#original schism generation

[badlydrawndrawnings]

The Snicket Siblings of the Previous Generation

Dinah Anwhistle (nee Snicket), the Toxicologist

Eleanor ‘E’ Snicket, the D.A. Investigator

Frédéric ‘Fred’ Snicket, the Musician

[jesncin]

Okay, I'll bite, what are your feelings on the trans conner pitch?

Oh boy! Thank you for tossing me this bone because I have a lot of mixed feelings!

I notice that people online are very hot and cold about the Trans Superboy Pitch, they either love it or hate it and that doesn't leave a lot of room for nuance + discussion. So to be respectful to a fellow trans peer in the industry, I want to do a fair review/analysis of Skyrocket: the trans Conner Kent pitch by Magdalene Visaggio.

My general takeaway from the pitch is that I like the premise, but the details fumble the execution for me. I can really feel from reading the pitch that Visaggio cares about Superboy. She understands that he's a very weird legacy character who has struggled to find proper footing in the DC Universe after all these years. An effective legacy character is one who is able to spin off and expand upon the themes of the character whose mantle they carry. But the cheesy whatever-goes 90's-ness of Superboy's original run didn't give future writers a lot to work with in terms of a Superman Legacy Character.

It's why I genuinely believe the later retcon reveal that -part of Conner's DNA is from Lex Luthor- is a fantastic addition to his character. It takes a character who was just kind of screwing off to gentrify Hawaii back into the center of Superman's good vs evil conflict. But now Conner's problem is that his story is too tied to his origin and Superman's shadow. Placing Conner with the Kents in Smallville afterwards made him narratively redundant. What's next for him?

So let's dig into the pitch!

I like what's at the heart of this pitch. It's a very season-3-ATLA-Zuko "honor wasn't all it's cracked up to be" arc and I think that suits Conner's character really well! It's the details I have gripes with:

"Conner has been largely relegated to the Jason Todd of the Superfamily" oof, haha that's not a particularly fair characterization.

The constant comparing of Superman to Christian imagery. He's described as basically "Jesus goddamn Christ" in the pitch. The Tyrannical Kryptonians are named Saint, Shepherd and Savior. No surprise I don't like seeing a character who allegorically represented Jewish immigrants to be constantly compared to Christian imagery and deified.

It's inevitable with pitching to the company, but the pitch is bogged down by a lot of convoluted plot points. I get that it's necessary to pitch event tie-ins and universe hopping shenanigans, but it's a lot.

Leland feels like a plot device in this. I'm sure there were plans to flesh out the brotherly clone relationship between him and Conner so that he can feel like his own character, but from the summary he just kind of revolves around Conner the way the pitch describes Conner revolving around Superman. Oops!

Conner's relation to Luthor and Superman works as a story about legacy, bloodlines and the things parents pass down to their kids. It's best when handled thematically and not literally because it's easy to get into essentialist "good genes" vs "evil genes" near-eugenics talking points. Unfortunately this pitch has a lot of that vibe. Leland has more Lex genes so he's super smart. Conner and Leland are able to start a schism in the Future Tyrannical Kryptonian House by "proving their truer genetic link to the original Superman, unsullied by thousands of years of tinkering" thereby gaining allies. Not great!

The part where Conner wants to find "his own Metropolis" by moving to Dripping Springs, Texas. That's Jinny Hex's field of operations, so is it really his own space? I would've just given Conner a new town so he can better stand on his own and build out a unique cast system.

Okay let's talk about the trans stuff!

I get that it makes for an Iconic Visual Superhero Moment, but I really don't like the part where Conner steps through a magical crystal and pops out the other side as a trans woman. It robs her of having that discovery on her own. The pitch says "I believe that this is as natural a move as Iceman's coming out". And just?? Man, remember when Jean Grey read Iceman Bobby Drake's mind and robbed him of his agency by outing him through that invasion of privacy? For a pitch all about Conner's journey of defining herself, it weirdly robbed her of that moment.

The pitch does such a good job talking about how Conner feels like her whole life revolves around Superman and how pointless wanting to be Superman feels now that Jon Kent has taken the mantle. She has Clark's genes, goes to Clark's hometown school, is raised by Clark's parents and all that. So then why is she eventually named after the women in Clark's life? Constance "Connie" Lara Kent. Clark's Kryptonian mom and human grandma? Was the world so small that she could not name herself after anyone else or come up with a new name? Connie doesn't even get to name herself, her new name is one Martha Kent bestows her with. It's hypocritical, and doesn't have the same impact that Superman giving Superboy a Kryptonian name does.

Speaking of which, this right here is my biggest gripe. It's not in the pitch itself but?? Wait- why go on about how Conner deserves a name that's not given to her and then turn around and make Martha name her? Sure, Connie comes up with the superhero name "Skyrocket" herself but surely she also deserves to name herself considering the thesis the pitch built up about self discovery and agency right?

Also with all due respect, this is the whitest queer take on Conner's identity. I wish white trans people could understand that you can have multiple true names that reflect different parts of you.

When Clark gives Superboy the name "Kon-El" it matters that it's given. It ties so well to the idea of familial acceptance into a nearly-extinct culture. You wouldn't know how to reclaim that part of your identity when that culture's been wiped out, so of course it's an honor to be trusted with a name that preserves Krypton's culture. This is a common practice with diaspora reclaiming cultural names from closed cultures, they are gifted their names by someone more culturally connected. I think the pitch having Martha name Connie is trying to echo this, but it doesn't hit the same without that cultural context. It also undercuts the genuine joy Conner felt from finally having a name he truly identifies with. Conner was only ever referred to as Superboy before then. When Clark gives him the name Kon El, Conner cries out that Kon El is his "real name". It's one of his defining moments, and to have that be diminished by saying "It's still a name someone else gave him" is so disappointing.

Then there's the design.

This is gonna lean more into preference, but I'm not the biggest fan of this design! I get what it's going for but it has too much going on everywhere. It also doesn't have that proto-punk look original Conner had, so it ends up not feeling like him. It's too superhero, and not enough casual-wear-on-a-supersuit that Conner sports really well. I see how it fits in with the everyone-in-Superfam-is-wearing-jackets-era, but I also think those new designs don't look good either. Especially Supergirl's. I feel like Conner should be more punk post transition. No respectability beam for her!

Also the name Skyrocket? It's giving knock off-brand toy vibes to me I'm sorry D: People on twidder suggested Supernova and that sounds way better! Even Visaggio stated she prefers that name so you can't be mad at me for this.

Overall big conclusion feelings!

I've been following Visaggio's work for a while because it's awesome seeing trans people getting picked up in comics. While there are some things about her writing I like, for the most part I've felt like her work isn't my cup of tea. I tried reading up a bunch of interviews she's in to try to understand why her writing wasn't clicking with me, and what I discovered is that we have fundamentally different approaches to queer storytelling.

From Paste Magazine. I get where she's coming from, trans characters deserve to have multi-faceted narratives that don't overly center how they're othered at the expense of further characterization. But also? I just actually find the interior lives of queer people and identity interesting. I like writing the kind of escapism and joy that's informed by surviving and inheriting hardships rather than erasing those things or skipping past it. I think this is why Connie is robbed of her trans discovery in the pitch. Why we don't get to watch her grapple with gender identity in a political way. Queer stories about queer struggles are considered archaic and unnecessary nowadays. It's part of the escapism Visaggio values in her work; to give a place of respite for trans readers from the cruelty they experience in reality, but I don't connect to stories like that personally. Whenever I try to share queer Indonesian art and writing with my peers, I'm often told it's too painful to look at. That our pain doesn't fit the modern expectation for happy, empowering queer stories. "trans people get enough hardships in real life, they don't need that in their fiction" Visaggio still talks about her newest projects like this btw.

I'd love to see a take on Conner that more holistically continues the political immigrant themes of Superman. The white parts of fandom love interpreting Conner's identity crisis as primarily a queer struggle, but it's also one of a person grappling with his mixed heritage. He's a diaspora kid separated by a generation away from Krypton. He has yet to make peace with the Luthor side of his identity, one borne of generational trauma and resentment for one's roots. Instead of a take where his queerness separates him from the pressures of legacy, I want to see a Conner take that has themes that are intersectional about his mixed diaspora and queer identity. I want his superficial punk aesthetic to graduate into actual punk ideals. The anti-establishment and radical love philosophies of punk culture would make such a cool extension of Superman themes and it would make so much sense that someone facing so many intersections of marginalization would be radicalized from their experience. I want a queer Conner who isn't just empowering and idealistic, I want one that also gives space for queer readers to feel like their pain is seen too. Conner isn't "Truth, Justice and the American Way" he's famously "Truth, Justice, My Way".

There's a tendency in media criticism to treat marginalized talent as infallible, and I don't think that fair to creatives like Visaggio. Being able to look at their ideas with nuance instead of essentializing it as being Good or Trash is the best way to respect diverse creativity. And my nuanced feelings are that a white queer person who looks at Conner's story and just sees the queer part and dismisses the diaspora mixed heritage side of him,,, is not going to give me the Conner story I want to see.

[actualmermaid]

Today is All Saints Day, and I'm observing it in a somewhat unconventional manner: cyberbullying the Anglican Church in North America

The ACNA, if you're not familiar, is a group that splintered off from the Episcopal Church in 2009. The reason for the schism was that they believed TEC had "gone astray" by ordaining women priests and affirming LGBTQ people, so a bunch of conservative Episcopalians and clergy split off into their own group: the ACNA. They claim to be "continuing" Anglicans, representing the "real" Anglican tradition in the US and Canada.

The reason I'm cyberbullying them on All Saints Day is because they are conspicuously missing a lovely, pious, respectable, and orthodox Anglican saint: Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167 CE)

St. Aelred was a monk, abbot, historian, and spiritual writer from Northumbria. During his lifetime, the abbey boasted hundreds of monks and lay brothers, because Aelred was known for his friendly and gentle demeanor, wise leadership, and healthy community. He had the ear of kings and bishops all over northern Europe. He preached charity, humility, chastity, and all kinds of other Christian virtues. In short, he was the very model of a respectable medieval churchman.

He was also Very Much In Love With Men, and he wrote a treatise called "Spiritual Friendship," which might be nicknamed "How To Be In Love With Men In A God-Honoring Way." I've read it. It's wonderful and timeless and also very, very gay. He was in love with men. In a gay way.

Fast forward to the year 1980. Up until this point, St. Aelred had been a somewhat obscure local English saint. And then a groundbreaking new book was published which challenged all conventional narratives surrounding the Church and queer people in the Middle Ages: Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality by John Boswell. Boswell wrote at some length about Aelred and his love for men, drawing on his other work besides "Spiritual Friendship" and situating him into what was actually something of a "golden age" of gay culture in western Europe. Yes, really.

Fast forward again to the year 1985. At the Episcopal Church's general convention that year, members of Integrity USA (the original LGBTQ advocacy org in TEC) campaigned to have St. Aelred added to the calendar of saints. The House of Bishops agreed, and they added him to the church calendar with full knowledge that Aelred was gay.

Aelred was also physically disabled, and he wrote about his Spiritual Friend becoming "my hand, my eye, the staff of my old age": in other words, his Spiritual Friend was his caretaker as his health declined near the end of his life (which was still quite short even for a medieval person). He also describes the pain of his Spiritual Friend's early death in a way that remains tender 800 years later. I will leave you to imagine why that might be spiritually relevant to a bunch of nice church gays in 1985.

Fast forward again to 2009. The conservative wing of the Church has had enough of TEC's bleeding-heart liberal reforms, so they secede from the union leave and establish their own church without any icky queers or women priests. St. Aelred had been an official Episcopal saint for 25 years at that point, and the newly-formed ACNA had to consciously, deliberately choose to remove him from their calendar of saints.

Fast forward again to earlier this summer. I start doing research into queer Christian history and queer saints. I realize that Aelred is conspicuously missing from the ACNA's calendar, so I look into the background and decide to get obnoxious about it on Instagram. Because this is VERY embarrassing for a church that claims to be the "real" Anglican Church in North America.

A selection of memes for your enjoyment:

[thoughts-i-have-had-in-passing]

The Spock Universes Theory of Star Trek

Recently I made a very quick, late-night reply to a post in which I mentioned my ‘Spock Universes’ theory which to my surprise ended up being somewhat popular with the people, and so I have decided to give it its own post.

The theory is simple. Every time Spock is played by someone different on screen you are watching a different universe’s timeline.

Why does this work? First off it is canon that there are different universes. For one, the Animated Series was disavowed by Gene Roddenberry as not canon, which by extension means it had to have taken place in another universe, but we also have the mirror universe  which continues to exist even when we occasionally wish it didn’t. So Star Trek was doing a multiverse from almost the very beginning. So what is the easiest way to tell them apart?

Spock.

Spock is the key to the whole multiverse. Behold:

TOS: Nimoy Spock, Prime universe

TAS: Voiced by Nimoy but disavowed by Roddenberry, ‘Animated Prime’ universe in which everything that happened in Prime Universe also happened here, but everything that happened here did not automatically happen in Prime.

Star Trek Movies I through VI: Nimoy Spock, Prime universe

TNG: Nimoy Spock appeared in Unification Parts 1 and 2, therefore TNG is in Prime universe

Star Trek: Generations: No Spock. NOT PRIME UNIVERSE.

The evidence: In the TNG episode Relics the crew discover Scotty, played by James Doohan, trapped in a transporter buffer on an infinite loop. This is considered god-tier engineering by Geordie, who did not believe it was possible despite 70 years of advancements in the engineering space (more on that in the SNW section).

Scotty makes a comment that he thought Kirk got the original Enterprise out of mothballs to come looking for him, and was saddened to find out this was not the case. In Generations, Scotty is present when Kirk get pulled into the Nexus and everyone think he is dead. In Prime universe Scotty was not there or he would not have made this assumption, however there is one person who has to be there in order to determine if the universe is Prime: Nimoy Spock.

Who was originally supposed to be there according to the original script? Nimoy Spock.

Who forced a change to the universe by not showing up? Nimoy Spock.

In Prime universe Spock was there instead of Scotty, who had not delayed his retirement to see off the Enterprise B and instead was already on his way to the Norpin colony when Kirk was ‘killed’ the news reached the colony but not the ship, which because it never made it meant Scotty never knew Kirk was gone.

It is important to note that everything else happened the exact same way, except Lursa and B’Etor got hold of a much better ship solely because I said so.

DS9: In the episode Trials and Tribble-ations, the crew was thrown back in time to the days of the original Enterprise, in which Nimoy Spock appeared, even without the various TNG crossovers it’s still Prime universe

Voyager: No Spock, but pilot episode crossed over with DS9, and the character of Barkley crossed over from TNG on more than one occasion. In addition, in the episode Flashback there was an appearance by Captain Sulu, played by George Takei, who was last seen playing his character opposite Nimoy’s Spock. Most likely Prime universe

Enterprise: Predates the Spock schism and therefore theoretically belongs to all universes. It has been referenced in several of the newer series in various ways, however there is a continuity issue in regards to the Klingons, which may mean that the event which lead to Spock being played by someone other than Nimoy happen even further back in the timeline, with the majority of changes being negligible by the time of Enterprise other than the Klingon ridge thing, which Discovery and SNW do not follow

‘Kelvin’ movies: Two Spocks. Nimoy Spock is specifically stated to come from the future Prime universe and the events featuring Quinto Spock are now a new, branched timeline. Further proof for the theory.

Discovery: Peck Spock, new timeline. Other notable changes include the style and advancement of technology and the fact that the Klingons appear to have solved their forehead ridge-flattening troubles, plus added extra for good luck.*

SNW: Peck Spock, crossover with Discovery. Peck universe. This also means that major continuity changes like the Gorn being both known and evil monsters are due to the different universe. In addition, Dr. M’Benga hides his daughter in a transporter buffer to slow down her illness. As previously mentioned, this was god-tier engineering when Prime Scotty did it in 2294, however in this universe technology is more advanced as no one bats an eye at the doctor’s technical prowess when they find out what he did.

Prodigy: Nimoy Spock facsimile which uses Nimoy voice recordings, Prime universe

Picard: No Spock, pick your poison. Basically because there is no Spock this could be Prime or it could be the same universe as Generations. Clearly there are a lot of similarities between Prime and Generations universe, but as the ending shown in All Good Things is not the one we see in Picard, it’s possible, likely even, that we have crossed universes again. I blame Q.

Lower Decks: Somehow exists in a universe where all shows are simultaneously canon, including TAS, probably due to some weird phenomena  

*Challenges to the theory and how it has adapted.

It was pointed out to me that Michael Burnham watches a recording of old Spock once she goes to the future, and that this recording was of Nimoy Spock, and so I have had to alter my theory slightly.

The Spock Checkpoint can only be done when Spock is a young man. This is because once Spock approaches old age, regardless of who has been playing him, he begin to morph into Nimoy Spock. As Mr. Nimoy himself claimed in his second autobiography: I am Spock.

Dude wasn’t kidding.

Personally I find that this theory helps me deal with the more extreme continuity issues that NuTrek has brought to the show. It's easy to pretend that Turnabout Intruder's claim that women can't be captains never actually happened, harder to believe that everyone met the Gorn except Kirk, and that somehow they demonsterfied in about five to ten years, or that a doctor could rig a transporter as well as a master engineer with technology forty years more advanced. Spock theory has calmed my mind and soothed my soul so I can better enjoy Trek. I hope if you felt the same way then it can do the same for you.

Thank you for reading my waffle.

[sapphiel]

Any facts about Envy and/or Abaddon? If not, that is completely fine with me.

Envy is an artificially created demon, specifically a yaoguai, a demon infused with the essence of an animal.

She was created by another demon who was a grieving father, mourning the loss of his beloved daughter, envying those who got to keep their own children. After years of searching for ways to bring her back, he found a way to create yaoguais. In the end... Envy was the result. A corrupted form of his daughter who doesn't even remember herself.

Her former name was Mariah Julia.

Being half-chameleon, Envy has a prehensile tail, a long sticky tongue, can change her appearance to become invisible or even resemble someone else, and her back pair of eyes can move independently and give her unparalleled vision. Strangely, her fingers and toes are also adhesive, much like a gecko.

Her name is gotten from the fact that not only was she born out of envy, but she secretly yearns to be like other people, be they demon or not. She feels incomplete, a disappointment... and maybe someone else's life is a lot more fulfilling than her own.

Abaddon is the Lucifer of Treachery, the lowest of the lows. Lucifers are demons branded by Hell as sinners and criminals that not even fellow demons can tolerate. He bears the worst title, the Ninth, after manipulating several people into getting his own way, like tricking other demons into crimes so that he may report them to Hell to be branded as other Lucifers, and even seducing higher authorities just so he may ascend in power.

His punishment as the Lucifer of Treachery is the fate of non-existence. He was sentence to vanish from reality for as long as no one is thinking about him. Several millennia had passed since his banishment, and only just recently had he returned to reality due to complicated reasons.

Formerly an overachiever who wants to ascend in life, Abaddon is now extremely nihilistic, and wants to be rid of reality. His current goal is to find the child he made with an angel long ago in order to harness their power. Demons and angels in Schism form a race called the nephilim, nicknamed "godkillers" for their potential to overthrow even the mightiest of powers. He seeks to use his child's power to hopefully destroy The Schism, and end not just the world, but reality as we know it, so that all will cease to exist.

In relation to the other Lucifers, he is actually the reason for the other eight's (technically nine) imprisonment: He pushed for Archibald's dream of a truce with angels but reported him as a traitor to Hell (Limbo), blackmailed Jezieka's lover for her indulgence in cannibalism, only for Jezieka to offer herself to be punished in her stead (Lust), corrupted Lady Vylke into consuming massive amounts of demon flesh then had her reported (Gluttony), tricked Tytus and Dima into robbing a bank of Fodere (the Circle of Greed) then lured them into a trap for capture (Greed), seduced Ariel when she was a lieutenant so he may climb the ranks with her graces, who eventually went insane with anger after finding out his betrayal (Anger), goaded Heresy into forming an army to fight the government of Hell only to rat her out in the end (Heresy), captured the general that was Red Lady mid-war for her acts of extreme and unwarranted violence (Violence), and finally, reported his own right hand, Adarahiel, who knew everything, to the authorities so that no loose ends remain.

His child, Morticia, does not know her true origins, as her angel mother had sacrificed her body so that Abaddon cannot lay his hands on either her nor the child, and she initially know she was a nephilim. Eventually though, Abaddon will find her, possessing and corrupting her, then ensuing a grand battle that causes a lot of the Schism's greater powers to unite against the Treacherous menace who dared to rear his head again after millennia of silence.

[gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan]

Cursed

Next

Author's note: Thank you for @sleepyfan-blog for letting me borrow their Boy Cedric. :) The Brain Worms... Here's Jophiel's debut in Mermay.

Summary: Jophiel hates his wretched mutation, it causes him to be slower in the water, and faster in the air. He's glad to be a trained Psyker and Librarian to be able to hide his wings. It drains him far more to hide them on Ancient Terra. But he will. He has to.

Warnings:... Thoughts of self-harm. Mentions of past self harm. Let me know if I need to add anything.

Tagged: @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @egrets-not-regrets, @kit-williams

Tagged: @sleepyfan-blog, @whorety-k

Jophiel, like all first generation Primaris Space Marines had been taught on Mars by the Mechanicum and their First Born brothers of the Iron Hands and the occasional Imperial Fist. As a son of Sanguinius he'd been taught about the Schism that happened when Elder Brothers occasionally gained the Holy Wings of the Primarch of their Legion. No matter the chapter, the others would assume he was their Primarch Reborn and things would grow twisted, strange and then others would be called in and the perpetrators slain by the Righteous.

He shifts his shoulders a little uneasily as he remembers that as he closes his eyes and goes through his training by the Psykers First Born brothers as he assures himself the illusion that he's woven across his back hold true and to the gaze of all around him. He's honored, and anxious, to have been chosen to be a Blood Angel, it had been a decision that one of the Ultramarine Captains had handled, he and his squad would either have become a Blood Angel or a Lamenter, but the Ultramarine had decided that his squad would go to the First Founding Chapter. There is extra pressure for him and his brothers to perform well. He tries not to have his tail lash out in anxiety as he swims.

Part of him wishes that the Curse he'd gotten, that rotten mutation, had either had him culled, or had been cut off by the Mechanicum. For some reason they'd done neither. But he'd been taught the history of the Sons of Sanguinius, and what happened to those of them who'd gained the White Wings, how their brothers would be driven to a form of madness and how a schism would form and they'd nearly tear apart their chapter in a civil war. He would need to find a place to groom his curse and ensure that the wings- so heavy and sodden with water, wouldn't have feather's fall and be noticed by his brothers, Primaris and, most especially, First Born. He'd followed dutifully after his elder brothers and gone to where he had been assigned to work. His fellow Primaris Marines were relieved to see him.

As all known Psyker Primaris were taken from their original squads and taken to a different facility to be trained, not that their non-psyker brothers knew what happened to them. So he'd embraced his old squad and greeted them, glad that they had also survived their training as well. He ensures that his Illusion keeps them from feeling the brush of feathers. It's better if he doesn't allow other's to touch him, it's safer that way. He's a good, loyal, and dutiful. To be found with such a wretched Mutation would have his entire squad torn apart by the Inquisition for being Abominations. He's not. He's … he's not unholy and wrong. He's dutiful, he's loyal, and slowly he and his squad proves themselves to their First Born Brothers.

He understands why they can be so hard on them. After all, with the Red Thirst and Black Rage, they are on thin ice with the Inquisition and the other Chapters for being… Different and Odd. Anything more could spell their doom, and that is not something he wants to cause, that any of the Primaris Space Marines want to cause. He lags behind his brothers, telling them that he's spotted something and that he'll be back, he just wants to check on something. He's glad to be on planet, fewer eyes and ears to worry about, electronic and otherwise. He heads deeper into the water a bit. Looking around almost frantic and paranoid as he relaxes a little and unweaves the illusion around himself and sags a little, tired from the constant use of Psykery to hide his wings. He carefully grabs his left wing and starts to pluck out the lose feathers, with care, setting them into a pouch on his belt, once he's done preening those feathers, he lets go of that wing and then grabs his other wing, carefully preening and plucking out the other lose feathers on his right wing.

Putting the feathers into the pouch. He stretches his wings, they are so heavy, especially sodden with water, he's been teased by his brothers for being slow moving, and a bit clumsy, but it's not enough to be Irritating or Troublesome. Jophiel eyes his feathers as the urge to pluck out all the feathers, to try and cut the wings from his back is almost overwhelming. He shakes his head and closes his eyes. No- the scent of his blood would be noticeable and they'd fuss and shove him at an Apothecary to see where he's wounded. No. While he's tempted to do so, had done so back as an Aspirant in Training, he'd been very grateful that the Apothecary he'd been dragged before had been a Son of Dorn and not a fellow Son of Sanguinius. Cedric, he'd managed to convince that it had been a… training mishap and the wounds were already closing.

Cedric had pushed the issue, as all good Apothecaries did… and he'd less control of his Psykery and had accidentally shown his shameful Mutation. Then had begged Cedric not to tell anyone, that he's loyal and good and while he's… he's suboptimal, that he's… he could prove that despite being cursed with a mutation that he can be a good and loyal Primaris Space Marine. Cedric had promised not to tell anyone, provided he didn't over preen his wings, and if his… Mutation was hurt to come to him, if it was possible to, for helping to fix it. He'd agreed to the deal, and so far he's not had deal with such things. Having heard that Cedric became a Black Templar has… made that promise harder to keep. Still. He weaves the illusion back on his wings, which he keeps tucked against his back. He will do what he must to keep his shameful secret hidden.

Perhaps he should have gone to the Lamenters, for he's heard of how cursed that Chapter is. Not that he's ever going to say those words aloud, as then his brothers, first born and primaris alike would ask what he meant by that and he... he can't say why. He won't. Not with what it could cost him and his brothers. He doesn't want to, by the very cursed wings upon his back, drive them mad, and think he's ... he's not... he's a simple Son of Sangunius. Just that and nothing more.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Digimon & mythology: the Royal Knights

Of all the Digimon groups, none are as famous as the Royal Knights. These 13 holy knight Digimon are the guardians of the Digital World and act as the highest form of network security. The Royal Knights are appointed to the position by and answer to Yggdrasil, the computer who runs the Digital World. While part of a group, each member of the Royal Knights has their own goals, motivations, philosophies, and opinions on the nature of their duties and justice. As a result, they often don't get along with each other and work independently. They may even clash with each other should they have conflicting goals or ideals. When they do work together, however, nothing can stand against them. Most of them rarely show their faces to the common people of the Digital World, instead aloofly performing their duties. While there are 13 Royal Knights, it took time both in-universe and in real life for all 13 members to appear.

The Royal Knights are also heavily connected with the x-antibody, featuring both in the original x-antibody storyline and its follow-up Digimon Chronicle and Digimon Chronicle X. In the storyline, the Digital World is reaching its capacity due to Digimon reproducing out of control. To keep the Digital World from collapsing, Yggdrasil choses a select few Digimon to move to a new Digital World and uses a program called the x-program to kill the remainders. However, the x-antibody begins spreading through the surviving Digimon, mutating them into new x-antibody forms that can survive the x-program and trying to invade the new Digital World. Yggdrasil sends the Royal Knights to kill these x-antibody Digimon. Eventually, a schism forms in the Royal Knights between those who obey Yggdrasil and those who don't want to kill off the vast majority of all Digimon. In the end, Yggdrasil is forcibly reset and the original and new Digital Worlds exist side by side, occasionally interacting with each other. Both world would later come under threat by x-antibody versions of the Seven Great Demon Lords, which ended with the Royal Knights combining their powers to allow the newest member, JESmon, to save the day.

While the Royal Knights are supposed to be the defenders of the Digital World, they, or at least some of them, are often used as villains in various Digimon media. This is often because they serve Yggdrasil, who is a villain in almost every appearance. Sometimes they will start as villains but later change sides. This was the case in Digimon Savers/Data Squad where Yggdrasil viewed humanity has an existential threat and sent the Royal Knights to destroy the human world. The Knights later turned on Yggdrasil after the protagonists showed them that humans and Digimon can coexist in peace. In other cases the Knights will have a schism based on following Yggdrasil's orders. This is the case in the x-antibody storyline and in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, where the Knights become divided between those who wish to exterminate humanity to save the Digital World and those who wish to spare humanity and find a different solution to the problem.

There will be fewer mythological references in this entry than my posts on the Sovereigns and Deva, Seven Great Demon Lords, and Angel Digimon. This is because the Royal Knights have fewer mythological references in general than those groups. I will do what I can though. The Royal Knights are collectively based on the legends of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. The stories of King Arthur are varied and have been rewritten many times. The oldest version of the story we can track down comes from 5th-6th century Welsh sources where Arthur is the king of the Britons in the post-Roman period who defended Britain against Anglo-Saxon invaders. Later writers incorporated their own stories and themes into the mix, such as the addition of chivalric and Christian themes. Christian themes, such as the famous search for the holy grail, were added by later Christian authors while some famous characters like Lancelot were the result of French influence. There really isn't one story of King Arthur and the knights of the round table, there are many. One common trait of the stories is that the round table is round to symbolize that everyone sitting at it is an equal, which is reflected in the the Royal Knights having no internal hierarchy. None of the knights is the master of any other, they are all independent and of equal rank. Kenji Watanabe, one of the main designers for Digimon, has commented that many of the stories have far more than 13 knights of the round table and he isn't opposed to adding more Royal Knights. He has also said he would like to tell a story of the Royal Knights passing the baton to a new generation. I think it would be cool to add more Arthurian references to the Digimon Mythos, making Digimon versions of characters like Merlin, Morgan le Fay, and Mordred. The King Arthur figure could either be Yggdrasil or Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, who founded the Royal Knights but is not a member. I also don't believe there is any official Digimon media telling the story of the founding of the Royal Knights, which I think would be a great story. They are said to be natural enemies of the Seven Great Demon Lords, so I think it makes sense for them to have been founded in response to Lucemon's rebellion and fall.

The first three Digimon specifically identified as Royal Knights were final forms of the main character's partner Digimon from the first 3 anime series: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02, and Digimon Tamers. The first of them to debut and the most famous Royal Knight of all is Omegamon, named Omnimon in English. It was born out of a fusion of two powerful Digimon, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, triggered by the hopes and wills of people wishing for goodness and peace. Because it is a fusion of two Digimon, it can use both of their abilities. making it a master of close and long range combat. Each of its arms resembles the head of one of its components and weapons are stored in the mouths. Its right arm is the MetalGarurumon head, which contains the Garuru Cannon, which can fire energy blasts at absolute zero. Its left arm is the WarGreymon head and contains the Grey Sword and has a powerful shield on the shoulder. Omegamon's role in thr Royal Knights is to protect Yggdrasil's justice and elevate the name of the Royal Knights to greater heights. Omegamon is easily the most popular of the Royal Knights in real life and has showed up in a ton of different animes, mangas, games, etc. Honestly, he's overused in my opinion. Omegamon also has a ton of variants and homages, way too many for me to list here. As with all the Royal Knights, he has an x-antibody variant. Omegamon X possesses a power called Omega inForce, a form of precognition which allows it to foresee what its opponents will do, making it theoretically impossible for it to ever lose a fight. Omegamon X is one of the better x designs for the Royal Knights because it doesn't change much. It just gets spikier. There are much worse designs coming.

Omagemon (left) and Omegamon X (right)

Omegamon debuted in Digimon Adventure. Debuting in Digimon Adventure 02 is Magnamon. Magnamon is the only member of the Royal Knights who is not of the Ultimate/Mega level. Instead, he's an armor Digimon, the result of a Digimon using with the power of one of the relics called Digimentals. Magnamon uses the Digimental of miracles, which grants to power to overcome any predicament. While Magnamon is not a Ultimate/Mega level and is usually depicted as the smallest of the Royal Knights, it is just as powerful as the rest and is the best at defense. In fact, it forms the cornerstone of the Royal Knight's defensive efforts. Magnamon X gains the ability to cause its armor to change shape, further increasing its defensive efforts and giving it more utility.

Magnamon (left) and Magnamon X (right)

Debuting in Digimon Tamers is Dukemon, named Gallantmon in English. A few of the Royal Knights got name changes in English and for most of them I don't have a strong opinion on which is better. In this case though, I think Gallantmon is a way better name than Dukemon and I'm going to use it here. Gallantmon is a living contradiction. Its evolution line bears the Digital Hazard, a force of destruction that could destroy the Digital World. Gallantmon has chosen to restrain that power and protect the world it was born to destroy. Because it understands having to constantly resist the temptation of destruction, it holds itself and its fellows to a very high standard and works to defend the weak. In many different stories, it is depicted as the first one to defect from the Royal Knights should they begin to turn bad or stray from the cause of defending the Digital World. Gallantmon bears the lance Gram and shield Aegis and sometimes rides a mount named Grani. Gram and Grani both come from the Scandinavian legend of Sigurd, a great hero the slew the dragon Fafnir. Gram was the sword wielded by Sigurd which was then passed down to many other heroes. Grani was Sigurd's steed, granted to him by the god Odin and descended from Odin's own steed Sleipnir. Aegis comes from Greek mythology, where it was the shield used by Zeus and Athena. Another reference to the legend of Sigurd comes from the alternate Ultimate/Mega level form of Gallantmon's evolution line: Megidramon. While Gallantmon expresses the power of the Digital Hazards and chooses to be a hero, Megidramon gave into the Hazard and is a mindless, draconic force of destruction. Depending on the the circumstances, it can either be the hero Sigurd or the dragon Fafnir he was sent to slay. The mane of Megidramon comes from Megiddo, the location where the end times will begin according to the Bible's Book of Revelation. It is better known by its Greek name Armageddon. Gallantmon can temporarily mode change into Gallantmon Crimson Mode. In this form, it becomes much more powerful, but it can only stay in this form temporarily. In this from it weirds weapons made of light named Gungnir and Blutgang. Gungnir was the spear of the greek god Odin and Blutgang is the name of the sword of the hero Heime of Germanic legend. Gallantmon X increases its power and transforms Gram into a lance made of light.

Left to right: Gallantmon, Gallantmon Crimson Mode, and Gallantmon X

The most unconventional Royal Knight is Alphamon. Despite being a Royal Knight, it acts as a deterrent force intended to oppose the other Royal Knights and it only appears in exceptional circumstances. Because it so rarely appears, it is known as the empty seat. This is a reference to the siege perilous from Arthurian legend. The siege perilous was an empty seat at the round table set aside by merlin for the knight who completed the quest for the holy grail. In earlier versions of the story, the knight who eventually earned the seat was Percival, though his role was given to Galahad in 13th century French tellings. Alphamon's role as a deterrent force is often interpreted as him being given the job of insuring the other Royal Knights do not go too far or stray from their role as the Digital World's protectors. As such, Alphamon is heroic in most of its appearances. Alphamon is one of an evolution line of prototype Digimon and is often associated with fellow prototype Digimon Ouryumon. Oryumon has the power to transform itself into a mighty blade called the Ouryuken. Only Alphamon is able to wield the Ouryuken and when doing so, it becomes known as Alphamon Ouryuken. Many depictions of Alphamon instead treat the Ouryuken as something that Alphamon can summon whenever he wants and ignore Ourumon's role. Alphamon has a power called the Alpha inForce, which allows it to rewind time to the beginning of a battle and fight over and over again. From an external perspective, it will appear as though Alphamon cut down its enemy with a single blow but the battle may have actually been fought multiple times until Alphamon foound the best outcome. Alphamon naturally compliments Omegamon and their namec come from the phrase "I am the alpha and omega" from the Bible. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and the phrase is supposed to portray god as both the beginning and end of everything. Alphamon is the only Royal Knight that doesn't have an x-antibody form because it is a natural carrier, a Digimon with the x-antibody that doesn't have a non- x-antibody counterpart.

Alphamon (left) and Alphamon Ouryuken (right)

Like how Omegamon, Magnamon, and Gallantmon all debuted as partners of a main character from one anime season. Ulforce V-dramon (eng: UlforceVeedramon) was the partner of the main character of the manga Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01. Ulforce V-dramon is the fastest of the Royal Knights and there is no being that can track its movements. Its armor is immensely strong but also very lightweight, enabling its fast movement. It wears bracelets from which extend energy blades called Ulforce Sabers. It wields the power called Ulforce, which is born from joy and the desire to protect loved ones. The Ulforce is a code that can overwrite a Digimon's data. Most such codes will increase power but damage data, ultimately harming the Digimon using them. The Ulforce instead repairs data, allowing Ulforce V-dramon to heal even as it increases in power. Ulforce V-dramon X increases the power of the Ulforce even more, allowing Ulforce V-dramon to heal from wounds so fast that it appears that it appears it was never wounded in the first place. The v stands for victory, btw.

Ulforce V-dramon (left) and Ulforce V-dramon X (right)

Dynasmon is unusual among the fiercely independent Royal Knights because it will willingly submit to and serve other beings that chare its sense of justice. Once Dynasmon calls another lord, it will serve then with deep and unquestioning loyalty even if their actions could be considered evil. It follows the moral codes of chivalry and bushido, both of which encourage honor, loyalty, and combat prowess. Dynasmon values devotion, fidelity, and curtesy. Becuase it will follow its lord with unquestioning loyalty, Dynasmon is frequently a villain in stories it appears in due to it following an evil lord. Its power comes from wyverns, a type of dragons with two wings and two legs that were often found in medieval heraldry. Dynasmon X increases its wyvern influence, making it more draconic and granting it the best aerial combat prowess of all the Royal Knights. It is also probably the ugliest of the Royal Knight's x-antibody forms and there is fierce competition in that department. There are so many lines on that picture I can barely tell what's going on

Dynasmon (left) and Dynasmon X (right)

Craniummon is the Royal Knight that most understands decorum and follows a knightly code of honor. While very obsessed with decorum, it is also a perfectionist that competes with the other Royal Knights for the highest mission completion rates. It also loves combat and enjoys nothing more than a fight with a truly skilled opponent. Yggdrasil personally modified Craniummon's data, increasing the defensive properties of its armor and giving it the power to generate its weapon and shield from its armor. It carries the double-headed spear Claíomn Solais and shield Avalon. Claíomn Solais, which means "sword of light" appears as a motif in multiple Scottish and Gaelic folk tales, often as an object the hero obtains as part of a quest he must undertake to marry his desired bride. Avalon is the name of a mythical island in Arthurian lore, a magical land where Arthur was taken on his deathbed to one day rise again when Britain needs him most. Craniummon X has further increased the defenses of its armor and it now wears its shield on its back because it is certain it will not be needed. Its x-antibody art is also absolutely hideous, maybe worse than Dynasmon's.

Craniummon (left) and Craniummon X (left)

Duftmon (eng: Leopardmon) is the Royal Knight acknowledged by its fellows as the greatest strategist. This is both because it has an extremely cunning and strategic mind, and because its the only person who can get all the Royal Knights to work together despite their disagreements and opposing values. It believes that justice equals power, though it can be debated whether this means that the most powerful get to decide what justice is or that acting with justice will give one power. When Duftmon chooses to fight, it mode changed to Duftmon Leopard mode, a quadruped that can run and fly at high sppeds and cause rock pillars to erupt from the ground. And yes, its name in English is Leopardmon Leopard Mode. Interestingly, Duftmon has a very French motif, but its name and the name of its attacks are all in German. Specifically, it was based on the chanracter of Oscar François de Jarjayes from the manga The Rose of Versailles. She was a beautiful woman who was raised as and dresses as a man and is a skilled fighter. Despite being designed based on a woman, Duftmon is still generally depicted as masculine or genderless. Duftmon X gains powerful but flexible armor, allowing it to dodge incoming attacks from multiple directions and strike back with taijutsu (martial arts) and datotsu (kendo). It no longer relies on a mode change to fight.

Left to right: Duftmon, Duftmon Leopard Mode, and Duftmon X

Seipmon was the first Royal Knight introduced who is not humanoid and one of only two in total. Instead, it is shaped like a centaur, though with an additional pair of legs and a horse's head. Its six legs give it unsurpassed mobility and it can move far faster than its bulky frame would suggest. though it is still not as fast as Ulforce V-dramon. Its name was changed to Kentaurosmon in English, which is the only Royal Knight name change I really don't like. It resides at the Digital World's north pole, where it guards super-ancient ruins that lie beneath the ice. Within these ruins is said to lie programs that were used to create Digimon. If evildoers were to get ahold of such data, they would be able to create an unlimited army of Digimon to serve them. Sleipmon weilds the power of fire and ice. In its left hand is the crossbow Múspellsheimr which fires burning arrows in an attack called Bifröst. In its right hand is the shield Niflheimr, which can unleash a blizzard. In Norse mythology, Múspellsheimr and Niflheimr are primordial wrlds of fire and ice, the intermingling of which led to the creation of the rest of the universe. From the same mythology, the Bifröst is a rainbow bridge that links Midgard (Earth) and Asgard (realm of the gods). Sleipmon's name and appearance also gome from Norse mythology. Sleipnir was an eight-legged horse who was the god Odin's personal steed. Sleipmon X gains an additional two arms, letting it load and fire its bow at lightning speed.

Sleipmon (left) and Sleipmon X (right)

LordKnightmon (eng: Crusadermon) is the least pleasant of the Royal Knights. It cares nothing for morality, instead following its own brutal and utilitarian code of justice. It is incredibly ruthless and shows no compassion for the weak, instead ruling by force and even culling the weak to ensure only the strong survive. Naturally, LordKnightmon is a villain in nearly every appearance. It is also to monarch of the Knightmon species and presides over all knight Digimon, giving it a personal army to do its will. LordKnightmon is one of only two virus-attribute Royal Knights, the other being Gallantmon. While Gallantmon resists its destructive urges to protect the weak, LordKnightmon is just a total asshole. It carries no weeapon, but the ribbons coming from its body can be used as blades and its shield contains a pile bunker. Interestingly, LordKnightmon is the only Royal Knight to have been portrayed as female and different appearances treat it alternately as feminine, masculine, or genderless. Probably because it's pink and likes roses. LordKnightmon X gains a major rose motif and gets to have a sword. It battles in a manner like dancing that invokes fear in those who see it.

LordKnightmon (left) and LordKnightmon X (left)

Examon, along with Sleipmon, is one of the two non-humanoid Royal Knights, being a gigantic dragon. It is one of the more recent members, both in and out of universe, because it is so large that new technology had to be invented to render the sheer amount of data that makes up its body. While a member of the Royal Knights, Examon also holds the position as the greatest of all dragon Digimon, holding the title Dragon Emperor. Its wings are named Caledfwlch and have a mind of their own, being able to transform into an unbreakable shield to protect it. The lance it holds is named Ambrosius and is used in attacks called Avalon's Gate and Pendragon's Glory. Examon is based on the Y Ddraig Goch, the red dragon of Wales. The dragon is a symbol of Wales and the Welsh people. In the ancient Welsh book of stories Mabinogion, the Red Dragon is seen battling a white dragon. The white dragon represents the Anglo-Saxons who were colonizing Britain and the story says that the red dragon will soon win. Caledfwlch is the original Welsh name for King Arthur's sword Excalibur. Ambrosius comes from Ambrosius Aurelianus, a war leader in Roman Britain who defeated the Anglo-Saxons in a major battle and was later incorporated into Arthurian legend as Arthur's uncle. The attack names come from the same Avalon mentioned in Craniummon's entry and Pendragon, the surname of King Arthur. Examon X becomes humanoid and gains the power to make swords out of lightning. I actually kind of like Examon X's design, I just think it should be its own Digimon instead of a variant.

Examon (left) and Examon X (right)

Gankoomon one of the two final Royal Knights released for the franchise's 15th anniversary. Unlike the other Royal Knights, who are aloof and distant, Gankoomon spends a lot of time with common Digimon and helps out with smaller problems, making it very popular in the Digital World. Gankoomon also works well with other Digimon, in contrast to the other Royal Knights, who work alone. In particular, it allies with Sistermon Blanc and Sistermon Noir and is training Hackmon as a successor. Gankoomon acks like a stern father figure, treating Hackmon severely and arguably cruelly and rarely showing pride or affection, but it does genuinely want Hackmon to succeed and become a Royal Knight. The fiery, dragon-shaped aura above Gankoomon is actually another Digimon named Hinukamuy bonded to Gankoomon. Hinukamuy is an Adult/Champion level and when it evolves, there won't be any Digimon who can rival it. Unlike the other very regal and European Royal Knights, Gankoomon is unconcerned with decorum and prefers beating enemies with its fists instead of swords. Gankoomon is visually and behaviorally based on banchos, the leaders of Japanese delinquent groups. Hinukamuy's name is a combination of Hinukan, a fire god from the religion of Japan's Ryuku islands, and Kamuy, the Ainu (natives of the Japanese island of Hokkaido) word for a god. Gankoomon X merges with Hinukamuy and can release it as a surging aura that empowers it and destroys the landscape around it. It also takes off its shirt.

Gankoomon (left) and Gankoomon X (right)

The final and most recent member of the Royal Knights, debuting for the franchise's 15th anniversary, is JESmon. JES is an abbreviation of Justice Edge Swordsman. JESmon started out as Hackmon, a promising Child/Rookie level Digimon who aspired to be a Royal Knight. Gankoomon saw in it the potential to become the 13th Knight and put it through an intense training regiment. Eventually, Hackmon evolved to JESmon and was accepted by Yggdrasil as the 13th Royal Knight. Like its mentor, JESmon is a team player that works well with others, unlike the other Royal Knights. In working with others, JESmon lears to trust others and keep itself from becoming overconfident in its own abilities. Its usual allies are Sistermon Blanc and Sistermon Noir and it will also coordinate with the Digimon local to wherever it goes. JESmon has the ability to sense abnormalities and signs of chaos around the Digital World and will rush to stop them, making it the first of the Royal Knights to rush in to stop disasters. It has three familiars named Atho, René, and Por that fight along side it and can come together for an attack called Un Pour Tous. The familiars are named after Athos, Aramis, and Porthos, the Three Muskateers. Similarly, the attack is named after their catchphrase "Un pour tous, tous pour un" or "one for all, all for one", the motto of the Three Muskateers. JESmon X gains even more compat bower and turns Atho, René, and Por into two powerful arms. JESMon X and further evolve to JESmon GX, in which it has fully masters its power. In this form, it becomes the vessel for Knight's Intruder, a blade that contains the power of all the Royal Knights and will only be used in response to threats that would end the Digital World.

Left to right: JESmon, JESmon X, and JESmon GX

[bloodyvicar]

so i’ve been thinking about Willem’s actual goals with ascension and insight. theres a note you can find in the lecture hall that says “Master Willem was right. Evolution without courage will be the ruin of our race.” This sort of reads as Willem having the ‘courage’ to take the leaps needed for ascension, most likely experimentation, which makes sense considering the Garden of Eyes enemies you encounter outside of Byrgenwerth. But the way it’s written is confusing; if anything the Healing Church, Laurence, and even Micolash were the ones who had the ‘courage’ to do what was needed to ascend (more experimentation, abandoning Byrgenwerth for their own institutions, etc.). And also, who would have written this? Out of the main school of thought within Bloodborne Willem was definitely the most careful regarding what needed to be done for evolution.

So then I looked into the LastProtagonist retranslations of the original Japanese text, to which the note instead read:

ウィレーム先生は正しい。情けない進化は人の堕落だ

“Professor Willem is right. (The) wretched evolution is man's downfall.”

That adds a completely new context. The ‘wretched evolution’ mentioned in the text could be interpreted as his fear of the Old Blood that Laurence believed in, and the transformation of men into beasts is what is destroying Yharnam. But here me out, okay:

Ascension to me exists on a sort of spectrum, and adding more insight or blood furthers your transformation from just being able to perceive the truth around you to a genuine metamorphosis into an entirely new being. I think Willem was fervently against the extreme side of ascension, and instead wanted to just perceive the Great Ones as they were. Insight is tied to being able to see and understand concepts and beings larger than you, and before you bring in the concept of insight being used for a physical transformation it makes sense that “lining the brain with eyes” would primarily involve increased perception. Willem never wanted to be a Great One, rather he just wanted to understand them in a way his mind could understand.

The schism between him and Laurence was not because of differing paths to ascension, but fear of evolution as a whole. Laurence flies too close to the sun and thinks he can become a god, rather than just a general difference in theory thar could’ve worked hand in hand.

I think this also adds an interesting new perspective to Willem’s adage. "We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open." It's interesting how directly blood is associated to humanity in this, and so I think it's Willem’s way of reminded laurence that our blood is what makes ur human and gives us or humanity, and coveting god blood and injecting goes completely against the laws of nature. As for "our eyes are yet to open", i think it old either be read as Willem saying that humans are not ready to ascend and our hubris blinds us from that fact, or even better that humans are not made to ascend bc we live on the basest of planes, that is our place in the universe. The most we can do is at last perceive the mysteries around us, not able to grasp it but isnt it enough to just know what these things are? Yknow?

This would also mean that Micolash’s school of thought aka using insight to complete a physical transformation would make it a sort of hybrid of Willem and Laurence’s theories. He believes in the use of insight, but also in a more hands-on approach to reaching godhood via experimentation that Laurence was more inclined towards, and would’ve even partaken in since he was apart of the Choir at some point in time.

[yanderes-galore]

Surprised to see no N'tho 'Sraom concept yet! Might as well go ahead and request it myself right now~

I actually didn't know him so I had to once again utilize the wiki to help me out ^^ Hope you enjoy this regardless! Not fully proofread, may have mistakes!

Yandere! N'tho 'Sraom Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Possessive behavior, Yandere alien, Manipulation, Invasion of privacy, Violence (Mentions of war), Forced/Dubious relationship/companionship.

According to what I read, N'tho was originally the youngest Sangheili in a Covenant Special Operations branch.

He outperformed many of his fellow Sangheili in the group.

Later, during The Great Schism, he joined forces with Thel and Rtas against The Prophet of Truth.

He developed a high respect for humanity and was a human sympathizer.

He then became part of The Swords of Sangheilios after the Human-Covenant War with Thel.

He is very dedicated to old Sangheili ways.

He understands and respects human's audacity and resolve.

He actively participated in missions under Thel's command.

N'tho may be close to either a human or Sangheili who fought beside him during the end of the Human-Covenant war.

This way, regardless on which species you choose, you have time to prove yourself to N'tho.

Most Sangheili gain respect for others based on their combat prowess.

I'll try to keep this general but I am biased to human darlings....

N'tho's obsession starts with a mutual respect between you.

He is a young member of his kind but can see a good fighter when he sees one.

Regardless on your species... he respects you and considers you an ally and companion.

Even after the war he still remembers you fondly.

Perhaps if you're a Sangheili you are also a part of The Swords of Sangheilios.

Or, if you were a human, you're one of those new marine turned spartan types.

N'tho hopes you are respected for your skills in combat situations and wishes you the best.

His obsession slowly develops as he's away from you.

You two are stationed away from one another and N'tho finds himself thinking back on how well you fought.

N'tho canonically has not married or taken any sort of partner

So his obsession could just be a close bond or something more romantic.

He certainly is fond of you for your abilities.

Both in strategy, leadership, and overall combat knowledge.

He finds these traits desirable in both an ally and partner.

As a result N'tho may try to sneakily find information on you to meet you.

Surely he can get permission from Thel to meet with you, perhaps even for a future mission due to how well you are in combat.

He may even get away with it as you are a good asset.

Having an extra Sangheili/Human warrior can aid in missions.

It's even better if just by chance N'tho works with Thel and a human group, just to find you.

As with most Sangheili yanderes I write, N'tho grows possessive of you when he sees you again.

When he first met you he was a Sangheili Minor, a young Sangheili with barely any rank.

But now he's something much more, isn't he?

Surely you find this... appealing?

In a way you can tell he's trying to impress you.

He's a higher rank now, he even is able to command a ship as Shipmaster.

Due to his higher rank, N'tho may even recruit you on his ship.

Naturally he wants to keep you close, what better way to do that than by recruiting you?

Eventually N'tho's obsession makes you his second in command.

He keeps all other troops under his command away from you.

His possessive behavior leaks out at times, resulting in subtle threats towards some forces.

He holds back on outright violence... but he has his limits.

If he just sees you as an ally or friend... his obsession stops at that.

If not... then he tries to court you.

After all... he's improved so much from when you first met.

Aren't you impressed?

Maybe you should give him a chance...

As two warriors, you'll be perfect together!

If not... well... N'tho is persistent and loyal.

One way or another you two share a warrior's bond with one another...

He plans to preserve that connection and keep it all to himself....

[mllemaenad]

-it makes my poor European brain hurt just considering trying to cover that much territory, so how come the Brotherhood has outposts everywhere and, with a few exceptions, seem pretty unified in terms of ideology/general nastiness to everyone who isn't them.

Ha. :) The Doylist answer to this is that The Brotherhood are your last minute allies of convenience against The Master in the original Fallout, which means they've cemented themselves as essential to the franchise and have earned themselves at least a cameo in every game since. That, for example, is why they bent over backwards to ensure a version of them appeared in the original plot of Fallout 76 even though there was no practical way to get Roger Maxson's crew out to Appalachia that early.

The Watsonian answer is three part: the first is that they actually aren't unified at all. They're some of the most cantankerous bastards in the entire wasteland. They're incredibly dogmatic, and adhere to a sacred "Codex". Of course, being people, they immediately come up with different interpretations of their sacred text. And, being the Brotherhood of Steel, they can't agree to disagree on the matter – so they have schisms. So many schisms.

The funniest one is in Fallout 3. They have no means of high speed travel at this point, so the group calling themselves The Outcasts schism their way about four streets over to sulk in an old fort and utterly fail to get an old video game working. They also wear darker power armour to show how rebellious they are. I really have no words for how pathetic all this is. It's also really important to them that you understand that you are a wastelander and they are superior beings.

In this case, the argument was that their boss, Owyn Lyons, decided the Super Mutants then overrunning the Capital Wasteland constituted an existential threat to humanity itself and that he should probably do something about that. The Outcasts, led by Henry Casdin, contended that Lyons was way off mission: they're supposed to be hoarding anything you could put a battery in, not saving people from Super Mutants. The sad thing is that, in terms of the most commonly accepted version of Brotherhood dogma, Casdin is probably in the right here.

But usually the groups go further afield than that. The Mojave Brotherhood, in New Vegas, exists because their particular leader, Elijah, wanted to try to research new tech instead of just putting every laser rifle they can find in a broom cupboard (unfortunately Elijah is also a terrible person, so I can't endorse his research - but that's a whole other conversation). The Brotherhood could not handle the conflict, so - schism!

Then there's the big question: do we talk to other people or not? The whole thing is laid out pretty well in the opening of Fallout Tactics, which I found for reference on Youtube. Now I should note that a lot of the stuff in Tactics has been pretty thoroughly retconned. The Brotherhood are not descended from Vault Dwellers, and while I don't know if Vault 0 is still a thing – Vault 31 seems to have replaced it in practice. But the business with the Brotherhood's internal conflict regarding their isolationism seems to now be canon: Roger Maxson, the Brotherhood's founder, references it in Fallout 76.

The main Brotherhood, in California, has traditionally been very isolationist, and just periodically kicks out anyone who doesn't agree with them. It's interesting that they're shown as definitely recruiting outsiders in the TV show but everything in California is pretty clearly on fire at the moment, so it's unsurprising that they're desperate.

Lyons's Brotherhood was sent out, in part, in search of the group they exiled in Fallout Tactics (who are in Chicago, if they're anywhere, not Washington DC, so that mission is going about as well as expected) and are less isolationist.

Which leads me to part two of the Watsonian explanation: the bastards can fly. You probably guessed this if you sat through the eight minute video: they've got airships and vertibirds. The airships aren't surprising if you remember they hail from California: that area has, until recently, been clawing its way out of the apocalypse, so there are resources available to build fancy machines. They've managed to crash them all by Fallout 3, because of course they have, but by the end of that game they (probably, unless the player sided with the Enclave and blew them up a lot) control most of the Capital Wasteland, so they've got the power to hoard and steal their way into building the monstrosity that is The Prydwen.

The vertibirds are, I regret to say, The Chosen One's fault: you steal the plans for them in Fallout 2. This has zero consequences in that particular game so there's no reason to think it's a problem. It's just something you kick yourself for later.

So the Brotherhood gets everywhere because they are one of the few groups with the power to travel relatively easily in the post-apocalyptic world.

And the third part, which builds on that, is that sometimes they're just the same guys.

The Brotherhood of Steel you meet in the original Fallout have cameos in some small bunkers in Fallout 2. They've built a few more installations but it's all still their original stomping ground.

Likewise, the Brotherhood that rolls in in Act 2 of Fallout 4 are the same people you'd have met in Fallout 3: Arthur Maxson appears as a child in Fallout 3, and has brought his chapter in to wreak havoc in the Commonwealth.

The original Appalachian Brotherhood is a dead branch: they were genuinely new people who were wiped out by the Scorched Plague. But their commander, Lizzie Taggerdy, was in direct contact with Roger Maxson. He was the only guy she could get on the phone post-apocalypse, so she signed up with the Brotherhood because it's not like she had anything else planned. Their ideology, in that case, came straight from the original source.

So, there you have it. Brotherhood everywhere, whether you like it or not. And probably Brotherhood everywhere for the foreseeable future, since Bethesda seems to love them.

[free-my-boy-grumbot]

what are the religious themes and parallels of ASOUE part thirteen?

I’m so glad you asked! and completely unprompted, too :)

okay so you know that karl marx quote “religion is the opium of the people”? and how that means that religion allows its followers to turn a blind eye to societal problems and to ease people’s concerns about their life? yeah well lemony snicket did that literally. the island in The End is a result of Ishmael realising that he had lost control of VFD. originally, he wanted to create a peaceful society of noble, well-read people — this led him to enforce a black-and-white view of morality onto its members. obviously, there were people who criticised this, but believe it or not ishmael is not an open minded man. once again, he believes that there is an objective view of morality, and those questioning it are inherently evil. so, he convinced the volunteers that those people were dangerous, which led to a schism, which led to. well you know. anyways that was a gross oversimplification because that’s not what i’m talking about! what i was going to say was that he took some people affected by the schism — people who were also seeking an escape from the horrors that VFD had put them through — and he created a civilisation for them on an island. the only source of drinkable water on this island was cordial contaminated with opioids, and he knew this. in fact, he actively stopped newcomers from creating a water filtrations system. he then did everything in his power to make the inhabitants forget their old lives. he convinced them they’d ended up here by shipwreck, he made them bring him anything that washed up to determine if it was “safe”, he stored any reminders of the past on the other side of the island and banned the inhabitants from going there.

“nothing wrong with a little opium for the people!!” SIR. SIR THERE IS. Ishmael believes that peace should be achieved through any means necessary. therefore, if a problem has become too difficult to solve, he is all for simply pretending it doesn’t exist. This is why he gives the opiates to the islanders. He believes that maintaining a peaceful VFD has grown too complicated, and that the only way a peaceful society can exist is if its members unquestionably accept his rule. He not only believes morality to be black and white, but enforces this belief onto the volunteers, teaching them that following his authority is inherently “good”, and those who oppose or even question it are inherently evil. Since he couldn’t run a society like this in the “real world” — he would always have opposition, which would always mean conflict — he simply created his own, smaller world, where the civilians were too high off their balls to think critically about his leadership. After that, he only had to seem benevolent on the surface because they would all be too comfortable to dig deeper.

Now, black-and-white ethics, dictation of peace, dismissal of societal issues, and lack of scrutiny towards authority are all classic criticisms of religion, and you could definitely draw some parallels between Ishmael’s style of leadership and organised religion. This has all been quite generic antitheism so far. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!!

There is an apple tree on the “bad” side of the island. the tree is hollow. there is a library inside, containing any books which may remind the islanders of their past life. these mostly include books from the volunteers and firestarters, the “good” and “bad” sides of the schism. one might say it’s a sort of. a s. a sort of tree of knowledge of good and evil, if you will.

And then later in the book, klaus and violet, a man and a woman, are given an apple from that tree by a snake. classic daniel handler subtlety <3 so ofc this represents genesis, but here is where we get Wierd With It.

The apple saves the baudelaires. They were poisoned with the medusoid mycelium, and the apple immunised them. in fact, the apple is not presented in a negative light in the slightest. this has VERY interesting implications in my opinion and it makes me think that daniel handler is saying, in the bible, eve was also never wrong for eating the fruit! we would be nowhere without the knowledge of sin and death and suffering, there would be no art without it, nor would there be appreciation for the good (ok this part might be me)! eve was in the right, and so was the snake!! which is also incredibly fitting because everyone thinks that the incredibly deadly viper is evil but it actually wouldn’t hurt a fly (we know because monty tried to feed it flies :))

“ohhh ur overthinking it” yes on purpose overthinking this series is my number one hobby. anyways i just thought daniel handler was making an interesting point here :33 anyways i will add more stuff if i think of it

[badlydrawndrawnings]

In Which Some Members Of VFD Are Shown

Zacharias ‘Z’ Anwhistle, the [College] Professor

Jacob ‘Jake’ Snicket (nee McCoy), the Reporter

Viola Caliban, the Librarian/The First Madame Lulu

Face claim for Jacob: Sam Waterston (source: The Killing Fields, 1984)

Face claim for Viola: Elizabeth Montgomery (source: Bewitched, 1964-1972)

[militantinremission]

HipHop's 50th Anniversary: What 'Culture' are We talking about?

I was in Elementary School back on Aug. 11th 1973. My family left The Bronx, but I spent a lot of time w/ my 'big cousins' in the Harlem River Houses. My cousin Mona babysat my brother & I, taking Us everywhere w/ her; including dates. I remember Mona taking Us to 'The Summer Of Soul Concert' in Harlem, & I remember going to a few of those Park Jams in Bronxdale & in Soundview. I think We saw more of King Mario than Kool Herc & Coke La Rock. My oldest brother formally introduced me to HipHop in the Spring of 1977. I remember coming home from School to find his Crew set up in Our Dining Room.

I got my 1st look from the 'Other Side of The Rope', & I was hooked! I wasn't a Rapper (yet), or a Break Dancer, but I had an ear for music. Like a lot of Old School Deejays (& under My brother's tutelage) I cut My teeth on Component Sets & BSR Turntables; rocking Line In switches b4 getting a [real] Mixer... I bought My own DJ Set in 1984 (B2s), & mastered my Craft as a Street DJ, & later in a few NYC Clubs. Most DJs are disciples of [Grand Master] Flash or [Grand Wizard] Theodore; I was more of a disciple of Jazzy Jay & Cut Master DC. We All have Our Unique Features, but EVERYONE went back to School when Jazzy Jeff introduced the 'Transformer Cut', back in 1986. Like a lot of DJs disenchanted w/ 'Gangsta Rap', I split time w/ HipHop's Twin Sister- House Music.

I say all of this, to qualify myself as a 'bonafide Shorty' of 1st Generation HipHop, & a full fledged Member of The New School Era. My point, is to say that 'In The Beginning', there was just The Culture. It didn't have a formal name- but it was being done ALL OVER NYC. I associate the '1520 Sedgwick Avenue' Story of HipHop w/ Afrika Bambaataa; he's The First Person that I remember telling this Story. Disco King Mario predated Kool Herc by years. Herc copied Mario's Style- down to his equipment! King Mario wasn't alone, Pete 'DJ' Jones & Frankie Crocker were dueling On The Radio (WWRL vs WBLS), while DJ Flowers, DJ Spotlight, DJ Smokey, DJ Hollywood, & a number of Club DJs were also mixing it up.

A major argument is whether Disco is connected to HipHop. The Cats up in The Bronx say HELL NO, while the rest of NYC says HELL YES! People need to understand that when We talk about 'Disco', we don't mean 'The Sound' or Studio 54; We mean 'The Disco Fever', 'Harlem World', 'Sugar Hill', & 'The Factory'. The DJs that spun @ these Clubs molded the format that HipHop DJs still follow Today. Kool Herc is credited w/ The 'Merry Go Round'- his mix of Break Beats, but he wasn't the only DJ mixing Breaks or James Brown songs. The Black Spades that were interviewed, speak on King Mario spinning 'Soul Power' & how they chanted 'Spade Power'- as early as 1971. This creates a schism between Bronxdale & Soundview.

Black Americans say HipHop started in Bronxdale, as late as 1971. West Indians; Jamaican- Americans in particular, say it started on Aug. 11th, 1973. Puerto Ricans [Nuyoricans/ Puerto Rocks] say it started between 1975 & 1977, when Afrika Bambaataa incorporated Latino Breakers into 'his' HipHop scene. While there is debate over When & Where in The Bronx it started, EVERYONE AGREES that HipHop was created to Stop Gang Violence. The Culture involves individual expression through Graffiti, B- Boy Style of Dress, & Dance, Spoken Word, & the ability to keep The Party going non-stop. The Original Gangs splintered into Crews that now 'battled' each other w/ Turntables & Mics, on the Dance floor, & w/ Spray Paint Cans (Bombing).

The vernacular of HipHop is based in The Nation Of Islam & The Nation of Gods & Earths, so it's big on Black Power, Black Excellence, & The Traditional Black Family. Both Organizations are Pan Afrikan in their Philosophy, so The Black Diaspora is represented. The same is true w/ The Zulu Nation. Before the rise of The Nation of Latin Kings & Queens, you would find Latino Zulu Kings & Queens- it was All Love! Afrika Bambaataa coined HipHop's 'Mission Statement' of: "Peace, Unity, Love, & Having Fun!", in a song w/ James Brown by the same Name. He also defined the existing '5 Elements' as the fundamentals of HipHop Culture. The Zulu Nation were the unofficial Ambassadors of HipHop; first taking it Downtown, & later taking it Globally... No One questioned Bambaataa's actions.

As We celebrate 50Yrs of HipHop, Afrika Bambaataa's Legacy is tarnished @ best. He has been Radio Silent, since allegations of Child Molestation rose against him 7Yrs ago. Every Move that Bambaataa made is being questioned- Was it a good move for HipHop to go Downtown to SoHo? Did it open the door to the current 'isms' that plague The Culture? It was a Black Specific art form, but it opened itself up to integration w/ Sexual Deviants, Drug Abusers, & White Record Executives. In retrospect, We can see what lured Bam Downtown. I'm curious- is the current manifestation of 'The Culture' Bambaataa's intended goal? It goes against his language, but it's in line w/ his actions.

In the wake of Afrika Bambaataa's 'Fall from Grace', people began questioning his narrative of HipHop. Original B- Boys are still walking The Streets, so it wasn't hard to fact check. DJ Phase has spoke on many Youtube videos under 'The Culture', where he breaks down the Foundation of what became HipHop. According to DJ Phase, HipHop was born on June 7th, 1971- in the Bronxdale Houses. He said that it wasn't organized; Mario simply set up on the grass & spun records. Later that Summer, in July- DJ Phase said that they were more organized w/ more sound & records, so THAT was when Brothers got serious about what they were doing. Disco King Mario did a series of Jams that culminated in the legendary 'Rosedale Park' Jam, that lit up The Bronx & inspired future pioneers.

There is a lot of controversy today concerning the Origins of HipHop. Jason Black, of 'The Black Authority' had the best comment on the subject: "Success has many Fathers, but Failure is an Orphan". As We question the running narrative of HipHop's birth, We also have to question WHO gets Credit for WHAT. No One questions the contributions of Jamaicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Haitians, & Panamanians to The Culture, but the claims being made by Busta Rhymes, Pete Rock, Fat Joe, & John Leguizamo are disrespectful. Busta & Pete Rock assert that Jamaican Culture DIRECTLY INFLUENCED HipHop; Busta says 90%. He goes on to say that Kool Herc brought the Sound System & Jamaican 'Toasting' or 'Ranking' to the Bronx Youth. Puerto Ricans weren't really prominent in HipHop b4 'Beat Street' & the 'Break Dance Movies', but Fat Joe & John Leguizamo say Puerto Rico contributed 50% to The Culture... They ALL sound ridiculous.

In an effort to get ahead of King Mario predating Kool Herc, people have gone as far as saying that Disco King Mario is [half] Puerto Rican. When it was proven that Mario came from North Carolina, a Story came out that his family migrated to (Jim Crow) North Carolina back in 1912. Mario's Sister says they aren't Puerto Rican- They're North Carolinian & 'Country'... His Mother just liked the name Mario. This effort to remove Black Americans from a Black American genre is confusing. Making a contribution 'to', or an innovation 'of' something, doesn't make one 'The Originator' of it. DJ Phase made a point to elaborate on The Energy behind HipHop, & what inspired it. Our Family from The Diaspora mostly arrived after The Civil Rights Movement; They really don't know what AmeriKKKa was like before 1970.

Contrary to what Busta Rhymes, Pete Rock, or Fat Joe may say, HipHop begins w/ The Black Spades. As a boy in Harlem, I remember how revered The Black Spades were. They were respected, but I didn't understand why... Before The Black Spades, Blackfolk in The Bronx were being victimized by Whitefolk; 'Authur Avenue' Italians, in particular. According to The Black Spades, they couldn't go ANYWHERE w/o being attacked, so they organized & struck back. The Black Spades- essentially Black Teens, didn't just beat those Racists back; they opened up The Bronx for EVERY Black Person, giving them The Right of Autonomy. That Energy or Spirit of Revolution was celebrated in Song & Dance, & King Mario was The Conductor.

Kool Herc got to see King Mario & The Black Spades at 'The Tunnel'. He heard the Breaks & saw how the Black Spades reacted... He heard 'Spade Power!'. Herc himself said that he analyzed what 'they were doing' & came up w/ The Merry Go Round. That, is an innovation. Herc never said that he introduced Toasting to those Baby Spades; in fact, Herc admitted trying to play Jamaican Music, but The Crowd didn't take to it. If Busta & Pete Rock were right, We should have some Reggae among familiar Beat Beats. All of these Cats talk about 'Culture', but they just sound ignorant. A 'Culture' is defined as: 'The sum total of Social Life'. If West Indian (i.e. Jamaican) and/or Latinx (i.e. Puerto Rican) Culture plays such a major role in HipHop, why did ALL of them adopt Black American Social Mores? Kool Herc admitted that he was clowned when he arrived in The Bronx; he thought Cowboy Boots were cool.

If we're going to run w/ the: 'Kool Herc is The Father of HipHop' Story, Coke La Rock should @ least be mentioned. He is credited w/ being The First Emcee. He was Herc's Partner. Busta & a literal Legion of Yardies want to coronate Herc as 'King of HipHop', but it was Coke La Rock that transformed 'Clive' into 'Kool Herc'. Clive DIDN'T KNOW THE CULTURE. Coke La Rock took him down to 125th Street, showed him what to buy, & how to sport it. Somehow, Coke La Rock was written out of the narrative. Again, Bambaataa started this. Another issue w/ Herc being hailed as 'The Father' of HipHop, is how easily he Bowed Down to U- Roy. Herc referred to him as 'his King'. Big Respect to U- Roy, I- Roy & ALL the Pioneers of Ska, Reggae, Lover's Rock, Dub Poetry, & Dancehall! That said, Black Americans BOW TO NO ONE! This is a Problem.

When We talk about Culture, HipHop embodies The Spirit of Revolution. Lay it out on the Black American Timeline, & it's a natural transition; from Work Songs, to Ragtime, to Jazz, to Rhythm & Blues, to Soul & Funk, to HipHop. It's the tireless spirit of Black Liberation in AmeriKKKa. Where does Jamaican or Puerto Rican 'Culture' fit in? They were 'Lovers, not Fighters'. We were Angry! What were they angry about? They were in America- Everything was 'Irie'! When DJ Phase was asked about this [Kool Herc] narrative, he cut to The Chase & said that this narrative gives Whitefolk a 'lane of claim' to Our Culture. It was Too Black, Too Strong, but it's been watered down. When We raise Our Heads, We will see that the people claiming ownership of Our Culture, are the same people representing Us in Government. They are the ones allowing Benign Neglect to continue & contesting Our Right to receive [Lineage Based] Reparations. They also represent Us 'On Screen', but they rarely depict Us in a dignified manner; We're either Ghetto, or Cowards.

While We're on the subject of 'Culture', let's point out how the level of deviance & violence has risen w/ the number of Jamaican & Puerto Rican Rappers. Boogie Down Productions gets Full Credit for setting off the 9mm talk. Just- Ice's 'The Original Gangster of Hip Hop' was just plain Raw... Also, B- Girls didn't dress like or behave like Dancehall Girls; compare Shante, Lyte, & Latifah to Lil Kim, Nikki Minaj, & Cardi B. White Record Executives, like Lyor Cohen, have rerouted HipHop's 'messaging' to target Suburban Whitefolk eager to hear about 'Ghetto Life'. Today's Artists have been set up lovely by those who came before them, but I wonder if the New Jacks know The History? Do they know what it took for Us to maintain this? Cats had to show restraint, because Authorities were just waiting for Us to mess up. U can literally count the # of times U heard the N- Word b4 NWA... Do they know Themfolks tried to shut Us down in 1882; leading to the 'New School/ Hardcore Era' that started in 1983 w/ T- La Rock & Jazzy Jay, Run-DMC, & LL Cool J?

Truth be told, The Park Jams faded out by 1986- 1987. The Crack Wars began to make large gatherings dangerous. The 1st Crack Dealers (in My Hood) were The Dreads, who sold out of Weed Spots. The 'Rude Boys' weren't concerned w/ 'protocol', so things got Hot pretty quickly.... I understand that there is an effort to make HipHop EVERYONE'S genre, but it isn't; not anymore than Motown or Bebop. The World is welcome to enjoy HipHop, but make No Mistake- it's a Black American genre that just happens to be globally appreciated & adopted by many. That said, notions of people like Kool Herc, or Eminem being the 'Father' or 'King' diminish the effect that those 'Baby Spades' had on The Original Concept. We can appreciate their contributions, but HipHop Culture is bigger than them. It has a purpose, & it's NOT making Non Indigenous Blackfolk wealthy.

It was a youthful expression of Black Power & Creativity, but outside forces have turned it into a Golden Goose that only benefits White Record Execs & their Proxies. We treated Her like a Debutant, but She has been reduced to a Crack Whore that EVERYONE can get a piece of. Young Family has to go back to The Root. A Race War is looming, & i'm not sure that their music is up to task. Most of today's Artists are more concerned w/ their 30 pieces of silver, than The Culture it represents. Cats like Busta & Fat Joe aren't concerned, they're taking the money & running. Fat Joe wasn't even a Rapper back in The Day, he was a Stick up Kid; so he's always been about the 'Vic'. Big Pun on the other hand, was The Real Deal... HipHop has become symbolic of Black American Courtesy- We say: "have some", & Our 'guest' proceeds to help themselves to Everything. NO ONE is allowed to be more than a guest in the genres of Jamaican & Latinx Music, so why do they expect ownership in Black American Music?

When We talk about HipHop Culture, We need to remove All the noise in The Room. ANYONE making a claim to Our Culture should be Checked quickly. This 'Back to School Party' Story doesn't make sense! It's supposed to be inspirational, but it's narrated like just another Party. What's so special about it? What exactly motivated Herc's Sister to have this Party, several weeks before School started? How does this 'Party' spark a Movement? Compare it w/ HipHop being a Celebration of Black Youth in The Bronx [dramatically] winning their fight against White Supremacy & their Right of Autonomy- An UNAPOLOGETIC DISPLAY of Black Power. There was a REASON why NYPD left Mario & the Black Spades Deejays alone. When they were 'Jamming', The Black Spades weren't beating down White Racists... No disrespect, but Immigrant Family weren't Here, so they don't know what sparked this Movement.

The Original Concept of HipHop is rooted in stopping Gang Violence. It was a creative alternative to the death & destruction that We brought on each other. The current version of it is so far removed, it's almost unrecognizable. Today's manifestation is literally a Death Cult that offers little to no benefit to The Artist. White Executives seem convinced that it's only about Beats & Rhymes, but the Crap being presented is vulgar & cookie cutter; which defies HipHop's demand for Originality. After 50+Yrs, it's apparent that HipHop is best represented when it's Culturally connected to the Experience of Black American Life. EVERYONE ELSE is a House Guest & should behave accordingly.

[awritingcaitlin]

Semi-abbreviated History of Tyrysius

Most everyone believes that the high gods created the planet, brought about different peoples in various images, and then left. There are a few competing ideas, however.

Those particular entrenched in the faith of the cat lords recognize that they are not native to this planet, but they can still conquer it. The cats are actually closer to being right.

There was a Creator who made the planet and gave it someone to look after it. She was the first high goddess. She had other gods and goddesses in her pantheon.

This went on for centuries, if not millennia. However, when the planet started failing, she opened her gates to allow others to come and breathe new life into the world.

These are those "high gods" who "created" people. Except really they were just shepherds basically. Of both people and lower gods. None of them have the power to create from nothing.

After the Schism War and the end of the Age of Intervention, it wasn't so much that the high gods left, it was that gods were literally attacking one another and absorbing each other's power.

It gets way more complicated than that and most people alive today have no idea what all happened. They're just stuck on the very simplistic idea of creators who left.

But let's get more into the weeds. How long have people existed on Tyrysius? Did they just appear at some point? How did they appear? Who, if any, were first? What does this have to do with the gods?

Riela’s formal education had been cut prematurely short for a plethora of reasons and she hadn’t ever gone back. However, she’d become a voracious reader since. She knew that the gods had placed each race of people onto Tyrysius and had encouraged them to thrive.

Prevalent beliefs include people were created by the gods, or arrived on a fertile planet with the gods' help. Everyone would have gotten there around the same time, and if anything, the elves were first.

However, ruins outside Timernis revealed bodies dating back before any previously recorded history (that they know of). That's now a subject of significant debate in academic circles.

Nathaniel's doctoral thesis is about this topic. And, like many doctorate students, you get him talking about it, and he won't shut up. He wants to explain his findings.

“It’s about how the sitah might have been the original inhabitants of Tyrysius,” Adler said. He got several raised eyebrows and he repeated what he’d told Riela the other night, which felt like such a long time ago now. He mentioned the sitah bones dating back before the Age of Intervention and what that may suggest since there were multiple sets of sitah bones and a suspicious lack of anything else. He got a lot of intrigued looks.

It's making archaeologists question their dating practices. Are they wrong? Or are they right? Everyone is up in arms about who may have been the original people.

“See,” Adler explained. “The generally accepted doctrine is that everyone came to the planet at the same time. The larger sitah were there as protectors of the smaller races. Elves were the bridge across generations. Gnomes were known for their technology and dwarves their architecture. Halflings were the connection to nature. Humans were a balance between them all. No one asked for the orcs, but they showed up too. And then the cat-species had their own separate deals under their own pantheon.”

What they haven't quite pegged out the specifics of yet, is that civilizations have rose and fell many times on Tyrysius. The world also looked a lot different before the Cataclysm.

“The belief that we all got here at relatively the same time is the most prevalent one, but the finding of these bones in an archeological dig in Eastern Schmiedland several hundred miles north of Berthingtonn with no other sets of bones comparable implies that maybe the belief is wrong. What if the sitah have been around longer than anyone else? What if, perhaps, the sitah were here first, and the others came later?”

Religious doctrine allows (and honestly encourages) the argument between different theories because it distracts from the truth the Temples aren't even sure of anymore.

“The first belief,” Rinnie continued. “Is that the High Gods all got together and created us for a certain purpose, or that each of the High Gods designed a type of person in their image. The exceptions being the dwarves, who maintain they originated from the Stone. These first Stone-born were the original Ancestors who birthed the dwarven race.”

History became very fractured (intentionally) after the Age of Intervention. It became even more fractured after the Cataclysm (unintentionally.)

“The other exception is the varying cat races, who believe that their separate pantheon of Cat Lords created the tigrins, tirins, and pumins each to their own purpose. This theory does not, however, explain where the orcs came from, unless a particularly powerful demon or less than well-intentioned god made them and is not owning up to it. As we haven’t seen any orcs since the Cataclysm really, we can’t exactly ask any current opinions.”

This begs the question: what if no one originated on the planet at all? And does not answer: how did people come to Tyrysius? Where is the proof for any of this?

“The second basic belief is that all of the races were traveling without a home anymore and came upon Tyrysius which was empty of sentient life but otherwise habitable. This one explains where the orcs came from better, but there are no life-ships to back this up—though I know that at one point we colonized the moon. This one also doesn’t really explain our relationship to dragons, but that’s splitting hairs.”

So, why argue about it at all? Well, some of it has to do with ownership and who might have more rights to the planet. It's easiest to think that the older, more steadfast, peoples were around first.

“Ownership,” Adler said, answering the same way he’d answered to Riela when she’d asked. “The elves and dwarves both want to believe they’re the first even within generally accepted doctrine. The humans know they can’t claim that they were here first, so they’re certainly not going to complain when something suggests they were placed on the planet around the same time as others.”

Many people think it's terrifying that the sitah, a bigger race, might own it. Especially because the larger people could feasibly take over if they wanted to.

“What would happen if the sitah suddenly got ideas about being the first on the planet?” Killian suggested in the hypothetical. “Not that there are really any full-sitah left. But Timernis exists with a very large partial-sitah population. We’re bigger, stronger, and tougher to kill. What if they decided they owned the place and tried to conquer it? Of course, this doesn’t take into account that they’re outnumbered and the bigger you are, the more you are at risk if the world goes famine again.”

What if religious doctrine is only trying to keep the planet's population from fighting amongst themselves? (More than they already are.) What if it's something else entirely?

“No one really wants the sitah to start acting like they own the planet,” Kanjo said, leaning back in his seat. “They also don’t want other people fighting against the Timernans in a knee-jerk plan to preemptively eliminate the supposed sitah problem.”  

Yet, regardless of religious fears, scientists and historians plunge forward for the sake of knowledge. There are sitah bones dating back 17,000 years while the oldest elf bones only date back 12,000.

“Well,” he said. “Why sitah and no one else? But also because the aura dating of those skeletons found in Lorbush have undoubtable anatomically unique features that place them as sitah. And the aura dating goes back twelve-thousand years. And the ones found in Macrait are close to seventeen-thousand.”

Seventeen thousand years goes back before the Age of Intervention is believed to have started. Current theories put that at about 8000 years ago. This is also how old the oldest elf bones date back to.

“Yeah but that’s back before the Age of Intervention even started, right?” Mica asked. “Theoretically,” Adler said. “We estimate that the Age of Intervention lasted about five thousand years and like Rinnie said, there are little-to-no records before then.”

The oldest dwarf bones date back 7300 years. But, older architecture is larger, as if built for bigger people by bigger people. So what is anyone to think?

“Regardless of how long the Age of Intervention lasted, the oldest elf bones we have dates back to roughly eight-thousand years and the oldest dwarf seven-thousand-three-hundred. Both well within the range of when the Age of Intervention spanned. That doesn’t even get into the fact that there is architecture in the older cities like the lower levels of Berthingtonn and other places in Schmiedland that were obviously built by for larger-framed people.”

While there were once extensive historical records, the Thadan-Yurel War and the subsequent Cataclysm destroyed or destroyed access to a large percentage of them. Now there are holes.

Records from 1000+ years ago are hard to come by and what's available is fractured. Additionally, getting records from more than 3000 years ago is nearly impossible.

Academics try to patch those holes, but it's not easy. And, as is the case with any historical writings, they're written by the winners. Someone is always trying to hide something.

Anyone can find the existing historical records in libraries, museums, temples, etc. However, they'll run into the problem that the records only go back so far.

This era is the common era. Before that was the Age of Intervention which lasted about 5000 years. Before the AOI, there's conflicting thoughts as to what it was.

Common questions include: Did the world even exist? Did people? What kind of people? Who were the first people? Was magic different? There's not much literature one way or another.

It's clear if you look closely that someone is trying to hide major parts of Tyrysian history. The question is, who? No one has answered this question yet.

Everyone is taught history in school, though it varies by area. Different countries place emphasis on different things and bias is highly prevalent.

For example, Berthingtonn considers the war won 300 years ago a fight for their independence. Schmiedland considers the same war a mixed bag because they gained land, but not all of Berthingtonn.

There are museums and exhibits in all of the big cities and some smaller ones. Several gods have temples that are museums because they are gods of history and knowledge.

Some museums are free to attend, others require a small fee. The biggest cost is usually getting to one unless you are already in a bigger city.

For Berthingtonn in specific, the Inner City has way more museums than say, South Town. South Town has a couple of exhibits but nothing large.

And while people who live in South Town can go to the Inner City, and many schools do fieldtrips as part of the regular education. There's commonly deals between museums and schools.

There's lots of ancient ruins, some are still being discovered! Ancient Esternia is pretty much just archeological digs. Though there is an important library there that will become relevant.

Berthingtonn has tunnels that go well below sea level and people can only reasonably get so deep in that mountain before it becomes impossible to traverse.

The oldest city still standing is in fact, Berthingtonn, which had its Wall and Shield completed in the Age of Intervention several thousand years ago.

Berthingtonn's shield was meant to stop all major natural disasters as well as oncoming invasions. However, it was not prepared for some extra-terrestrial object to come plummeting down.

Said extra-terrestrial object damaged Berthingtonn's shield, took out part of their legendary wall, and created the Crater Sea all in one go. (Also it killed a dragon and caused a worldwide ice age.)

This is what's now known as The Cataclysm. Tyrysius still hasn't recovered from it. Since that point, magic has been less prevalent, weather less predictable, and lifespans shorter.

Berthingtonn has existed seemingly as long as time itself. (That isn't quite true but the only people who remember otherwise are not your average mortals and most are deities of some form.)

Current society dates back about a thousand years. Most current traditions and beliefs came about post-Cataclysm, which was about 1200 years ago.

Note: Tyrysius is always at war.

The Grainbelt War in the early 3000s was massive and horrific, the worst years being 05-06. That was only 9 years ago.

Essentially, Schmiedland and Perinathia are always going at it over the Grainbelt.

There was the Berthan-Eswaili Conflict in the 2950s. South Efrium Civil War in the 2930s. That resulted in South Efrium ceasing to exist and becoming Eswaisil.

Since then, Eswaisil wants to conquer Berthingtonn but has thus far been unable to.

The Yurel-Edansa War in the early 2700s, which is largely still relevant because Edan elves live that long. They're frequently going at it over ideology.

The big Berthington-Schmiedland War also happened around that time.

Schmiedland and Perinathia are constantly fighting over the Grain Belt, the border constantly shifting. They recently signed a new peace treaty. We'll see how long that lasts.

Edansa and the Yurels fight frequently. An old blood war over ideology. Currently, however, the Yurels are experiencing a Civil War. So there's no warring between them and Edansa presently.

Over the years, the Great Efrium Empire (with Berthingtonn as it's center) split into North and South Efrium. South Efrium eventually became Eswaisil - whose border with Perinathia is stagnant.

North Efrium then lost a lot of ground to Schmiedland and now Berthingtonn is a large city-state with an Inner Town and surrounding towns outside the Wall.

Eswaisil tried really hard to go after Berthingtonn a few decades ago, but it's been a cold war since. That tension is only going to get thicker as the years go on.

For reference, Heist is set 5 years before TBW. So the end of the Grainbelt war is fresher, and Eswaisil isn't about ready to declare war on Berthingtonn... Yet.

Holidays include:

Berthingtonn has Independence Week which is largely for Berthans but really anyone can celebrate.

Similarly, Schmiedland has Schmiedland Day.

The Yurels do a lot of ancestral worship so those are more private and reserved events.

Religiously speaking, most deities will allow for non-worshippers to join in celebrations because it nets them worship. However, only known followers and clergy can participate in the more sacred parts.

When you have gods that walk around on the planet, the line between history, legend, and myth, gets really fuzzy. Sometimes, the more people try to define it, the fuzzier it gets.

The language of Bûrdæn started declining at the end of the Age of Intervention. In part because other languages were more widespread, in part because of the stigma against it.

It's impossible to learn it now because any books written in it are long forgotten or already destroyed. However, there are more and more people around who seem to know it lately.

The term "frozen wastes" is an expletive interjection at the beginning of a sentence, usually said in surprise. It stems from the fact that much of the world is in fact a frozen waste as a result of the Cataclysm.

Historical fiction exists as a genre on Tyrysius. Nathaniel and Riela both love reading it. Killian too, but he's more critical of creative liberties.

[masterqwertster]

Been working my way through C2/Mighty Nein (and I'm getting real close to finishing, yay!) and hit episode 118 the other day, and when M9 got into the first lab in the A-2 site, there was this bit of description:

You do see, off to the side, that one of these fallen signs that is broken and shattered but the part of the language is legible, it reads: Primordial Applications. You can see now there is a sign of writing above one of those metal walls off to the front and left of that far alcove that reads: Biological Weapons Research.

Given the proximity of this [Unknown Blank] Primordial Applications lab and the Biological Weapons Research lab, I'm kind of wondering if one of Aeor's God Slayer/Surpassing projects was trying to make their own Titan. (and the Factorum Malleus just reached completion sooner)

To the extent of our knowledge, no Titan has slayed a god. But they were powerful enough to be considered equal to the gods. Not to mention that Titan's generally take a god to quell/fell them. Like, one was listed to have been downed by elves during the Schism, but I also feel like that probably took an army or three to do and they probably also had some Champions on hand as well.

And given the creepy, mad scientist lab abominations still found in Aeor, chances are those wizards wouldn't have made a normal Titan if they ever did figure it out. A beefed up abomination Titan would definitely make for an even tougher fight and could possibly do what none of the original Titans did and actually take out a god.

I dunno, just vague little thoughts given Ashton's baby Titan status due to a ritual gone wrong/right. And the historical dislike between gods and Titans. And Aeor's need to surpass and/or kill the gods.

[gemsofgreece]

would love to hear from a real Greek on the subject of Katharevousa. What do you think of it? Are there some conflicting opinions between the older and younger generations on this matter? What is the general Greek opinion? is it simply viewed as an elitist ideology for purists or an inspiring dream to reinstate Ancient Greek? sincerely, a humbly curious non-Greek individual...

Hello, my friend! You bring up an interesting and very complex topic. I would say my opinion on this is less passionate, more moderate than of the average Greek and ironically this also means my opinion might seem edgy to the average Greek!

That is because a majority of Greeks loathe Katharevousa (or what they think it stands for), with older generations being more neutral whereas younger generations can express a very baffling fierce hate towards it, despite never having to study it.

The reasons for this hate are the following:

1. It is harder than Demotic and most Greeks have an allergy at whatever Greek-related presents even the slightest of additional challenge to them.

2. Its existence has been relentlessly and unfairly politicised since the early 20th century, when the historical national and then transformed into political disunity of the Greeks was channeled into many things, including painting those who were positive towards katharevousa as nationalists, fascists and extreme far rights in general.

*The second reason bleeds into the first, in some ways. Young Greeks will unironically say “why should I learn something Greek that needs a little more effort or even slightly resembles something ancient, am I a nationalist or anything?”. That is because the old Great Division of the 20s and the Civil War of the 40s were never actually fully resolved but only passed on through political tensions, and thus somewhat mollified, yet still causing significant problems in the society which are now much harder to explain and find the root cause for, so they seem to appear out of nowhere. This leads to new generations of Greeks opposed to studying properly the Greek history and Greek culture and feeling very proud of their liberal (???) choice until a conversation with a foreigner who appears to know more about them than they do embarrasses them and sometimes gives them a wake-up call. Of course, not all young Greeks are like that, but a lot are.

In any case, I am not saying I prefer Katharevousa to Demotic. I prefer Demotic for the simple reason that it is the organic evolution of the Greek language, influenced by the actual history of the Greeks rather than the history the Greeks wished they had. For this alone, it wins. What I am saying is that Katharevousa does not deserve all the fierce hate and that I would honestly not mind having it used occasionally for whatever reason, just like I wouldn’t mind using any other form of the Greek language for whatever reason. And I do not confuse various forms of the language with various political ideologies, despite others doing so. Which is very much true by the way. During the national schism, Katharevousa was accused as the symbol of royalists, nationalists and conservatives on one side whereas Demotic was accused as the symbol of communists and Venizelists from the other side. In the 20s, Greek schools would change the lingual form taught every time the power changed hands. A tragedy for the students, really.

Katharevousa was originally NOT founded on an elitist ideology but rather on a sentiment of ethnic uprising. The term for this lingual movement first appears in 1796 and thus precedes the Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire. It was supported by many Greek scholars and influential people of the time, most of all Adamantios Korais. Katharevousa is not an attempt at reinstating Ancient Greek but an attempt of removing all the influences in the contemporary Greek language by an empire Greeks were unwilling and often rebellious subjects of. Katharevousa means exactly that, “getting purified - cleaned”, not going back. Of course, it did not only remove Turkish elements, but Latin and Slavic ones and anything else for which there was an original Greek root and was thus considered redundant. By removing the foreign loanwords from Modern Greek, you automatically bring it to a state closer to Ancient Greek without meaning that it is an actual more ancient form of the language. The Katharevousan grammar certainly tried to resist simplifications and changes taking place in Demotic Greek but it still remained an essentially Modern rather than Ancient Greek grammar. I believe the syntax was also closer to Modern. In the end, Katharevousa was like a very posh, exclusively Greek-root, old-fashioned way to speak Modern Greek.

Which is why I dislike it when the “competition” of demotic and katharevousa is often referred to as “diglossia” which means “bilingualism” or when they are even called different idioms. We are not talking about two different Greek languages here and I am quite baffled when people claim to struggle to understand katharevousa. Honestly, at this point I don’t even believe they really mean it. You see, the level of education nowadays, with all its faults, is infinitely better than what it was at the time when katharevousa was actually taught at schools. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most kids wouldn’t even complete elementary school and then go work to some farmland so it makes total sense for them to struggle to adjust to katharevousa when they were only really communicating in basic demotic in real life. But for people nowadays claiming the same, I can’t take them seriously, I am sorry. Such things are connected. If a student of decent education by today’s standards can’t understand katharevousa, it can only mean they face really fundamental challenges in demotic as well.

Katharevousa did not intentionally marginalize lower social classes within the society itself but the unintentional challenges were inescapable due to the poor level of education I described. In the end, Katharevousa was used by the authors and poets, in the newspapers and later the TV and radio news, in written forms, such as official documents, even in personal letters. Regardless of their level of education, people tried in written form to apply as many katharevousan elements as possible, to the extent of their knowledge. In everyday speech, though, things were different. People would simply talk in the way that came most natural and effortless to them. It’s very interesting that in very old movies, if there is a narrator, you can observe that the narrator speaks in a mild more katharevousa-like form while the actors playing the roles use demotic, obviously because otherwise the ending result wouldn’t be very realistic to the people watching. However, rich Greeks and aristocrats would more often speak in katharevousa too, exactly because they could receive much better education and get the hang of it, inevitably making this a social issue without it ever intending to be one. And then of course it had also the politics of the country imposed on it secondarily, which is a very sad and unfair equation that handicaps Greek progress in all matters.

What happened with Katharevousa and Demotic is not an unprecedented occurrence in Greek at all. This is literally Greek's constant lingual history. It can be observed in Ancient Greek, as the Classical Attic you may have read was in no way identical to the everyday language Ancient Greeks spoke. Throughout all the East Roman / Byzantine Era, scholars would try desperately to retain as many archaic elements as possible, to the growing impatience of the populace. While its full achievement was always doomed to be a lost cause, let’s also acknowledge that the reason Greeks boast about how conservative Greek is for a language so old would not exist, if all those scholars throughout the centuries did not struggle to preserve older elements, and katharevousa’s case is not different. A few of its elements have actually passed to demotic, such as phrases and expressions in the dative, even though this case has been dropped in the Demotic Greek grammar otherwise.

In the seventies, after huge political changes taking place in the country which struggled to finally enjoy some peace and quiet, katharevousa was abolished along with the monarchy and the dictatorship as another sign of nationalism, conservatism, anachronism and so on. In my opinion, a lingual form on its own does not deserve to be vilified like this.

Nowadays, you will hear just about anything as an accusation to prove how evil Katharevousa was. Some say it had “mistakes” because it was an academic process of reshaping the language against its natural, organic evolution. I would consider this, had it not been for demotic also having some funny shortcomings of its own. In case you are wondering what such a shortcoming can possibly be in a language - well, as Greek keeps evolving, some things change first while others stay behind. The elements that stay behind have trouble adjusting for practical or aesthetical or other reasons. Here is one example:

Modern Greek faces a hilarious problem with the verb εκρήγνυμαι (ekríghnime - I explode). It is a verb with a distinct archaic form which is super ugly to a violating degree if you adjust it to the modern Greek conjugation of the simple past. As a result the ancient formation of the simple past is fully retained, which is not irregular but it is hard enough that it appears irregular by modern standards (εξερράγην - exerráyin - no it’s not irregular!). As a result many people might not know it and mess it up entirely by trying to apply modern formations which will earn them mocking later if it's on TV or paper (ie εκρήχτηκα - ekríhtika - can kill you instantly if it comes from the mouth of a journalist) or you are going to see it on their face real-time that they go through the five stages of grief and seven consecutive panic attacks as they try to say “it exploded” without actually saying “it exploded”! Even more hilariously, the screenshot I added shows all the conjugations by labelling them “for scholar use” and it adds another label clarifying that only the third person of singular and plural are actually regularly used (apparently needed when speaking for bombs) and the others are avoided as much as possible. In short, we try not to use the past of a simple verb such as “explode” because we have no idea how to say it because adjusting it to modern is so monstrous that you have no solution other than keeping it entirely ancient, in a phrase otherwise entirely modern! It is actually very funny.

I said all these in order to stress how people trying to find unacceptable “flaws” in katharevousa are hypocritical because if we accept that a concept such as “flaws” is possible in a language, then it does exist in organic demotic as well. On the other hand, it also depends on the speaker. Katharevousa supporters varied in their ferocity and whereas most just kept it at the "purifying modern" object, some others tried to mix it with actual Koine or Attic Greek, undoubtedly causing lingual teratogenesis.

Some last notes: katharevousa is not entirely extinct. It is used by a newspaper, it is the language used by the Churches of Greece and Cyprus and by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, as it resembles more Koine (Biblical) Greek which is their actual sacred language. Some people show it off on internet comments but you can usually (not always) guess their political ideologies which is unfortunate. Ironically though, Modern Standard Greek, which is the common language we speak right now, is according to linguists considerably influenced by the katharevousa in its mixing with demotic. So, standard Greek, even though it derives from Demotic and it is technically Demotic Greek, is closer to Katharevousa than the Demotic of the 20th century is.

Another interesting point is made by Georgios Babiniotis, the currently most prominent Greek linguist. An unlikable guy if you ask me, but I can’t help but agree with this point. Although the polytonic stress system was abolished along with katharevousa with the reasoning that it served no point in Modern Greek, Babiniotis says that this was a mistake, as the monotonic system has surprisingly caused a deterioration of the musicality and correct articulation in Modern Greek. In fact, anyone who knows can go watch kids reciting poems in school and you will realise it is true. I am not putting myself out of this. Sometimes I read something loudly and I think to myself “heck in my mind this sounds so much better, why am I reciting it so poorly?!”. Even though I actually have a perfect articulation up to this stage in my life, my reciting is bland like of most people, while it wasn’t the case at all with the people in the near past. You can hear the difference when you hear actors of the 50s and actors in movies now. Both spoke in demotic, but actors of the 50s spoke much more beautifully on so many levels, including intonation and articulation. This agrees with a post I made recently unknowingly when on my own I realised that the grave accent is actually retained in modern Greek when spoken animatedly or carefully and correctly. I was almost scared to publish that post because I am no linguist but I was excited to see that the -always otherwise unlikable- Babiniotis said this too! Few liked that post - dunno if everyone hated it or it was just a huge post published at 5 am. Or both. Aaaaaanyways, I am linking it here in case anyone has reached so far down and is interested.

To summarise, Katharevousa was the victim of the insane political infighting that is such a trademark of the Greeks. It was founded on ethnical rather than elitist reasonings. It wasn’t trying to exclude anyone even though this might have indeed happened unintentionally. It is still Modern Greek. I don’t believe it should ever eradicate Demotic, however I value its existence and I think it could have a place of application and people should be free to use (within reasonable context) or enjoy it without being vilified or immediately have their political beliefs assumed. I personally find it beautiful but I also find Demotic beautiful, just in different ways. In some occasions I prefer one and in others the other. I enjoy prose and poetry in Katharevousa, it’s bloody beautiful. But use of rich and intricate demotic is also insanely wonderful. Both are great and I genuinely feel this way. I can get behind the reasoning that if a foreign loanword doesn't sound very aesthetically pleasing in the Greek language, it shouldn't be considered weird or eccentric to prefer the Greek-root word and give up on the loanword. I have used this example before, if the loanword is "dudúka", while two Greek-root words of the exact same meaning exist ("tilevóas" and "megháphono"), then why the heck would I want to use "duduka"?! No offense to the language that it comes from, but this word... I mean, come on. It doesn't sound good at all in Greek. Same with the grammar. If someone can use more intricate and complex grammar, why should we immediately blame them for doing what they can do? Come on, guys.