#Anti-Duel of the Fates | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

themattress · 1 year

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After watching the video in this post, I decided to look up the script for Duel of the Fates, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly’s first pass at Episode IX before Carrie Fisher’s passing rendered it unusable. While I stand by what I’ve said previously about how its ultimate message (how it’s good to be a “Gray Jedi” who uses both Light and Dark sides of the Force and thus every Jedi prior to Rey got it all wrong) pisses on Star Wars and its core philosophy of the Force and what “balance” means far more than anything J.J Abrams or Rian Johnson could ever put out, I want to bring up another flaw. See, Duel of the Fates is praised by people who loved The Last Jedi and hated The Rise of Skywalker for being a far more “natural continuation” to The Last Jedi. The question I now pose is...is it? Is it really?

I mean, in some respects it certainly is - it maintains the harsher tone, maintains certain beats like Rey having no special heritage and Rose being a central character, and isn’t afraid to risk fucking with sacred cows of the franchise’s mythos (even if they take it too far, in a way that lends a ton of credibility to every “Rey is a Mary Sue!” argument ever made, but I digress). However, look deeper and cracks begin to show to the notion that Duel of the Fates is an organic follow-up to The Last Jedi and would have satisfied everyone who loved that movie.

Yes, Rey would have stayed just a girl from nowhere with no special heritage, and one could argue that her Gray Jedi outcome fit with her trajectory in The Last Jedi where she’s basically perfect as is and doesn’t need to learn much of anything; in fact her “teachers” end up learning from her. However, the big “reveal” scene about her parents from The Last Jedi is still retconned. In The Rise of Skywalker, the retcon is that Kylo just saw what happened - Rey’s scavenger parents selling her - and assumed there was no deeper truth to it but then learns he was wrong about that. In Duel of the Fates, the retcon is that Kylo flat-out lied. He knew that Rey’s parents didn’t sell her for drinking money and were in fact hiding her...not from an assassin sent by Palpatine, but from an assassin sent by Snoke. Him. Kylo Ren. He himself killed Rey’s parents because they hid Rey from him and later lied to her that they just abandoned her. I have no idea how this works timeline-wise given that Kylo doesn’t seem that much older than Rey, but whatever. Also, Rey’s real name is “Rey Solana”. Yes, literally just “Solo” if the last “o” got taken out and the “ana” from “Organa” got put in. Um....poetry?

Speaking of Kylo Ren, The Last Jedi positioned him as the irredeemable Big Bad now that he’s Supreme Leader of the First Order. And Duel of the Fates kind of did and did not stick with that. Yes, he’s the Big Bad all the way to being the Final Boss (for a third film in a row), but his entire plotline is completely detached from the First Order he’s supposedly the Supreme Leader of. Rather than just being treated as irredeemable, damn near every good guy in the film is constantly trying to redeem him (above all Luke’s ghost, since “See you around, kid” was taken literally here instead of figuratively). And yet at the last minute, he kind of receives redemption anyway? He loses in lightsaber combat to Rey, then beats her anyway by killing her via his lifeforce-draining ability, only for Leia to contact him through the Force and tell him “Come back to the Light”....and despite everything he’s done up to this point where he has succeeded in his goal, this is somehow enough for him to immediately give his own lifeforce to Rey, resurrecting her and killing him. He did nothing good other than backtrack on something evil he’d literally just done, so I guess he isn’t redeemed, but then why does the script describe his passing as having light in his eyes and holding Rey’s hand while looking at her with love? How are we supposed to look at this? It’s beyond confusing! You can keep Kylo unredeemed or redeem him ala The Rise of Skywalker, but not both.

Finn, and Rose certainly get it better in Duel of the Fates than they do in The Rise of Skywalker, with Finn leading a massive Stormtrooper rebellion and Rose being one of the core characters instead of an extra. But there are three problems. Rose ends up largely contributing nothing beyond further social commentary and even gets captured and tortured, which doesn’t seem like it makes her starring role worth it. Finn and Rose are a romantic couple, and as it ended up John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran had no romantic chemistry with each other. And funnily enough, The Last Jedi did not set Finn up for his Stormtrooper rebellion arc! It could have, but for some reason the version of his battle with Phasma that had build-up for this development wasn’t used in the finished film! So that’s a big whoopsie! Poe’s arc in Duel of the Fates actively backtracks on his arc from The Last Jedi! Whereas in The Last Jedi it was positioned that his hot-headed recklessness was wrong and he had to grow as a leader by taking Leia’s example, Duel of the Fates has him in the right over Leia by pointing out “rebellion IS recklessness!” and that Leia has had her time and now she has to let Poe take charge even if she has some reservations about his gung-ho methods. Hux, meanwhile, who was positioned in The Last Jedi as scheming to betray Kylo Ren so that he can become the leader of the First Order...never does that in Duel of the Fates. He basically IS the First Order’s leader anyway since Kylo Ren is busy with his own shit, and the farthest extent his “treachery” goes is just hoping Rey and Kylo kill each other rather than take initiative himself in any way. Oh, and he’s also randomly obsessed with learning how to use the Force and collects lightsabers, one of which he commits seppuku with at the end. Yeah.

As for the other characters, there’s honestly not that much difference from what they do in The Rise of Skywalker. Luke keeps with his turnaround on how he views the Jedi and his place in the universe and assists Rey as a ghost, Leia still reaches through to her son via the Force in order to engineer his change of heart, Han is a vision that confronts his son (albeit one that fails in Duel of the Fates), Lando is reluctant to get involved but then ends up leading the cavalry in the final battle, the sidekicks are still the sidekicks and one of the droids even has their memory wiped but later restored (though it’s R2-D2 rather than C-3PO), and despite all the fan bitching there is no instrumental role played by the ghost of “Chosen One” Anakin. The only other big difference is that instead of Palpatine, a character established as a master long-term schemer with a fixation on finding a way to cheat death, returning, we have a confusing character named Tor Valum who is apparently master of ALL THE SITH which breaks the Rule of Two, hints that Darth Plagueis in his entirety was a lie, and exists as a plot device to make Kylo Ren a formidable Final Boss after having been made a joke of in the climax of the previous two films. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have Palpatine.

So there you have it. Not much else to say but...

#Star Wars #Duel of the Fates #The Last Jedi #The Rise of Skywalker #Opinion #Analysis #Comparison #Fandumb #Stupidity #What Could Have Been #Anti-DOTF #Anti-Duel of the Fates

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reyskywalker328 · 2 years

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Duel of the Fates — Andrew Winegarner, Ph.D.

So, I've known about the leaked Duel of the Fates script for a while, but I just now discovered this gem. Andrew Winegarner, a Star Wars fan on Twitter, made a comic series based on this leaked script and oh my god...it's absolutely amazing! I'm a big fan of tros, I would rate it as my second favorite Star Wars film after rotj, but if this movie had been produced instead, I would probably rate this as my all time favorite.

And the best part? No Reylo lol. However, Damerey seems to be a big thing in this script which I'm not thrilled about tbh. I don't think Rey and Poe should have a romantic relationship, but still...it's way better than Reylo.

If you're interested, check it out! I highly recommend!

#star wars episode 9 #duel of the fates #anti reylo #anti damerey

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supremeprince-bensolo · 2 years

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Colin Trevorrow would made duel of the fates as worse if Poe and Rey together depsite little chemisty, draco and hermoine didnt have chersity depsite pairing is pouplar and i roting for zutura

Yep the Rey and Poe relationship would have been so bad. They only met for the first time at the end of the previous movie. There was no build up. I just don’t understand why Colin Treverrow thought it was a good idea to put them together? She had an established relationship with both Ben and Finn... but he was gonna put her with Poe?? 🤷‍♀️

I can see the appeal of Draco and Hermione, but the popularity of that ship is mostly fanon not necessarily canon.

And Zutara should have been canon! It’s a crime that they weren’t after all that build up.

#ask #anonymous #rey #anti duel of the fates #damn zutara had some great chemistry #should have been canon #at least zuko is still alive #at least they didn't kill him as his redemption

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meldarkthrop · 1 month

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Schedule of the antis:

Monday: "Elain will reject her mate and choose Azriel"

Tuesday: "Elain has two mates actually and she'll pick Az"

Wednesday: "Az is the only true mate of elain"

Thursday: "There's a cauldron mate, mother mate, classmate—"

Friday: "Elain will duel Lucien and save Az"

Saturday and Sunday: Repeat it all. And add "By the way, Gwyn is an evil lightsinger."

Them, internally: Haha we theorized every possibility, we can't be wrong teehee.

After Elucien, the canon fated mate pair, is endgame in a book written by a fated mates author:

#elucien #pro elucien #anti e/riel #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #did i miss any other crack theory?#elain archeron

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zenkindoflove · 25 days

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"I want what Elain wants and she wants Azriel"

Is a claim I often see e/riels use to claim why they are "pro Elain" and implying that if you ship Elain with her mate because "she clearly doesn't want him" then you are anti Elain.

So yeah this whole post is why that's bullshit.

First let's get some things straight that we all can agree are facts.

1. Elain had a crush on Azriel. It's clear by their looks and touches and her showing body language that she wanted to kiss him in the bonus chapter. It's unclear whether that crush survived post her tears over his rejection and giving the necklace back as they had no canonical interactions post solstice.

2. Elain does not want to address the bond right now and avoids Lucien. Her feelings about Lucien specifically and what she thinks about the bond are unclear.

Now that we got that out of the way, the assertion that you are the most pro Elain because you ship her with Azriel is quite a stretch. I'm sure you like Elain, as do I, but you do not hold some moral high ground because of who you ship her with.

First, let's discuss the idea that you have to support who Elain wants. People can want all kinds of people who are not right for them for a lot of reasons. It's a common experience for many to want the wrong guy. To have a crush and think they're the best and it'll all work out only to have your heart smashed by the cruel reality that they were wrong for you or didn't want you the way you did. It's also common to hate your friends' boyfriends and husbands because they're assholes despite how much they "want" them.

People's feelings change. Feelings are fickle.

In SJM's canonical world, mating bonds are not.

It makes sense that Elain, after going through her horrible rejection by the man she actually wanted and loved, Graysen, would not be ready to face what having a mate means. I'm sure it felt like infidelity to her, especially if she does desire and feel a pull towards Lucien like every other female with a mating bond has in this series. Her avoidance of Lucien can mean a lot of things, including that she wants him even if she mentally isn't ready or feels she shouldn't.

It also makes sense that she would seek out and find herself in a rebound crush with someone who is in her proximity and is low risk. Azriel doesn't come with the pressure of being her fated soulmate. He's just a dude. A dude who is pretty and paid some attention to her.

So yeah, I get why she wants him. Doesn't mean I think he is right for her.

Why isn't he right for her? To make a long post short, Azriel often undermines Elain. He diminishes her need for help when she's clearly depressed (ACOWAR), and he speaks for her and directly contradicts her wants (ACOSF, scrying). He is entitled to her without merit (the third sister line, bonus). He ignores her wishes to avoid violence and wants to kill people who are important to her (wanting Graysen killed, saying he'd kill Lucien in a blood duel - we know canonically if a mate dies it is like losing half of your soul). He thinks very little of her past his lustful fantasies (bonus chapter) and even to the point of projecting his own self-hatred when he looks at her skin (bonus chapter). Elain is symbolic for him of the thing he covets most (a mate), and his crush on her is a manifestation of his psychological need to pursue unavailable females because of his self worth (friends who will never romantically love him or a female with a mating bond). Basically they are a recipe for a toxic relationship full of avoiding real personal healing.

So yeah sorry, even if Elain wants to kiss him I'm not shipping her with someone like that just because she "wants" it. I would rather see her have a story where she discovers who she is and what being Fae means to her, which means directly addressing not only her powers (hello let her scry) but also addressing her mating bond head on by getting to know the male that she will always have a pull to, no matter if she rejects the bond or not. Elain is a fictional character with a narrative arc. Her wants now will not always stay static.

For me, as someone pro Elain, I want her to give herself a chance at a forever kind of love, one with a soul to soul connection and an eternal devotion. I want her to experience that unconditional love she so desperately craves. I don't want to read her choosing just some regular dude who will probably drop her the second his mating bond snaps anyways. She deserves a mate. Even if she doesn't know or understand that yet.

And quite frankly, I think once Elain does learn not only who Lucien is but the way he thinks about her and how devoted he is to her and only her, she will want him soon enough. I don't ship for characters' frivolous crushes in the now. I ship for their potential with the right person. The person who will see them starving and depressed and worry about their well being rather than what their powers can provide them. Who will hear their vision and cross an ocean because they believe in it. Who will fight across a battlefield just to make sure they're okay. Who will even push down their own needs and wants to give them space because that's what they want right now.

You know what that means though. If you're pro-Elain for wanting what Elain wants, then Lucien is the most pro-Elain person there is. And why wouldn't he be? He is her mate after all, and he will do anything for her.

So yeah, that's who I want for Elain, and I think that makes me pretty pro-Elain too.

#elucien #lucien vanserra #elain archeron #pro elain #pro elain archeron #anti e/riel #anti azriel #pro elucien #elain x lucien

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emilyondemand · 2 years

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Something I find a little interesting about some in the fandom is how literal things need to be spelled out. I think this could be a bit of a case of not understanding the difference when an author shows us something(good writing) and tells us something(mediocre writing, except where exposition is needed, obviously). This is especially important in relationship dynamics, and I think this can be applied to Az’s bonus pov as well as to his and Elaine’s relationship as a whole.

SJM has been peeling back layer after layer showing us the depth of feeling and tenderness between Az and Elain through their actions toward one another.

Elain noticing Az rubbing his temples and getting him something to alleviate his discomfort

Az making a joke at Amren’s expense to distract everyone from Elain’s embarrassment

Az staying up with El after 3 am to listen to her gardening plans

Az acknowledging Elain’s contributions and service to her court and family through her domestic duties and not letting anyone eat until she is seated as a sign or respect

Az respecting Elain’s privacy with Lucien

When Azriel hears about the fight between Nesta and Elain, he doesn’t wonder about the fight, he is worried about Elain’s well-being. “What happened to Elain”

Azriel’s shadows coiling like snakes to defend Elain when she’s insulted.

So a common argument is that we were in Azriel’s head and he did not think about Elain in any other terms outside of her beauty and having sex with her. That even in Cassian’s bonus he thought about Nesta as a “pillar of steel and flame,” but I feel like this again comes down to that pesky little thing that antis love to hate, context. And even in context, this remark from Cassian isn’t much different than Azriel thinking about how open and hopeful and trusting Elain is when she looks at him.

Cassian and Nesta, at the point of time of his pov, had only seen each other a couple times. Nesta was still human, Cassian didn’t understand why he was drawn to her, they each had a very visceral reaction to one another that manifested itself by walking a very thin line between love/hate (and very often fell into hate territory). This encounter happened before he made a vow to protect Nes, which in text seemed mildly out of place, but was illuminated by their interaction in his bonus pov.

The bonus gives context for Cas’s actions in that moment. Just like all of the moments Elain and Az have had over the course of four books give context to Az’s bonus.

Azriel and Elain find themselves in a private romantic situation. One that Az has been simultaneously trying to avoid, but also hoping for desperately. The author is expecting her readers to understand by this point in the story that there is an established bond between the two, so there is no need for Azriel to wax poetic on Elain’s virtues, he knows what they are. Because, as opposed to Cassian and Nesta in Cassian’s bonus, Azriel and Elain have spent over 2 years moving in the same circle and getting to know one another. SJM is noting the familiarity that has occurred between them when she has Azriel remarking on:

Not needing his shadows to read Elain

Elain understanding why he was avoiding the river house and his motivations- indicating that these two have gotten to know each other well enough to communicate without words

Moments unseen to the reader involving mutual flirting with lingering glances and the brushing of fingers

And Elain making a sex joke with Azriel shows that these two are obviously comfortable with one another, especially in light of Elain’s reaction to Feyre’s attempt to discuss Fae periods with her

Ironically enough, antis also conveniently forget that between the two POV’s, it’s Cassian who is concerned about how Mor will feel about him and Nesta; Azriel on the other hand, doesn’t spare a thought for Mor while he is with Elain.

Then we get to the confrontation between Azriel and Rhys. Antis seem to think that Azriel is going to just start pouring out his heart to Rhys, and the truth is, he kind of does in his own way. I think it’s also important to note that Azriel’s rage here had less to do with Rhys interrupting, than it did with Azriel knowing Elain was confused and hurt and he was forced to be the cause of it.

So then we have Azriel:

Willing to upset the tentative peace in Prythian for Elain

Willing to fight a blood duel for Elain

Prioritizing Elain’s wants over the entitlement of the mating bond

Questioning Fate and the Mother

And his feelings need to be spelled out more than that? In a bonus chapter the majority of readers don’t even know about?

SJM shows us over and over in the bonus that there is a deep and intimate connection between Azriel and Elain, and it is mutual. The lengths Azriel would be willing to go for Elain and her well being says loud and clear that his feelings for her aren’t purely sexually driven. The cliche: actions speak louder than words, personifies their relationship.

#this is 100% a rebuttal to some dumb shit a delucien posted a few weeks ago #😬😬😬#selective reading is a plague on this fandom #especially for the azriel antis #elriel #pro elriel

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team-frightfur · 2 months

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Obviously, all the Velgearians will come back to life in the end, the alternative is laughably family-unfriendly. But, IMHO, episode 98 was a genuinely well-done and tragic moment. It's got everything, the hero doomed by his own hubris, the broken promise leading to a reneged character arc, the death of a loved one, the darkest hour. It's almost beautiful.

Big dick ass move from Zwijo, but it was a consistent move. This guy has always longed for death (just look at his monsters!) because, to him, eternity was horrifying. Immortality was the ultimate proof of his artificiality, and his artificiality was the ultimate proof of being a 'toy', both in the sense of being a Karutamata, and in the sense of being played with by fate.

It''s implied, for example, that Velgearians have actually repeated their wars over and over and over, with their memories being erased every time they died. This was what Zwijo was so broken by. Remember that part where he tells Kuaidul to "Get out of my head!" I'm fairly sure he wasn't possessed (no green eyes or darkness mon), he was just referring to the psychological torment.

Yudias told him that 'it doesn't matter how we were born' and gave him hope, but, recently, it's been shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that it totally, definitely, definitively matters how you were born. Yudias failed to follow through on the hope he gave Zwijo, so it's natural for Zwijo to return to his old comforts -chasing 'realness/freedom' through death.

(Plus, it mirrors the Velgearian spirit that was embodied by Kuaidul: having fun and rush duelling until the very end).

Ironically, it's highly likely that Yudias is the only Velgearian who won't die. Note that, when he was attacked with the Anti-Karutamata beam, it didn't work. This implies that Zwijo's plan to make him real using earthdamar was a success. Back then, when he said 'it doesn't matter how we were born', he was (unknowingly) speaking from a place of naive privilege. Now, his punishment for that is to be entirely alone for what will feel like an eternity (imagine living a natural lifespan as the last human on earth). Under Zwijo's paradigm, he's the biggest cosmic chew toy of them all. Of course, Zwijo didn't mean it that way, but I think the point still stands.

Again, obviously, all the Velgearians will come back to life in the end, the alternative is way too horrifying to even consider. But this is a well-done, tragic, horrifying moment and I have no clue how Yudias can go on after this. If I were him, I think I may unironically have begun trying to rush duel myself to death.

#go rush #yugioh go rush #go rush 98

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bestepisode · 2 months

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The top 8 episodes from each season will move on to the next round.

Vote on the second half of the season here!

Episode descriptions are under the cut.

Welcome to Republic City

Seventy years after the events concluding Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang has died and the Order of the White Lotus discovers the new Avatar, Korra, in the Southern Water Tribe. By the age of 17, Korra has mastered the elements of water, earth, and fire, but has not yet been able to airbend. Kept under lock and key by White Lotus for her own protection, she is frustrated by her isolation from the rest of the world, and eagerly anticipates completing her training with Master Tenzin, the son of Katara and Aang, and the only airbending master. However Tenzin also serves on the council of the United Republic (a new fifth nation created by Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko in the period between the two series) and civil unrest in the capital, Republic City, forces him to postpone her training. Unwilling to live under the strict confines of her life with the White Lotus anymore, Korra absconds from her compound on her massive polar bear-dog Naga and stows away on a vessel bound for Republic City, a bustling and rapidly modernizing capital of world affairs. After a clash with local triads, she is arrested by Lin Beifong, head of Republic City's metalbending police force and the daughter of Toph, until Tenzin bails her out and allows her to stay with him. Meanwhile, antagonist 'Amon' is identified as the leader of the anti-bender "Equalist" movement--the movement's numbers are swiftly swelling due to inequities between benders and non-benders and its extremist militant arm is beginning to kidnap benders whose fates are initially unknown.

A Leaf in the Wind

Frustrated by her continued inability to bend air, Korra visits Republic City's pro-bending arena against Tenzin's wishes. There, she befriends Bolin and Mako, two brothers on the "Fire Ferrets" pro-bending team. Filling in for their absent third member Korra initially suffers due to her inexperience, but wins the match using airbending principles. Tenzin, impressed, allows Korra to stay on the team.

The Revelation

Trying to collect money for their pro-bending fees, Bolin is recruited by the Triple Threat Triads, but they are all abducted by the Equalists. At an Equalist rally, Amon demonstrates his ability to permanently remove the bending powers of the captive gangsters, but Mako and Korra rescue Bolin before Amon can do the same to him.

The Voice in the Night

Republic City Councilman Tarrlok creates a task force to capture Amon, and eventually recruits the reluctant Korra. Mako gains a paramour in Asami Sato, the daughter of industrialist Hiroshi Sato, who sponsors the Fire Ferrets in the competition. After some success on the task force, Korra challenges Amon to a duel. She is ambushed and captured by Equalists, but Amon, not wishing to make her a martyr, does not take away her bending but implies that he will eventually do so. Shortly after, Tenzin finds her, deeply traumatized and terrified as a consequence of the attack.

The Spirit of Competition

Mako courts Hiroshi's daughter, Asami, much to the annoyance of Korra, who spends an evening with Bolin instead. Later, she kisses Mako, upsetting Bolin and the Fire Ferrets' chances in the championship. By the end of the episode, the Fire Ferrets forgive each other and advance to the championship match against the three-time defending champions, the popular and highly arrogant Wolfbats.

And the Winner Is...

Amon threatens to attack the pro-bending arena if the Council does not cancel the championship, but Chief Lin Beifong promises to protect the stadium. The Wolfbats win the match by bribing the referees to ignore foul play. After the match is over, the Equalists, having infiltrated the arena in force, neutralize Chief Beifong's metalbenders using electric gloves, and Amon strips the Wolfbats of their bending abilities before a shocked crowd. Korra and Beifong free themselves and fight the Equalists, but the Equalists escape in an airship and the arena is heavily damaged in the fray.

#the legend of korra #tlok #tlok best episode

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acourtofthought · 1 year

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I left that anon about Elain and choice, because it’s a genuine barrier for me in getting on board with the elucien ship (when I’d otherwise want to), and I was genuinely interested in your insight, and wasn’t going to reply further.

But, your own reply (and the other anon) kinda reminded me why I don’t really engage with this sort of thing. I never said I was an elriel, or that I’m rooting for Elain and Az - because I’m not. People in these ship wars seem to jump to such extremes… idk how you all endure it for so long, it’s exhausting.

My point is; I personally believe that so much of Elain’s character arc is about choice and agency (echoed by the Blodeuwedd mythology). I’m sure many of you would also agree. Because of this, it just doesn’t seem thematically fitting that Elain would then end up with Lucien. As I said, even if Elain believes she is choosing Lucien - how much of that is of her own free will, or because the Cauldron is telling her to? Fate is the opposite of choice. If everything we do is influenced by fate - or some higher power - that’s not choice.

And sure, it worked for other characters - but those characters seemingly didn’t have the same themes of choice and agency that Elain does (or at least not to the same extent). They weren’t stuck in a love triangle between their mate and another man (with that man asking “what is the Cauldron is wrong?” - quite literally questioning fate), as well as introducing the implications of rejecting the mating bond, the Blood Duel etc. And again, those characters had already established their relationships before the mating bond came into play; it was already clear they had chosen each other - or were soon about to - so the mating bond wasn’t forcing anything.

Which leads me to another point I have; if SJM plans for Elain and Lucien to be endgame, why reveal that they are mates so early on? Why introduce Az as a rival love interest - one of the most popular male characters in the series, beloved by the fandom (so it’s not like a Tamlin vs Rhys situation)? And most of all - Elain is a seer. If she can see into the future, then she’d be able to see her happily ever after with Lucien. So, then why does she avoid him? Why does Elain kiss and pursue Azriel, knowing full well that she’ll end up mated and married to the man who sleeps a mere couple of metres away from her? It just doesn’t add up.

I could potentially see it working if Lucien or Elain reject the bond, and are then sent on some sort of mission together, where they’d start from scratch, form a friendship (without the influence of the mating bond), and realise they truly love each other. Then you’d have an interesting story line about trying to get the mating bond back - or deciding you don’t need it at all. But that’s just my take on it.

It's interesting that you're making comments about others engaging in ship wars but you're doing the exact same thing with your Anons. Being anti a ship for whatever reason is still engaging in ship wars because you've taken quite a bit of time and put quite a bit a thought into why you don't think a ship will happen.

It's also interesting that you claim you have no interest in ship wars yet you come to a page that you know is 100% Pro Elucien and try to start a debate.

I'm open to debate that's not the problem. But don't climb up on that high horse and act like you're above it all while doing the exact opposite.

And you say you're not Pro E/riel but you realize Elain is ending up with someone right? These are romance books, it is confirmed Elain will get a book and that it will be a traditional romance so if you're not Pro E/riel or Pro Elucien then I'm a bit confused. Maybe you want a new love interest for her? I'm sorry if I assumed you're Pro E/riel but I have to say your Anons seem like you lean that way. And I definitely didn't get the impression you were interested in my insight regarding Elain and choice since you have to know how much I believe Lucien is still a choice whereas it's clear you don't.

Also, Elain's powers don't work the way you're claiming. She doesn't have clear visions and she doesn't decide what she gets to see. Otherwise she would have been able to tell Feyre and Nesta, "be prepared because you're going to be attacked in the library" or she could have easily looked into the future and seen whether they would win the war. Or she could have insisted her vision tell her where Koschei hides his soul. So no, I don't think she knows with any sort of certainty what her future with Lucien holds. If anything, she's had a flash of a vision that remains unclear.

I disagree that Elain's character is any more about choice or agency than any other FMC of an SJM novel. They all start fighting against what fate had in store for them and they grew into what was always meant to be but after the heroine accepted it because it's what she decided she wanted. Not because she was forced into it.

And Elain isn't stuck in a love triangle. She wanted Graysen and was rejected by Graysen but not yet over him. He is who she loved and had not yet recovered from when she fell into a minor crush with Az.

It is canon that Elain was not over Graysen in ACOFAS. She still silently mourned him and wanted a HUMAN MAN. Cue Az who she doesn't have a bond with, therefore has no strings attached. Az who looks decidedly HUMAN without his shadows and rounded ears (which Feyre notes) and whose shadows tend to disappear around Elain. I mean, I'm not a rocket scientist or anything but that math seems to math to me.

She developed a crush on Az because it's a distraction to the real things she's still not over.

That's not a love triangle, that's Elain not being ready to face the hard truths and really let go of her past.

Not to mention whatever she was willing to start with Az (which is not love, they had barely spoken and only shared a few glances as of late and were about to have a first kiss - again, not love) she walked away from considering he told her they were a mistake and she made the decision to return his gift to him versus her refusal to return her ring to Graysen.

Whatever was going on with Az was for the wrong reasons but that's ok because she's getting used to this new world and trying to decide what she wants and where she belongs.

But there's no love triangle right now because Lucien isn't involved. She hasn't been ready to truly get to know him but that doesn't mean it can't change in her book. And that statement right there PROVES she's had a choice. She has made the choice to ignore the bond right now. She could continue making the choice to ignore the bond for the rest of her life. However, she could also MAKE THE CHOICE to try and get to know Lucien to see what she thinks of him. Right now, the bond has no sway over her decisions which means if she gets to know Lucien, it's not going to be because the bond made her. I can be physically attracted to another person (without making the conscious decision to be) but I still have a choice in whether I actually hook up with them or get to know them. As I'm married, I'm obviously not going to do that but being drawn to something, whether through basic chemistry and biology or a mother blessed mating bond doesn't take away my ability to make decisions for myself. And that seems to be the problem with anyone who wants to cry that the bond takes away Elain's choice. She may not necessarily be able to help being physically drawn to Lucien but her mind is still her own. She can still choose what to do with that draw and right now she's proving to herself that she does have control over not giving into it. Which means if / when she gets to know Lucien it will be her brain making that decision.

"Which leads me to another point I have; if SJM plans for Elain and Lucien to be endgame, why reveal that they are mates so early on? Why introduce Az as a rival love interest - one of the most popular male characters in the series, beloved by the fandom (so it’s not like a Tamlin vs Rhys situation)"

A. I hate to tell you but Az is acting toward Elain exactly like Tamlin initially did with Feyre so you mentioning that to me wasn't helping your case. And he's not questioning Fate because he loves Elain. He's questioning Fate because he's jealous Lucien is breaking up the "brothers." His two brothers got sister mates and he got left out. That's ALL Azriel is focusing on. If it was love, he wouldn't care if he had a mating bond with Elain, his POV would have been spent talking about how charming Elain is (which he said about Gwyn), how much different she is since he first met her after her trauma (which he said about Gwyn), how proud he is of her standing up to Nesta or how she makes him laugh, maybe something about how Elain saved his best friend in the war. But there's none of that. He's put out because he can't understand why Lucien got something and he didn't. It has NOTHING to do with Elain as an individual and everything to do with Az being salty he was the last kid picked for dodgeball.

B. Az is not a rival love interest, he's a rebound, as I've stated above. Az and Elain aren't real with one another, they aren't open, they don't have the difficult conversations. He can't even confirm that he's over Mor to his friend of 500 years so I think it's pretty obvious Elain and Az are in denial and they just naturally used one another to avoid their problems. And it doesn't matter what near kiss they almost shared (between two main characters) because it will never be the thing Az needs to really move forward from. Az and Elain are a blip compared to his past with Mor and Elain is probably not even staying in the NC so there's no lasting drama there. An almost kiss means they can still revert to a friendship, no harm done. If Cassian can sleep with Mor than later say she's like a sister, I'm not worried about a lasting conflict between Elain and Az.

C. If SJM planned for Elucien to be endgame, why reveal they're mates so early on?

2016:

2017:

When did Silver Flames come out again? Oh that's right, 2021.

SJM announced all the way back in 2016 that the moment Nesta and Cassian sat down together, she knew they were endgame, even decided where they'd vacation yet in ACOFAS, she wrote this:

I mean gosh, why would SJM have ever told us Nessian was a sure thing so early on only to have her sleep with other males and tell Cassian she wants no part of him, his friends, or his life?

I'm sorry but every point you bring up has a valid counter argument considering she confirmed Elucien and Nessian all the way back in 2016 yet both sisters had a "thing" with other males after that and the one that got a book still ended up with Cassian as SJM originally planned. Elain and Nesta may handle things differently because of their personalities but it boils down to the same thing. Fate placed them in the paths of their Mates and they fought like hell against it. But that doesn't mean they can't decide it's what they do want in the end (for the right reasons which is WHO their Mate is as an individual and not JUST because they're Mates).

It doesn't matter how early SJM told us they were Mates because she was still planning on creating obstacles that led to a "will they, won't they?" Because she has half the fandom wondering if she changed her mind and the other half seeing the clues as to how they'll work out and why E/riel isn't a real love possibility.

Fate is not the opposite of choice. Fate is where life leads you and you decide what you're going to do with it.

I don't even live in New York but I met my husband there on New Years Eve, the busiest time of the year, while I was dating someone else.

Within an hour, I knew what a real relationship was supposed to feel like, went home and immediately broke up with my ex.

My husband and I have now been together since January, 2011.

I believe that was Fated. Had I been too scared to take a chance on someone who lived out of state, I may have missed out on this wonderful life I have.

It was still MY choice to accept where Fate led me just as it is still Elain's choice to accept or not accept the person Fate placed in front of her.

She's not ready because she lost something immeasurable when she was Made but when / if she is, it will be because SHE decides to accept Lucien. Not because anyone says she has to, not even Fate. Fate is not saying "I demand you be with Lucien else I will rain destruction upon your family!" All Fate did was say, "I believe this person is your match, do with it what you will". It's no different than a friend trying to set you up with someone they feel would be perfect for you.

Elain experienced some serious traumas and any reader who wants to focus on why she's not making decisions on her bond right now or thinking she's in any place to fall in love with Az is not allowing her to heal in a healthy way. She needs to grow into herself before getting to know Lucien and sure, maybe that growing includes nearly making out with a broody bat boy who isn't remotely close to having his shit together but, that's ok. It's all leading to her finally finding where she belongs and what she wants once she's in the right frame of mind to make those decisions.

SJM is a Fated Mates author so if you dislike the trope, that's your prerogitive, but you may want to look elsewhere for your reading material.

I personally think knowing Lucien is her Mate creates more of a choice than Feyre had with Rhys. Sure Feyre became friends with him but she tells us she was drawn to him even while with Tamlin. She had no idea why that was which means she fell for Rhys without the full picture of what was driving that. At least Elain will have the opportunity to really sift through what she's feeling and decide how much of it comes from instinct over her own heart.

#elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #anti e/riel #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #elain and lucien #pro lucien vanserra #lucien x elain #pro elain archeron #mating bond #ask and answer

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girlactionfigure · 1 year

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The Comedian of Dachau Mocked the Nazis

Fritz Grünbaum was an Austrian-Jewish comedian, singer and cabaret star who never stopped cracking jokes, even after being deported to a concentration camp.

Born in 1880, Fritz attended law school in Vienna. After graduating, instead of practicing law, Fritz pursued his dream of being an entertainer. He wrote his first operetta in 1903, and in 1906 began a longtime gig as the master of ceremonies at Cabaret Die Hoelle in Vienna. Fritz told funny stories, sang songs, and made sure everyone had a great time every night.

In 1910, an Austro-Hungarian imperial army officer in the cabaret audience started heckling Fritz with anti-Semitic insults. Fritz left the stage, went over to the officer’s table, and slapped him, then calmly returned to the stage. The officer challenged Fritz to a duel. The two men fought and Fritz was injured.

Fritz joined the army in 1914 and fought for Austria-Hungary in World War I. After the war, he resumed his successful show business career, commuting between Vienna and Berlin. In Berlin, Fritz acted in movies and recorded pop songs. In Vienna, he was co-founder and master of ceremonies of the legendary cabaret Simpl.

After Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930’s, Fritz was no longer allowed to perform in Germany. He relocated full time to Vienna, where he used his nightclub act to relentlessly skewer the Nazi party. In 1938, he walked out onto a darkened stage and flailed around, crying, “I see nothing, absolutely nothing! I must have wandered into National Socialist culture.” The next day Fritz was banned from performing in Austria.

Germany invaded Austria, and Fritz and his wife tried to escape the country but were caught at the border and deported to labor camps. Fritz was later sent to Dachau, but he never stopped entertaining people. At Dachau, he mocked the Nazis and found levity in the grim absurdities of life in a death camp. One former inmate remembered Fritz comforting the other inmates “by arguing that absolute deprivation and systematic starvation were the best defenses against diabetes.”

Before his deportation, Fritz had been a well-known art collector specializing in Austrian modernist art. He had a large collection of works by Egon Schiele. After Fritz was deported, his prized art collection was looted by the Nazis. A fourth of the collection appeared in the 1950’s through a Swiss art dealer. The fate of the other ¾ of Fritz’ collection remains unknown.

Fritz’ last performance was on New Year’s Eve 1940 in Dachau. He was desperately ill with tuberculosis, but summoned the strength to perform a comedy and musical act for his fellow inmates, most of whom were dying. One of the prisoners was excited when he recognized Fritz from his performances in Vienna. Fritz said, “I beg of you, Fritz Grünbaum is not performing for you, but instead it is the number [he recited his camp number], who just wants to spread a little happiness on the last day of the year.” Fritz died two weeks later.

May his memory always be for a blessing, and may his missing art collection return to his family.

Source

Dead Fred's Genealogy Photo Archive

#Dachau #Shoah #Fritz Grünbaum

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sketchyonlooker · 23 days

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The Case of Akazawa Shiho (working title):

A maw filled with teeth larger than her snaps up a schoolgirl running beside her, her scream quickly silenced by the crunch of bone. Other creatures - familiar creatures she'd only seen in Duel Monsters - continue their slaughter within the Domino City Subway Station.

A young child screams for his mother as the raptors tore him limb from limb.

An old man is trampled over by the crowd - and then shredded apart by a worm-like creature with concentric teeth from below. Like watching a sink garbage disposal in action.

The brutal scenes multiplied as the monsters continued flooding in from the tunnels and entrance.

She's gonna die.

There's no way she's surviving this.

No matter how much she runs with the crowd. Sooner or later, safety in numbers was not going to be enough, not with everyone here betting on it.

Where can she run to? The subway tunnels - where there was already so much blood pooling it could fill a lake? The entrances - where the monsters are coming from? The trains - that proved effortless for the monsters to break into? Does it even matter now? She doesn't have the luxury of choi-

Something latches onto her wrist. And then she feels something catch across her ankle. The moment she realized she'd been tripped was the moment she fell face first onto the ground. As she looked up, she could see a middle-aged man in a suit running with the crowd but continued to face her with a grin-

!@#$

Before she could curse him out in her final moments.

riiing...

...That sound. Like a tuning fork.

She's heard it before.

A in C minor.

The man's triumphant gaze becomes confused and unfocused - as if he were staring through her - but then quickly shifts into panic. She doesn't see his fate as the monsters that were chasing the crowd suddenly leapt over he-

Craaccck.

-SHit.

Her foot. Just got stepped on by a two-headed dinosaur - Two-Headed King Rex, the Duel Monster - You fucker.

She's going to be a Rex anti-fan from now on.

...At least she still had enough of her mind to make shitty jokes, not that this was the appropriate occasion. Or maybe it was the perfect occasion now that she was so thoroughly fucked.

A likely broken foot she can't feel cause of the adrenaline. Surrounded by a hoard of man-eating monsters.

A lizard-like monster - Masked Chameleon - darts its tongue towards one of the runners in the crowd; its barbed tongue pierces through the man's leg - and retracts backwards with such force that it tears the leg off. The moment he stumbles down is the moment he is chomped apart by the chasing monsters.

The Masked Chameleon's eyes turns its beady eye towards her, and her breath catches her in throat as she forces herself to be very still.

It flicks its tongue slowly - was it like a snake? Did it sense body heat? It approaches slowly at its slow crawl, and she feels her heart thump harder and harder as it closes in.

But it then walks past her without fanfare. As soon as it was a good distance, she released her breath, the lightheadedness she'd been ignoring making her woozy.

How?

Why?

----

∞:

They didn't notice her. The monsters - the dragons - the lizards. They ignored her completely just like the dwindling people still alive ignored her.

Why? Among all of the people who died here, why was she still alive?

...She had a feeling she knew why.

That sound. A in C minor.

She's heard it before.

Back when Sketchy barged into that white-haired guy Bakura - she remembered his name from the Battle City Final's - and the creepy zombie-looking guy's duel. And of course, the horrible outcome of watching zombie-guy's flesh disintegrate into black goop in high-definition. Thanks for the nightmares, Sketchy. BEBD really should stop giving advi-

"Woof!"

Her head turned towards the broken escalator, only to find a dog. Its matted long fur was so dirtied that she couldn't see what breed it was, but it was a small dog. A dog that none of the monsters seem to have noticed despite its hyperactive hopping.

"Woof!"

And it was walking towards her when nothing else here could see her. It probably should've raised more alarm bells, but at this point, as long as it wasn't scaly, she was willing to trust it.

The smelly dog sniffed at her carefully.

"Woof!"

It then tugged on her sleeve.

"...Do you want me to follow you?" She wasn't scared of talking. Not after accidentally screaming in front of a Raptor that lunged a little too close trying to eat the man that ran close to her.

"Arf!"

She doesn't hesitate as the dog begins running towards the broken escalator. Pain sears through her foot as she limps her way forward. She knows she can't stay here anyway. Whatever providence is happening right now might not last.

Her hands briefly pat against her trusty blue mage's hat. It fills her with a bit of comfort and courage.

She has to get somewhere safe.

If that meant taking a chance by following a dog that seemed to know what it's doing, well, it's not like she hasn't been cheating death all this time.

#link to rayne's bonz vs bakura aaa //#post not visible ic #arc: what the doma?!#the case of akazawa shiho

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themattress · 1 year

Video

youtube

A good fair and balanced opinion piece on The Rise of Skywalker.

There is only ONE point of contention against the movie he has that I can not and will not abide, which is the tired “Wah, there was no set-up for Palpatine in the Sequel Trilogy, he was nowhere near it, him being resurrected and the Big Bad / Final Boss is nonsense that ruins the whole movie!” Beyond the points I have always made in the past about how regardless of how I wish there was some more explicit foreshadowing, the Empire being back and doing all this bullshit all over again as though Palpatine’s defeat meant nothing in TFA was kind of a gigantic set-up for his presence, I will always be baffled at how the Episode VII, Episode VIII and Episode IX parts of the Sequel Trilogy’s titles mean so little to people. The Sequel Trilogy doesn’t exist in a fucking vacuum; they’re called sequels for a reason. Palpatine was literally the Big Bad of Episodes I through VI; so having it so that he’s also the Big Bad of Episodes VII through IX, which are meant to conclude “the Skywalker Saga”, makes perfect sense.

It’s honestly really sad that he believes Duel of the Fates would’ve been preferable to himself and others simply because it “follows The Last Jedi better” and would give a better illusion of a cohesive plan for the trilogy, and because Palpatine wasn’t back in it. It’s sad because he could very well be right about that.....but that doesn’t mean it would be right for the series.

#Star Wars #The Rise of Skywalker #Emperor Palpatine #Opinion #Analysis #Objection #Correction #Defense #Fandumb #Stupidity #Anti-DOTF #Anti-Duel of the Fates #Anti-Colin Trevorrow

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dawningwinds-s · 11 months

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Yuuga is weird. Like. He's deadset on going back and making sure Rush Duels don't become Goha duels. He's deadset on making sure the future doesn't come to pass. And yet, you know what he names the anti-ladybugphobia program. Omniladybag Transcendental Eradication System. OTES. He wouldn't do that kinda thing on accident; this is something that Yuuga would never miss. He named his program after someone he acknowledges is his fated enemy.

He wants to change destiny but at the same time, he realizes time is a flat circle and chooses to play into that. Picks the name Otes knowing what that means.

#yugioh #yugioh go rush #go rush #yugioh sevens #sevens

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queen-ofsunflowers · 1 year

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I know I haven't worked on it in like... months, but I had an extremely angsty thought concerning Shujin Assassins and Royal's third semester.

Ren has been trying to figure out exactly what is going on and pulling the Phantom Thieves back together when he notices that someone is following him on his way back to LeBlanc. He can't see them. He can't figure out who it is. All he knows is that there's a strange presence trailing him, and nothing he's able to do can give him even a clue about who it is.

And he gets scared. The boy's survival instincts kick into gear. He acts none-the-wiser, leading his pursuer through the winding streets of Tokyo until he can corner them in an empty back alley.

Unfortunately for Ren, he underestimated this person. When he tries to pin the man down, it's Ren who is caught off-guard and flipped onto his back. A small fight breaks out, and it becomes clear to Ren that this man isn't an average guy, despite the fact that he looks like one. His mind goes straight to "assassin".

But the man... It seems like he's having fun with it. It was like it was a fight without any stakes. A simple spar. A duel for fun. Ren manages to land a hit, taking the time to take out his knife. Despite it being a model and unable to do much harm to humans, it looked real enough

"Amamiya, we both know that knife can't hurt me anymore. Though, I'll give the Kirijo Group credit where it's due. They've gotten better at making those Anti-Shadow tools look like they could."

That voice... there was no possible way he could ever forget that voice. Ren's eyes widen. His hand drops to his side, and his knife clatters to the ground. Memories from middle school flood his mind, all ending on that fateful day in March with him and Nagisa holding each other and sobbing with the rest of their class.

He feels like screaming, crying, and throwing up all at once when he realizes who Maruki's reality has brought back from the dead.

"...Korosensei...?"

#shujin assassins au #persona 5 #persona 5 royal #persona 5 au #assassination classroom #assassination classroom au #crossover #ren amamiya #akira kusuru #korosensei #queen's musings

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grailfinders · 1 year

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Fate and Phantasms #19P: Musashibou Benkei

today on Fate and Phantasms it’s everyone’s favourite Japanese swordsman, Musashi! …bou Benkei! okay technically it’s the other guy, but whatever. The point is, he’s a Monk for some anti-spirit techniques and mad weapon skillz, a Bard to tell his story properly, and a Dual-Weapon Warrior to double down on those mad weapon skillz- literally.

check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

next up: didn’t we just do this guy?

Ancestry & Background

so- Kaison is a human, so he gets +2 Constitution and Strength. but he’s pretending to be Benkei, and his grail-given disguise is at least good enough that Ushiwakamaru’s willing to look the other way, so we’re making him a Reflection. this way you can look almost exactly like the guy, and you won’t have to constantly make deception checks to impersonate him. except against people who know him, like Ushiwakamaru. we’ll work with it, don’t worry.

aside from your looks, being a reflection also gets you access to reflection feats like Clone-Risen, the first of your 500 arhats. you can now become an Empty Vessel as a reaction once per day when you’d take mental damage or a mental effect, giving you a +2 bonus to the will save, or your level in resistance against the damage.

at level 5 you can Keep Up Appearances, which actually has nothing to do with being a reflection. this means you can use your deception as a reaction if you get affected by your emotions. if you roll higher than someone’s perception, they won’t notice. on top of that, if they were going to do something based on you getting affected, they won’t be able to.

at level 9 you become a Hardy Traveler, making your stances just a little more mountainous. this increases your bulk limits by 1, and you can move even faster than normal while traveling.

at level 13 your Stubborn Persistence will help you stay standing even when you’re dead. or fatigued, I guess. when you’d become fatigued, you can make a check to shake off the condition.

finally at level 17 you get an actual arhat you can launch at people when you Reflect Foes. once a day you can cast Duplicate Foe as an innate spell, creating a copy of a nearby enemy for up to 1 minute if the target fails their fortitude save. it can’t do much other than move and hit things, but that’s some sweet sweet action economy baby!

you used to be a warrior, but then everyone you cared about died due to your cowardice, so now you’re Lost and Alone. that gives you a boost in Charisma and Constitution, and every other part is basically just the regular fighter kit- intimidation, warfare lore, and an Intimidating Glare.

Class Levels

1. getting all the proficiencies out of the way: Key Ability: Strength. trained: perception, class dc, unarmed attacks, simple weapons, performance, deception, society, athletics, and eventually religion and stealth. you’re also an expert in all saves and unarmored defense.

as for your actual level, you get another set of Ability Boosts in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence. tbh I miss D&D ability score improvements. it feels like they stuff so much into these boosts that going over it in a reasonable amount of time feels impossible.

on the plus side, Flurry of Blows is pretty simple. spend an action, attack twice, and they count as one attack to overcome resistances. plus, while you can learn Divine Ki Spells you shouldn’t expect a lot of them.

you have some Powerful Fists, letting you make lethal attacks with them and they deal more damage. but you have 999 swords just lying around, so you’re also trained in Monastic Weaponry. that lets you use monk martial weapons as easily as your unarmed attacks, and any time a feat mentions your unarmed attacks, that includes your weapons as well- with notable exception of stances that restrict you to one attack type.

2. we’re not “winning 999 duels” good yet though, so let’s pick up a brawling focus. with this, you get the critical specialization of your unarmed attacks and monk weapons. you’ve also been Ushi’s retainer long enough to have some Courtly Graces, so you can use your society skill to make an impression on nobles or pretend to be one.

finally and most annoyingly, becoming a bard requires more charisma than we have, so you’ll have to waste some time in the Dual-Weapon Warrior Dedication until we get another Ability Boost. the good news is this lets you Double Slice, spending two actions to make two attacks against an enemy, adding them together against resistances. if you’re fighting something really tough, you can flurry of blows twice a turn.

3. in order to survive your lord you’ll have to Diehard. or at least Benkei is a diehard, so now you are via transitive property. that gives you an extra dying condition, so you’ll bleed out slower. joy.

you can also avoid dying entirely with your Incredible Movement helping you outspeed your enemies, adding 10 feet now and another 5 every 4 levels. if you get into a fight anyway, your Mystic Strikes will make your attacks magical to get past resistances.

finally, we’ll boost your Performance to make Benkei a household name.

4. now that we’re level 4, we can finally pick up Benkei’s Guardian- er, Mountain Stance. As long as you’re touching the ground you can give yourself +4 AC and a +2 bonus against being shoved or tripped. you can also make “falling stone” attacks, which are the only ones you can make- they’re harder hitting than your regular fists, and they deal more damage the more you hit with in one turn. another downside is your dexterity modifier drops to +0, and your speed is a little lower than normal.

since your speed’s a little lower now, it’s good to know your dedication has your back, turning you into a Dual Thrower. whenever you’d make a melee strike with a dual-weapon warrior feat, you can make a thrown strike instead. monks end up with a lot of knives, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to use this.

for a little more muscle, become a Hefty Hauler, increasing your bulk limits by another +2.

5. at fifth level we finally get another Ability Boost to Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma! now we can finally become a bard! next level. right now your Alertness makes you an expert in perception, and your Expert Strikes bumps up your proficiency in your weapons. you’re also beefy enough to be an expert in Athletics.

6. at level 6 your mountain stance gets even more legendary. as an action you can become a Mountain Stronghold for a round, giving you an extra 2 AC. it also permanently increases your dexterity cap on your AC to +1 while in mountain stance, so even if you don’t use it much you’re still getting something out of it.

to celebrate the new nimbleness you’ve got, you can now make a Powerful Leap whenever you jump. You can get 5’ of height, or an extra 5’ of distance.

finally, we need one more two-weapon feat before we can bard it up, so grab Twin Parry. as an action, you can add +1 to your ac if you’re wielding two melee weapons, or +2 if at least one of them has the parry trait. that means while in your mountain stance you can get your AC all the way up to 25 if I’m doing the math correctly, which’ll be great for your final stand.

7. at level 7 you become a Keen Follower, so as long as you take your lord’s lead you’ll get an extra bonus when you follow the expert. you also get more Fortitude for the whole “last stand” thing, since that tends to help not dying. it’s all part of your Path to Perfection. similarly, you’re now an expert in Deception so that you can follow your lord without blowing your cover, and finally, your Weapon Specialization means you’ll do a little more damage with every weapon you’re an expert in, which is all monk weapons.

8.at level 8 you get another stance to spice up your fighting. this time you get the Ironblood Stance, giving you resistance 2 to all damage. plus, while this stance gives you an extra kind of unarmed attack it doesn’t require you to use it, so now you can stance up and sword up at the same time!

we’re also making you a Confabulator to help you live a lie. now if you’re trying to lie to cover up another lie, the person doubting you gets a smaller bonus to see through your bullshit. you spend a lot of time with Ushiwakamaru, you’re going to lie twice eventually.

finally, you’re not becoming a bard just yet. I’m sorry, but in my defense Flensing Slice is pretty cool for an action movie sort of move. as an action after hitting someone with both attacks of a double slice, they explode in a burst of blood, taking persistent bleed damage, becoming flat-footed, and reducing all physical resistances by 5 for a round. samurai movies are a little after your time, but there’s nothing wrong with doing something before it’s cool.

9. level 9’s another quick and easy one. your weapons and hands now count as cold iron and silver thanks to your Metal Strikes. it wasn’t enough to have iron in your blood, I guess. You’re also a expert in your class DC, ki spells, and Society now. if you’re going to cut people and let them bleed a second later like a samurai, you’re going to have to act like one too.

10. alright, now we can bard it up! first things first though, use the Ability Boost on Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma. then, pick up your very first ki spell Wronged Monk’s Wrath. it’s a bit less spiritual than making a copy of your enemy’s sins, but it’s an aoe so it’s technically closer to what your 500 Arhat should be. you can spend between 1 and 3 actions to power up this spell. at one action, it’s a burst of force and lightning in a 5’ radius. at two it’s 10’ and dealing more damage, and at three it’s 20’ and dealing the most damage. creatures in the area make one reflex save for all the damage, if they fail they’re deafened, and critical fails even deal persistent damage. it’s not quite a stun yet, but it’s still pretty cool.

one last thing before barding- you can now make a discreet inquiry to prevent others from finding out what you’re up to. while gathering information, you can hide what you’re really looking for freely, so if anyone tries to figure out what you’re up to they have to beat your deception DC first.

okay, now Kaison is finally a Bard, giving you two occult cantrips and training with occult spells as well as Arcana. you also get a warrior muse, though it doesn’t do anything else off the bat.

now for your cantrips. with Daze you can finally stun an enemy. occasionally. your target needs to make a will save. if they fail they’ll take damage, and if they critically fail they’re stunned for one action. man, stunning is a lot better in fgo. you can also intone a Haunting Hymn, dealing sonic damage to enemies in a 15’ cone fi they fail a fortitude save. critically failing the save also leaves a creature deafened for 1 minute.

11. did you know monks weren’t always kung fu stars? it’s true! sometimes being a monk comes with religious significance, which is why Benkei is now an expert in Religion and can make Pilgrim’s Tokens. as long as you hold the token, you’ll always win any ties in initiative.

you also become a master in Reflex saves thanks to your Path to Perfection, so you always get critical successes too.

12. we got a lot of stances now, and nobody wants to waste time getting into them when there’s weaponing to do- that’s why you’re now a Stance Savant! when you roll initiative, you can enter a stance of your choice as a free action.

we’re also going to make you big and strong enough to become a Titan Wrestler, letting you attempt to disarm, grapple, shove, or trip creatures up to 2 sizes larger than you are.

you also get your second focus point all so you can make a Counter Performance as a focus spell. now you’ll be able to yell so loud as a reaction if a friend makes an auditory/visual effect you can roll a performance check to bolster your friends! they’ll effectively either make their own save, or use your performance check, whichever’s better.

13. at level 13 your graceful mastery makes you a master in unarmored defense, and your master strikes do the same for your monk attacks. you also get a little bit buffer with a skill increase in athletics! we gotta get you crackin the earth when you walk before it’s time for your final ascension photo shoot!

14. Now that you’re level 14, you can make a Mountain Quake when you’re in a mountain stance. As an action, you make the earth quake in a 20-foot radius around you, dealing damage based on your strength modifier against a Fortitude save. If they fail, they also fall prone. The downside is you can only use this action once every 1d4 rounds.

On the plus side, the +1 bonus to your dexterity cap while in the mountain stance is permanent!

You can also make a Wall Jump now, jumping off of a wall without having to land for extra mobility. Currently you can only Wall Jump once per turn, but if you become legendary in Athletics you can make as many Wall Jumps as you like as long as you have the actions to do so.

For more protection against evil spirits, you can now use the Inspire Courage bardic cantrip, giving you and all allies within 60 feet a +1 bonus to all attacks, damage rolls, and fear saves.

15. At level 15 you gain another Ability Boost in Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma. you also get Greater Weapon Specialization which is like Weapon Specialization but greater, your Path to Perfection not only makes you legendary in Fortitude saves, but your critical failures are only failures now, and failures make you take half damage.

we’re also going to play the long game with Canny Acumen. it doesn’t do anything right away, but it’ll make you a master in Perception once we hit level 17.

16. at level 16 your Guarded Movement gives you even more AC while moving- specifically, you get a +4 bonus to any effects triggered by your own movement. Opportunity attacks, that sort of thing. you’re also down with gods enough to make a Battle Prayer as an action and actually have it do something. you make a religion check as an action against a creature’s will dc, up to once per day per creature. if you succeed you’ll deal alignment damage, but if you fail you can’t use this again for 10 minutes.

we also finally pick up our first Bard class feature, making you a Reliable Squire. this gives you a +2 bonus to Aid checks, and you can’t critically fail. a good retainer knows not to get in their lord’s way.

17. level 17’s mostly another improvement over addition level, though your Adamantine Strikes are nice. like the name implies, your punches and spears are practically adamantine now. you’re also a Graceful Legend, giving you legendary unarmored defense and masterful Class DCs and Divine Spells.

on top of becoming a master in perception this level, you’re also now a master of Performance. gotta spread that legend, y’know?

18. at level 18 your Diamond Fists make all your attacks Forceful, and if your attacks already had this trait they instead become one damage die bigger. not only does this make all your attacks stronger in general, it especially empowers your Mountain Stance attacks.

we’re not ignoring your bardly skills though! your Fascinating Performance will make one observer fascinated with you for a round if you roll better than their will DC. this can even work mid-combat, though you’ll have to critically succeed. since you’re a master of performance, you can use this on up to 10 creatures at a time to really spread the good word of the man you’re pretending to be.

you can also Accompany an ally as a reaction, spending one of your focus points or spell slots to make a performance check. if you do well enough, your ally doesn’t have to spend their point/slot to cast the spell. you only have focus points, but still it’s the thought that counts.

19. On our penultimate level, your Slippery Secrets mean your mind is harder to read than usual. When a magical effect tries to read your mind, reveal your alignment, or determine if you are lying, you can make a deception check against the spell’s DC to stop it. The Holy Grail itself handed you this disguise, so it won’t come off easily. In order to take this feat, you need to be a master of Deception, which you now are.

You also gain a Perfected Form, making the first attack you make each turn guaranteed to roll at least a 10.

20. For your final level, you get one final Ability Boost in Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma. You can also Fuse Stances together, making a new stance with both of the original’s strengths and weaknesses as long as they aren’t mutually exclusive. This means we can truly make Benkei’s Guardian Stance now by fusing together the Mountain Stance and Ironblood stance for an empowered AC and resistance to all damage.

you can also Consult the Spirits now thanks to your religious studies. Once a day you can spend 10 minutes to Recall Knowledge with your religion. Depending on how well you do, they will answer up to 3 simple questions, though if you critically fail they will give you harmful answers.

For our final Bard feature you can perform a Symphony of the Unfettered Heart. This allows you to make a performance check to counteract one of several effects on up to four allies (including yourself), but if you fail you cannot use this spell on that person for one day. We couldn’t get a skill seal skill, but making enemy skills useless is almost as good.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

turns out having a good ac and a resistance to all damage makes you really Hard to Kill. running away also helps, but now that you’re Benkei you’re pretty indestructible too.

you’re also good at dealing damage, either with sped up attacks from your flurry of blows or slowing down for some persistent bleed damage with your double strikes, you’re able to cut through most enemy’s defenses with the variety of weapons at your disposal.

while you’re not quite as nimble as Cu Chulainn, you’re still pretty dang Mobile with wall jumps and the standard monk speed boost. you’re free to pick your battles, though I’m sure your party hopes you’re a little more courageous this time around.

Cons:

the mountain stance is really cool for defense, but it also hampers your mobility and offense a lot by not letting you use weapons or leave the ground.

we also had to juggle a lot of skills around, so you’re not super great at any one thing without any legendary feats.

as for the last one…. range? I guess? maybe having too many options? tbh I think this is a pretty solid build, though admittedly I haven’t played enough Pathfinder to have a good feel for that.

#fgo #fate grand order #pf2e #Pathfinder #Musashibou Benkei #Monk #Bard #Dual Weapon Warrior

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