me the tea and confirmed that the people she did hire suck at their jobs#they were so pissed on my behalf lmao like they had no idea#and neither did one of the other instructors bc i went to say hey to her too and she was also happy to see me#and she asked why i don't come in anymore and i told her i wanted to be hired and my prof wouldn't do it#and she had no idea i wanted to be hired bc she said she said she would've offered it to me in a heartbeat when they had open positions#so you hate to see that but i got a better offer so I'm just trying to think about that now lmao#oh but one of the new hires might be getting fired already so a position might open up lmao#the chisme was wild tho like i need to swing by again at some point to see everyone again just for that
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💬
#i can see why ppl said s2 of the bear was so diff#i loved how much time we got to spend with each character#really impressed with ritchie too#and olivia colman just appearing outta the blue like that#shocked the shit outta me lolz
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now. being an "alt queer" type guy. i have befriended many other alts and queers. i believe i am witnessing for the first time a lesbian who is like a stright girl who acts gay. the "cottagecore"esque. the pop indie. the taylor swift.
#most normal lesbian i have ever knowingly met#which tbf it just seems like she has a good and loving family who supported her thru her life including severe life threatening depression#so it might just be that shes well adjusted for a gay person LMAO#*a gay person round these parts in the south that is lmao. i would assume most ppl who hypothetically would read this are from an urban area#anywaaaaysss perhaps one day ill rid myself of the envy that comes with being a child with SOMEHOW unnoticed audhd due to my guardians not#due to statistics but um being gay in the suburban or rural and even most of the quote unquote urban areas is not a position in which#you get much support much less direct support#i have a compulsion to analyze why certain things rub me too Normal and it usually comes back down to resentment over not having emotional#support as a child LOL#sorry im so stoned and on adderall. i got immediate release ;)#normal people scare me and i hate i can say that kind of unironically#its not even like strangers yknow its when im familliar enough with a person to see how well adjusted they are that i start to get a little#disturbed#maybe this is the opposite of that one study that says nts distrust and can detect autistics upon first impression#lol#its like how other day i wrote an insta essay on how tswift triggers resentment bc she is popular and represents belonging
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i have done so many character redesigns this year. redesigns georg
#just me hi#yes i Just made that ref for Hid. Yes i also just changed it yesterday on a whim#but it looks sick so who's gonna arrest me for that huh??#[<- forgetting about its brother who they can't stop talking to about this project]#RIP oreo design. you will live on warmly in my heart <3 you have no choice as a human's internals average 97 deGrease so#/also now that i'm out of that art slump i have GOT to make a spooky comic for p.space!!#it's gonna be silly goofy and i've already planned out the first page lol :D#i just gotta settle some gripes with my formatting demons and also have a small tussle with my own willpower and set some things straight#with the style i want to draw it in and Then we'll be on our way >:3#i am unstoppable! except for when i hit a roadblock. those are pretty good at their job it's honestly impressive#hbvhasf#/i could be a roadblock dude i'd be so good at it#am i deadly allergic to conflict? yea#can i ramble or listen to someone ramble for like an hour+? ye :3#can i stand in the road obliviously staring into nothing forever? prolly! there's a good chance i forget and wander off#but isn't that just like a roadblock? they come outta nowhere and Bam ! why are you in the middle of a forest road man who put you out here#//alright i really really wanna draw my thing now so!! shall i return? dunno! gotta see if this pink thing in my skull wants to be in a#solid or gaseous form. it's Super inconvenient frankly hsbdhvs :>>
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i’m the worst person in the world but in middle school i helped found a kindness club that still exists at my school for kids that don’t have anyone to sit with at lunch
#hey so theres multitudes im the worst and can leave a lasting impression so we dont let any other kids get that bad LOL#dont know why im thinking of this i think i just miss ms monica and having someone ask me whats on my mind today#junior high……………u never really recover from being that freak#i would walk up to anybody and sit with them and say hi and sometimes id get weird looks but its nice to connect with humans around you#its nice to feel like you arent the only one that sees you in a room full of people#i see you! i love you#you’re important here and i want to talk to you friend#same school i got in a physical fight with joseph ********* after he pushed my best friend and i told him if he wants to put his hands on#girls come see me and he kept asking if that was a threat for now or later and i said any time u wanna come get it and he immediately told#the Assistant principal on me LMFAO#bitchv??? anyway we fought again in high school and then he transferred and came back to school with a gun?!!?!?????#moved to iowa and then i got his snap like everything was cool bc i was nosey and was like heyyyyyyh what the fuckk lol#he lives 5 min from my house in san diego literally across the freeway#RAMBLINGcupid#draft posting#may 31
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I think the hardest part about everything for me is trying to balance "everyone around me is incompetent barring these four people whom I view as actually somewhat useful to have around as people instead of as bags of meat to love me and praise me" as me being Problem-filled™ vs being a realistic view of the situation based on the fact that actually a lot of people ARE incompetent and I really CAN only rely on four people in my life to actually have their shit together. Like I know my perspective on relationships and other people is skewed but also people do not do their jobs and then expect you to pick up the pieces.
#like. I understand the ep stuff cause I think that actually sums up my feelings towards [x] really well#and makes sense as to why I feel attached to them but not necessarily like if it ended I would be like super unhappy beyond#'oh... what am I gonna do now without the only person I can speak frankly with'#but also like#everyone else DOES suck#nobody else sees things the way me and them see things#but that's just how people are yk#and when I brought this up to my therapist his impression was mostly just 'oh wow. but I do get the frustration with people'#so like maybe that is normal yk#Plus like I can admit when I don't have a skill just as long as it isn't one of the skills that are My skills#like being bad at math? fine. bad at talking? fine.#but if you try and one up me on one of MY things then what's your problem. you don't fucking get it like I do#I'm acclaimed!! I got top grades!!!#People need me for these things don't fucking come in here and try and take my fucking spot#I need to kill *** tbh. how dare he fucking take MY things
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After the Ithaca Saga, I believe that Odysseus thought he and Athena were officially done forever and would only occasionally see each other because she was mentoring Telemachus now. He really thinks there's no way they can reconnect anymore and attempt at a friendship this time, but he's fine with it, he can accept it.
That is until Telemachus goes up to him one day like:
"Hey father, can I ask you something?"
"Yes son, of course."
"You mentored under Athena before right? Do you happen to know a friend of hers?"
"Oh I... I wasn't aware Athena had friends before. She was very adamant about that "No Friends" rule back then... kind of stings."
"Oh really? She talks about him a lot."
"Does she now? *mumbling* must be so special about this fRieNd of Athena..."
"Yeah she told me about this one time he wanted to impress someone, so he climbed on all the way to the tree branch next to the balcony of their room and leaned against the trunk to look cool, but he kept talking to Athena in her owl appearance so he didn't notice the other person going to the balcony and he got so spooked when they called out to him, he turned too fast and lost balance, slipped, smacked his ass on the tree branch and broke his arm when he fell, so he had to wear a sling for 3 months and couldn't sit down for 2 weeks."
"....call Athena right now."
"Why-"
"ATHENA!!!"
The second Athena appeared, Odysseus threw himself at her, on one hand going "YOU CONSIDER ME YOUR FRIEND WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO!?!?!?!" and on the other going "WHY ARE YOU TELLING MY SON ALL MY EMBARRASSING STORIES!?!?! THAT WAS BETWEEN ME, PENELOPE AND YOU!!"
He was actually crying. Athena has absolutely no idea what is happening or what she should do. Telemachus just discovered a whole new side of his dad and might know where he gets it from now....
#epic#epic: the musical#epic the musical#epic: the ithaca saga#epic the ithaca saga#odysseus#the ithaca saga#ithaca saga#epic the wisdom saga#epic: the wisdom saga#the wisdom saga#wisdom saga#epic odysseus#odysseus of ithaca#epic telemachus#telemachus#telemachus of ithaca#epic athena#athena#pallas athena#epic odypen#odypen#penelope#penelope of ithaca#penelope of sparta#epic penelope#epic headcanon#jorge rivera herrans#the odyssey#odyssey
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I think about Azula shooters often and their common refrain of "if Azula hadn't had a mental breakdown, she would've won" and I'm here to tell you that no, she wouldn't have.
There is no universe in which Azula was winning that fight with Zuko (or Katara, for that matter).
Azula spent so much of Book 2 being built up as this deadly terrifying force against whom the heroes are badly outmatched that it can be difficult to catch exactly how quickly Zuko is advancing.
Back up a bit to Book One. For the fearsome exiled crown prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko's not that impressive a firebender. He's not bad by any stretch, and he's able to lay the untrained Sokka and Katara flat pretty easily. Then he gets in the ring with Aang, who is an airbending master, and the difference between a regular bender and a master becomes apparent when Aang literally puts his ass to bed:
People have attributed this to the fact that no one's fought an airbender in 100 years, but I think it's also worth noting that Aang (a 12 year old from a pacifist nation) has probably never fought anyone before. Like, ever. And yet the second Aang thinks "okay, I'll attack back", the fight's over.
Zuko's got the same genetic predisposition for firebending talent that Azula does, yet it never seems to manifest because of his mental blocks. At the beginning of the series, he's already so beat down that all he really has is conviction, pride, and anger, so even with training from Iroh (the firebending master, thank you very much), he struggles. Yet throughout Book 2, when he has no time to train because he's on the run, he actually seems to advance faster. The fact that his bending is literally tied to his character arc (as his morals become tangled and he has to fight off aforementioned mental blocks) is pretty brilliant. Like, by the time of the Crossroads of Destiny, Zuko getting his ass handed to him by Aang is a pretty consistent feature of the show--he just can't match wits with him.
Hell, at the beginning of the series, he and Iroh (again: the actual firebending master) launch a combined power surface-to-air attack...which Aang casually swats away into a nearby ice wall. Come the Crossroads of Destiny, however, and Zuko by himself launches this bigass fireball that blows through Aang's defenses.
Zuko advances so quickly that it's scary. That prodigious talent is in him even if it doesn't come through as cleanly as with Azula. Who, by the way, was busy about to get flattened by Katara some few dozen feet away, until Zuko took over and then effectively stalemated her himself.
All of this in retrospect makes it abundantly clear why Zuko's firebending seemed to skyrocket so much when he learned true firebending from the Sun Warriors: it was really the only thing left. He's hard a hard road learning how to fight waterbenders, earthbenders, and airbenders, and even if unconsciously, he's applying the philosophy Iroh taught him about augmenting his bending style with aspects of other styles (see also, the waterbending-like fire whips he uses in the above gif). Once he actually understands fire and how it works, he's got it mastered. Hence why any gap between him and Azula effectively disappears as soon as their next fight--before her friends have betrayed her and her stability goes out the window. There's no real sense of urgency to their fight at the Boiling Rock prison. True, Sokka's presence with the sword helps, but Zuko doesn't look remotely worried and he counters Azula's every attack perfectly.
All her life, Azula only ever learned fire. She was taught by the best people the fire nation can employ, so she knows all the cool tricks, but she's still poisoned by the corrupted firebending practiced in the modern ATLA timeline. Unlike Zuko, who managed to get the basics if nothing else from Iroh (fire comes from the breath, and can be used to survive as much as to kill), Azula has always used fire as a weapon and a means to hurt others. She has no true knowledge of the craft, meaning she's got the same weaknesses as Zhao, she's just better disciplined to the point she can make up for it.
Zuko's victory was a given considering Azula's complete loss of control by the time of Sozin's comet, but even had she been in a perfect mental state, she'd have lost, because in many ways Zuko is simply the better firebender.
And that's the truth of it.
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