Interviewer: Hello and welcome to Bitter Talk, where we break down all the fun happenings in the Bitterverse! Today we have a very special guest joining us: the one, the only, Kitter Bitters herself. Welcome, Kitter!
Kitter: Thanks for having me. It's always nice to spend time with the voices in my head.
Interviewer: That's probably for the best since you created most of them. Today we're talking about a character who's practically a legend at this point: your very first forum character, Jedi Master Katarine Ryiah.
Kitter: Oh no. Are we talking about her?
Interviewer: We absolutely are. Katarine has been around for nearly two decades. That's longer than some roleplayers have been alive. What's it like carrying a character for that long?
Kitter: Weird, honestly. Kat and I have grown up together. When I created her, I was a teenager. Now I'm very much not. So, her story is this giant patchwork quilt made from nineteen and a half years of ideas, plots, retcons, mistakes, and growth. Sometimes my OCD looks at that and wants to scream.
Interviewer: Yet you've never retired her.
Kitter: No. I've thought about it, but I can't. She's too important to me.
Interviewer: What makes her different from all your other characters?
Kitter: Kat is probably the closest thing I've ever had to a self-insert. Not in the sense that she's literally me, but there's a lot of my personality, fears, hopes, and experiences woven into her. When she's hurting, it hits differently. When she's happy, it feels more rewarding. Her story has always been very personal.
Interviewer: For people who may not know her history, give us the short version. Who is Katarine Ryiah?
Kitter: Kat started as a bright-eyed Jedi who wanted to save everyone. Over the years she's been a war hero, a teacher, a wife, a Jedi Master, a failure, a success, and occasionally a complete disaster. She's lost friends, survived wars, made terrible decisions, and somehow keeps getting back up again.
Interviewer: Speaking of terrible decisions, what's the biggest mistake Kat has ever made?
Kitter: Oh, that's easy. Katarine lost her love and spiraled into a mess of self-pity and depression. She made the mistake of getting too close to a Dark Jedi, and eventually she got her padawan killed. Eventually she started believing she had to save everyone. Kat carries responsibility like it's a full-time job. She'll sacrifice herself before she lets someone else suffer, and that's noble... until it isn't. At some point, you stop helping people and start destroying yourself.
Interviewer: That's surprisingly deep.
Kitter: I made her to resemble myself. Of course she's a mess.
Interviewer: Fair enough. Now, I've heard you describe Katarine as a love story before. Explain that.
Kitter: From the beginning, her story was always supposed to center around love. Not just romance, but connection, family, and finding a place where she belonged. The romantic side got complicated because the writer behind her husband eventually left roleplaying. We decided to write it as him leaving her in character, and honestly that sent Kat into a pretty hard spiral.
Interviewer: And after that?
Kitter: I tried a few different pairings over the years, but you can't force chemistry. If it isn't there, it isn't there.
Interviewer: But things have changed recently?
Kitter: They have. Kat's met someone who actually challenges her and complements her in a way that feels natural. There's chemistry, tension, and a lot of room for growth. I'm excited to see where it goes.
Interviewer: Is this finally Katarine's happy ending?
Kitter: Oh, absolutely not.
Interviewer: I should have known.
Kitter: This is me we're talking about. Since when can I stick to one ending or one story?
Interviewer: So, if not a happy ending, what's next?
Kitter: Darker themes. A lot darker.
Interviewer: Elaborate.
Kitter: Kat has spent years flirting with the dark side. The interesting thing is that she's never really been able to use it properly. She's addicted to the feeling of it, the freedom, the power, the temptation, but she doesn't have the natural affinity for it that some people do. It's almost like she's chasing something she'll never fully possess.
Interviewer: That's fascinating. So where does that leave her?
Kitter: At a crossroads. I want to explore what happens when a Jedi who's spent her whole life doing the right thing to make up for a single sin in her past starts questioning whether duty is making her miserable. What if happiness and duty aren't the same thing? What if she has to choose?
Interviewer: And do you know what she'll choose?
Kitter: If I did, roleplaying would be a lot less fun.
Interviewer: Fair point. One last question. After nearly twenty years, why do you think people still care about Katarine Ryiah?
Kitter: Honestly, I don't think people care that much. She is nowhere near as popular as my other characters. If I had to guess why anybody but me might care, I'd say it's because she keeps getting back up. She's flawed, stubborn, emotional, and sometimes spectacularly wrong, but she keeps trying. I think people relate to that. At the end of the day, Kat isn't a hero because she's perfect. She's a hero because she keeps going.
Interviewer: Ah well, I suppose we all can relate to that. Is there anything you want to add about her?
Kitter: Just a thank you to those who have stuck with her over the years. Kat is very isolated in the Chaos world because she's a character out of time. I appreciate all the help and advice I've gotten for her over the years. It means a lot that people have helped keep this story going for almost two decades.
Interviewer: What would you want for her in the future?
Kitter: Honestly, I want her to meet more people. I'd love for her to interact more on the board and get to know the galaxy players. If someone was ever interested in writing with her, I sincerely hope they reach out, especially right now. The story is at a really interesting place, and I think there is room to include others in it. I'm especially interested in testing her against darksiders or criminals. I think she needs to be influenced by the galaxy's worst beings.
Interviewer: Well said. Thank you for joining us today, Kitter.
Kitter: Thanks for having me.
Interviewer: And thank you all for tuning in to Bitter Talk. Join us next time when we inevitably force Kitter to explain another twenty years of questionable character decisions.
Kitter: I'm already regretting this interview.
