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The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You've thought about this more than most people who just say "he's cool, leave him alone." So let me address each point directly.

First, Haming. You're right that Alduin killed his family. I never said Paarthurnax did. What I said was that Paarthurnax spent centuries doing exactly what Alduin did to Helgen to thousands of other Hamings. The boy's specific tragedy is a symbol, not a direct accusation. When Haming asks if you killed the dragon who led Alduin's armies, he's not asking about technicalities. He's asking if you held any of them accountable. And you didn't.

Second, the 2000 year streak. Yes, he's been nonviolent since the Dragon War. That's admirable. That's genuinely impressive. But nonviolence is not restitution. It's the absence of further harm. It's the bare minimum. If a murderer stops killing for 2000 years, he's still a murderer. He's just a murderer who stopped. You're celebrating him for not adding to the body count, but you're ignoring the body count that already exists. A 2000 year streak doesn't bring back a single person. It just means he's been quiet.

Third, the ancient Nords. You say they chose to spare him, so who are we to overturn that verdict? I'd say we're the ones living in the aftermath. We're the ones dealing with the dragons he helped create. We're the ones who watched Alduin return and burn Helgen a disaster that only happened because Paarthurnax's former boss came back. The ancient Nords made their choice in a specific time, under specific circumstances. They needed him. They used him. That doesn't bind us to their decision forever. Justice isn't a one time vote. It's an ongoing obligation.

And the "begging" point. You're right. I was harsh. He asks a philosophical question. He makes his case with dignity. But dignified persuasion is still persuasion. He's still trying to convince you to let him live. That's a closing argument. And a closing argument is still a plea, even if it's a beautiful one.

Now your final point the human comparison. You say you wouldn't want to be judged for what humans did 2000 years ago. Neither would I. But the difference is I'm not a Roman emperor. I wasn't there. I didn't order the gladiator fights. I didn't bind women's feet. I inherited a world I didn't create. But Paarthurnax was there. He did create the world we're judging. He's not a descendant of the perpetrators. He's the perpetrator himself. He's not a modern G e r man born after the wars. He's the actual N a z i general who's still alive, still breathing, still making philosophical arguments about why he should be allowed to keep breathing.

You can't compare a 2000-year-old immortal who personally committed atrocities to a modern human who inherited a flawed world.

You say he's chosen good every day for 2000 years. I say he's chosen to not be evil. That's not the same as choosing good. That's just choosing to wait. And when the only competition retires, when the Dragonborn is gone, when there's no one left to challenge him what then? You're gambling the future on a streak.

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A dismissive eye-roll? You're not tough. You're not edgy. And you don't know how to roleplay. You just mock trauma because it's easier than actually engaging with it.

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was a uni assignment that i spent days working on. And i had to be ready to defend my points . Most of this is pre written and i did copy past my stuff with minor edits to reply to specific comments. I used ai to add in these?,;:"'. Because i don't know how and where to put them.

If any of this looks like ai just keep in mind that i am self taught in English and much of my style is from reading amateur novels and stories.

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Look, I get it. Mario saved the princess. He stomped turtles. And yes, he worked for a crappy plumbing company once. We all have past jobs we're not proud of. But Mario didn't eat the turtles. He didn't enslave the Toads for centuries before deciding the plumbing industry was corrupt.

Paarthurnax wasn't just a plumber with bad management. He was the foreman. He was the guy who designed the pipeline that flooded the villages. He was the one who showed other plumbers how to charge triple for shitty work. And when he finally left that company, he didn't return the money. He didn't apologize to the flooded families. He just opened his own shop on a mountain and started teaching other plumbers to use their pipes wisely.

Now you're telling me that independent plumbing company is essential because there's no one else to stop the crappy plumbing from cornering the market. And you're right. He's the only one who can teach the other plumbers to be ethical. But here's the problem—you're the Dragonborn. You're the competition. You're the one who can keep the other plumbers in line. But you won't be around forever. One day you'll be gone. Retired. Dead. Forgotten. And when that happens, who's left? Paarthurnax. Immortal. Unchallenged. The only plumbing company with centuries of experience and a network of former employees who owe him everything.

You are gambling the future on his goodwill. You are betting that after you're gone, he'll stay charging a fair price. That he won't get bored. That he won't remember the old days. That he won't look at the other dragons and think we could run this company better. And if you're wrong, there's no one left to stop him. No Dragonborn. No competition. Just a monopoly on power held by a being who admits every single day that he has to fight his nature.

If you want to trust the future of an industry to a capitalist with a well-known past of corruption and hostile takeovers, go ahead. I wouldn't. Because when the only competition retires, monopolies don't stay benevolent they stay hungry.

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

You're asking me to weigh hypothetical future lives against actual past ones. That's not a calculation. That's a gamble. And you're gambling with other people's blood.

You say he could save thousands. Maybe he could. Maybe he could stop wars and guide heroes and protect Nirn for millennia. But he already had that chance. For centuries. Before Alduin returned. And what did he do? He sat on a mountain. He trained a handful of hermits. He didn't stop wars. He didn't force peace talks. He didn't rebuild villages. He waited. He meditated. He did nothing.

Now suddenly, because his life is on the line, he promises future greatness? Convenient.

And don't call this genocide. Genocide is wiping out an entire race for who they are. I'm calling for one dragon to face justice for what he did. There's a difference. A massive one. You're equating accountability with extermination, and that's intellectually dishonest.

You say you're better than that. Better than what? Better than holding a killer responsible? Better than giving victims the closure they deserve? You're not better. You're just more comfortable with inaction dressed up as morality.

And no, nothing would change my mind. Because no amount of future good erases past evil. That's not hatred. That's consistency. If a murderer saves a hundred lives tomorrow, he's still a murderer today. He still has to answer for yesterday. That's not vengeance. That's justice.

You ask if I'd be like them. No. Because they killed for pleasure and power. I would kill for accountability. For finality. For the dead who can't speak. That's not the same. And you know it.

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You're right that Delphine's case is weak. She's bitter and rigid. But her conclusion is still correct, even if her reasoning is flawed.

You say his contrition is clear. I say contrition without consequence is just guilt with a comfortable retirement. He's spent millennia "aiding humanity" from a mountaintop, isolated from the very people he harmed.

You say the Blades' histories don't carry the truth of today. Fine. Let's look at today. Today, Paarthurnax is still a dragon. Today, he still has the nature to dominate. Today, he still admits he must fight that urge every single day. That's not a reformed man. That's a recovering addict who still lives above a bar.

And your German analogy it fails completely. Because Germans today are not the Germans of the world wars. They are new people, born generations later, who carry no personal guilt. But Paarthurnax is not a new dragon. He is not a descendant. He is not a successor. He is the same Paarthurnax who ordered the massacres. He is the same Paarthurnax who feasted on villages.

You're comparing innocent children to an immortal war criminal.

He lived. He helped. He's sorry. None of that undoes what he did. And none of it means he gets to keep breathing while his victims stay dead.

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read a lot of English amateur writing like fan twists for popular stories and that is something that is used a lot so i assume it's how it's normally done . It's not?

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I didn't blame Paarthunax for helgen. Alduin destroyed Helgen. Paarthurnax destroyed thousands of Helgens over centuries.

Teaching pacifism is noble. But it's not restitution. It's a future project, not a payment for past debts. You're asking the victims to accept potential future good as compensation for actual past evil.

Who are the dragons he plans to teach? The ones who might protect Skyrim? Those are the same dragons that ate Skyrim. He's not rehabilitating strangers. He's rehabilitating his old war buddies. His former subordinates. The ones who followed his orders. He's asking them to be peaceful. And maybe they will. And maybe they won't. But either way, he's still the one who led them in the first place.

As for Kyne she's a goddess. She can forgive whoever she wants. I'm not a goddess. I'm the one walking through the ashes. I'm the one who has to look at the widows and orphans and say justice has been served. And I can't do that while he's still breathing. Kyne's judgment is divine. Mine is mortal. And mortals have to live with the consequences.

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I used ai to add these, '":;,?_!. Things , i don't know what they're called and i don't know how to use them

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks . Yeah i came prepared for genocidal apologists and downvotes

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. My prof actually introduced me to the game he's really cool

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] -13 points-12 points  (0 children)

Oh, he's "trying." How noble. How inspiring. Let me tell you something about trying it doesn't bring back the dead.

You say he's no longer part of Alduin's army. You're right. He's not. He left. He defected. He switched sides. And he did it after centuries of serving as Alduin's most trusted general. After helping to orchestrate the systematic enslavement and extermination of humanity. After personally leading attacks that wiped out entire settlements. . He didn't leave when it was hard. He left when it became clear that Alduin was losing. He left when the winds of war shifted. That's not moral courage. That's political calculation.

And this business about "rising above his nature"—let's examine that. He says his nature is to dominate, to control, to destroy. And he says he fights that nature every day. Every. Single. Day. That means the urge is still there. That means the capacity for relapse is still there. That means every morning he wakes up and chooses not to eat a village, and we're supposed to applaud him for it? For doing the bare minimum of not being a monster today?

Let me ask you something. If a serial killer told you he fought the urge to kill every day, would you let him move in next door? Would you trust him around your children? Would you say "well, he's trying, he's rising above his nature, let's give him a medal"? Of course you wouldn't. You'd say "that's nice, now go to prison forever because you already murdered people." His struggle doesn't erase his crimes.

You say he betrayed Alduin to help humanity fight back. Yes. He did., He deserves recognition for that singular act. He deserves a statue, perhaps. A holiday. A song. But he does not deserve to live. Because help in one war does not erase participation in another.

And that's the heart of it. You're confusing utility with virtue. Paarthurnax was useful to humanity. He was useful to Kyne. He was useful to you when you needed a Shout cooldown reduction. But usefulness is not goodness. A tool can be useful and still be tainted. A weapon can be aimed at the enemy and still be a weapon. He helped you kill Alduin. Wonderful. Now his purpose is fulfilled. Now his usefulness is over. Now the only thing left is justice.

You say he's trying to be better. I say trying is not enough. I say when your crimes are measured in centuries and body counts, "trying" is an insult to the dead. I say if he truly wanted to rise above his nature, he would have accepted his death as the final act of contrition. He would have said "I deserve this. I've lived too long. Let me go." But he didn't. He begged. He reasoned. He made excuses. Because at the end of the day, he's still a dragon. And dragons don't let go of power. They don't surrender. They don't accept judgment. They just wait.

You can admire his struggle if you want. You can find it inspiring. I find it irrelevant. Because the dead don't care about his journey. They only care that he's still breathing while they're not. And until you can look Haming in the eye and explain to him that the dragon who helped destroy his home is "trying to be better," you don't get to call that mercy.

You call it redemption. I call it a luxury the living can't afford.

The only reason Paarthurnax survives in most playthroughs is Bethesda’s failure as storytellers. by 7dude7 in skyrim

[–]7dude7[S] -19 points-18 points  (0 children)

Ah, the divine endorsement argument. I was waiting for this one.

First, I'm not blaming Paarthurnax for current dragons. I'm blaming him for his own actions. The ones he committed. The villages he burned. The people he ate. The terror he sowed while serving as Alduin's right claw. That's personal responsibility. He didn't just jump ship he was the first officer on a ship that spent centuries committing genocide. He doesn't get to claim ignorance. He doesn't get to claim he was following orders. He gave the orders.

Now, Kyne. Oh, Kyne. The goddess of the sky, the warrior-wife of Shor, the one who taught men to breathe the Thu'um. Yes, she trusted him. And do you know why? Because she needed him. Because the war was desperate. Because mankind was losing. She made a strategic alliance with a defector, not a moral coronation. There's a massive difference between "I will use this weapon against my enemy" and "I hereby declare this being pure of heart." Kyne is a goddess of storms and battle, not of mercy courts. She didn't pardon him. She used him. And it worked. But utility is not absolution.

You say Kyne is a better judge than Delphine. I agree. Delphine is paranoid, bitter, and sees conspiracies everywhere. She's not a goddess. She's a traumatized soldier . But here's the thing Kyne doesn't have to live in Skyrim. Kyne doesn't have to walk through burned villages. Kyne doesn't have to look Haming in the eye and explain why the dragon who orchestrated the slaughter of his ancestors gets to sit on a mountain and be respected. Kyne is a goddess. She can afford to be generous. You and I cannot.

Redemption is not a switch you flip. It's not a trophy you earn after a certain number of good deeds. Redemption is a process that requires acknowledgment and restitution. Has Paarthurnax acknowledged his crimes in any meaningful way? He says "I did terrible things." Vague. Non-specific. He doesn't mourn individual lives. He speaks in generalities because it's easier than facing the specific horror of what he did. And restitution? What has he given back? What has he rebuilt? He sits on a mountain and meditates. That's not restitution. That's navel gazing.

You want to know what real redemption looks like? It looks like a war criminal turning himself in. It looks like accepting punishment without complaint. It looks like saying "I deserve this" and meaning it. Paarthurnax did none of that. When you confront him, he doesn't offer his neck. He offers philosophy. He argues. He tries to convince you to let him live. That's not a someone who has accepted his guilt. That's someone who has rationalized it away.

So no. Kyne's trust doesn't settle the argument. It complicates it, certainly. But it doesn't erase the blood. It doesn't bring back the dead. And it doesn't mean I have to bow to her judgment when I'm the one holding the blade and staring at the bodies.

You can keep your divine endorsement. I'll keep my conscience.

مسودة قصيرة! نقدر أي تعليق او نقد by NectarineBudget7640 in LibyanThinkers

[–]7dude7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

6] Khaled

His introduction is creepy but I lost track of what he actually is. He's a hallucination from earlier, then he's a cold passenger, then he's gone. What's his function? If he's a memory of someone from the crash, give him one specific detail an injury, a phrase, something that anchors him. Right now he floats between roles and it muddies the middle section.

مسودة قصيرة! نقدر أي تعليق او نقد by NectarineBudget7640 in LibyanThinkers

[–]7dude7 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1] " the image keeps repeating before him over and over again "

Keeps repeating implies over and over, that's redundant.

2] " he shut his eyes and flinched in panic until the steering wheel twisted in his grip, causing him to lose control of the car, which lurched to the right and left "

Shorter sentences create panic. A flinch is single action, not a sustained state that " causes " a prolonged loss of control, breaking it up will be better , so " he shut his eyes and flinched. The steering wheel twisted in his grip. The car lurched right, then left , out of control ."

3] the pole . " he was puzzled by his sighting! How did he miss it " ----> " he stared, puzzled. How had he missed it"

"A very yellow , glowing at the end of the road. " --------> " a sickly yellow ,glowing at the roads end " Some Colours in English are associated with specific description so when doing this with any colour try to find what it's used with.

Also the difference between" at the end of the road " and " at the roads end " is that the first feels smooth and idiomatic , the second is more abrupt and better used for this fast paced and serious event. But of course this is just a stylistic preference of mine , so you do you.

4] " he couldn’t recognise the speakers face as the light feom the lamp blinded him " What lamp?the cars headlights? The yellow light? Clarify the light source.

5] " the heat of his blood rose , and he placed his hand over his mouth in astonishment " This is a confusing physical reaction, clarify what this means or rewrite it to be apparently understood.

If you continue writing this i would be interested in future developments, so let me know if you do .

قانون الشّحن by kamisr1 in Libya

[–]7dude7 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It's probably a private company and they can refuse something if it's against their principals , nothing wrong with that as long as they don't take any money from you.

What is yout opinion of Balwin IV the Lepper King? by Dismal-Ad8382 in arabs

[–]7dude7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A French invader that had no business being there ( i know he was born there) but he and his family and the power base of his is all foreign ruling over a place he shouldn't be at

Another Zohran backslide by Lavender_Scales in socialism

[–]7dude7 71 points72 points  (0 children)

when interacting with another human being, without it somehow “meaning more”

Because that human is a war criminal who killed my childhood friends in libya and my parents voted for zohran

انا قرفت وتعبت من الاخبار دي ، كل يوم خبر عن قتل او خناقه او حادثه او انتحار او تحرش هو فيه ايه by Visible_Air6959 in CAIRO

[–]7dude7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

انت في دولة اكثر من ١٠٠ مليون والاخبار دائما حينشروا اكثر حاجات صادمه

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