#Gotta love that Human Interaction

[yanderemommabean]

Hi beans! A small little update!

I’ve been sick and having some rather concerning health issues the past two weeks and currently it’s draining me entirely

So I’m going to close the inbox for a bit, not to long maybe a few days at most, I just need to rest and try to figure myself out and see if it needs to turn into a full ER or ICU visit with how fragile my body is

I love you beans! Very much! I shouldn’t be too bad but a doctor needs to be seen asap, but I’ll keep you all updated! I love you all very much!

-Mommabean

[minweber]

Musings on Custodes: Nobilitas Terra

Ah, the now famous “all Custodians begin their lives as the infant sons of the noble houses of Terra” line from the 8th edition codex (not reproduced in the 9th one, btw). It has now experienced the kind meteoric rise in quotation previously enjoyed only by biblical verses in times of major church schisms. Let’s talk about the part of it that’s actually interesting though.

So Custodians are drawn from the children of Terra’s nobility. It is apparently not exclusive and other sources are allowed on Custodes’ own discretion, but this is both the traditional and the main one. It seems that originally the Emperor was doing something of a mamluk/janissaries thing with them, taking infant children from the families of his potential rivals as both hostages and soldiers that could be raised loyal only to him. Later, when his power grew to so far outstrip that of Terra’s aristocracy as to make any internal challenge of it inconceivable, it instead became prestigious to submit a child of a family to this service - not conscription, but an offering to the golden idol of humanity instead.

So surely, in 42nd millennium, with the Emperor’s eclipsing presence… changed, if not gone, there must be some sort of interesting dynamic between the Custodians and the bloodlines that spawned them? Well, the codex seems to dismiss the idea out of hand, stating that there is no real way for nobles of Terra to recognize their scions once they become Custodians - which presumably means that there is no grounds for interaction? And sure, I can recognize why the official lore in its current state isn't interested in that: Custodians are fixated on the Emperor to the exclusion of everything else, and the Terran nobility itself is a fairly faceless thing in the lore, one of which we don't really know enough about to build any kind of investment from their perspective.

But here we are all about the things that could yet be, rather than the things that just are! And I honestly think a bit of lore expansion in this direction could be pretty interesting!

Between the origins of the Rogue Traders and the Custodians themselves it seems that, much like the priesthood of Mars, some clans on Terra were indeed once powerful enough to make the newly ascendant Emperor deal with them in terms other than total subjugation or destruction. Would the meteoric rise of the Imperium during the Great Crusade grow or diminish their powers? On one hand - the previously mentioned growth of the Emperor's power in relation to them and the whole new "breed" of imperial elite he was literally creating (I know that in modern lore there is some speculation about what were actually his plans for the Astartes and the primarchs post-Crusade, but however things would have turned out for them, had he his way, I doubt it would have resulted in even a modicum of power returning to the hands of his once-rivals)... But on the other - during times of obscene growth and expansion rich and powerful tend to grow even more so, and I doubt that grimdark future avoids this tendency. So I will go out on a limb a little and say that while during the rise of the Imperium the power of Terran nobility may have waned in relative terms, it probably grew in the absolute ones.

And the following ten thousand years of sitting at the top of a stupidly expansive feudal confederacy probably did not hurt them either!

In the days of the Era Indomitus, then, these vague "noble houses of Terra" must be some sort of force to be reckoned with - politically, culturally, and probably even militarily. Likely on a galactic scale. And the personal guard of the Emperor, the supposedly most advanced beings in the entire Imperium, the living symbol of his power - are staffed almost exclusively by the scions of those houses. Do you see my vision? Do you agree that something simply must be there?!

Custodians are the Emperor's representatives and envoys, the single most powerful military force on Terra and the organization in full undisputed control of access to the most holy site in the entire Imperium, a place from which, technically, ALL authority within its borders is derived. Even without the bloodline connection there should be some kind of a relationship between them and the other powers of the throneworld! Even if we look at the pre-codex, fully palace-bound version of Custodes that care for absolutely nothing other than the Emperor's corpse physical safety - they still recognized that the events on larger Terra influence this safety and need to be at least reacted upon. And in the modern version they have never even been that shut-off. Even before the lifting of the Edict of Restraint, Solar Watch patrolled the Sol system entire, Aquilan Shield departed on their mysterious protector missions and the Emissaries Imperatus were busy being a diplomatic corps, for fuck's sake. I find it hard to believe that they would simply ignore Terra's political players, leaving them to do whatever unless someone rolled up armed to the Imperial Palace. So there definitely would be interactions - and once that hook is in, the fun begins.

Are custodians willing to "stoop down" and play nobility's games with them? Do they even have aversion to doing so? Surely, with all the talk about their talents beyond head-chopping, they are capable of scheming with the best of them? And if doing so is the most efficient way to get the job done - why would they object? And if they are no strangers to political manipulation and the noble families desperately want the prestige that comes with having produced a Custodian - why wouldn't the demigods indulge them and use it as a tool? Especially since they - if we keep the codex idea of it being impossible to recognize surrendered infants as the Custodians they become - hold all the cards and can basically present any of their number as a scion of this or that family? And while we are at it - do they themselves actually know? I imagine it must be not that important to them, but are there any records kept? Could you be a 200 hundred year old Custodian fresh out of training (a random example - like so many things, it is not known how long the creation and training of a Custodian takes) and be suddenly told that the aging matron of a noble house with whom you have to go and negotiate is actually your biological mother? Would that stir something? Curiosity, at least? Or is the Emperor’s light so absolute that it can blind one to even the most deep-nested human impulses?

Do Custodians remember sins and glories forgotten by the tapestries of gold and jewels? Do they watch some relatively minor and unimportant house with baffling prejudice - all because someone from it almost outdid the Emperor in something more than ten thousand years ago? Do some bloodlines enjoy unseen protection due to secret deals that have passed out of all human memory?

What about the internal politics of the organization? Millenia of drafting from a relatively closed pool of families means that some Custodians are related to each other - does that matter to them in any way? Even if the golden demigods are completely free of prejudice and superstition - which their history of paranoia kinda tells me they are not - genetics do play an objectively huge part in their existence. Is more expected of those drafted from families that produce more Custodians than others, or have spawned some especially renowned heroes? Once again - is it even public knowledge amidst the Custodes?

And what about the nobles themselves? Do they seek favor of the Adeptus Custodes? Is such a thing even possible? Do they view them as another player in their political games, or are they more of a force of nature, a condition that everyone has to deal with and adapt to? How does the process of submitting children even work nowadays? Is it compulsory? How many are taken from each family/genertaion? Do any struggle against this harvest, or has the honor of the thing completely overshadowed any resentment that they might have had?

Basically what I am saying is that, for the purposes of worldbuilding, interaction between systems is always better than the lack of thereof. And if one were looking for the ways to expand Custodes' lore - this one feels like a great source of characterization for them.

[isekyaaa]

when you say you like robot characters, what's the range? like, do you like 100% robot characters or humans that replace parts to become humans (cyborg) or humans that transfer their consciousness into a robot or...? 👀👀 -- @milkstore

(tbh idk the whole range of robot characters. it feels like the possibilities are endless. if this is an ask too difficult to answer feel free to just ignore it lol)

When I say “robot characters,” I mean 100% robots. Cyborgs or robots that have some kind of human component like a transferred consciousness is a no for me. There’s just something fascinating about a being that, by all normal means, should not have the capacity for love somehow learn to love and love deeply? Thats soooo good.

I always always love the concept of love. Love is like a drip of water. In the moment, it does nothing, but over time, it can carve canyons. This concept is one thing that I adore seeing utilized in robot stories. Like the love of a creator or the love of a child and it just… creating color and warmth within a web of ones and zeroes.

I think it’s even more interesting for cases like Svarog. He is very cold and logical. He will only do things if they follow the laws of his logic. These rules are so strong that he won’t hesitate turn down Clara’s requests, even when faced with her tears. And yet… and yet… there still is love. He still readily and willingly protects this little girl. Svarog isn’t a human wearing a metal exterior. He is still a undeniably a robot. And yet he still loves.

[xstarlightxstarbrightx]

thoughts on how Liyue Archon quest went [4]

ZHONGLI TIME, IN WHICH I WROTE MANY EXTENSIVE NOTES (i didn't even realize i was this feral until i reread these notes guys)

Childe said he'd find a guy, and he did! the Traveler Trio go to the bank teller!

Side Note: did you know that the fuckin bank teller is voiced by the same VA as Venti (at least in the ENG VO?). i didn't until i watched my friend do the quest again!! and then we had an argument on whether or not it was actually Venti's Eng VA. i love my friends.

ANYWAY, Traveler Trio hits the Liuli Pavilion, walks in, and LEMME TELL YOU. I fully, truly, genuinely h/c that the Moment(tm) that Lumine saw Zhongli, she Knew(tm).

Like girl ain't dumb. She probably had a moment of uncertainty, ofc, b/c she's not From This World (tm), but at the same time He Gives the Vibes. but, like, when he asks the question about her opinion between Mondstadt and Liyue, she's immediately like "oh yeah, ur the fuckin Geo Archon aren't you".

but also she doesn't say anything, b/c at this point she's more curious as to why this Archon is absolutely positively faking his death and not telling anyone about it.

the more Zhongli speaks tho, the more confident Lumine is. like she's bewildered that he doesn't really seem interested in what Childe's up to, but when he mentions his friend from Mondstadt? she's like "so u mean Venti, then".

Zhongli: oh. i did not bring any Mora. Kaeya: what. Paimon: what. Lumi: Lumi: (how does,,, the God of Contracts,,, and Commerce,,,, not bring any Mora,,,,)

[theshadowrealmitself]

Vulcans unironically making posts like “I am not the step parent, I’m the parent that stepped up”

[lightbulb-warning]

16 classmates means 256 potential dynamics to explore if we only consider 1 on 1 interactions (which i will! ...until this sentence ends) and that means 256 drawings. considering that group interactions exist and it can be any combo that is... a way larger number.

i have 2 hands, 0 time and too much ambition!!

haha! oh no.

[coffeebanana]

I always say I’m honest about writing fanfiction in my real life but I definitely levelled up by admitting to that in a job interview today 💀

[thehardkandy]

i think i need to be incorporating more alien psychology. i find i have really loved in books this feeling of like.... when two characters not only are culturally different but are also literally biologically wired (due to literally evolving on separate planets) to feel incongruous emotions or even completely alien emotions

it's just soooo fun like sorry this creature feels something deeply to their soul and their entire relationship to you revolves around it, but you can only ever see that feeling for the analytical outside perspective. you have to use logic to understand their emotion. which makes any extension of trust between these two people such a wild wild fun experience

[crowlore]

nobody ever told meryl about wolfwood

[classicintp]

Can't stand it when professionals have objectively bad takes but they're legitmately professionals and you're just some guy. You recognize this, you acknowledge it, you even appreciate it in the appropriate context, but it's so fucking infuriating. Even if the professional is humble and concedes to your point, which is usually not going to happen to even the humble in general unless it's a correction directly being witnessed, you still have their diehard fans demonizing you because you proved their idol wrong (even if you weren't pompous or obnoxious about it, just the idea that their beloved expert was human and made an error drives them mad). So I white-knuckle it and say nothing and then log into Tumblr and blurt it out in the tags.

[iloveyoumorethansoup]

I’m gonna have like. A day off lol my bad

[satanfemme]

god, I just really really love judas so much

[mossybuzzkill]

i want to get drunk and go to karaoke with someone v_v

[rpvlix]

//it's a shame i dont super love writing combat scenes because i DO super love the siblings getting fucked the hell up. but i cannot just keep giving them inexplicable injuries off screen. or can i...?

[eoinmcgonigal]

caught in that horrible place of wanting to write and post stuff, but being so disheartened and upset because what's the point if no one comments? i take the time to put the stories and ideas in my head into words so that i can share them and talk about them with other people! i'm oldschool about this and make no apologies for being so. fandom was built on comments and interacting with each other - on communicating and creating a sense of community. i cannot keep creating in such utter isolation. i'm not a machine. i'm lonely. i want to connect with people over things with both love and enjoy!

to be clear, this isn't a 'you must always comment if you read something' because that's utterly deranged and unrealistic. i'm just begging anyone who sees this to, if they can (if! because i struggle to comment too!), take a few moments to let an author know 'hey i was here and this made me feel things!'. even a little something back is so, so much better than putting some of my hard work out there and hearing nothing in return. i do not feel inspired to keep writing right now. it makes me so sad having all these things i want to talk about and write and share, but no one seems to be interested in engaging, so the thing that brings me joy remains a quiet, unspoken thing withering inside me

fandom has changed a lot over the last few years, and i wish i could say it was for the better, but it's not. this whole click and move on social media attitude is really soul-destroying. likes/kudos/reactions aren't the same as words (or emoji or gifs or whatever your preferred method of yelling in the comments is). a single click serves a purpose but can never replace the value of human interaction

the thing is, i don't post fic and immediately rush on to the next thing, never to look back. i like looking back! i like pausing in my day to reminisce on that fic i wrote, and i smile the whole way through my entire being when someone leaves a nice comment and i get a chance to say 'thank you, i love this story too' and think about the fic again. i'm cultivating a little garden of stories with all the love and care i have to give each of them, and i want them to grow, not be trodden underfoot as people rush to consume the next thing

[stellx]

thinkin abt the guy who offered me a cigarette n how we stood outside together in the evening rain n how i can still smell the smoke from his cigarette on my jean jacket