#i HAVE to do some serious worldbuilding for that future

[rapidhighway]

hiii question-- is razor from the future as in "just from the future" or is she from the future as in "could possibly know silver"?

Um this reply is messy af because there's so much stuff going on around me sorry in advance

I've been thinking about that myself. Since we don't really know what Silver's future looks like without the apocalypse, it would be easy to do some world building there and set the creation of clones during that time. Tbh I don't really have a full timeline of events planned yet. I was thinking Razor is either from Silver's time, or much later but I just haven't decided xd

I suppose they could run into each other, especially if Silver is something of a hero during his own time, but that would require a lot of world building (which I'm probably willing to do tbh skxjskdjjd)

The clones are like military/government agents, soldiers, so it's likely they would meet in a time of crisis.

But now that I think about Razor and Silver... The clones are like a horribly botched military experiment that was just... A very bad idea in pretty much everyone's eyes. They're not part of the public or anything and they live short lives and their existence is extremely controversial. I just wonder how Silver would feel about them 🤔

Ok I'm going to make a little post later that maybe is a bit more coherent xd but thank you for asking! It made me think of a lot of things :)

[ittsybittsybunny]

ATLA Live Action Series Review:

The Good

Aesthetically this show felt right. Sure sometimes the outfits didn't quite feel lived in, but I always felt like I was watching a fantasy world with decent effects and interesting design. Also, I really enjoyed the sets!

Bending: Yes some of the fights feel very quick, but the bending looks cool. It is certainly better than 10 benders lifting one big rock. I can honestly say the opening bending fight scene gave me so much hope for this show.

Kyoshi Warriors: I loved seeing them in live action, and I thought Suki's performance was great!

Omashu: I think the mashup of the mechanist made sense since that is an important character overall and I would hate to see him cut. However, both Jet & the secret tunnels felt sloppily thrown in.

Northern Water Tribe: I really loved the way it looked, and appreciated the two episodes we spent here. I think Yue gained more agency in this interpretation, and why shouldn't the moon spirit be a waterbender. Also, episode seven felt the most in tune with the original show's spirit.

Zuko: I think he was one of the most fleshed-out and best parts of the show! Dallas Liu really captured Zuko's spirit, and the scene between him and Aang in episode 6 was wonderful!

Soundtrack: Hearing the original soundtrack bits is always great, and when I first heard the ending music I was so excited.

Is the show perfect, no - but I wouldn't mind a season 2.

The Bad

Pacing: Turning 20 episodes into 8 was bound to lead to some cuts...but oftentimes times things felt too quick or disjointed. I think there were editing problems contributing to this for sure, but sometimes things skipped around too much without a clear purpose as to why. Also, why bring in plots from later seasons when you barely have enough time already?

Writing: This show definitely suffered from exposition dumping, though it did get better as time went on. I think the biggest example of this is actually opening in the past rather than the present. We do not get to learn along with Aang that the world has changed, instead, we get to learn that 100 years have passed....which doesn't hold the same tension or worldbuilding.

Clunky Dialogue: Along with exposition, clunky dialogue is another example of bad writing. I think sometimes I felt like the acting was kind of meh in the beginning, but then over time I began to realize it had far more to do with the lines characters were trying to deliver. The actors themselves are not bad, just cursed with awkward writing and lines that feel out of touch with the setting they're in.

Main Trio: I don't entirely know that I believe Katara, Sokka, and Aang are friends as opposed to 3 people stuck together to save the world. Aang feels a little too somber for a young kid running away from his responsibilities, Sokka is protective, but not exactly the heart of the team, and Katara is sort of just there until the last two episodes. Where is her struggle, her desire to learn so strong she steals from pirates? Also, while Gordon Cormier did a great job, Aang does zero waterbending on his own, is overly serious, and tells Katara not to fight. Where is his desperation to protect his friends? It feels like they all lost emotional depth.

Tension: Bringing Ozai, Azula, and Zhao out in the beginning immediately causes us to lose the realization there is an even bigger bad. Part of why Ozai is so terrifying is he is a primarily silent villain until the third season when we finally see the face of the "big bad evil guy" behind it all. Yes, they add to Zuko's backstory, but again, they are revealing the villains too early. Azula is the antagonist of season 2 and one of my favorite characters, so I hope they do more with her in the future. Finally, Zhao is supposed to be an example of the uncontrollable nature of fire unrestrained, instead, he comes off as vaguely threatening with the supposed true power being Azula.

Characterization: While all characters are bound to lose something in a shorter show, it still felt like certain characters were more mutilated than others. I am sure there are 100 different opinions on who, but I think the biggest victim was Katara.

Katara: Katara manages to go from a complete novice to a bending master in what feels like a matter of days. The journey feels short, and that makes the results feel largely unearned. Katara is one of the strongest personalities in the show, determined, kind, and fiery. In many ways, she is the unpredictability of water - equally dangerous as it is necessary to live. She is the child of a war who lost her mother, forced to grow up too soon, and even raised her older brother. Yes, Katara often gets stereotyped as the mom friend, but overall she feels underutilized in this show. We really don't see enough of her journey until the very end.

Iroh: Iroh was always comedic but most importantly wise. Even when Zuko is trying to give himself advice, he mimics Iroh. Instead, he seems to be used more as comedic relief without the underlying experience. He just doesn't feel right. Also, he kills Zhao instead of Zhao getting himself killed - which is less about Iroh and more about the writing than anything.

Ozai is weirdly a little too nice. Yes, he burned Zuko and pits his kids against each other, but he feels toned down in a show claiming to be more mature than the original cartoon.

Azula is perhaps more realistically worried about losing her status as the golden child, but she is also missing the cruelty she and her father share. I understand worrying about making your character cartoonishly evil, but the Fire Nation is currently a deeply nationalistic empire trying to control the world. Where is the deep-seated belief that they are better than other people, not just trying to bring balance to the world? There is a line between creating complexity and toning down the very real evil inherent in this plan.

Roku: I can only say what the fuck was that. He was barely there, and not the serious master to Aang's youthful exuberance.

The Ugly

Show, Don't Tell: The show's single biggest issue seems to be speeding through story parts by simply stating things. Instead of allowing the audience to discover, trusting that we are smart enough to understand, let's just blatantly say things like Zuko is the only reason the 41st division is alive to their faces. Even though in the context of the story Ozai literally already said that.... it's the division, the division for Zuko, Zuko's division.

Thematic Misunderstandings: I think this show makes several minor changes with major implications, such as airbenders actively fighting the firebenders, when airbenders are known for their pacifist nature and the lie of an Airbender fighting force is actively propaganda. Similarly, Aang very quickly accepts his role as the avatar and doesn't even run away in the beginning. Without this conflict between his desire to be a carefree child and the fact that the world needs him - the show loses a key aspect of Aang's character. Also, the obsession with downplaying the avatar state as something dangerous feels like a disservice to the tradition, connection, and strength of the avatar, which can be permanently destroyed as the trade-off for that kind of power. It's dangerous for the balance of the entire world, not just because it's powerful!

The Agni Kai: Zuko's fight against his father is one of the defining moments of Ozai's cruelty, not just because he is willing to fight his child, but because Zuko tried to do everything right. Zuko shows deference to his father, apologizes, and most importantly refuses to fight! The determination not to upset his father and still be grievously injured and banished is a hugely important theme for the fire nation and Zuko's life as a whole. He tries to do everything he is supposed to and only regains his father's acceptance after he "kills" Aang. Zuko's struggle between moral vs. social right and wrong in contrast to his family is hugely important to his character.

-----

TLDR: ATLA was a fantastical animated television show that was never afraid to show character development and flaws. When you turn 20 episodes into 8, you are bound to lose something. You hollowed out the middle, leaving the shell of important moments and events without ever wondering if all the times in between formed the true spirit of the show.

Rating: 6.5/10 It's perfectly fine and worth a watch. Not a disaster, but certainly falls flat of the original.

[once-upon-an-animation]

Things I would like to see fixed in PJO S2:

- More worldbuilding, but do it in a way that isn’t heavily reliant on dialogue. Show us more of the camp, maybe let us meet some of the other characters.

- More humor. PJO is supposed to be a fun adventure story where the dark and serious elements are balanced out by the humorous moments. S1 felt so somber and cynical, and I feel like that isn’t the right tone for Percy Jackson.

- More whimsy/campiness! Mr. Riordan, your books got really weird and silly sometimes! Let your show be weird and silly sometimes too! Not everything needs to be dark and gritty. It doesn’t have to be super childish, but there needs to be more magic and charm in this world.

- Let the trio be vulnerable to traps. Yes, I know it makes sense for them to know the myths or whatever, but if you want the monsters and traps to feel like they’re a serious threat, you can’t have them be this easy to explain and maneuver. Conceal them better; make them tougher to figure out. In addition, show off more of Percy’s street smarts. We love this character because of his ability to think fast and improvise a bad situation even if he doesn’t know all the details of the relevant myth. Emphasize that more; it’s not everyday that he needs to be a walking encyclopedia.

- Luke and Annabeth’s relationship needs more oomph. Their relationship felt kind of hollow in the first season, and y’all need to tighten that up in future seasons because their relationship is only going to get more integral to the plot. It’s okay if you want to leave out the crush, but man, you should have given them something.

- For a story that was inspired by a boy’s struggles w/ ADHD and dyslexia, the impact of these conditions felt kind of absent during the actual quest itself. I’m not saying that they need to go overboard with this or anything, but if you’re going to do neurodivergent representation, I feel like it should have a stronger presence during the actual quests, yes?

- The action scenes are kind of weak. Sea of Monsters has a lot of action going on, so y’all will have to really think out those action sequences so you can capture the excitement within them. I’ll be disappointed if the action in S2 feels as flat as it mostly felt this season.

- Annabeth is not a stoic character. She’s actually quite expressive; she’s just selective about what she discusses, and sometimes she chooses to convey emotion through action, behavior, or cryptic words instead of explicit words. But she was never stoic, so please allow her to actually show more of this emotion. It’s okay to let her be vulnerable; that’s what endears most people to this character in the first place, and that’s why that chair scene stuck with people. Therefore, this need to make her this mostly unshakeable girl boss should go away. The girl is a sentimental character; let that stay.

- Please fix the dialogue. Less exposition, more characterization.

[shadow-pixelle]

Here's a random DCxDP snippet!

Wrote this on Monday. Was gonna post it yesterday and then kinda... forgot. It's a completely disconnected snippet- that is, I have no context for what's going on here, what kind of AU it is, or much of anything else at all. Also currently have no plans to try and expand it, though I might mess with it in the future when I have time? We'll see.

Honestly 80% of the reason I'm posting this is because I sent it to Kali and absolutely devastated her with the worldbuilding, so shrug.

--

“I need you to understand,” Danny said, gripping the side of the table. Tucker put a hand on his shoulder for support, and he leaned into it slightly, being very careful to keep his focus on any Bat other than Hood. “And I mean really understand, that this isn’t just- a crime. It’s not that simple.”

“Phantom…?” Red Robin sounded confused, and slightly wary.

Danny couldn’t blame him, given the situation. Ancients, Danny had just had to give up his secret identity just to make sure he didn’t try and kidnap a Bat. Nothing about this situation was normal or reasonable.

“The Infinite Realms has a lot of beings in it.” Tucker said carefully, and Danny could kiss him for being willing to lead the conversation. “Like, a lot. And they’re all ghosts in some form. But the thing about ghosts is that they can’t be killed. They’re already dead, or- like, similar to dead? The only thing you can do to stop them is imprison them or End them.”

“And Ending someone is serious.” Sam took over, stepping forward to lean into Danny’s side. “Ending someone… nothing comes back for that. When we say Ended, we mean it. There is nothing left.”

“The previous Ghost King was a being called Pariah Dark.” Danny began, fixing his eyes on Batman for someone to focus on. “He was insane, a tyrant and a conqueror. Violent. Unwilling to compromise. Anyone who stood in his way was dealt with, one way or another. He wanted to claim everything.”

“No-one tried to stop him?”

Danny’s eyes flicked to Nightwing as Tucker laughed, raw and exhausted. “He was the Ghost King. He ruled the entire Infinite Realms. He carried the sort of power that gods dream of.”

“The Ghost King can force his word, his Rule, on pretty much every being in the Realms. As close to absolute power as you can get, in the end. Everything in the Realms is made from ectoplasm, and the Ghost King can manipulate that at levels most people can’t even start to believe. There’s only two types of beings that can even try to resist that.”

“One’s the Ancients. They’re old ghosts, the oldest you can get. Incarnations of gods, concepts, things like that. But the problem with that is that they’re also limited, kinda. They can disobey the Crown, no matter what sort of Rules it puts out, but fighting back? They can stop him, sure, that’s how Pariah Dark got sealed away the first time, but they can’t stop him being King. They can’t take the Crown, even if they win. They’re bound too much to the things they incarnate, the gods they were and are. They can’t be the Ghost King. Those ties stop them being as firmly Ruled over, but it means they can’t take the Crown away. All they can do is delay it.”

“The second,” Danny took over again from his friends, grateful for their support, as the various Bats around the room looked horrified. Afraid. And for good reason, really.

It was only going to get worse.

“The second were beings called Halfas.”

A breath.

“Halfas are the only beings in the entire Infinite Realms that aren’t entirely ecto. Not alone. They’re… well. Half.”

“Half beings.”

“Half living, half dead.”

“And because of that, they’re the Balance.” Danny leaned into Sam, letting Tucker step closer again. “Equally alive and dead. Equally bound to their ecto and not. Halfas were the Balance because they cannot be Ruled.”

“From what we understand, Halfas were created by the Realms itself.” Sam said quietly. “They existed to be the Balance. Slipping from living to dead to living whenever they wanted, all the powers of a ghost and all the benefits of a living being mixed into one.”

“They were rare, because they couldn’t be killed. Kill the human side, and the ghost half keeps them alive until they recover. You can’t kill a ghost, and anything that could contain a ghost, the human side walks right out of. They were there as Balance, between the living and the dead. Advisors to the Ghost King, helping to keep things smooth between the living and the dead whenever they had to interact. Balance. Beings that couldn’t be Ruled by the Ghost King because they were as much alive as ecto.”

“They were there to stop tyrants.”

Tucker nodded at Robin’s quiet voice, and paused. It was an offer to Danny, he knew, to take this part as well. He and Sam knew everything about this. Danny didn’t need to be the one to explain.

He spoke up. “From what records say, there were around six thousand Halfas at the start of Pariah Dark’s reign.” He told them. “They were the Balance. They saw what Pariah Dark was doing and had a duty to stop it. Up until ten years ago, there were no Halfas in existence.”

The group seemed to pale.

“Halfas can’t be killed, but anything can be Ended.” He said quietly. “Pariah Dark went around every single Halfa that came to stop him, and he destroyed them so utterly that they cannot exist any more. Not as ambient ectoplasm in the Realms, not as shades or smaller spirits, not as a being in the reincarnation cycle waiting to live and die. Every single one of those Halfas no longer exists, because he destroyed everything that made them them and then destroyed all the remaining pieces as well.

“Dark Pariah was a tyrant. And he was the reason that I learned everything about my entire species from second or third hand knowledge. Everything that I know about myself? I either figured it out myself, found it in some of the few books that still exist about Halfas, or heard it from the Ancients. And those last two didn’t know much at all, in the end. Halfas were so rare that the only thing most beings got were rumours, and the Ancients weren’t an exception to that, and not many Halfas ever bothered to write things down about themselves and their powers. They couldn’t die, after all.”

Danny shivered, a little. Sam and Tucker leaned in more on either side, keeping him upright as much as the table was. None of the Bats were moving.

“I’m telling you this because I need you to understand,” he said again. “Pariah Dark was a tyrant. A nightmare. The worst thing to happen to the Realms ever. He committed so many genocides that there aren’t records of it any more, and the only silver lining,” he spat the words, mocking, because there is no silver lining in senseless slaughter, “Is that all but one of these were against the living. They were allowed to exist as ghosts. Pariah Dark was a monster.”

Danny wrenched his eyes away from Batman and looked directly at Red Hood. He pushed down the impulse to take him away, to hide him, to get him to Frostbite for help and maul and destroy anyone who got in his way, who tried to threaten him-

He pushed down his shudder, and looked Red Hood directly in the eyes.

“Pariah Dark was a monster, and even he would consider what was done to you unforgivable.”

Hood jolted. So did the rest of the Bats, looking for all the world like they’d just restarted breathing again, no longer frozen in time.

“We can’t explain to you what we’re seeing.” Sam said from his side, and she sounded almost apologetic. “It’s- literally, there are no words in any living language to explain what it looks like. And we’re only Liminal, a little bit dead. We don’t see as clearly as beings like Phantom do. But it’s-”

Words seemed to fail her, and Tucker reached around Danny’s back to squeeze her shoulder in comfort.

Danny tried, pulling his eyes away from Hood again so he could think past the urge to steal him away and hide him somewhere safe. “It’s like I’m looking at a baby.” He tried to explain. “Or- I don’t know. A puppy? Whatever cute little thing you want to go with. Something small and delicate and needing to be looked after. Something that shouldn’t be on it’s own, because it’s too young to survive. Like someone took a premature puppy, and then just.” He paused. Gestured. “Just mutilated it. Whatever horrible things you can think of, the most evil things you can imagine at all, just. All of that. And then left it crying in the trash to rot and die, except it can’t die.”

None of the Bats that he could see out of the corner of his eye look well. Hood was-

His core, the half-mangled thing that was barely there, barely able to exist and yet still trying desperately to survive, was shrieking in horror.

“Phantom’s a Protection spirit.” Sam murmured, into the silence of that. “He’s a guardian, every instinct he has is aimed at keeping people safe.”

“I can’t look at you right now.” Danny confessed to that tiny lost child. “If I look at you too long, I just- Every instinct I have is telling me to get you away, to take you back to the Realms and hide you somewhere safe while I get a doctor or twelve, and that if anyone else gets even close to you they need to be mauled. I transformed because those instincts were even worse in ghost form, and I didn’t want to hurt anyone who wasn’t responsible for this.”

“I want to wrap them up in vines and strangle them.”

“I’d kinda like to suffocate all of them in sand and then mount them on a wall or something.”

“And they’re Liminal.” Danny added. “They’re not even fully dead, barely even dead at all. Any being of the Realms that sees you is going to want to help, or at least get vengeance, because it’s-

“It’s not even something Pariah Dark would do, and he committed a genocide of an entire people just because he didn’t want to be held accountable and couldn’t stand having people he couldn’t control in the Realms.”

For a long, long moment, no-one spoke. None of them even seemed to be breathing.

Danny flickered his eyes across Hood one more time, then focused on Batman again.

“So,” he said, as firmly as he could. “I’d quite like to know who did that to him. Because my next step is going to be to call the Council, get war declared on them, and then erase them.”

[m3r1m4r5u333]

I might go a bit silent for some time after this post because I've been neglecting my real life lately in a way that's seriously about to bite my arse, but. I'm here to say something that I fervently wish the 9-1-1 fandom, and the queer audiences, or fans of queer fiction in general... will hear and embrace. It's this:

This is the time to let your freak flag fly!!!!

Don't you DARE hold yourself back!!!

Let that freak flag fly!!!

I say that because we need that enthusiasm for our survival. We need that enthusiasm NOW.

Who is this we? It's us!! Fans of the show. Fans of queer fiction. Queers! Allies! People who believe in love! Queer representation in media!!

Because do you even realize what this show just did when it gave us a canonized bisexual Buck, kissing a man on screen, for the first time, in season 7 of the show?

No, it wasn't fan service. It wasn't the show folding to an obsessive queer audience.

No, this was planned, from the very beginning. Anyone who pays any attention and watches the show with open eyes can see it was.

They wanted to create a closeted bisexual character who would stay in the closet for a good while. And they did.

Yes, I am being 100% serious, yes, I absolutely believe this to be true.

These characters we follow, these storylines we watch... Do you really think these characters are just the result of random keysmashing, the writers just going

"Hmm I don't really have a plan here, let's just call this guy "Buck" and release him into the world! ... What do you mean, who is he?

I don't fucking know, he's Buck, let's just decide what to do with him later! I'm going to lunch now, who's coming with me?"

No. These characters are designed. They are planned. They are crafted out by teams of writers, who brainstorm and discuss, and pitch plans, and figure them out:

Which quirk makes them interesting, what secret are they hiding, what are their flaws, what's their backstory, why do they behave like they do...

What to do with them, what kind of story to build with them, whom to match them with for future romances... And so on.

The end result is thought out, because they want the characters to be complex, and human... yet consistent...

And to serve a purpose: to help the storytellers create meaningful stories, and illuminate important issues.

And this character design process nowadays? It definitely includes figuring out what the character's sexuality is - way before you release them into the world!!!

Because the writers know they need to know, and understand the character, to operate them in a way that makes sense, and sexuality is an important part of the "design".

Because that's how you ensure consistent behavior, how you establish a personality!!! I'm being serious, this is just basic characterization, and worldbuilding, and these writers are professionals.

Sexuality is a trait that real people are fairly consistent about, and good fiction imitates real life. For example... If my dad just out of the blue got busy with another man, I would be quite stunned because I've spotted no signs that he might be closeted. Ever.

So if you want to create a closeted bisexual character, and not have people go "there were literally zero signs of this"... You plan. From the start.

And not just to avoid pissing off the straight audience!!! We queers don't appreciate half-assed queer characters any more than they do!!! That's ignorant and lazy, a casual middle finger to the queer audience.

But Buck's closeted bisexuality... It WAS definitely planned. It was CLEARLY planned. In a way that would make justice to the real bisexuals watching.

"Oooh but you're delusional, he's a womanizer, he's been a womanizer!!!"

Exactly. Because guess what? That isn't unrealistic at all. That is real life illustrated into fiction.

This is actually fairly common behavior for bisexuals, this era of almost hypersexual interest in the "opposite sex".

It is both genuine interest, and a front. It is genuine because it's not a lie. These closeted bisexual "womanizers" (or if it's a woman, "man-eaters")... Of course they are truly into these people they so eagerly court, why wouldn't they be. Buck sought out women, because he is into women.

And as said, it is also a front. Because it is often triggered by underlying insecurity. You think you're straight, or desperately want to be straight... But something just feels off. Maybe you notice someone who you "shouldn't" be drawn to, maybe you find that your eyes linger on odd things. Maybe you get turned on by something you "shouldn't".

And that freaks you out. So you try to drown these strange feelings by clinging into what you know. You know you like the "opposite" sex. This means you are straight!! You definitely are. Look at me, doing straight things, like a regular straight person!

It's kinda... A state of desperation, and denial is the engine. You became almost this parody of a straight person. A womanizer. A man-eater. 100% straight, look at me woo! It's about self-deception, and it's about bi erasure (not really even believing that bisexuality is a valid sexuality), and it's about fear of someone figuring you out.

And sometimes it's really just... About being oblivious, and lacking self-awareness. I mean... I am bi, just like Buck. Guess what clued me in? The unplanned flirting. Brainless, outrageous, oblivious flirting.

I am a woman and I did that with women. I had no idea I was flirting. I thought I was joking. Teasing. Bantering. Being friendly. Bonding. Being funny.

I am fairly outspoken and impulsive (now diagnosed with ADHD btw) so often I just leap before I think. So I just... interacted. And then one day, in the middle of a conversation with a female friend... I just got this really, really weird feeling. Like slowly waking up from sleep walking. Where am I, what am I doing? Why am I standing so close to her? Why does this feel so intense? And I just took in the moment, rewinded it, analyzed it, took notice of how oddly jittery I was. And went...

What the fuck. I am FLIRTING. I am totally flirting. I have been flirting! For a good while now! This is me, trying to provoke a very specific reaction! This is me, being excited because she's noticing me, and flirting back! (She was bi too btw, and out, so even though this never went anywhere, I am fairly sure that I wasn't wrong. We were both flirting.)

Anyway, this ramble was about Buck being a womanizer, and an oblivious flirt with men, and closeted, and not even realising the closet...

And it all making perfect sense!!! This happens! It happened to me! Some people don't realise their bisexuality until it practically smacks them in the face.

This is perfectly realistic story-telling. This is a valid portrayal of a closeted adult bisexual.

And Buck does flirt with men, on screen, since season fucking one!!! That emergency, in season one, the guy with the tape worm? That's him, being an oblivious outrageous flirt, starting to hit on a male patient mid emergency!!

Bobby actually has to cut it off because Buck is being super unprofessional there.

That was written, acted, filmed, aired. And as said, these characters are designed.

And that's not all. There are so many other instances of Buck flirting with a man, crushing on a man, being unable to shut up about men.

Go see Eddie's and Buck's meeting - the ridiculously homoerotic first introduction of Eddie. The way Buck absolutely must impress Eddie. The way he jumps to the idea that Eddie won the spot on the "hot firefighter calendar", the way he gets super flustered when Eddie compliments him and tells Buck he can have Eddie's back anyway.

The way he assumes Maddie is surely talking about Eddie instead of Chimney when she says "he's so cute". The way he is seen prattling about Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, and Maddie then asks about this "boy crush".

Go watch the entire storyline with Veronica/Albert/Buck/Taylor. It tells us very clearly that Buck sees Albert in a towel, and then can't stop rambling about him. This chronic inability to shut up about Albert is shown on several occasions.

Buck's date, Taylor, even walks out mid their double date due to that. Taylor takes in the clusterfuck she's been invited to, makes it very clear that she's heard A LOT about Albert as Buck keeps talking about ALBERT, and leaves.

Anyway - my point here is. The writing team wanted to write a closeted adult bisexual character, and figured... How do we make them realise that Buck really was bi all along?

Well, by showing him, being bi. Showing him in genuine relationships with women, and also showing him flirt with men. So that when he finally comes out, people have material to examine, and realise...

It was always there. He was always bi.

And they did because they wanted to bring awareness, to write a story of an adult closeted bisexual. The closeted part is important, btw. Because making him come out on screen is like simulating someone coming out to you in real life. They're making you ask;

Did you see the signs?

Or did you see signs... And dismiss them?

These stories are important because bisexual erasure is real. Many people don't even believe, or know that we exist!! And there is so much ignorance about what bisexuality is, what it can look like. "Oh, surely not a womanizer like Buck! Can't be. Ridiculous!"

But guess what? It isn't ridiculous. It isn't bad, or half-assed writing. You just don't understand the realities here.

Let me tell you some facts about bisexuality. I challenge you to verify them yourself, look up studies, and see that I'm not writing fiction now.

We bisexuals cling to our closets, desperately. Often well into adulthood. Btw, I'm closeted too actually, to my family. And yeah, I may sound like I'm 14. I am not.

And no, we aren't fine in our closets. We don't have it easy. We aren't doing well. We bisexuals are actually... Alarmingly, clearly, unwell.

And not just compared to straight people. No. We are pretty much, fairly clearly, either the top or near the top.. highest ranking mental cases among the queer community!! ... So. Yay?

Don't believe me? Look up studies about bisexuals. Though... There aren't that many, actually. Turns out, if you try looking up scientific research about bisexuals? Well, there isn't much. Compared to other groups of people, we are basically unstudied. Because hey, we're a bit meh. Why fund that research? Unimportant, those bisexuals! They're doing fine!

So... This is why I love this storyline, and Buck coming out. Because it's a high profile main character. And because they worked to get this right, to establish Buck's interest in women, as well as men.

You know, because that's what usually happens when a closeted character, or a real bisexual person comes out.

"Oh. He's gay now?"

Yeah. Bisexual erasure, it never stops winning. 🙄

Anyway, my post turned essay about letting the freak flag fly....?

That's how you support shows like these, writers like these, storylines like these.

By being an enthusiastic fan, and letting everyone know about it.

This is free PROMO for the show, our rambling, our freaking out.

Even if you personally have no legal means to watch the show, you can still support it by loving it. Talking about it. Letting your imagination fly. Indulging in your CRAZIEST fan theories!!!

And tagging it, reblogging it.

Please do that.

Don't listen to anyone trying to make you shut up,

Trying to get you to be rational,

Trying to organize a freaking "moment of silence" from shipping,

Trying to shame you and get you to "respect Buck's coming out arc" by focusing on it instead shipping characters....

Don't listen to anyone trying to make you hate a "problematic character".

"Problematic" characters are good writing!!!! Real people have flaws!

Guess what - trying to create and write perfect characters... If you do that? You end up looking at Teletubbies. Do you like Teletubbies? Do you?!!

Don't even listen to me if I try to argue for something because I "spot a problem' and want to whine about it.

No, ignore it, be confident, be a freak, let your freak flag fly!!

Because this is an important time in the history of the show, of queer media.

People are looking at how the show does after a queer twist like this one.

And they look at numbers.

At viewership. How many people the show lost.

How many it gained.

These numbers do not tell them which viewer ships whom.

Shipping is fucking irrelevant.

Shipping wars don't matter here!!

Because even if you ship Athena and a table lamp,

but post about it, it is still promo and viewership!!!!

How "sensitive" you are, and how overwhelmed the story arc made you...

does not matter here.

How disappointed you are that you did not get Buddie, yet, doesn't matter.

You being offended that people focus on some characters over others.... Does not matter.

It doesn't translate to the most important number, which is viewership.

And the best way to get decent viewership, and reward this incredible story arc, and love this show...

Is to let your freak flag fly!!!!!!!!!!

It's not to sit in silence because people are shaming you about continuing to freak out about your particular focus on the show.

That shame and "respect" just creates silence. That erases our voice. That mutes the fandom, the free promo, and tanks viewership.

Silence? That could kill this show, and OTHER shows that may consider doing something like this.

Going on mute now will only hinder incredible writers like these, wanting to create future shows and storylines like these.

You know... Because this scene about "let 'em fire us" underneath??

It is hilarious, yes. But it is also heart-breaking.

Because this is very likely META writing.

The writers, the show... scared, yet brave, wondering how the audience will react to Buck's coming out.

If this pays off. If they still have a job in the industry after this leap.

So see what a gift these writers are.

Reward it by making noise.

By being absolutely unhinged about it.

Really, fuck this moment of silence to "Buck's bi growth".... Ship whoever, NOW, - Ravi and Buck and Athena together, if it tickles your brain!!!

Be problematic. Be a freak. Let it show.

Let your freak flag fly. That's how you love the show.

[kholnt]

Welcome to the fandom! I'm very curious to see what type of lu fan you are, as it's always great to see the diversity of people that enjoy any given thing.

I saw you're a fan of Wild, and you've read some fics and such, are there any that you'd recommend to someone that wants to get to know a bit more of his character? I'm biased to Legend, as he's easier for me to draw, but I've been wanting to dive deeper into the personalities of the others in the chain, particularly Wild, as he's set up for a lot of character growth in the og comic.

And as an offering, here's a sleepy Wild and a happy doggo! (My pen died while I was drawing, and it's not clear, but he's holding a pillow)

WAHHH SILLY GUY!!! I LOVE!! HEEMS SO!! as for me, (in general when it comes to fandoms) i tend to post art and that's usually what i do publicly. or respond to stuff that i'm sent by friends. in REALITY however i am very much a brainstormer. the amt of ideas rattling in my head at any given time is CRAZY. i dont tend to post my in depth ideas because like. its too hard to explain man. me n @/eponatheestallion have made an entire au with arcs n character development in the past two days bc i asked a silly question idk if thats the kind of answer you wanted but yk !! as for fics!! gods ive read like. ~300 fics in the past *checks watch* 17 days (holy shit i have a problem what the fuck) so lets see what i can recommend specifically bc you bet i dont remember allat!! spider meet fly/fly meet spider - totk swap au from wilds perspective!! (not lu but still really good :)) ) the worldbuilding is,,, mwah things that go unnoticed about hyrule - this entire series of oneshots eats but this one is probably my favorite. hyrule & wild bonding but in the You Get It way

it's me wild! find me in the future! - wild stays for totk and the chain goes through the stages of grief live. i just??? enjoy the characterization for this???? everything that didn’t kill me - basically a 50 things that wild told the chain how he got his scars. this one is here for the whimsy. while reading i literally went "I GET IT. I UNDERSTAND" bc of some of the things listed also happened to me while playing botw. this one isnt serious in the slightest only the wild ones - the chain meet wild at various stages in his life. big brother twilight baybeeee mixing our history into our batter - aurora and wild bake together. this one just made me happy dude idk its just full of whimsy and silliness from castle town to ordon - wild is socially anxious, rich, and a menace, more at eleven i'm a riddle in nine syllables - the chain are ghosts that help wild on his adventure. i read this one real recently and i!!!! yk?

im sure theres more but like. this is me quickly(ish) scrolling through my history and pointing out the ones i distinctly remember enjoying and arent the other two fics i already reccomended

[chimerafeathers]

thinking about Frieren and Dungeon Meshi today and just remembered seeing a post/comment or two saying that people have no reason to compare the two stories since they have nothing in common except being non-isekai fantasy. different tones, different pacing, different themes, etc.

i don't know if whoever said that were dunmesh manga readers or not, but i kinda assume they were making judgments based purely on however much of the anime was released at the time, because i think about how similar these stories are a LOT, actually.

[spoilers for the dungeon meshi manga below, and a little bit of frieren manga]

i think that's a pretty fair assessment to make based JUST on the "prologue"/setup arc leading up to the red dragon. while some of the main themes are very in-your-face, others are still being woven into the characters and established much more subtly, and we don't get the full weight and payoff for that early work until later into the story.

Frieren establishes its identity within the first episodes and never drastically deviates from that first impression. on the other hand, dunmesh takes its time to build its foundation...but instead of using it as groundwork to build a house above, it then leads you into the depths of the dungeon below.

the stuff about conflicts between long-lived and short-lived races seem like just jokes/banter and a touch of political worldbuilding, in the beginning, but that tension is absolutely central to both Marcille and Kabru's arcs. both Frieren and dunmesh are about elves facing their (near) immortality in contrast with the brief mortality of their companions.

I think about the ways Frieren, with a thousand years of life behind her, carries the memories of those she's outlived along with her and all the ways she emulates them to preserve their lives and values. I think about the way Marcille, with a thousand years of life ahead of her, clings so tightly to the people she holds dear and fears the future she sees beyond their deaths.

I think about the way Serie talks about training Flamme on a whim, casually dismissive of short human lifespans. I think of the way Kabru resents the way elves treat short-lived species like children and fights so desperately for their agency and right to speak on the same level as the rest, fully informed of the dangers that threaten them all instead of being left in the dark.

beyond that, too--you can really feel that these series come from a place of love for the genres that inspired them. dunmeshi's speculative biology for the monsters and the ecosystem they're a part of, the exploration of how and why different races get different "stat" bonuses (dwarven constitution, half-foot perception, tall-man versatility, elven/gnomish magical affinity), the side comic about "Grease" as a starter spell--all obviously come from deep knowledge and affection for D&D and/or similar rpgs.

meanwhile, Himmel gives thoughtful weight to doing "side quests" for paltry rewards--they help because they're heroes, but they accept scraps and useless items for rewards because no one wants to feel pitied or indebted to anyone. he says they "went the wrong way" if they find the stairs to the next floor in a dungeon, because the "right" way is to explore every nook and cranny first before you progress. it would be very easy to mock how annoying fetch quests are, or make the dungeon bit a pure joke--but this is a story that relishes the process and the journey of it all, down to the smallest detail and silliest quest.

flashbacks to Falin being achingly kind and gentle, and also strange and awkward. flashbacks to Himmel being blindingly heroic and noble, and also vain and goofy.

these are both stories about the weight of death and loss and the things we'll do to see our loved ones one last time, when we are destined and doomed to outlive them. they're about the joy of the journey even when it's painful, thriving on silliness even when things are "serious," and loving the people in your life knowing you will lose them, and how you carry them with you when they're gone. dunmeshi is heavier on the comedy side of things, but both have their fair share of emotional gutpunches, and their themes and values mirror each other.

all this to say, these stories are holding hands.

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

Personally, I dnt see Nesta abusing Feyre because of how vague their history in their past home was like. They seemed on v equal ground wit the way they argued and fought. Feyre calls Nesta a burden then Nesta retaliates. Nesta warns Feyre about the old hag and Feyre brings up their past fight from the other night. Nesta tries to save Feyre and Feyre realizes there is more to her sister than she thought.

They always were at odds with each other but their never seemed to be any serious power dynamic between them. Neither was afraid of the other and both saw themselves in the other. I honestly think they both have stuff to answer for from their days in the cottage.

In SF, the book even says that Feyre wasn’t perfect and that she made mistakes but their past doesn’t have to define their future. Again, we dnt know what those mistakes could have been since there is such vague exploration of their dynamic back then. But passages in the books like these make me see that it wasn’t abuse between them. It certainly wasn’t healthy but definetly not so one-sided as many antis make it out to be.

hi anon!!

my response is loooooong 😭

i do really want to talk about this. i think the set up in the cabin is very important to the foundation of the sisters' relationship, and because its left as this gaping hole that lacks nuance and logic, it muddles the characterization going forward. a court of silver flames runs into trouble for this reasons, hence why is said it employs the use of 'placeholder' plotlines. to start, as many have stated before me, the set-up in the cabin makes no sense. none. not even a little. that matters for a lot of reasons but specifically because we can't really argue the validity of any of the sister's actions when the worldbuilding around them has none to begin.

its very hard to apply a real system of continual power, abuse, and neglect, when the circumstances around such dynamic is vague and uncommitted. the story doesn't want to commit to the consequences, but it also doesn't want to establish a relationship between the sisters without placing feyre as the permanent victim. so - it created an absurd scenario that doesn't make any sense. what i am saying is - the story has to go wayyyy out of its way to make elain and nesta 'villains' - to the point that the plot can't even support it. like for example, the girls live together in the cabin without feyre hunting for about a good 3-4 years. that means: someone clothed them, someone fed them, someone cleaned, someone took care of them. someone picked up the slack and its wasn't feyre. we know that mama archeron dies when the girls are 8, 10, and 11 - and the shortly after that, they lose their wealth. so - the girls are maybe 11, 13, and 14. literal children. and again - someone had to be taking care of them, a dynamic existed before feyre went hunting, but somehow never gets brought up. if the story is committed to this story, why doesn't it highlight nesta/feyre/elain's relationship in the moments where feyre isn't hunting? what was their relationship like? what was feyre like? these are perfect moments to establish the relationship. even if the sisters were lazy - what would they be doing all day? how would they even sustain themselves on meat all year long? even if the sisters were evil sisters there's little motivation for them to even be like this. the sisters are only three years apart. literally. when feyre was 8, elain was 10, and nesta was 11. thats not a big enough age-gap to even sustain partially of what the story argues about why the sisters have a disconnect. nesta would have been a BABY when feyre and elain were born - where is the motivation? how do elain and nesta develop a faction when they would have been mere toddlers when feyre came into the picture???

either papa archeron isn't a deadbeat or some mysterious force clothed, bathed, fed, and took care of them. like even the circumstances behind papa archeron being a deadbeat make no sense??/

and then there's the added layer of the suppose abuse the grandmother and mother were doling out to nesta, elain, and feyre. nesta was physically abused, and feyre was neglected to hell and high water - there's a plot pont to exploit right there. if the story wants to commit to nesta being abusive, but also wants her to be sympathetic, validating where her anger comes from, while acknowledging how it negatively affected her relationships with her sisters would be the perfect way to go. playing into the mirror sacrifices these sisters (youngest and oldest) made towards one another would have been *chefs kiss*. but again - the story leaned way too moral to even attempt a conversation like this. its willing to forgive the tamlins, rhys's and cassians, but not the women in the story. the thing is - the story doesn't commit to real faults with feyre - and it doesn't do that with nesta or elain either. they are only a standard to compare feyre against. and that's why the story cannot commit to a basic conversation between the sisters - there's nothing that exists between the except the drama. nesta has to atone for mystery reasons bc the story has rewrote their dynamic too many times. sjm acknowledges that the sisters are caricatures at this point of the story, but she doesn't rewrite the first book to accommodate her switch is plot direction.

nesta can't really tell feyre 'why she treated her x way ' bc the story doesn't know why either. a reason doesn't exist. elains book will probably have the same issue, on an even broader scale bc it doesn't actually have a reason these sisters chose to stare at a wall for 24 hours out of the day. the reason elain 'chooses not to help' is even more flimsy than the reason it gave nesta. esp bc the story later establishes that elain isn't even supposed to be a bad person, she can actually be caring. shes also a gardener so it also makes no sense that she would...cringe away from feyre bc of dirt???? that part makes no sense. she literally refused gloves at some point bc she liked to use her hands. she does so in the same book. and i don't even like this character but its the truth, and its why i cannot adequately take what the story argues about the sister seriously. nothing about what it argues makes any logical sense. it for this story...yeah that matters.

so....its valid that people don't take those chapters seriously. they are actually written with unserious intent. like how can i be angry at the sisters when the story argues they were essentially staring into space for eight years??? argues that papa archeron with 10000000 connections couldn't just....use those connections like he literally did near the end of tar and war? that the sisters could live off wild meat for years and still be alive? that toddler nesta and baby elain annexed toddler feyre??? its an unserious situation here. like feyre would rather -- @ 11, 14 or whatever age the story chooses to argue -- would immediately turn to the deadly woods and not yknow...an actual job??? mmkay.

[bluegekk0]

Does the rest of the family know that grimm is essentially a killer for hire for lurien?

To add on to that question, how “criminal” are the people that lurien asks grimm to kill? are they actually murderers and genuine shitty people, or a are they just petty thieves that were unfortunate enough to get lurien’s attention or maybe some political opponents that lurien has marked for death?

I think they are aware, yeah. Vyrm most certainly is, and it wouldn't take Hornet long to find out either. So I do think this is something that isn't really kept a secret in the family.

Generally, I think something like this wouldn't be as big of a deal in their society as it would for us - they're noticeably more animal-like than us. Murder is, of course, frowned upon, mainly because it causes chaos within communities. Someone innocent being murdered is a big deal, it means that the community is not safe. In contrast, those who deal punishment for those crimes are seen more as protectors rather than murderers. It's definitely not a flawless mindset, if you start delving into the logic you'd probably find some holes. But it works for them more often than not.

And to the second part, I don't see Lurien sending Grimm after petty criminals. I think he'd only reserve that for those who cause actual serious problems to the city. Leaders of the criminal underground, murderers and those who committed other deplorable actions, and so on. Generally, if there's enough to warrant a "wanted: dead or alive" poster or anything of that sort, this is what Lurien considers a criminal worthy of a "more effective method". Is it a perfect logic? Far from it, there's definitely more nuance to it. But considering the post-infection state of the city, and all the shady types it attracted in its lawless state, he has more important things to worry about. His goal is to protect the city at all costs, and to drag it out of the criminal infested hole it was stuck in for the entire time it took him to gain power (which I imagine was at least a few years, he didn't become the head of the city until about 3-4 years before the current point in the timeline).

Now, would it include political targets? I think it's an interesting idea, perhaps in the future. As of now, there aren't many threats to his position, he's universally seen as a good leader in the districts where he's in power. His biggest worry is the safety in the city, the criminals still hold a lot of power over some districts of the city, and as the city's population rises, the problem remains difficult to solve. Weakening the criminal underground is his best bet for now, and Grimm does it far more effectively and discreetly than his guard.

There is definitely more to this idea that I want to explore so apologies if it's a bit nonsensical at this point. I think exploring the concept of a criminal underground holding power over parts of the city would help with making it more believable, and would explain why Lurien was desperate enough to ask Grimm for help. And on Grimm's side, it would also add another layer to his part of the agreement - aside from getting blood, he can also help make the city safer for his family, if they ever need to visit it.

Since I have more time now, I'll most likely give more attention to this in the worldbuilding section of my AU info page. I'm definitely open to feedback and suggestions about this. For now, I hope the answer was satisfying enough.

[tethysresort]

This week has been an unending round of minor terrors and I am too stressed tonight.

So instead of writing back to all the wonderful, nice people who commented on my fanfiction.  I am having another executive disfunction moment and am instead going to write a book review.  Because it sounds like a fun thing to do with the new books I am reading.  So you might see more of these in the future!  (Although I would note that I am a geologist, not an English major.  So I really have no idea what I am doing!)

This week I read A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik!

It was a light and fun read after I had gotten a little ways into the book (the start was a little baffling and I wanted to kick El).  El is an engaging main character with a very distinct (bitchy) personality.  Her life and problems give a nice insight into the problems of her world (which are numerous).  She is definitely a Chosen One of some sort, but I am not convinced she is the only one in the book.  The adults in her life are occasionally over-the-top in terms of awfulness but it’s a YA book, so I am willing to give it a pass because at least everyone agrees that they are awful.  (There’s nothing quite like a YA book that tries to convince you that the awful adults are justified in making their nasty decisions.)  By the end I was enjoying the way that El had changed in response to the events of the story and looking forward to what she would do in the next book. 

The Scholomance itself is a fascinating bit of worldbuilding and I really enjoyed learning the history and layout of the place piece by piece.  (And it was good that my library copy of the book had a few sketches as part of the front and end notes.)  It is a suitably creepy place with multiple levels of terror lurking in every decision the students of the Scholomance make.  The students are stuck in realistic levels of moral decision making too, so that the entire world is shades of gray. 

I did have some major questions about the logic of the world and specifically the main threat of the book.  I felt like there were a couple of logical holes (or maybe internal consistency) problems with that threat and some serious unanswered questions about some of the main characters (that I am more certain are plot points rather than holes).  This is the first book of a trilogy though, so maybe they’ll be answered in one of the other books!

I enjoyed the book.  I have not decided if it would be a bookshelf keeper (it would depend on the next books in the trilogy). 

[stitchlingbelle]

Watching Halo, Episode 8

(From what I’ve picked up, this is the episode with the controversial sex scene in it, so… yeah. Let’s see how that goes.)

We open with John and Makee both staring into mirrors and either temporarily revisiting the ringworld vision or just remembering it, but their focus seems to be more on each other than the untold mysteries of an alien ringworld revealed to them by ancient mystical technology. Priorities! And then they go on a field trip.

Halsey, Adun her creepy assistant, and Cortana are discussing John and Makee and the whole situation while watching them. Parangosky and Keyes are also watching them, because again, authoritarian surveillance state. Although, I do have to give the actually-authorized people here a break; Makee is still being held under some pretext or other, and in fairness, she actually IS up to no good. But since Parangosky doesn’t know that, it’s a little appalling that she’s so eager for Master Chief to beat the shit out of what could be an innocent civilian. (And we, and John, know that there are in fact actual Covenant escapees, since we met Reth back on Rubble.)

YAY for another civilization worldbuilding scene! Parks! Food trucks! Pastels! The future is great! (What is with all the anoraks people wear in this show?) Happy children give Makee hope that maybe the book she and her childhood friend rescued from the trash might have been on to something. Maybe humans don’t suck, just the ones from Recycle Hell Planet. She mentions the book to John. They take refuge by some pretty, flowery trees and discuss the Halo and whether humanity’s worth saving. “Cleansed” she says fanatically, that’s what will become of humanity if the others ascend. (John, alongside your defense of humanity, you might have questioned whether people dead-set on committing genocide are worthy themselves… It’s not like she doesn’t know what the Covenant does, she just has protagonist-centered morality, here.) When Master Chief gets called away for a moment, Makee gets frightened by a dog, which I can’t help but think is supposed to be a parallel with John’s loving memories of his childhood dog. It’ll take more than one day in the park to rid Makee of her kneejerk assumptions…

Speaking of the Covenant’s genocidal tendencies, a colony world has just been attacked—glassed, a term I’ve heard and imagined to be a bit more literal (anybody else read the Axiom books by Tim Pratt?)—in fact, a city of 11 million people has been melted into a roiling hellscape of lava. The voiceover of the reporter or officer, along with the reactions of the people in the command center, really sells it. Keyes and Parangosky argue over aid, with Keyes invoking the “Cole Protocol”. A recap I found online informs me that it’s meant to keep the Covenant from finding the other human planets (presumably by following the aid fleet home? Idk). I guess this means the Covenant is like humanity in its knowledge of the wider galaxy—no in-depth surveys, just telescope data beyond their own frontiers. Interesting. (I’ve got some thoughts about the respective tech levels here but I think I’ll hold it for the finale.)

Master Chief walks in and hears the tail end of the argument, that “we can’t sit here and wait for them to find us” and the conversation turns from aid to an offensive strike against the Covenant. He’s convinced Makee will help, which I have serious doubts about, especially this early in her deprogramming. (Again, 9-episode season!) But the whole debate does give him a chance to stand up for himself against two of the people he doesn’t realize are also responsible for the crimes against him. When Keyes growls, “People don’t just manually override decades of indoctrination,” John looks him dead in the eye and says, “I did.”

OH SNAP.

We get a look at how the other Spartans are doing. Riz and Vannak are examining some alien tech and debating Kai’s fitness for duty… and we slam right into Kai partying it up with a ton of normal soldiers, using her superstrength to lift incredibly heavy objects while they cheer wildly, rooting for her and placing bets. It’s an absolutely adorable scene of my exuberant girl getting joy out of her abilities, instead of the horrific purposes they were given to her for. It’s also a great scene of human connection, as Kai, so far the most outgoing Spartan, gets to be a part of the life of the base for the first time. (Master Chief might stay grim, the untouchable, perfect Spartan that all the grunts look up to, but I think Kai might become their beloved mascot. If the show lets her.) (God, I can’t wait to see what Riz and Vannak are like as people.)

Miranda’s back at her new lab, which apparently still doesn’t have the funding for chairs. Her dad, who she still believes in, drops by and it’s painful to watch her enthusiasm as she goes over her progress with the only person she looks up to who listens to her. It’s going to break her heart when she learns the truth, and on some level her dad knows that reckoning is coming. She’s clearly on the verge of figuring out Makee is the voice in her recording…

John goes to see Makee, dismissing her guards (not suspicious at all!), to give her a book. (He says it’s not the same one from her childhood, so maybe it’s the same author? Yes, this is a weird detail to care about.) For a second I couldn’t tell if the gesture was incredibly sweet or calculated to make her trust him/ humanity more, buuuut they almost immediately start making out, so calculated probably wasn’t it. I’ll be honest, as someone who is deeply religious both by upbringing and by choice, as well as being somewhat on the demi side of things, I am the wrong person to comment on whether this scene was too soon or earned or whatever. It would take two years and a ring to get me to this point, but some people have one-night stands! Maybe this is normal! I dunno. (I bet it was awkward as hell, though. Two virgins who probably never got sex ed? Yikes. This is Hollywood, though, so the implication is always that it was effortlessly great.) Aaaaand Cortana is watching/ experiencing/ monitoring vital signs intrusively? Yikes.

…and then he sleeps over? And this does not set off any alarms with anyone, including the guards? What about the shift change? Asking the real questions here, people! Makee has a moment of Decision, looking at him and her best chance to literally remove his head as she boasted. Instead, she gets up, and in the WORST SCENE EVER wrenches the hidden energy blade out from under her fingernail. Give the actress and the fx department Emmys, that looked SO. PAINFUL. (Girl, you could have left it in and just committed to not stabbing people!) And John slept through the whole thing. (?!) (...what about Cortana?)

Cortana and Halsey discuss the evening, and Cortana looks a lot more content with the situation than she did, uh, earlier. Halsey distinctly less so when Cortana comments that John’s not alone in the universe anymore. “He was never alone, he had me,” snaps the woman who abducted, tortured, and brainwashed him. “…Of course,” answers Cortana, who looks like she regrets her life choices even though she’s only like a week old.

Keyes drops by and treats us to a handy demonstration of him and Halsey as the toxic couple of the decade. He can’t break free of her emotionally, if only because then he’d have to face his guilt and culpability alone. So he’s pulling strings and probably fucking everyone else over to… what? What’s important about her ship, instead of the one Parangosky would no doubt put her on? (C’mon, Cortana, time to make a stand!)

Whatever her inevitable escape plans, for now, Halsey is ruining John’s attempts to bring Makee over by creepily contacting her on the sly and feeding her all that bs about humanity’s evil nature. (Including a disturbing line about her relationship with John being “wonderful to watch”.) (This right after claiming John doesn’t exist, only The Master Chief, a contradiction Makee doesn’t notice.) Makee is disturbed and pushes back to a limited extent, but it’s clear that another human validating her fears about humanity and then parroting the same line about the Halo’s power to help a species ascend “like gods” is hitting her where she lives. (She also doesn’t think to quiz Halsey on exactly why other humans can’t be trusted, but she can.)

Halsey then reflects on the “flaw” of humanity that is attachment. (What exactly does she think humanity is, then? If it's so awful, why is she working to save it?) Anyway, whether this is commentary on Keyes’ mistaken loyalty to her, viewing her own previous attachments as setbacks, the ease she’s had in manipulating Makee, the Spartans, and others, or just foreshadowing, it’s game time now.

She contacts the Spartans, invoking “Zed Protocol” and claiming the entire high command, including Master Chief, have been compromised by the alien artifact. She orders them to bring John, Makee, and the artifact to her, letting nothing stand in their way. No one asks the obvious question: if the artifact is compromising people, why the heck should they bring it CLOSER to someone so far unaffected? Isn’t it more likely the person asking them to break protocol for the artifact is being affected? Kai is the only one who doubts, and Halsey immediately has Riz and Vannak take her out. (Causing me to yell NOT MY BABY at the screen.)

Cortana asks what Halsey has planned for John. Turns out he’s disposable once they have Makee, and Halsey plans to let Cortana take over his body after all. (So much for John’s test. And for John’s specialness in Halsey’s eyes—if he was so unique, you wouldn’t want to overwrite him!) Cortana is Not Enthused, but Halsey doesn’t see that for as much of a danger sign as I do.

Everyone’s on their way to watch Makee use the artifact. Makee, deeply upset by Halsey, asks John what his plan for the artifact and the future are. The Master Chief, with no idea what the thing actually does AND being emotionally two weeks old AND raised to be mission-focused, has no answer beyond “kill the people who rescued you”. (Not even a “we’ll figure it out together”, John? Really?)

What follows, once everyone is in place, is a combination of action scene and classic tragedy of mistimed revelation—once Cortana makes her choice and alerts Master Chief to the ambush waiting for him, he sends Makee looking for safety. Instead, in the terrified moments when listening to her could have saved John a beating and changed Makee’s mind about humanity, Miranda discovers that Makee was behind the massacre of the Gladius. This ill-timed truth results in Makee being viciously tased as she was as a child, confirming all her fears…

Meanwhile, Master Chief out of armor is going hand-to-hand with Riz and Vannak, both suited up. Cortana’s assistance keeps them from wiping the floor with him. That, and the fact that his skull must be heavily reinforced, one punch from an armored Spartan should be more than enough to crush a human skull. And then MY GIRL KAI breaks out, orders Halsey’s ship detained, and joins the fight, resulting in a standoff…

…which is broken only by Makee reverting to her upbringing, lunging for the artifact and using it to get away. The shockwave smashes through the base. John flashes to the Halo dimension, where Makee just says goodbye and disappears. Well, crap.

[orbeater]

HAI do you have any headcanons about specifically how vander views the other guards and students vs how they see him?

Ok so i think i wrote down a good amount time to ramble. Gonna talk about my hcs for the general worldbuilding and his upbringing a bit so it gives more context for his interactions with people i suppose. I'll highlight the part of your ask so you can skip to that 👍

Royale high plays a very major part on balancing the harmony between the different elemental groups. It was created as a sign of fraternity amongst the kingdoms and a vow of sort to never cause harm amongst each other, no matter how different they are, because the future generation is dear to them, and they wouldn't want them to suffer because of their actions. RH itself is set in a kind of a central city, a multicultural hub consisting of all sorts of people and creatures from different kingdoms, making it a very reputable institution due to its diversity and education quality available for everyone. Personally i would like to imagine it also goes beyond high school levels, mostly because its more convenient to imagine a place where kings and queens were made to also have college level education.

Now because of its stature, RH is in close connections with all sorts of kingdoms. Naturally, if you're training to become a knight the chances of you getting picked are high if you're from RH. RH also hires those that show valuable skills in the field as their guards. Some people use this as an experience of sort to later go for a Knight's position for their respective kingdoms.

Now moving onto Vander's upbringing:

He was raised by some of the most respected knights of the dark kingdom, which was how he was inspired to attend RH till graduation (I hc him to be of the dark element). He took up a position as a guard at the school to get more like credit for becoming a knight later on.

As a kid, his parents weren't around a lot because of their jobs. He never held it against them though, but he did grow up isolated because of his shy nature. He had a creative side to him too, his main hobby being writing. The time that he did get to spend with his parents, he cherished it a lot. They always taught him how even if the worst times were to fall on them, the people who loved him would always be there for him. What you give would be what you receive, things like that which he still holds as one of his main teachings. He's really just a shy guy who cares about his close group of people a lot, even if they're few. His main motivation to continue as a guard is the fact that he gets be of help to the students and people in general, because all throughout his younger days he was misunderstood and looked upon as some sort of like. A stone hearted person. Which was only because he isn't the best at expressing himself. He might look too serious and tough, but underneath it all he has a good heart.

Hes also kinda bad at social queues and stuff, sometimes saying things that might come across as strange, which gives people the wrong idea about him. I don't want to call him a nihilist, hes more of a uhhh, positive emo? If thats a thing anyways.

Also all the song lyrics he says, bro is just humming 👍. Hes a nerd who likes silent hill and fire emblem and quotes dracula (all canon).

The main part! His interactions with the other guards:

Philip:

Philip being Philip was always kind to Vander ever since he joined the guards. As his senior he would always engage in meaningful conversations with him, giving him advice and such even though Vander's responses would be short, he still saw him for how he was. It left a great impression on him, and he respects Philip a lot. They also engage in conversations about their favourite novels and poetry sometimes.

Zalia

Zalia would be wary of him at first, since shes not the one to trust others quickly. She also gets thrown off by the fact that he just sometimes appears out of nowhere (man has silent footsteps), and remains on edge a bit. I do think she'd slowly be able to trust him as more time passes by, because he does his job properly and doesn't give her a reason to doubt him. He also helps around with tasks like sorting the guard log which takes a long time just by herself, so she comes to appreciate his company even though he doesn't say a lot.

Hans

I feel like. He actually wouldn't mind him that much. All the times he gets assigned to work with him he's actually glad because the guard doesn't actively try to engage in conversations a lot, plus he doesn't annoy him unlike Edward. He just has to tell him to do some work or tell him his next patrolling area and he'd just go do it with no hesitation. The only time Hans was hesitant to tell him about his next guarding spot was when he was suppose to guard the dungeon, because of course he cares about others, and is aware of how unsettling the place is, even for him. Vander would be indifferent, but he would still think highly of his senior.

Edward

He'd be scared of him at first. Edward would be out patrolling the dormitory hallways at night, which already puts him on the edge. Vander being the guy with silent footsteps would see the guard walking alone and would ask him if "he perhaps required his assistance" which would scare the shit out of the other guy. After sometime though I can see them becoming good friends, especially once Edward would find out about his interests and realise that he's actually really chill. He would still not watch horror movies with him though, because he knows that a "not particularly frightening" for Vander would be a "keeps you awake at 4am" for him. Maybe he'd try to compliment him every once in a while but then he'd get flustered when Vander would say something really genuine because he obviously means it

Oliver

Theee nerd4nerd dynamic. I think Oliver would be a little scared of him at first, not because he thinks he looks scary or something, but because he has no idea how to interact with him. Over a course of time though, he'd realise how similar they are. They'd bond over his "Im a light fairy but my bestie is a dark fairy" anime that I have mentioned before. They both would enjoy the eveningfall season. They'd watch slasher films together. They'd talk about their lives with each other, maybe they would play dnd and bring Edward with them. They could sit in silence next to each other for hours and it wouldn't be awkward at all. I could enjoy a romantic dynamic between them two IF it isn't the weird alpha yandere Vander and soft bby Oliver bullshit because holy shit that makes me so unreasonably mad. The best dynamic is when Oliver is stronger than him in general because that is so funny. Man can clock an 8 ft plant monster but will panic over the idea of engaging in a conversation with a stranger. Imagine them bonding over their isolated childhood and how they were treated by people and that that didn't affect the fact they both still see people as something worth protecting. Can you see my vision. But also like I've said they'd never make it past the hand holding stage because together they're shy². Vander would be the closest to him amongst the guards.

Alexander

I feel like Alex would already sort of know that Vander is chill. He's quiet so they could just sleep and he wouldn't really say anything. Sometimes he'd quote something profound and Alex would just be like "Woahh....." and then he'd go back to snork mimiming. They would also look upto him because of how proper he is and because he is older than them. Vander wouldn't really mind his company, they'd both just stand next to each other while he guards and Alex just naps peacefully. Maybe he would buy them some snacks from the vending machine whenever he would run out of money, which Alex really appreciates.

Nathaniel

Honestly they'll have the most coworker type of relationship. It'd be a very one sided sort of conversation but they could still be work friends. Nathaniel would tell him random stories about his dreams, or the trading hub, some duck he saw, etc etc and Vander would just hum along. Nathan would appreciate his company because Vander is a good listener and lets him ramble about different things

Taj

For their first meeting Taj would be.... confused? by Vander's demeanor, but he wouldn't question it. Over time i think they both can become work friends because of their shared interest over reading I guess. Not much else to say really.

In short Vander is just a very normal emo guy who lives by the idea of

[shardssystem]

Lore24 Compilation - January

From the beginning of the year, I felt an interest in doing a writing challenge of some sort, but a NaNoWriMo is a bit of a tall ask considering work schedule and everything. I’d seen people doing the #Dungeon23 challenge, and that was interesting, but outside my area of expertise. And then I found a blog post about #Lore24, and shared it with a friend in a similar situation.

The idea is, that for each day of the year, you write something about a TTRPG setting (or similar), in order to help expand on concepts. Doesn’t need to be exceptionally detailed, but the idea is to work on vague ideas and solidify things for worldbuilding. I chose Matea, a D&D homebrew setting that had been kicking around in my head for a while. A post-apocalyptic world that was previously as advanced, if not more so, than real life 21st century Earth. When the magic sustaining their technology failed, the world fell into ruin and had to rebuild the hard way.

I thought it would be handy to keep every entry compiled in one place, so here are the entries for January. Original posts can be seen on our Mastodon.

Let me know if there’s anything that you like or even if it inspired something of your own!

1 - Matea, as we encounter it, is a world on the brink of change. What was once a world of technological marvel and magical prowess now finds itself with one of the primary rules of the universe fading. Where both schools of arcane and divine magics helped create a utopia, its wielders struggle to achieve even a fraction of the same skills. If a spell works at all, it is drastically weaker than in history. A worldwide collapse of magitech left the survivors in ruins, unable to adapt.

2 - In the beginning, the Father tried to make the world alone, every attempt failing. The Mother came to him, offering her aid, and so Matea was born. When the first of their creations died, neither could cope, so the Daughter was born to handle the grief and anger. Seeing her good work, the Mother and Father birthed a Sister. Without a domain of her own, she engineered a war to fight against her family; tearing open a rift for devils to pass the barrier and lay waste to creation. Seeing the potential for their work to be undone, the family fought back by creating the angels. The war raged, until the Brother was born to guide a peaceful resolution; quelling the Sister’s rage by suggesting domains she would take over, while he would take the load of the more civil aspects that grew from a progressing society that his elders had not foreseen. The Sister acquiesced, having a duty at last. And so a harmony was established.

3 - Dwarves (name pending) are the progenitor race/species/ancestry (specifically to spite the endless fantasy worlds that start with elves), and are hatched from eggs. Not conventional eggs; more a cocoon of mud and other related materials. They can have a minimum of one parent, and no functional maximum, though after 20, some serious identity issues arise. Prospective parents will start rolling their egg like people do with snow, while performing a ritual of offering to the Father.

4 - Dwarven children are born with a full grown beard, regardless of their future gender presentation. This assists with the development of musculature, though hinders their growth. You can typically tell the age or experience of a dwarf by how worn/damaged their beards are, as they are made of stone. Though some choose to damage their beards personally, for their own reasons, the effects are no less permanent. Some view their beards as a sign of a pact made for their creation.

5 - Elves (name pending) evolved from dwarves when (the story goes) one wished for the ability to fly, being jealous of birds. More long of limb than their traditional counterparts, the elves of Matea are feathered, have the ability to glide until their elder years where they achieve full flight, and prefer to make their nest homes atop the mountain peaks of the world. They still hatch from eggs, but their material choices are less earthy; more grasses and scrub.

6 - Perhaps the hardest hit by the loss of magitech, the Gnomes (name pending) of #Matea seek immortality through their creations, owing to their nature of existence. In their original development, a flaw in the process led to them being primarily formed from sand. This resulted in their lifespan averaging three years before they almost literally fall apart. The Warforged and Autognomes (names pending) are their primary legacies; though they seek further.

7 - Though they do not know it, Tabaxi are among the most powerful beings of #Matea, as they are connected to the universe through some strange magic unknown to others. The first Tabaxi dreamt itself into existence after people began telling made up stories. From there, they dreamt their family into existence, and opened a gate into the realm of the Fey. As they unknowingly created more and more however, their ability to do so dispersed and diluted among each of their number.

8 - During the Family War, the need for frontline forces presented itself to the then-forming nations of the world. Pressed for time, they hurried the process and took shortcuts, incorporating living beings into the mix instead of asking spirits. Thus, Goblins (name pending) were born. With a lower half reminiscent of arachnids and other insects, their quick deployment and ability to traverse a variety of surfaces without issue was key to victory in a number of skirmishes.

9 - Tortles (name pending) once held political sway over the seas and ports of Matea. Unfortunately, during an exceptionally tough harvest year and dire situations, they were discovered to be delicious. Following a terrible, bloody uprising, they are now extinct, remembered only through archaeological evidence and museum pieces.

10 - Tieflings and Aasimar (names pending) are the descendants of the devils and angels left behind after the war, closed off from their home realms. Comparing to their multiversal counterparts however, on the whole, it is tieflings that are respected, and aasimar that are viewed with suspicion. This comes from the direct aftermath of the rift being sealed. Cut off from the influence of the hells, the remaining devils felt remorse (natural or otherwise; scholars don’t know) and vowed to repent for their misdeeds, which carried through to their descendants. Tieflings tend towards contemplation and helpfulness. On the other side, the angels were mournful and angry about the loss of their divine grace, traits that modern aasimar bear. As such, they tend towards fits of rage and melancholy in equal, unpredictable measure.

11 - The world of Matea is in a binary star system. Thaus, the Star of Wonder, and Flaun, the Star of Hope dance around each other in an eternal 3-beat waltz leading religious scholars to point to it as evidence of the Father and Mother’s joint efforts in making the world. The stars eclipse three times during the day, two hours after sunrise, midday, and two hours before sunset. These hours are marked by the religious orders and observed in all variety of different ways.

12 - To contrast the twin suns, Matea has a single moon, which is home to the Elemental Plane of Earth. Once upon a time, spellcasters could simply travel to Pio but with magic fading, the only remaining path is via Sou’dare, the great geyser. Travellers are to bathe themselves in its waters, and perform a specific ritual to activate the latent magic in the spring; firing them towards the moon in a dramatic jetstream of water.

13 - The Elemental Plane of Air has no fixed location, and can be accessed from anywhere in the world. One must be EXTREMELY precise with the incantation however, as the ritual is centered around collecting fruit oils, anointing yourself with it, and setting yourself on fire. A successful ritual will transform your body temporarily and painlessly to ash, to be carried into the planar winds. An unsuccessful ritual just turns your body to ash the painful way.

14 - The path to the Elemental Plane of Fire was once sealed, but is now open to all, though perhaps not the most accessible. Rakhada’s Folly, also referred to as The Fall, created a spiraling crater that intersected with planar boundaries. The journey must be undertaken on foot, to acclimate to the heat over a timeframe of six weeks. Those wishing to expedite their journey must be immune to flame and possess the power of full flight, or face the firestorm at the crater’s centre.

15 - Getting to the Elemental Plane of Water is all about timing, but otherwise simple. It’s merely a little absolutely terrifying. During the Second Step, or the second of the three eclipses per day, the winds at the top of Mt. Sanmaya (the tallest peak on Matea) pick up and become almost unbearably strong. One must align themselves to the correct direction and jump from the mountain, fighting the winds. If successful, they will be blown off the peak, plummeting into the waters below, and transferring the planar boundaries. If unsuccessful, the same thing occurs, but without the transfer, dashing the bodies of prospective adventurers on the rocks among the waves.

16 - Though magic is weakened and fading throughout Matea, the island of Paana-Dûl is abundant with mana crystals, allowing magic to work not only as it used to, but in some cases better. Because of this, the use of magic on the island is reserved exclusively for healing. The crystals feed on the remains of one of the great dragons, Ibu the Profaned, spreading slowly like a fungus, though they are more easily formed nearer the corpse.

17 - The magitech age of Matea kicked off with the discovery of manasteel: metal pulled from the earth with magic, weaving into it and reinforcing its strength. Known for being hard to work with, skilled smiths wasted little time in using it for all manner of inventions. From buildings and bridges, trains and aircraft, even personal devices of all kinds, manasteel was the backbone of a dawning golden age.

18 - At some point during The Fall, the prison island of Dosoga was lost; taken by an impenetrable bank of mist and fog. An entire population of inmates, their guards, and even a number of small villages designed to support the facility, spirited away. There are reports recently of fog that drifts across the oceans, seeming never to settle in one place for long. People have investigated, only to come back, changed in a number of ways. Those that return (as not everyone does) undergo a complete behavioural overhaul. Their personalities become wildly different, they do not respond to their own names, and some seem confused to the point of madness at their own bodies. Information to the reasoning behind this change is lacking, save for a single report that claims that one returning adventurer, declared herself to be a convicted man historically to be executed, and noted as inappropriately touching her own skin.

19 - Historical records state that the last known Warden of Dosoga Penitentiary was infamous for his brutally strict adherence to the law, but fairness in administering the applicable penalties. Inmates were suitably cared for, unless they broke the rules, in which case punishment was swift and hard, though only as to the letter of the law. People of the time saw it as an acceptable alternative to capital punishment, though not much is known about their rehabilitation success.

20 - Though unimportant at the time, the once-small town of Dun has claimed the title of nation capital city, primarily due to its fate during and immediately following The Fall. No one remembers the original name of the settlement, but records show how it got its current name: When the great floating cities began their final, disastrous descent, the town was written off by people in power; declared not worth the time to evacuate. Done for.

21 - What elevates Dun above other towns and villages is that the floating citadel of Silwa’na crashed directly on top. Though obviously devastating for those unable or unwilling to attempt to leave, the survivors inherited a treasure trove of remnants from the citadel, greatly accelerating their rebuilding efforts and post-Fall discovery.

22 - The gods serve several domains, each with their own rituals and rites.

Father: Life, Light, and Nature.

Mother: Arcana, Knowledge, and Order.

Daughter: Death, Grave, Tempest, and Twilight.

Sister: Trickery, War, Blood, and Fate.

Brother: Forge, Peace, and City.

Each is referred to by their title; you would, for example, pray to the Father of Light, or the Daughter of the Tempest. While you could offer a generic prayer and ritual, you would get better results by being specific.

23 - The day of Rakhada’s Folly is remembered as the day when the great citadels fell from the sky, when airships dropped suddenly, when buildings of all kinds collapsed without warning. But all these events are due to a single, common cause: The unweaving of manasteel. The backbone of society, industry, and technology on Matea drained itself of magic, literally unravelling from any shape it had been forged into, ushering in a terrifying new dark age.

24 - Many of the great citadels had the misfortune of falling while over land, resulting in catastrophic injuries and damage. However, the city of Gunsul fell while over the deepest part of the oceans, and sunk to the bottom. People claim that due to this, the inhabitants survived, though altered, and the city became corrupted by the depths. Children are cautioned with tales of the Gunsul Deep Dwellers, who will come and kidnap them for their mischief.

25 - With magic weakened, the people of Matea sometimes turn to alternate sources for power. And while they are also subject to the fundamental rules of the universe, there are those that answer. The One Below is an entity that has been named by various cults as someone or something to serve in return for magical abilities. Many rumours exist about the true identity of The One Below, but none have proved factual to date.

26 - Counter to The One Below, there are also groups dedicated to The Watcher On High, another unidentifiable source of power. Whereas the cults of The One Below are recorded as committing crimes of varying magnitudes, those pledging to The Watcher On High appear at least to be involved with charitable endeavours and community involvement. While not officially sanctioned, many places will turn a blind eye to the actions of Watcher pledges.

27 - The Brightfields, analogous to the Feywild in other parts of the multiverse, is the domain of fanciful creatures of all shapes and sizes, including the Eladrin and Fairies (names pending). Ruling over the land, atop a golden throne of pure majesty is the Bright Lord, Colin McDaniel. Claiming to be from an unknown village known as “New York”, he has made a name with his experience as an “electrician” to introduce a number of ideas to the Brightfolk. But there is a downside…

28 - When night falls in the Brightfields, unpredictable and inconsistent though it be, the land and its inhabitants change, becoming dark reflections. This is The Nowhere Between. The Absent King awakens, and Colin becomes imprisoned, as per his (potentially unwise) pact. Travellers from Matea who find themselves Between at nightfall are also altered to suit the darkness. From palace to ruin, from garden to grave, from throne to cage, from light to dark. Such is The Nowhere Between.

29 - Though the Great Rift is long sealed, there still exists the vestiges of strength in the Northern Reaches, for those brave, reckless, or desperate enough to seek it. Ta’terra, the source of infernal energy, and the ancestral home of the Tieflings (name pending), is ruled by Maag, Mistress of Pain. Though her influence is waning, rumours persist of promises of riches beyond dreams for those who wish to bend a knee.

30 - Not all adventure promises reward, monetary or otherwise. Hard to find, and harder to leave, the Endless Asylum tempts you to stay within its labyrinthine halls, rooms containing the damaged and lost, taking more and more of you until you join them. Not a place to be taken lightly, or without thorough preparation, very few explorers have ever returned to tell of it, and none of them remotely whole of mind.

31 - While you can, of course, attempt to cast spells, construct sigils, or otherwise use magic in any fashion you desire, you run the risk of it failing. The weave of mana literally unraveling before your eyes, if one could visually distinguish it. Not so with a mana crystal. By crushing one in your hand during the casting, you unleash the dormant magic within to supplement and amplify your efforts. Be warned though, there is no way to ration the crystals’ power. It’s all or nothing.

[amethystfairy1]

Hello!!! Been a big fan of both TTSBC and Traveling Thieves for a while (I remember I was actually there when the first Thieves fic was published!). Like previous asks, I've got some basic worldbuilding questions for TTSBC, mostly about the logistics of the under-city. And don't worry, I'm not expecting too deep or complex an answer.

If the under-city caverns are not bottomless, then at some point wouldn't overcrowding or extreme population density become a serious issue? If that is the case, then are there any big problems with housing or homelessness? Especially from Ren we know that some under-city families/clans can grow quite large. I know you've said that the main cavern and the depths aren't the only parts of the undercity and there are other tunnels and smaller caverns that branch off from it, but still, there are only so many places to go underground when you're boxed in on all sides.

Where does the under-city get their food? I'm assuming most commercial crops aren't an option because they need lots of space and sunlight, as well as most land animals like cattle or pigs and such because they also need space for farms and grazing. Are there special types of animals or plants that have adapted to live beneath bedrock? Given the technology level in the setting, perhaps the labs came up with some way to engineer and grow their own crops? Does glamor play any role in food production?

Hello, hello! ✨

I know you of course I do! Thanks so much for all your kind comments and support of both the AUs for all this time, I really appreciate it! Questions questions questions! ☺️

Sooooo....remember how monsters are a big problem? Yeah...the mortality rate of the under-city is unfortunately quite high, especially on the lower levels and out in the tunnels and other caves and such. I also feel like I'm underselling just how huge the under-city is. Like. It's REALLY big. I don't want to slap numbers on it because I feel like I'll pigeon-hole myself but like, while yes it is certainly crowded, it's not to the point where it's extremely overpopulated. Also I will say that while it's true that clans like Ren and Lizzie's get pretty huge, there aren't that many clans that grow to that size in the under-city. The Dog and Cat hunting clans are the main ones, and I do plan to elaborate on that more especially once we get back to Treebark. So between the two of them they are huge, yes, but it's not like every single hunting family/clan of subspecies gets to that size.

They have several different ways. There are foods that have adapted to grow in the under-city such as glowberries, but also there is the underground trade. I've mentioned it here and there, but Etho's main job is that he trades with the over-city for supplies, under the table. It's something that's been going on for years and it's nothing new, and there are several characters I am very much looking forward to introducing you all too that are apart of this fragile chain keeping the over-city and under-city connected. For example, remember how Xisuma showed up briefly in 'Everything and More'? And how his job title is head of Over-City Relations? It's got something to do with that. Also yes! The labs have developed ways to grow crops and steady food supplies in the under-city, including some livestock like chickens and cows, but again, it's all quite limited. The under-city does have resources enough to manage without any connection to the over-city for at least a year or two, but things would start straining pretty quickly, and that's kind of what Doc and his new version of the labs has been trying to improve upon ever since he took over. And...well, glamor itself doesn't play a role, but there have been experiments in using glamor to help with the problem. While I don't plan to go crazy on the details in these aspects, there are pieces planned in the future (with perhaps another new ship OH NO) where we'll learn about how the under-city actually runs and supplies itself.

Hope these were helpful! 💖

[kyliafanfiction]

What's the gripe with the Templin people? I tried watching their videos once but they seemed very boring so I don't really know anything about their content

(Full disclosure, it's been years since I watched any of their videos, so while I remember generally what they've said that pissed me off, I don't remember the specifics and I don't care to. Unlike say, Craptain America Steve "I am Drone Strikes In Human Form" Rogers, the Templin Institute does not live rent free in my head all the time, they just sublet some space every few months for a day or two) Well, My gripe is that their opinions on worldbuilding in sci-fi are very, very wrong. There's a lot of little things I didn't like or didn't agree with, like opposing the idea of a single government governing an entire world even if that world is part of (or even the capital of) a multistellar state, or saying that monarchies couldn't possibly ever function in the future because western democracies are so much more effective and efficient (*points to the United States* Not to say Monarchies are *good*, but monarchies are as capable of being effective at governing as democracies, because a monarchy is just a dictatorship where you call the dictator King, and we have a lot of functioning, for varying values of the word, dictatorships right now on earth), to saying that an Empire shouldn't call itself an Empire because it's too 'on the nose' or something to that effect, etc

But the thing that was the 'fuck this shit I'm out' for ever watching their videos again and soured me anytime anyone else links their videos and calls them "great worldbuilding advice" (seeing someone do that on a forum thread is what prompted my bitchpost) was one about sci-fi ships, and basically asserting all sorts of nonsense about what kinds of ships did and did not work/make sense (Dreadnoughts apparently are Bad™ and no serious writer should have them), ignoring that

1.) In most sci-fi settings that serve as settings for stories, games, TTRPGs, etc the classes/kinds of ships are there for narrative reasons first (in general, Templin's narrative-neutral approach to worldbuilding, while in theory sound, creates a lot of problems very quickly)

2.) The author is responsible for the space physics/etc of the universe. It's not hard to construct a universe where Dreadnoughts are the only viable form of warship for some reason. Or one where carriers rule the day, or one where carriers are actually a terrible, terrible idea, etc, etc, etc. Templin has this tendency, in their worldbuilding advice videos, to ignore that writers are gods of their own universes. Or so is my impression. They also speak authoritatively without basis, but that's kind of a me hangup, because ultimately it should be obvious it's all their opinion (I just think their opinions are bad) So I don't like them, get annoyed when I see people rec their worldbuilding stuff and can't believe I'm the only person who thinks their worldbuilding 'advice' is barely above useless half the time.

As for why right-wing neckbeard basement dwelling pissbaby shitheel fuckface morons hate them, it's that Templin Institute has "Gone Woke". The primary source of complaint for them seems to be that the Templin Institute asserted, accurately (if pointlessly, IMO) that Female Space Marines are entirely possible, if Games Workshop (the people who own Warhammer 40k) really wanted them, they could just change the lore. Under the cut for more details and context on that hot mess.

For those of you not familiar with this bit of interminable nonsense, in the Wargame (and associated setting that contains books, video games, TTRPGs and I believe at least one board game) Warhammer 40k, there exists a class of unit called a "Space Marine" which are genetically enhanced supersoldiers that are the flagship characters of the 40k universe. They get the most models made for them, the most narrative focus, etc.

Space Marines are, generally, made by taking candidates who pass a pretty grueling battery of tests, and grafting all sorts of extra organs into them that, if they survive, turns them into transhuman superpeople that are like ten feet tall, super strong/fast/etc and then gives them a pretty long lifespan. Space Marines are very, very. very, very skilled warriors and often deploy in 100-man companies that are often capable of turning the tide of planetary wars all on their own.

In-universe, the reason that Space Marines are all dudes isn't that the Imperium doesn't think women can't fight (the Imperium, as a whole, just cares if you hate the alien, the mutant and the heretic and can hold a lasgun when they conscript you into the Imperial Guard, and yes I'm oversimplifying) but that the process to create the Space Marines was made by the God-Emperor thousands of years ago using his own genes (or something like that) so they didn't work on women at the time - and the big E is on life support and has been for most of those thousands of years, and science and technology don't really advance much in-universe because it's a crapsack world setting (40k's fandom invented the word Grimdark, for reference), so even if someone was inclined to try and improve on the God Emperor's work, it would be hard to.

All of this is of course, arbitrary, because Games Workshop writes the lore. They've retconned things before, and these days their official position on 'canon' is that all published materials are from nominally in-universe sources and thus potentially biased or inaccurate. And they have had a guy named Cawl create an improved 'Primaris Space Marine' after thousands of years of work (though to be fair, in some quarters, the Primaris Space Marines went over like a lead balloon), so Templin Institute's point was that Games Workshop could say 'actually female space marines are possible because no one realized it before' or 'someone invented a way to make them possible' which is true.

This comment pissed off a bunch of idiots, most of whom are the sort of crypto/quasi/open (it does vary) fascists (or their technically apolitical buddies that give them cover) that give the rest of 40k's player base a bad name. And so they whined that Templin Institute 'went woke'.

Personally, I agree with Templin on this, but I also think this is a stupid argument and people who really want female space marines should just stop engaging with 40k and find a better game/setting to be into, because the Warhammer 40k game and setting is a horrible, terrible, noxious steaming pile of incoherent trash that should have been left on the ash heap of gaming decades ago to be replaced by better stuff.

And I say this as someone who has bought several Warhammer 40k video games, would like to buy at least one more, played some 40k-set TTRPGs a few times, reads some of the 40k novels and spends more time than she'd like to admit (that is, any) reading the 40k Lexicanum (a fan wiki). I will fully concede that the 40k game/setting is a compelling pile of trash, but it still is a pile of trash.

[dragooned-speaks]

Yay, first ask is exciting!

April Showers and May Flowers is a neat title, it sounds like it'll be a pretty fun one!

Writing for fandoms is hard...I tried a little bit but I never wrote very much because I just wasn't suited for it...I bet you'll do great tho bc I tend to give up too easy sometimes

Also word vomits are the best! Do it some more and talk about whatever you want, it's enjoyable!

I reached out bc I saw you read my Fallen Angel story earlier and I wanna thank you for the like, it was fun to see someone new show up since I'm not popular at all

Tell me about your ocs, if you don't mind!

Hello again! (Big word vomit under cut.) This is platonic ppl.

TWs: Abuse, emotional manipulation (does it count if it doesn't work?), dehumanization ig?, orphans, hybrids, spoilers for a future work?

April Showers should be the angst buildup and healing while May Flowers is the final healing and fluff.

So, there are four characters: Willa, Mina, Retribution (idk what his civillian name should be, so I'm taking suggestions!), and Tao. I have the character's physical traits (and a few more personality traits) and a bit of plot and worldbuilding before I write! So, I'll start with Willa, the protagonist!

Three are orphans and the other's parents aren't mentioned because I am not going through the pain of writing parents. This is a superhero (dystopian?) world about the classic superheroes aren't always good, but I made the villain adopters vigilante friends.

Willa is a she / her female who was born in May (see what I did?). Her power is a healing voice, like a switch when she sings. She's a nightingale avian hybrid and she's really quiet, and when she talks, she kinda half sings because her power works to some degree. Her power's drawback is after healing, her voice will get scratchy and hurt or just stop working, depending on the severity of the injury.

She wanted to help the heroes because they're good! ...Right? Well, they're not, and when she joins the Hero Healing Program (so creative, ik), she is immediantly singled out because she's an avian and her power doesn't have a CRAZY drawback like pain or... idk, so they try to force an imprint. Unknown to them, she imprinted on a certain hero trainee named... you guessed it, Mina. Of course, forced healing doesn't work half as well, but the Hero Corporate doesn't know that!

She's cautious and nervous because she has been punished for breathing too loud. Breathing too loud. Crazy, right? She preens herself, but she's self taught and the heroes clipped her wings to keep her around and a tracker. Later, she and Mina run away to Mina's friend Retribution. Slowly, she heals and we get May Flowers' fluff! They run away to be vigilantes, and she becomes Nightingale!

A background worker helping her friends, she gets a power to force people to dance lol. But she has stage fright.

Anyways, onto Mina! She joined the Hero Program because she looked up to heroes as a kid, believing the world to be black and white, so she joined the hero commitee to join the well, "good" side. Her power is luck bending, and she gives good luck to those she thinks is good and bad to those who she thinks are bad.

She's with Mina because they were roomed together as dormmates (is that a word?) and she's a work all day kind of person, but she will stay up until 4 to be with a friend, so she's pretty friendly to her allies. If you're a stranger, she'll ignore you. They became friends after Willa pushed these guys who were bullying Mina because she's a hybrid (because they were technically insulting her too). Mina's a moth hybrid, and also keeps a little canister of poison gas, hence why she wears a gas mask when patrolling.

She's the quiet, serious girl who always repays debts. At the age of 12, she was enrolled in the program (you can start at 10), and she joined as soon as possible. Around this time, Willa is like 9. Later she becomes Karma the vigilante after pretending to retire as a hero (they were too busy looking for a certain lost avian to notice lol). Also, her hero name was Mothra.

There's Lotl, another orphan, but he's crashing with Retribution. Lotl is a lizard / axolotl creature hybrid. He's based off the Tuatara lizard, the three eyed lizard that loses it later. He has a third eye that can scare most people to the point of paralysis, but that power disappears as he grows older, and subsequently, more human. He gains the power to control celestial matter (stars, nebula, etc) but he's like only a year older than Karma so he isn't able to do too much yet. Mainly using some weak sparks from stars to light up and some wind. He's close buds with Retribution, and he's like that one hero who poses for the news evem if he's illegal. He's chill, he's easygoing, and yeah. Karma tells him to hurry up and kick the bad guy already too often lol. Also, he can slit his eyes because cool stuff right there. His civillian name is Tio.

Finally, Retribution. He actually has parents (shocking I know) but we don't see them. They just kinda gave him a floor of the house and don't interact. His family's rich, but he doesn't really care. His power is emotion manipulation, and he always tries to talk before attacking. He sees enotions as clouds, colored dusty pibk to thundering, and can kinda cover his mind in clouds so mind readers can't read his mind. Speaking of, he can mind read in flashes of the clouds, and kinda paints the clouds to change emotions. He can do this best focusing on one person but if he focuses he can do it on a small crowd before almost passing out. He's scary serious, like way more than Karma, and he's really short, even though he's a few months older than Lotl, he's like 4'7.