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draconiclineages · 2 months

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True Gem Dragons

The Gemmatic lineage of dragons is also known as Gem dragons.

Sardior, the Ruby Dragon

Sardior is an agendered dragon, a deity of gem dragons, and a fairly detached analytical individual. They have a perfect memory and utilize telepathy to simply memorize all information possessed by those near them, using the new information to extrapolate, reinforce, or disprove currently-held ideas.

Credit: Matteo Bondini

Amethyst Dragons

Amythest dragons fundamentally desire knowledge, as all gemmatic dragons do, but they seek to learn about anything. They have particular interests in fundamental forces of the multiverse. Be it shared laws of reality, the Uncreated, or unique laws of the Realm they inhabit. They are, in a general sense, highly educated, and though they believe their work to be highly important (whatever that work may be), they are often willing to educate those who wander into their lairs.

Credit: Joshua Raphael

Sapphire Dragons

Sapphire dragons are a cautious and aggressive lot. Thinking situations through in seconds before seemingly acting rashly. Their favored subjects are that of war, causing them to be seen on the frontlines of many conflicts in veritable Thunders, often actively participating in the battles themselves for the 'experience'.

Credit: WotC

Emerald Dragons

Emerald dragons are hidden watchers, they prefer to observe rather than interact or be interacted with. Reclusive by nature, they are rarely 'extroverted'.

Credit: WotC

Topaz Dragons

Topaz dragons are as salty as their lairs, natural pessimists, quick to become hostile when irritated, and like all salt, hydrophobes. Their fear of water is paradoxical given their ability to vaporize it with their breath and their preference for lair locales.

Credit: WotC

Crystal Dragons

Crystal dragons are bright in breath, appearance, and personality. Perpetual optimists that are friendly to a fault, and prefer to talk rather than resort to violence.

Credit: Joshua Raphael

Beljuril Dragons

Beljuril dragons are much like their namesake gemstones, utterly unpredictable in the long term. In the short term, they can be docile until provoked by something, in which case they can be sporadic. Possibly leaving their lair for a few years, immediately becoming violent, requesting duels, deciding to sleep, becoming a human for a century or two, and other such eccentricities.

Credit: Lana Ansay

Pearl Dragons

Pearl dragons want to know everything, not entirely dissimilar to other gemmatic dragons, but they explicitly want to know everything about you. They want to know how you feel, why you feel that way, what you will do now that you feel that way, what you are currently thinking, why you are thinking that. They do usually identify that asking such questions will eventually result in them receiving the response 'annoyed' followed by some variation of 'because you keep asking me questions.' Naturally, this annoys the dragons, and the diversity of thought ceases for a while.

Credit: Atharea

Obsidian Dragons

Obsidian dragons are second only to amethyst dragons in intelligence. However, unlike amethyst dragons who insatiably feed their thirst for knowledge, obsidian dragons simply know things. This is usually limited to verifiably factual pieces of information, such as how the wind blows, who someone's parents are, what animals are mammals, or the nations of a Realm. They do not know things that are more subjective, such as emotional or religious experiences for example. They view no benefit in sharing what they know nor do they see much benefit in receiving information from their lessers, that is unless it is related to their particular fields of interest.

Credit: mofutom

Agate Dragons

Agate dragons are slow, patient, and deliberate. They speak simply unlike some other dragons, as they prefer to not need to speak, living within their lairs. Though, of the gemmatic dragons, they are the type that will most predictably raid the lands near them, seemingly unprovoked, for the treasures they seek.

Credit: sandara

Diamond Dragons

Diamond dragons are quite simply, hypocrites. They value freedom above all else, their own freedom that is, and they will, in the same sentence as they tell you that locking someone away is a horrid action, suggest removing a threat by locking them away into an extra-dimensional bubble for all eternity.

Credit: Bein' real, I don't know who made this.

#gem dragons #dragon #godbound #dnd #oc?#worldbuilding #fantasy creatures #magical creatures

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harveybwabbit92 · 1 year

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Taiga: You know what? We’re clever too, smarty-pants!

Fuma & Titas: Yeah!

Tregear: Then what’s the difference between a gemmate and a zygote?

Taiga:...

Fuma: Don’t fall for it, Tai. He’s just making up words.

#S: modern family #ultraman taiga #ultraman titas #ultraman fuma #ultraman tregear #ultraman incorrect quotes #tokusatsu incorrect quotes #ultraman #tokusatsu

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pozge-pridumayu · 1 year

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I'm fucking obsessed with the idea of fairies being able to grow actual butterflies out of their skin. You know like a rudiment of being able to reproduce by gemmation in the past

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vento-del-nord · 1 year

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Chiudo il tuo libro

Sento che sorrido,

intenerita,

c’è pudore e c’è grazia puerile

in questo che m’investe,

sola,

tremore improvviso,

oh luce tra le rame gemmate,

sera che avvicini la primavera,sento che sorrido,

intenerita,

così tersa così lieve e presente

la vita,

con suo senso anch’essa di casto bene,

ridente,

di un’ora che torna, torna, ma sì, sempre

di un’ora sospesa,

oh nuova.

Aleramo

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mihikavasant · 9 months

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Is tooth gemination the reason for double teeth in babies?

An uncommon dental aberration known as tooth gemination occurs when a tooth's morphology is altered, giving the appearance of a merged bifid crown. It may be distinguished from tooth fusion and is more common in upper front infant teeth than in molars. Although the exact origin is unknown, potential causes include vitamin shortages, infections, trauma, abnormal hormone levels, genetic predispositions, and certain drugs. Geminated teeth retain their usual number of teeth, in contrast to fused teeth.

Due to their huge gaps between teeth, ability to impede neighboring teeth from erupting, malocclusions, bite abnormalities, and uneven dental arches, teeth with gemmation provide both aesthetic and practical challenges. There's also a chance of delayed permanent tooth eruption.

The diagnosis is made by counting teeth, and distinction is aided by an intra-oral periapical radiograph. Options for treatment vary but frequently involve shaving and smoothing two teeth, surgically fracturing a tooth in rare circumstances, and receiving root canal therapy before receiving dental crowns. If a root canal treatment is not appropriate for a tooth, it may be required to extract it and replace it with prosthodontic prostheses like dental bridges or implants. Prompt care is essential to avoid consequences related to this uncommon dental anomaly, such as delayed permanent tooth eruption and malocclusion.

FOR MORE INFO PLEASE VISIT: https://www.suryadentalcare.com/is-tooth-gemination-the-reason-for-double-teeth-in-babies/

#dentists #toothache #braces #sore throat #children #dental #dentalhealth #teeth #dentalcare #kids

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zu-is-here · 4 years

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What if goopmare and shattered could just split off a piece of their goop and it’s a clone and they didn’t have to have like actual children or anything - aSexuAl ReProDuCtiOn?

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

#gemmation?? xd #kinda maybe y e sss #ask

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fireopal-tash · 4 years

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First of all, an explanation about certain words that I will use: - things like 'daughters', 'mother' and 'sisters' is not in the sense of family, but of creation, superiority in a more friendly way, and closeness.

After all, gems have no family. Not until Steven. It is a simple connection that has no words, that's why I use those. If it bothers you, my apologies. You can change the words for others, if that is what you prefer.

Also, as always, sorry if there are mistakes ^w^'

Chapter 5: Era 0

It was a warm and bright morning when Steven Universe was woken up by a commotion below. Still a bit sleepy, but worried about what might have happened, Steven ran down the stairs, almost hitting the wall. He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary at first, until he saw smoke coming from the kitchen. He headed there, somewhat amused by what he saw. Amethyst, Pearl, and Spinel were covered in bread dough, flour, and... something he guessed was cream. The smoke was coming from the oven, apparently.

"What are you doing?" He asked, holding back his laughter. The gems looked at him somewhat embarrassed. Well, Amethyst seemed to be having fun more than anything, and Pearl seemed worried, trying to get rid of the smoke. Spinel, however, looked at the ground with a really red face.

"I... I just wanted to make you the brakefat" she mumbled, trying to explain.

"Don't you mean 'breakfast'?" the purple gem snickered, one hand over her mouth. She couldn't resist, really. That pink gem was very... cartoonish. And funny.

"Ha ha ha" Spinel mocked her, annoyed by the other's attitude "It was your fault it ended up like this. You told me to..." Their discussion stopped short when they heard Steven's free laugh. When was the last time he laughed like that? None of them remembered. And the heart-shaped gem was very captivated. Amethyst snickered again at the sight of Spinel's face, which brought her out of that state.

"S-shut up!" she complained, he cheeks flushed. Ame laughed again.

"Ok, ok. I'll stop now." she got off the counter, brushed off the food scraps and headed in front of Spinel "To make it up to you, how about I take you to the funniest place in all Beach City?"

That invitation was... very tempting, she had to admit. And Spinel smiled enthusiastically, forgetting the disaster that surrounded them.

"Now, Amethyst? Really?" Pearl pointed at the mess, almost hoping they would understand her. She knew better than that tho.

"I don't see what's the problem. Spinel still needs a tour of the city" the purple shrugged, completely unconcerned.

"Amethyst!" Pearl yelled annoyed.

Spinel, once clean, approached Steven, arm in arm, watching the scene in front of them. It was funnier than her misfortune on her first attempt at cooking.

"We better get going, before Pearl makes us clean everything up too" Steven whispered, walking in the direction of the door.

"Wait! Steven...!" Amethyst yelled running after them, ignoring Pearl, who kept talking about how irresponsible she was. Ah, the old days...

It didn't take long for the three of them to get to the Big Donut. After running part of the way, of course. Breathing somewhat ragged, Steven looked at Amethyst.

"Amethyst, why, ah, this sudden interest in being a guide?" He asked somewhat curious, still catching his breath.

"Eh, no reason. Someone has to do it" she replied absently.

Noticing how the smaller gem got all of Spinel's attention, Steven snorted, somewhat irritated. He could be a guide too. He had done it many other times, after all, hadn't he?

"Hey Ame-" He was interrupted again by the purple who made a loud exclamation as she pointed to another place, managing to capture Spinel's attention even more.

Steven grunted. The purple gem kept walking, showing and pointing at everything in their path, Spinel behind her as she looked at Steven with concern. It hadn't escaped her attention how very dejected the boy looked. The brunet's good humor seemed to have vanished the moment Amethyst had offered to accompany them.

"Spinel, look over there!" Amy exclaimed again, pointing to one of the buildings there. They were in Little Homeworld now "There are the gems I mentioned earlier. Come on"

Steven hadn't realized, until now, that she had been talking about other gems, or that they had arrived at Little Homeworld. They both approached the center, Amethyst calling out to said gems, while Steven lagged behind. Today nothing was going well. It was too early for this. He sighed, his hands fisted in his pockets. He did not want anyone to see him in that state. And it was ridiculous, to be honest. There was no reason to be upset. He should be happy for Spinel.

"Lapis! Peri! Bis!" she called again. The three mentioned gems appeared shortly after, Bismuth carrying a heavy weight on one of her shoulders.

"Hey Amethyst!" The smallest gem greeted, being caught by one of the arms of the purple gem "Stop it!" she complained, managing to get rid of it "You know how much I hate when you mess with my hair"

"Heh. Whatever you say dwarf" she stuck out her tongue. Peridot hid behind Bismuth, her cheeks puffed out.

"And who is this gem?" Lapis Lazuli asked, noticing the pink one.

Spinel looked away, seeming to be looking for something, or someone, before approaching Steven and wrapping her arm with his. She was feeling nervous again.

"It's okay" Steven reassured her, and turned his attention to the blue gem, at whom he smiled "Lapis, this is Spinel. She is new, and today she is here to learn a little about our planet, right?" He looked back at Spinel. Spinel nodded, implying that it was true.

"Nice to meet you, Spinel. I am Lapis, Lapis Lazuli. The dwarf gem is Peridot. And the gigantic gem over there is Bismuth.

"Diamonds are bigger" Spinel commented on impulse.

Well it was true. Bismuth was small compared to the matriarchs. Lapis snorted, especially when she saw the shocked faces of her companions.

"I like this gem~"

Spinel beamed at her accomplishment. Even if that was not her intention. She wasn't as rusted as she had originally believed. Steven was an exception.

The rest of the day they took a detour. The gems were telling stories, taking again all Spinel's attention. Amethyst was the one in front of the entire group, leading animatedly. Steven stayed behind once more, noticing how Spinel was acclimatizing. Soon she wasn't going to need him... It was Bismuth who noticed this, heading back, until she was next to Steven.

"Hey, buddy? What's wrong?"

"Bismuth?" he was surprised to see her there. He shook his head and with a forced smiled said "it's nothing"

The multicolored gem frowned, not believing him at all. It was clear that the hybrid was upset about something.

"Come on, tell Aunt Bis what's wrong?" she insisted.

The boy sighed again, knowing that the other was not going to give up. His gaze fell on Spinel, who was talking to Lapis, as she showed her one of the trees. Spinel seemed amazed.

"It's just that I thought I could help her" referring to the gem with two pigtails.

"I don't see the problem, it seems to me that you're already helping her"

"That's what it looks like, isn't it? But I didn't do anything. The others are the ones helping her. Showing her everything. Telling her everything she needs to know. And I don't know how..." he complained hands in his hair.

"Steven. You, better than anyone, know that you cannot pressure others to do what you want, even if your intentions are good" she admonished him.

The hybrid was embarrassed to notice that this was what he had been doing.

"Besides, isn't it your presence that makes her feel so relax around us? If you look closely, you will notice that you do more than you think. Give yourself more credit, Steven. You deserve it. "

She patted him on the shoulder, before returning to Lapis's side, changing the subject, noticing Peridot and Amethyst were about to start an argument.

"I guess you're right..." Steven whispered, relieved.

(In Beach City)

It didn't take Pearl long to clean up the mess in the kitchen, plus Garnet was waiting for her on top of the portal, so she didn't have time to lose.

Today they were going to visit the diamonds. Cleaning helped her with her nervousness.

"Pearl, we don't have all day," Fusion reminded her patiently. She didn't want to go either, but it was for Steven's good.

"Yes. Of course. You're right, Garnet" the pale gem sighed, before putting away her cleaning supplies. Better to get this over with as soon as possible.

They both immediately traveled to Homeworld, appearing in front of the gigantic thrones. The diamonds were nowhere to be seen.

"Well, here we are. How do we do this, Garnet?" Pearl asked, her hands entwining between them. She still didn't like the place, tho this was her first home.

"We have to find the Diamonds. Or the pearls. They will know where to find the Diamonds" replied the fusion calmly, noticing the room full of other gems.

"Right, come on then!" exclaimed the other nervously. The fusion followed her, preferring to keep quiet. Some things never really change, do they?

They had been walking from hall to hall for at least half an hour trying to find someone who could help them before finding that someone.

"Blue Pearl..." Pearl whispered. The last time they saw each other, not counting what happened two years ago, was shortly after the war began.

The blue pearl seemed to have a good hearing, because she turned in their direction, her hands clasped as they usually are. She tilted her head slightly, before speaking.

"Blue Diamond is busy with a meeting with Yellow Diamond" she said, intuiting in part the reason why two of the members of the Crystal Gems were present.

"Ah...! Yeah? T-then we'll go talk to White Diamond" replied Pearl nervously but almost challenging.

"Wait" Garnet looked closely at Blue Pearl "Maybe you can help us" she finally decided.

"Me?" she said softly.

"Garnet?" Pearl questioned her friend.

"I'm curious. I've heard of a very interesting story about the first Era" she lied easily "and I would like to know more about it"

A few seconds passed, before Blue Pearl decided to give them an answer. By way of following them, because all she did was walk in another direction. The palest gem had her doubts, but trusted her friend's judgment. They spent some time going through the corridors, before reaching their objective. Pearl gasped, immediately recognizing the place. The Great Library about Gems and their History. She believed her entry had been forbidden before she was created. She must have said that outloud, because Blue Pearl replied with a:

"It was reopened recently. It has been several millennia since I was last here..." her dreamy gaze under her bangs was positioned over the other Pearl "Something you never could" Pearl felt irritation bloom inside her. She knew she was teasing her, even if neither her tone of voice, nor her words, showed it.

"Right. That's why I'm here" she admitted with difficulty. The hand on her back made her feel better. At least she had someone's support "Come on, Garnet"

In Homeworld, things like night and day didn't exist. There was always light, albeit artificial. The library that Pearl and Garnet were in was no different from the rest of the planet. It was huge, cold, and empty, apart from the few gems, and many, many files. All in the form of a somewhat old and difficult to read writings - more by the method of recording such information than by the language itself. Time didn't seem to pass.

"We've been here for many hours, I think, Garnet. And we haven't found anything! Are you sure this is the right place? It would be quicker to ask the diamonds." Pearl kept complaining. If she was on Earth, she would have been excited about this research. But she was too uncomfortable.

"No. This is the place. Here we will find our answers. If at some point the Diamonds give us information, we can contrast it with what we find here."

"But the Diamonds were the ones who created this place. They are the ones who have lived the history of the gems since the beginning. Or at least White did." the last thing was mumbled, a little unsure.

"Mmm"

The two kept silent, still searching through the sea of information, their patience wearing thin.

"Aha! Here! I found it!" Pearl exclaimed with a shout of joy. At last! "Let me see..."

The pale gem began to read aloud:

"Entry XXXXX - 6

This writing is a testimony of the times. ERA 0.

Thousands of years ago, the Guardians were created, formed by the great authority, White Diamond. The Great Creator, that's what they called her in those days.

This was an opportunity, a new community, created from the power of The Great Creator. Our Queen, in her benevolence, gave each gem created from her light her own gems, and thus create great cities and discovered more worlds. A whole colony. The First of many others.

Tourmaline. Tanzanite. Moissanite. These were the three great Guardians. The first gems created by The Great Star. Powerful as they were, they weren't perfect. They made mistakes, being punished by The Great Creator, turned into permanent statues to maintain their eternal vigilance over the entrances of each new world. What did their 'daughters' do to receive such a destiny, you ask? Breaking the only law that existed during the Era 0: The separation of two Gem Mates.

Shortly after another law was created: Vindicta.

[ Gem Mates are gems that are made to be together forever. Made to be understood. Made to never feel alone. Their bodies of light, their music, everything in them is in sync. Much more than a fusion could ever be. They call it: The Final Union. If for some reason a GemMate is destroyed or is too far from its half, its lights will fade, agonisingly slowly. Some take longer, others turn off suddenly. There are records of these events in entry XXXXVI - 19 ]

Tourmaline was jealous of the closeness between Tanzanite and Moissanite, her sisters. They were both Gemmates, so it wasn't a surprise. But, as the story goes, Tourmaline was madly 'in love' - that's what she called it, that feeling - Painful but the most wonderful thing she had ever felt.

One day, she saw them together sharing their light. Fusion. That moment of intimacy was what made her act impulsively, pulling out her sledgehammer - a weapon that was created to protect, not to destroy - and take down one of her sisters. Tanzanite. When the Guardian came back to herself, The Great Creator was present. Moissanite, hurt by the loss, asked for one last wish to her Queen, before she herself ceased to exist. Their wish was granted with the idea that they would give up, or lose the will to commit such a crime. Such was her mistake...

The fighting was fierce and devastating. All the gems present were watching from a distance, shouting, asking for the tragedy to stop. They had never seen anything so devastating as the fight and separation of their Guardians. They asked for mercy. White Diamond granted their wish. She had had enough.

"For having broken the universal law, for separating what should never have been separated, and for the use of the Vindicta, I condemn you to an eternity as statues" said this, the Great Authority threw a powerful light, turning their companions in what today are known as statues, objects of admiration; and soon after, historic art walls were created to never forget what happened.

Some time later, perhaps due to the loss of her daughters, The Queen created two more gems. Blue and Yellow Diamond. The New Authority. Welcome to Era 1.

End of Entry

White Sapphire, the Queen's Clairvoyant "

That was all. It was not the only entry on this same topic, but the first of many others. Apparently they were going to spend a lot more time in the Great Library about Gems and their History than they thought.

They both looked at each other with a triumphant smile. At least now they had knew where to start.

What did you think of my entry? I have my own version of the Gems history, something that will be part of my Fic.

It will not be 100% well done, sure, but I hope you find it interesting, and you like it~ xP

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boytumms · 2 years

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You know how certaintain organisms reproduce by gemmation?

So imagine a boy experiencing that. Their belly starts to grow, painfully since people are not supposed to go through that, and no doctor has any idea for the reason.

Some time later, the boy wakes up with his tum gone and a perfect copy of himself laying nearby.

Akdnnabsjabsbs so mpreg but like mitosis??? The scariest part would probably be waking up to a clone of yourself like could you imagine?

#ask #anonymous #mpreg #belly kink

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oasis-nadrama · 2 years

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Terra Ignota - Complete review (Books 1-4)

Oasis Nadrama, 27/12/2021

[Official Terra Ignota Tor Books cover - artist unknown - 4K version by k4080 ]

In a future world where borders and territories are reduced to distant memories, where religion is a strictly intimate matter, where masculine and feminine are no longer expressed publicly, scandal roams free when a forbidden document is revealed in the media. Our antihero, Mycroft Canner, will investigate, and in the same move, he will be caught in the apocalyptic storm of a world secretly festering with underlying evil... Terra Ignota explodes like fireworks, an unique work of art, truly one of a kind. I said previously, and will repeat in the future, that it is a new Dune: an universe-book using archaic models in order to better depict a far, innovative future, an extremely stimulating tableau of technology, philosophy, ethics and politics. But this series goes even further than Dune, and if one could call Dune a heavy piece - or even a pompous one, in its detractors' opinion -, then Terra Ignota is akin to Element 118, the heaviest element in the world, it compresses more ideas in a single page than some novels do for their entire duration. Such is its great flaw and its great quality: a constant generosity in hypotheses and proposals, even more so when, in an unlikely feat given the luxuriance, the authoress does justice to this richness, catering to a myriad of seedlings in order to allow a thousand flowers to bloom, developing a jungle of permaculture whose fabric of branches and roots allows even more gemmations and, astoundingly, births. For after the flora of ideas, the fauna of creatures launches into the wild, a gallery of unique and unforgettable characters, deep, violent, skinned-alive characters, wayward and raging animals relentlessly pushing the envelope of the story. Such is the future unfolding before our astonished eyes. Rhythm is part of the journey at well, an extraordinary fast-paced structure, a succession of twists and events with its own cadence, endlessly piling up timeskips, fast-forwards, freeze frames and slow-motion. This architecture gives the books their main strength as a page-turner, bringing us further and further, driving us to devour the sequences without even noticing it, while delighting us with endless surprises. The science-fiction inventivity is at maximum speed as well. The Mukta concept by itself - extra-fast, automatized cars roaming the sky and evacuating from human culture the very notion of distance - could be the pitch for some blockbuster. But there's more, so much more... Sensayers, vocateurs, the servicer system, the darkframe, and so many things, both revolutionary and logical extensions of our technological realities (often it's a "simple" re-conceptualisation). The most impressive idea, the star of the show, is the HIVE SYSTEM: decentralized communities, akin to non-territorial nations, each keeping its own set of laws, traditions, clothes, as well as a specific language. Every citizen can join the Hive they want (or no Hive at all) as they see fit, which allows a political background without war or dictatorship, where human beings can choose their form of government freely. The implications and repercussions of the Hive system are explored in great detail during the quadrilogy. Literary experimentation is not forgotten during this journey, with a complex game of antagonism between the reader and the narrator, multiple imaginary readers mingling in the relationship as well, creating a turmoil where identity itself ought to be questioned. Finally, the emphatic, passionate, hopeful style sublimates the complete narration, illuminates each second, solidifies characters and atmospheres, finalizes the creation. Terra Ignota is not devoid of problems, of course. Most of its qualities could be seen as flaws as well; the density and ardor of the work will not please everyone. But such is the destiny of a text with such a strong approach. More preoccupying is the fact the work is not always able to keep up with the values it strives for. Palmer aims to offer us a world of diversity where various cultures mix and intertwine, a planet where Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America are taken into account, where Inuit people, Maori people are respected and possess a significant political weight. Despite this objective, the main characters of Terra Ignota are generally named Mycroft, Carlyle, Martin, Julia... Before adding some names unknown to good old Europe, the authoress will favour functions (Bridger, Sniper) and references to Greek mythology (Achilles, Apollo, Ganymède). The non-Western denominations are only gifted to secondary characters, overshadowed characters (Kosala) or as rarely used first/middle/last names (Ojiro). (One could criticize the focus on Western philosophy as well, but it would be a bad faith argument: Palmer's explicit goal was to reignite Renaissance/les Lumières discourse. Significant development of other philosophies would be out-of-topic here.) The anti-speciesism approach is flawed as well: terrestrial non-human intelligences are frequently mentioned - octopuses, elephants and orangutans, the last species having even a representative in world governement - but they stay away from the exchanges and actions, none of these non-human intelligences is a real agent in the narration. (Even AIs are not.) There are some shortcomings in the queer facet of the story. Yes, we are introduced to a post-gender world; furthermore, the narration makes clear gender is a complex thing, gender identity is to be determined by the individual themselves and traditional gender roles can be a poison... But the unreliable narrator (we'll get to him below) is part of a sect of gender fetishists, and we have to endure his own vision, his raging obsession dividing humanity in a binary fashion, arbitrarily assigning masculine or feminine identities to each character. His categorization criteria are often insulting when not pornographic, and they sadly bring back to the all-too-frequent experience of misgendering by LGBTQIA+/queer people. It is a bit of a mixed bag here, despite the authoress' thoughtful and positive approach. And finally, for a book preoccupied with power, politics, decision-making processes, Terra Ignota can be strangely reverential towards hierarchies and institutions. The endgame political proposal (even taking into account the distorted vision imposed by the servile, idolatrous narrator) seems to be some kind of absolute xenomonarchy. Dictatorship becomes an ideal, a dream, a hope, and this package is sold, preposterously, as a "transitory phase" (haha, good one, this one will never get old). Luckily, all of these flaws are mostly redeemed and smoothed by the last ingredient, although said ingredient is itself the very opposite of smoothness, and downright revolting: MYCROFT CANNER. The narrator. Mycroft will be the salvation or damnation of Terra Ignota for most of the readership. By himself he is a challenge to the entire world; completely embodying all contradictions in both this future universe and the authoress's positions, Mycroft never stops surprising us, deceiving us, insulting us, flattering us, lauding us, betraying us, he is the unreliable narrator INCARNATE. Mycroft will be loved or hated, or loved and hated, we love to hate him, we hate to love him, he's more reactionary than one can bear, a total bootlicker, eternally submissive to power and deity, living in the past, ragingly tying himself to his unambiguous masculinity, wallowing in -toxic- masculinity, misgendering the rest of the world without a single pause... Mycroft is a monster, an antique, and he is not afraid to admit it. He's constantly lying to us, he's hiding a lot, in constant dishonesty, and tries to seduce us in order to better backstab us. Mycroft is both used as an excuse for the narration (we must rely on his gaze) and as a motivation for constant re-examination, inviting us to take some perspective and to question every information we receive, to criticize it, to take part in the conflict. Mycroft's main message, against his better judgment, is to NOT trust him, to try to see further, to build our own values. In the end humanism cannot do without critical thinking. So, is Terra Ignota a success? What is a success even? It is not a story everyone will appreciate, that much is certain. It is an entirely reflexive, atypical, ultraviolent, extremely dirty (to unfathomable lengths in the last book, whose considerations reach new depths of existential horror), inspirational and ambitious work, which never tries to satisfy the entire world. A lot of things will have a lasting impact on the reader's mind. The various inventions, the Mukta, sensayers, darkframe, Hives, the Utopists' creatures. Some of the great figures: Bridger, Sniper, Dominique, Ockham, Saladin, 9A, Andô, MASON, Kosala, Cato, and for better and worse, the dreadful J.E.D.D. Mason. Fantastical scenes: the "monster" awakening in Ganymède's palace, the chases, the crucial fight accompanied by a child's sobs, or the Olympic Flame. A number of marvels, delights, disappointments and betrayals will be carved together in the lasting panorama of science-fiction stories. It is not a perfect work. It does not aim to be. For human and society cannot be perfect. It is a risky, extremely purposeful, specific work of art. An intense, stimulating experience. Ada Palmer's main (and stated) goal was to revive an in-depth conversation about human nature, life, death, the social contract, power, beauty, divinity. To open a dialogue and ways to question existence. And within this framework, her book series is an accomplishment.

#terra ignota #ada palmer #science fiction #politics #queer #utopia #various articles

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