#.consumed with despair;

[comradekatara]

these lines provide some of the most telling insight into azula’s character throughout the whole show. while she claims she “doesn’t actally care” that ursa “always preferred zuko,” that her “own mother thought [she] was a monster,” it’s clear she does care, deeply, that she’s belying a core truth about her psychological landscape that is ultimately revealed by the mirror scene in the finale. these lines are the closest she ever gets to being honest with herself before her breakdown. so let’s actually take the time to unpack them.

my own mother thought I was a monster.

much ink has been spilled on whether or not ursa was a good mother to azula, whether she actually thought azula was a monster or whether ozai simply convinced azula that she did to further isolate her. personally, i think it’s something of both. ozai isolated her and molded azula into an extension of himself; thus, he made both azula and ursa see her that way, until ursa was not only afraid for azula, but also afraid of azula. ursa thought that ozai was a monster, so azula, as a projection of ozai, became regarded as a monster as well, even if logically ursa knew that azula was an abused child and not simply an extension of her husband in any ontological sense. ursa had no choice but to let ozai mold their daughter to his image, as she could not disentangle her daughter from her father without also facing his wrath. she was faced with an impossible situation, and she hurt azula as a fellow victim of ozai’s abuse, regardless of whether or not that was ever her intention.

she was right of course.

however, an aspect of these lines that I think gets overlooked and misunderstood is the fact that azula readily admits that she sees herself as a monster. flippantly, even. “she was right, of course.” most people assume that azula is simply acknowledging that she’s the villain of the story. “of course she must know she’s the villain, she clearly relishes in being evil.” but people neglect to acknowledge that azula truly believes that the fire nation is right. azula has been indoctrinated into this ideology since birth; she has no reason to think that she might be on the wrong side of history. when azula admits that she thinks herself a monster, it is not because she thinks that she was wrong to conquer ba sing se, wrong to capture the kyoshi warriors, wrong to kill the avatar. no, azula thinks that she is a monster for the same reason ursa did: because she is like ozai.

but it still hurt.

let’s say, for argument’s sake, that azula did know that the fire nation was evil, that she did bad things for a bad cause. would that actually change anything? no, azula would continue down her path of imperialist conquest, never entertaining the notion that she even had another choice. like zuko, azula is angry at herself. and as we have just seen, she is not just angry; azula hates herself, despises herself, considers herself loathsome, ghastly, monstrous. because as much as she projects an image of supreme power and confidence, wherein she is at liberty to do whatever she wants at all times, azula is ozai’s obedient servant. and azula is paralyzed by the fear of leaving one hair out of place, of straying even a millimeter from his path.

azula was shaped in ozai’s image, with no iroh or ursa or anyone else for that matter to present her with new paths, with ways of escaping her abuse. even zuko, who did receive support and other options, took years to unlearn ozai’s conditioning. azula had no other options, no real support system, nothing to define her identity besides her abuser’s dictums. she has seen what happened to her mother and brother when ozai perceived their treasonous inclinations (i.e., contradicting his narcissism by expressing loyalty to other human beings besides solely himself) and she is paralyzed by fear that the same could happen to her. she rationalizes ozai’s violence by convincing herself that his victims deserved it for being “weak,” but deep down, she knows that she is also weak, that she is also a victim, even if she cannot fully admit it to herself.

so she sees herself as a monster, for being ozai’s shadow, for being the servant of the man who destroyed her family. her proximity to monstrosity appalls her, even as she tries to convince herself that it is proximity to godhood, that she is not an extension of abject violence but a messenger of the divine. zuko can only recognize ozai’s abuse for what it is once he deconstructs ozai’s imperialist ideology, but azula still buys into that ideology, so she cannot put a name to his abuse. but it’s clear she still fears it, still feels disgusted with herself for being victim to it, still feels like a monster even as she tries to convince herself that she is an angel.

in fact, she has to tell herself that she’s a monster, because if she’s not a monster, then she’s a victim, weak like her mother who got what she deserved. if she’s a victim then that means she and ursa (and zuko) were all destroyed by the senseless cruelty of an egomaniac’s petty whims, that all the love she has ever known was ruined for nothing. so she has to be a monster, because at least then she has power, at least then she has agency. ozai shaped her in his image, and she has to be proud of that fact, because otherwise she’d shatter.

and when that realization overtakes her, she does. when she takes inventory of all the love she’s lost, of all the people who cannot look her in the eye, of all the ways in which she has been perverted by her father’s abuse, she is disgusted by herself, for being both monstrous and weak, feared and afraid, victim and perpetrator. and it hurts.

#id in alt text #azula #ozai #ursa #zuko #azula&ursa #azula&ozai #analysis #something that gets me about this too is the fact that she just brushes it off as if she's joking. as if she doesn't even mean it #when we know from the finale that this tension and fear and despair consumes her #azula !!!! always !!!!! lies !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #babygrill……

[bittersweetresilience]

the great gatsby / kentucky route zero / koe no katachi / disco elysium / omori / night in the woods / homestuck / koe no katachi / l'étranger / disco elysium / firewatch / john dies at the end / everything everywhere all at once / the subtle art of not giving a f*ck

#MAKING THESE IS SO HARD #i've always been obsessed with them so i wanted to try it out #but there was so much i didn't get to include #wolf 359 minecraft end poem goodbye despair the things they carried... there will be other chances i suppose #the media i consume is an endless cycle of the same themes over and over again which gives me an abundance of ideas for these #yay i'm having so much fun! #🌃 #kentucky route zero #a silent voice #disco elysium #omori #night in the woods #homestuck #firewatch #john dies at the end #everything everywhere all at once #man i miss being a ghost

[microwave-core]

Something I love about the Zelda series is how Link and Zelda's relationship can change drastically in between games. Like, in Twilight Princess, the two don't really interact much outside of their first meeting. They have a mutual friend in Midna and that's it. There's not much there platonically, much less romantically. At most it's a "this is my girlfriend Midna and this is Midna's girlfriend Zelda" type of situation.

Then you have the next major release, Skyward Sword, where the two are most definitely in love with each other. They're so super into each other and almost everyone knows that. Unless I'm forgetting an entry, it's the closest zelink has come to being canon without them explicitly stating it's canon. And this dynamic comes after the game where they barely know each other. Love that for them.

#legend of zelda #loz #twilight princess #skyward sword #link #zelda #midna #its been awhile but im pretty sure in tp they interact like three times? #theres the initial meeting and midna's despair arc and the final battle #(hate that i cant use commas in the tags) #sometimes you just need to consume all of the zelda content your measly eyeballs can inject into your brain #help girl im dying from shitty throat disease #the disease? #black lung #<- it's not black lung i just think thats funny to say they put me in the mines for too long dammit

[that-ineffable-devil]

So, I'm still unclear on what "level" of Hell Edwin is in with the doll spider, but the title card calls it The Doll House.

Makes sense, what with the doll parts spider.

But you know what else that means?

Edwin is a doll. A toy. Him being consumed over, and over, and over is a game. It's play. It was always just play.

#was Edwin traded to Despair? #is the doll house her own little section of hell #is that why she was watching him so closely now that he was back in hell #his pain would have to be delectable to her #an innocent soul in hell being consumed over and over again #his despair rising with each death #it would make so much sense #dead boy detectives #edwin payne #despair of the endless

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

Why do you hate mayonnaise? How do you feel about relish?

Okay, so @somer-writes and I have determined that the argument boils down to whether or not you want the liquid part of your sandwich to be flavored, and whether or not you've grown up used to your sandwich being flavored. There's a whole map that exists on different states' reported preference, and I don't know how true it is, but it matches with my state's preference so I'm sticking with it. (credit to @wanderlustmagician for re-finding this image for me)

I think that miracle whip is superior. I think that your sandwich should always have a little bit of sweetness to it, a little bit of love. Mayonnaise is tasteless sandwich grease that doesn't actually add to the enjoyment of the sandwich. Somer and I will fight about this until the heat death of the universe.

I do not like relish, but I also do not think that it is a food crime like mayonnaise is. Because do not get me wrong, mayonnaise is a crime. This is a hill upon which I will fight until my last breath.

#gah I knew replying to that post would cause this to happen just asking for it I guess #wail of despair #anyways #hi! #I love your winged little guys #genuinely one of my favorites #There's been a few you do with Ravio that just always make me scream even on reread #cursed consumables with cheeto #blessed consumables with cheeto #miracle whip propaganda #blessed breanna #congrats you get an alliteration tag now

[itsflappletimeyippee]

happy belated birthday to our least favourite horse boy

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #drdt ace #ace markey #can’t believe I missed his birthday 💔 #sorry can’t draw ace markey I have fnaf movie to consume

[emotional-mess-in-distress]

Does anyone have any theories about Nico's arm bandages ?

I've been thinking sm about it and I cannot for the life of me come up with anything.

- probably not an animal attack, it's in a region of the body that wouldn't normally be exposed, it's also on the same place on both arms so it's a little too perfect for an animal. Also they're pretty experienced in animal behaviours so they would know when to not approach one that is upset.

-its legit tripping me up so much that it's in the same place on both arms like what how what is that about???

-its also fairly recent since they still have to put bandages on it, it hasn't completely healed

-also meaning they might've gotten it in that period of time they don't remember (similar to Xander's eye) so it's possible even they don't know what's with the wounds

-they're pretty covered by their cape most of the time (except in the sprites where they're freaking out with their hand in their hair) I didn't even notice them until recently

So yeah any thoughts?

#nico has consumed my brain i need to know everything about them now #lol #drdt #nico hakobyan #danganronpa despair time #drdt nico

[devoutlywished]

far safer of a midnight– meeting

external ghost.

#harry osborn #norman osborn #spider-man #raimiverse #raimi spider man #* #** #osborn house horror my beloved #their house functions as a center for evil and pain and trauma #it looms and creaks and groans and you can feel the weight of everything that happened within those walls #home is supposed to be a safe haven you can retreat back to when you’re scared and confused and alone #but where do you run when your home is the creation of your misery??? #when the worst things that have happened to you happened in the safety of your own home? #and harry inherits the house at such a young age he never had a chance to escape it #and he spends so much of the trilogy locked away in that house as he falls deeper and deeper into despair #the house breathes and moans and consumes #the house is hungry and is slowly devouring you and you don’t even know it because it still feels like home #and before you know it you’re nothing but bones and the house has spit you out #i don’t remember where i was going with this.

[gigglemite]

I read in a fic that Hajime magnetized Nagito's wedding band so he wouldn't have to worry about it being on his mechanical hand and I-

#komahina #i haven’t thought of anything since #its dominating my thoughts #my very being is consumed by this now #cries into my hands #danganronpa #sdr2 #sdr2 goodbye despair #nagito komaeda #hajime hinata

[devilatelier]

i was wondering why my emotional state is fluctuating it's That Time of The Month again.

#i was like ''why am i frothing with rage and consumed with despair. ah. hormones.''

[supersoftly]

Our dystopian future looks less like atomic bombs and 1000 foot tidal waves, and more like dead-end part time jobs with no benefits that people feel lucky to have, all while housing, healthcare, and having children become unaffordable. It looks like corporations privatizing all music and culture behind paywalls, governments rewriting history based on the trends of today, human interaction being limited to 10 second electronic videos of strangers, and artists being replaced by robots. And floods.

#bro stop consuming despair

[lrdvyke]

in going with the hivemind idea for the frenzied flame, that would mean vyke's thoughts, feelings, and dreams are all shared with those who have the frenzy flame in them and vice versa. anger will come to him when he's not angry, only to make him think it's now his anger, etc ( example from kale ). dreaming / possibility of having a difficult time sleeping. will say, joining that with my idea of the evergaol's cutting off people from outer god influences ( reason why vyke uses dragon incants in there and not frenzied flame ) then he may have felt at least some kind of small peace in there because, if cut off from the outer god of chaos, he would then be cut off from everyone else afflicted with the frenzied flame. so escaped vyke, upon leaving, all that would be slammed back into him the moment he leaves the evergaol. however, if going with a specific ending that is more neutral ( like ranni's ending ) then there is a chance that effect would dwindle as the afflicted die off.

#also kale talks about his brothers and sisters but names them as becoming in the thousands #so in hivemind fashion its not just the other merchants he's talking about its all the rest who joined in receiving the flame #there is also the wonder if they feel anger and despair etc from each other #if they die do they feel that too or is it anger 24/7 bc of that and that's why the frenzied are often easily provoked into violence #when a stranger comes by?? #granted game mechanics and all that i'll take into account #but those walking around in the frenzied church aren't like those outside so i hmm over it #it feeds off the grief and anger and fuels it into a brighter flame of chaos within #would it get stronger or would it simply consume the person as you see at times? #like a difference between just being frenzied vs getting the flame like our character does #despite melting all that divides away there is still that divide that comes about when it comes to kale's quest #SO I JUST HAVE MANY QUESTIONS #GKHJDHGKJD #— ooc. #anyway frenzied vyke? bad time

[fictionadventurer]

I don't think anything has shown media bias more strongly than the time a few years back when Women's March people got upset at the pro-lifers, because, "How dare you host your pro-life rally on the same day as our Women's March?" only to be told, "We've been doing this on this date since the '70s, with turnouts several times larger than your Women's March ever had, yet you've never heard of ours while yours dominates every cable news station for days."

#pro life #i'm having one of my days of overwhelming rage toward the institution of abortion #and how its supporters argue for the evilest possible things #including aborting infants at nine months of pregnancy #where there is literally no difference to the woman between aborting or delivering a live baby #except that with abortion you murder the kid first #and they take this pure evil position and claim to be heroes supporting women #rather than cartoon evil overlords murdering babies #and they get away with it! #and talking about the point in the main post is my way of turning my focus to something #that is still bad but less all-consuming rage-filled despair

[ratgirrrl]

i think termina characters should be put in danganronpa adjacent situations and by that i mean they should kill each other more cause it would be funny

#funger tag #i feel like the angst potential is not fully actualized cause #caligura is basically the only one who actively kills other contestants #and everyone else just kinda chilling unless they are moonschorched #i need them to kill more and eat each other's bodies maybe even #sorry for being infatuated with the “killing game” premise of a story and wanting a full blown tragedy where everyone consumed by despair 🙄 #as if its my fault #fear and hunger

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

i think 2012 was on drugs ngl

#baby me. unsuspecting. thriving. unaware of the great forces that were unleashed back then. medias that will consume me in just some years #gravity falls.... bungou stray dogs.... super danganronpa two goodbye despair

[finfalls]

i never see any whit art. that is a crime. make more whit art. give it to me. i want more whit art.

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #danganronpadespairtime #whit young #art #please i need to sleep #he's consumed my brain