#carltia

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At some point over the last few floors, over the last couple of months after meeting each other, both Carl and Katia decided that protecting Donut and protecting one another was worth dying for.

Book 6

Even while withdrawing Katia is willing to fight a level 200 creature to protect Donut.

Carl doesn't want Mordecai to ever mention letting Katia self-implode, acknowledging that his commitment to keep her safe makes him willing to self-sacrifice himself.

Book 7

Once again, Katia is willing to die to protect Donut if the plan doesn't work, which also protects Carl from potentially losing Donut and protecting him from the pain she felt when she lost Annie. Carl can't deal with the idea of her dying (also I have a pet (pun intended) theory that Ren is an empath).

I wonder if Carl has ever had a protector before, other than his mother? Katia has tried to protect him from physical and emotional harm time and time again. In book 2 when she tells Carl and Donut to leave the floor without her, or when she steps between Carl and danger two times on the Iron Tangle, taking his form to distract the god on the same level, or stepping up to volunteer to kill a possessed Chris so Carl wouldn't have to.

Carl blew himself up, basically liquifying himself up in order for Donut and Katia to live. He's comforted by the knowledge that even if he dies they'll both live.

(I think carl also wants it but he cannot give himself the hope of whats after)

(Also he cant do that to daniel)

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A comic panel I made of one of my favorite Book 7 scenes.

I'm going to pair it with some musings.

I found a post on Instagram that really summed up the dynamic I see between Carl and Katia as the books progress. I will try to paraphrase here.

IMO there are scenes (such as this one illustrated above) that show that the connection between Carl and Katia is more nuanced than strictly platonic/non-platonic.

Carl has almost no ability to recognize the interpersonal dynamics between people (including himself and Bea) until he clocks that Katia and Bautista have become an item. Carl is an unreliable narrator when it comes to himself and his emotions, but other people see the dynamic between Carl and Katia and expect there's something between them. Donut sees it. Daniel see it. Mordecai see it. Imani and Elle see it. Even Huanxin Jinx sees it.

There is an abundance of familial love between these two, but I think they also carry a flame for one another. One that maybe they are both scared to act on as to not jeopardize the family they've already built together. Or because they know that due to their circumstances it would only further complicate their situation. It could be either of those things or it could be mostly because Carl is oblivious to his own emotions and suppresses them while he's in survival mode. Katia is more aware of her feelings as she clearly wanted him to be the father of her child. I think these feelings snuck up on Carl, and maybe even Katia too. I'm going to quote this next part directly from the post bc I love it:

"When all you've known are hurtful, harmful relationships (in both of their cases familial and romantic) I think it's hard to recognize what healthy, stable love is until you're deeply in it."

The love that blooms between Carl and Katia isn't possessive or frantic. It doesn't demand to be acknowledged. It blooms slowly and steadily over time.

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kinda?

I mean, it's not canon

but it would have had to happen after This Inevitable Ruin

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Even Generals Need Sleep 🧡

YOU

HAVE

BEEN

WARNED

Mentally, I'm still in chapter 16 and Several Days Earlier 💔

Katia and Carl experienced something so raw and intimate, so sad and yet beautiful together. Their hands in one another's, almost like they'd been surgically grafted together, watching her former life fall apart. Watching her lose Annie.

It's gorgeous and heart wrenching. He's watching her at her lowest, far from being embarrassed, she presses closer to him, cries on his shoulder. He sees her pain and gets closer, pressing his head to hers and assuring her that Annie knew how much she was loved, even if they couldn't be together in the end.

and then this conversation:

“I’m worried about Daniel,” Katia finally said. “I’m worried he’s going to do something stupid if this thing with Huanxin Jinx doesn’t work out.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m worried about him, too. He loves you.”

“And I love him,” Katia said. She turned to look at me. Our hands were still connected. On her shoulder, Annie the bird spread her wings and cawed. “But as much as I love him, I want you to know I love you and Donut more.” She pointed at the dancing woman and infant. “I love you both just as much as I ever loved those two right there.”

We touched heads again. I thought of Asher. Of my father. My mother. I mourned what could have been.

She tells him she loves him and his daughter approximation as much as she loves herself and her daughter. They press their heads together and Carl thinks about family and mourns what could have been.

They love each other. They already are family but I think they also want a family together. And now they are farther apart than they've ever been. 💔

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"This isn't goodbye"

... I hope not.

The pic is extremely out of character, I know. They are carefree and smiling. They are touching more than usual. Plus, I have a sneaking suspicion the AI would be PISSED about this for some reason. But they are cute. Princes Donut is probably sitting on Sledgie's shoulder watching him and Bomo play Frogger. Mongo is curled up taking a nap while Mordecai is cursing at his potions table.

I can't tell if I'm totally delulu bc so many ppl on Reddit anti them, but i read what I read and I think these two are end game, if they both make it to the end of the game.

🚨 Book Seven spoilers ahead 🚨

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She had a glowing halo over her head.

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...

"Do you want to hear a secret?" Katia asked me as her eyes got heavy. Her voice was loud and clear.

"Sure," I said.

"My favorite memory and my worst memory are the same thing. I'm going back to the same place I was last time. I hope that doesn't mess this up."

"Katia," I heard myself say, "quick. Grab my hand. We can do it together."

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Katia from Carl's perspective as the dream sequence takes hold.

A glowing halo around Katia's head 💛

Mordecai said he might see some weird shit.

When Carl takes the Potion of Somnolent Embrace (sleepy time potion) as part of the treatment he sees a glowing halo around Katia's head. The potion leaves him uninhibited, and his first reaction is to reach out to her and hold her hand, despite all logic that this would disrupt the treatment process.

I believe experiencing the dream together helped him acknowledge the depth and nature of his feelings for her.

This seems logical to me because, as mentioned in the books, the other potion Mordecai gives him as the second part of the dream treatment, Glory Bound, is based on a real (in DCC universe) drug that helps train people via a two step process: subliminal conditioning over a long period of time, and then taking the drug and a means of "unlocking" that knowledge. What if this is what happened to Carl, letting him finally "unlock" (acknowledge) and his feelings for Katia?

Either way, It's interesting that as soon as their inhibitions are down, both their instincts are to reach out to one another for comfort ❤️

And it's interesting that after this scene and the scene that follows, "A Few Days Earlier", which we don't see till much later in the books, Katia and Carl reach out and touch each other much more than before the dream.

All this, combined with Katia's confessions, makes me think there's something in addition to familial love between these two.