#unified tree theory

[dichromaniac]

Ok I've had a minute and some dives into the lore. And here is the MOST coherent version of what I'm calling the "Unified Tree Theory" that I've been pondering since Calamity:

So according to Encyclopedia Exandria, the Luxon created the Primordials/Titans and also devoted itself into the cycle of rebirth/reincarnation in a very Buddhist sense of repeating life to reach a state of "perfection."

How absolutely tragic that a hubristic wizard lit some candles and said some words and not only "deleted" a god of death, but took over the MOMENT when the strings of mortality are cut and deciding to be the arbiter of what happens next. What a slap in the face to the Luxon's intentions for mortal life.

Atrophy and Blight are close enough words connotatively to definitely link Laerryn's spell to the name Atrophy, especially considering we're already on board playing cultural meme narrative telephone with language.

I don't think Evandrin ever chose to come "back" to the tree. I think a piece of him was caught in the runic net and never left, even if most of him was able to travel amongst the stars. We know Zerxus was not a paladin of a Prime Deity, but *of the people.* So assuming that Zerxus and Evandrin were both tapping into the same power source, i.e. the Luxon, it would be even more reasonable that the Luxon allowed for different aspects, versions, or pieces of Evandrin to exist in multiple places simultaneously.

(Probably useful info is that I firmly believe Evontra'vir is a language shift of Evandrin Alterra of Avalir in the vein of Gau Drashari -> Ashari -> Hishari; Avalir -> Savalir; Mt. Ygora -> Cathmoira)

(Ex. Otohan's Dunamancy backpack is the explanation for her Echo Knight abilities. Multiple versions, different place, Same time. But that's diluted, distilled, *stolen* instead of granted straight from the source. I don't currently see a reason why the Luxon itself would not grant more bespoke power directly.)

Also, I have a mighty need to rant about the fucking Trees

The Sun Tree: "Planted" by Pelor/Dawnfather, at the site of the battle between Ioun and Tharizdun, at Whitestone. Lvl 20 Oaths of Ancients Paladins can manipulate their physical form to be more "plant like." Additionally, we KNOW God's can change their champions into other forms/shapes but maintain the personality of the humanoid transformed. (Mace of the Black Crown, specifically, but it does seem all the Arms of the Betrayers used to be sentient creatures - and we have no reason to assume, other than alignment - that a Prime would not have this same power.)

Arbor Exemplar: planted by Melora/Wildmother at the "most desolate location in Exandria at the time" (according to Encyclopedia Exandria) and is *the sister tree* of...

The Seed of Rebirth: planted at the heart of the Abundant Terrace in Vasselheim. Described as the "sister" to the Arbor Exemplar...

Who can say these three trees are not champions? Whose to say the gods are not "reverse engineering" the deep, wordless magic of the Luxon and these three (if not more!!!) Trees are recreating a weaker version of the protection the Tree of Names offered.

And, to the point I set out to make originally, who is to say the Matron of Ravens did not, had not, or would not, manipulate the Tree of Names/Tree of Atrophy to bolster her own defenses, domains and sources of power? Ludinus did it with distilled dunamancy and otohan, why would the Matron, know Wizard, with all the power and perspective of a god, not do the same to this Tree?

[yolkcheeks-art]

Caught the last episode of the makai tree arc, and I am even more into the crossover potential with the sylvari. Anyhow, have a dying An!

[epicstoriestime]

The Heaven Matrix: Exploring the Cosmic Web of Interconnectedness

stunnIng cosmiC web In the tapestry of human thought, few concepts have the ability to transcend culture, belief systems, and even science itself. The “Heaven Matrix” is one such idea—a metaphor for the interconnectedness that binds all things, where divine order, energy, and purpose converge to create the structure of existence. From ancient spiritual traditions to modern scientific theories,…

[tinycurlyfry]

Why are the most theories about suo involving him : betraying Sakura, defeating Sakura, hurting Sakura..... lmao. Why do some fans hate Sakura so much to the point they want him to be humiliated by suo ?;(

I don't know that I would say most theories about him are about him hurting or humiliating Sakura, at the very least that hasn't been my experience. However! The "Suo will be a traitor" theory was something that I've only come across recently, so I can speak a little towards why it exists (at least as it's explained from one person with such a theory)!

I saw the mention of the theory from this really cool document from Snowy-kitten on Reddit where they break down the names of each of the characters in Wind Breaker (I'm still in the process of reading through this document myself)(also also thank you @cafe-pothos for sharing word about the document here!) Now, this was written prior to the conclusion of the Noroshi war arc, so the information/theories made were made without some information we now know (mostly about how the fights/war resolves).

Basically- Suo name comes from the kanji for the Chinese Redbud (which continues giving evidence that Suo has some sort of Chinese connection. From his dress, to his fighting style, to even his name here). However, while the Chinese Redbud symbolizes family harmony and can be used as treatment for fever the Redbud tree itself has a biblical connection that deals with betrayal. In short- when Judas betrayed Jesus he committed suicide by hanging himself from a Redbud tree.

There's also the growing theory that the next personal arc we get concerning the classmates of 1-1 will involve Suo and Tsugeura, since we've gotten information on Kiryu and Sugishita's family rather back-to-back and there's some evidence that Tsuge and Suo may have known each other in some capacity prior to coming to Furin.

Given their hinted at connection in the narrative, it is also interesting that the second half of Tsugeura's name- ura could also be written with the kanji 裏 which is often used in the phrase for betrayer/ turning traitor/ rat- 裏切り者. This could potentially further give proof that Tsuge and Suo are connected and Suo may be tied to a plot that has to do with betrayal.

So, I don't know about going so far as saying Suo may defeat or hurt Sakura badly, but I could see it being the case that Suo does something rash when something from his past rears its head and it may appear as though Suo acted against his fellow classmates at Furin, or at least he may do something to temporarily stall or incapacitate Sakura.

As far a personal theories go- Do I think Suo is going to end up becoming an "evil traitor"? No. I think he's been to well established to be a guiding force for Sakura alongside Nirei. I don't think he'll lose that role in the end-game. However, what I do see potentially happening is that Suo's backstory is going to become relevant in a way that is sudden and jarring that will keep Suo from simply brushing it off or dismissing it. I can't really base my theories towards Suo's backstory on anything, but I could see the arc relating to Suo's backstory going two ways-

Suo is hiding from something/someone from his past. Perhaps he truly does wear his eye patch to cover up an injury from an 'accident'. It is possible that there is a direct cause of that 'accident' and Suo may be using Furin's unified force as a shield to put between him and that cause. Say you have a really powerful person or group coming after you, and you happened to hear that recently a school of strong fighters is now a hero/vigilante group that will throw itself into any fight to protect its members/family. I think it's rather specific of a detail too that Suo's dream is for the emancipation of slaves. I think this detail might be something that becomes relevant to his backstory- whether it's someone who wants to force him into slavery or if someone he knows/knew in the past was enslaved. The fear of these people coming after him might be enough for Suo to throw Furin between him and these people, or at least use Furin to hold them back while he escapes.

Someone important or has influence over Suo is introduced to the story and Suo does something in the moment that could be read as a betrayal (perhaps stunning/incapacitating Sakura or even just stating he's leaving Furin). My One Piece-loving ass kind of sees the potential of a Whole Cake Island type plot where someone from Suo's family/past shows up and Suo suddenly announces to Furin that he can't be a part of Bofurin anymore and is leaving the family. Now, the person he is seemingly siding with or who convinces Suo to leave Furin may be evil/an antagonist, but again, I would find it VERY shocking if Suo is made to be a villain. Of course, if Suo leaves Class 1-1 would chase after his ass, and then I think whatever lie or story Suo might weave or tell them will unravel as they discover the truth.

It is entirely possible that neither of these will end up being true though! Like I said, this is just how I personally could see Suo being a "traitor" coming into play (purposefully "using" Furin for personal reasons in order to escape something from his past and thus not actually seeing himself as a part of them, or he betrays Furin by leaving or feeling as though he has to fight/act against them in a spur of the moment because of someone from his past). Whatever the case it may end up being, I think at the very least Suo is a character that is known to lie (which in of itself could be seen as him 'betraying the truth'). How does Tsuge tie into his backstory/how does he and Tsuge know each other prior to joining Furin? I have no clue jgskdlfg, but I'm excited to find out!

I don't think it's that people want to see Sakura humiliated by Suo- I think Suo is just a mysterious guy who keep telling lies and makes an active effort to hide things about himself. There is also definitely something that has him distancing himself from the rest of the Furin Family, both in how he doesn't actually participate in their sharing of fears/weaknesses as a bonding activity between class 1-1 and his refusal to eat meals with his classmates (which in my food wbk analysis I talk about how food is used as a symbol for community/ acceptance and is how characters show companionship). There is something keeping Suo from seeing himself as a part of Furin and it's likely to do with why he's so secretive about himself as well.

[astraeanannalist]

According to the theory of evolution, all life comes from a common ancestor. No matter the species, no matter how long it’s been since our tree split or how much has changed since, we are related to every living thing on this plant. The animals, plants, fungus and bacteria, we all hold pieces of each other.

And isn’t that sort of what magic is? Something that lays deep within every living thing. Unique to everyone but connecting everything? It’s the base color mixed into the rest that unifies the palette

Imagine looking at the sky and not recognizing a single star then realizing how truly far from home you are

[mask131]

The gods of Gaul: The bloodthirsty triad

While Cernunnos, "the horned god", is the most iconic of the Gallic gods (hence why I made a post about him already), there are other famous male deities one need to tackle when entering the mythology of Gaul... Those I call the "bloodthirsty triad": Teutates, Taranis and Esus.

These three gods gained their association and their celebrity through Lucan's poem "Pharsalia", which described the trio as the main gods of Gaul. Not just that: Lucan also described them as bloodthirsty and cruel gods, "worse than the Diana of Taurid" (an incarnation of Artemis renowned for demanding human sacrifices). Scholia and ulterior Roman texts lists the various ways each one demanded human sacrifices to be offered to him. Teutates asked for people to be drowned for him ; Taranis to have people beheaded (though by the time of the Romans human heads had been replaced by cattle heads apparently) or burned alive (cue to the "wicker man" legend) and Esus to have people hanged from tree - but not to be strangled, rather to bleed to death from branches... For the Romans of the time, these three deities were the core of the Gallic religion and they had a worship focused on human sacrifices.

Of course, this is where the debate first begins. There are some who consider that the Romans were writing down the truth and that these texts were proof of human sacrifices in Gaul. There are others who completely reject it as pure anti-Gaul propaganda and the Romans nventing "barbarian" rituals to demonize their enemy tribes. There is a third side yet who thinks that there is a grain of truth, some historical foundations for these claims, but that it was heavily distorted and caricatured for literary purpose. So... Did these gods really asked for human blood?

The truth is we cannot say. If you read my introduction to the Gods of Gaul, you will know what I am talking about. With the Gallic gods, we can never be sure of anything, due to how the Romans reinterpreted/misunderstood/omitted a lot of things in their records, and how the Gallic people themselves left no complete or deep traces beind, only fragments we can just make theories and guesses about.

[Also, I don't think I need to remind you this, but I am not a reliable source, just a guy on the Internet collecting info and sharing stuff.]

(A depiction of either Teutates or Taranis)

The first of these deities we shall explore is: Teutates! Also known as Toutatis - a Gallo-Roman spelling that was made very popular thanks to its use in the Astérix franchise (By Toutatis!).

What we know for sure: Teutates' very name can be roughly translated as "father of the tribe/the nation/the people" (others argue it might rather mean "father of all", like the "All-Father" of Odin). It is commonly considered and agreed that Teutates was the "tribal god" of Gaul, found in almost every Gallic tribe at the time, he was a "unifying deity" present in all the different sub-groups of Gaul. Some see him, as such, as the legendary ancestor of the Gallic people and the original lawmaker and arbitrator of Gallic society (his name was used in various oaths). The Romans strongly associated him with the god Mars, saying that the Gauls believed battles depended on his will. This leads to people seeing him as a war-god: for some he was the defenser of the tribe during the war or the protector of the Gallic warriors (later of the Gallic men serving in the Roman army). For others, he was a dual god who acted as the guardian of the territory in time of peace and became a warrior-god in times of conflict (they point out that his "warrior-self" seems to appear on the Mavilly pillar). It is thought that the corpse of the slain enemies were offered to him after the war.

What we don't know however is... whether Teutates was "one" or "many". There are currently two factions in the studies of Gallic religion. One side argues that Teutates was a singular, unique deity, a god in his own right - was the "patron" deity of Gaul, the "lord-god" of the pantheon, one same god with a cult in every tribe, the "unifying" deity... But others argue that Teutates' omnipresence in a divided Gaul, and the fact the Romans seemingly assimilated him with various deities (he has been syncretized with both Mars and Mercury, with sometimes Apollo throw in), are proof that there are "many" Teutates. As in "teutates" is not a proper name, but a title or qualificative worn by the local deity or the god of the tribe - there are as many "teutates" as there are Gallic communities. Due to this fracture, an entity such as the Gallo-Roman "Mars Toutati" can be interpreted in one of two ways. Either Mars was added "Toutati" because the Gauls identified the Roman Mars with their god Teutates ; either Mars was given the title "Toutati" to designate the god Mars as the "god of the nation" and their new "national patron".

Some depictions present him as linked or manifesting through a boar ; we also have Gallo-Roman depictions presenting him as a Roman soldier with the mythical ram-headed snake, and a female warrior uncovering her left breast, by his side (it is the famous Mavilly pillar I talked about previously). Some argue that his association with Mercury, despite seemingly be a war-oriented god, reflected how in the Gallic thought eloquence, speech-making, persuasion were talents needed by the war-leaders to command their warriors and elaborate strategies: thus, war-chiefs had to invoke him before battle so he could "inspire" them to rally their troops and ignite their hearts with his words, resulting in the Romans perceiving the god as a Mercury-Mars hybrid (this also made some people link Teutates to Ogmios). About the "human sacrifices" attributed to him... Teutates' "victims" were not drowned anywhere, but in a vat/barrel in which they were plunged "headfirst" and maintained until asphixiation. Such a scene was thought to be depicted on the Gundestrup cauldron where a figure (identified as Teutates) plunges men into a vat... Though this "ritual drowning" has been identified with perhaps blessing rituals to confer immortality (a motif common in many mythologies, including the Greek one - see Medea's cauldron trick), implying that the "vat of Teutates" could be a deadly bath as much as a life-ritual (we find back here the "life and death" duality of Celtic deities such as the Dagda). Others have rather linked the use of a vat to this motif found in other Celtic mythologies of freezing baths being used to calm down the literal burning frenzy and boiling rage of extraordinary heroes after a battle.

Inscriptions also link him to a local Gallic god called "Meduris" or "Medros" that people link to the Irish "Mider" - also thought to be a war-god, and possibly another "syncretized" or "alternate" self of Teutates if we understand "teutates" as a title or qualificative (Toutates Meduris, like there's a Mars Toutates)

(A depiction of Rosmerta and Teutates together - as I said in my previous posts, some argued Teutates as the "Roman Mercury" was the same character as Cernunnos)

We know more about the god Taranis.

Taranis is accepted as a storm-god, notably due to his name being etymologically linked to various Celtic words for "thunder" (taran, torann, toirneach) - and the same European root from which the name "Thor" comes from. This is primarily why Taranis (or "Taranos") was syncretized with Jupiter - as the master of the sky and wielder of lightning (and possibly bringer of rain). Interestingly, while usually Taranis is explicitely identified as Jupiter (Jupiter Taranucus), there are some rare records where Jupiter is identified as the "son of Taranus". And things get even less clear when you realize that sometimes Taranis is identified with... Dis Pater (the Roman god associated with Hades/Pluto). Quite a strange decision for a god that seems to be clearly a sky-god/thunder-god, but it seems that every time the Romans associated Taranis with Dis Pater, it was to highlight his "cruel-self", especially the aspect of the deity asking for men to be burned alive for him (the beheading was rather identified as linked to the Jupiter-Taranis). When pointing out that Taranis was Jupiter, Roman authors also insisted on how it was because both were "supreme masters of the battle" - implying that Taranis had a "war god" aspect. As a result he might have been a battle deity just like Teutates (though it is no surprise as it seems most of the male gods of Gaul are linked to war, the same way all Gallic goddesses are about a form of fertility).

Taranis inherited a lot of Jupiter's iconography, since the Gallic gods only received extensive depictions by the Roman times. As such we have a middle-aged, bearded Taranis holding a lightning or a scepter, sometimes a mace (more about this later), sometimes with an eagle by his side... However the "Gallic Jupiter" or the "Roman Taranis" have some unique features clearly Gallic of origin. For example the presence of a horse or a snake by his side (the horse has been variously interpreted as a thunder-animal or a war symbol). Or the presence of an "anguipede" (snake-tailed) character by the side of Taranis, sometimes pulling his chariot (there are MANY theories about what these snake-tailed guys hanging by Taranis/Gaulish Jupiter's side are).

The symbol that however truly separates Taranis from Jupiter is the wheel. It is to the point that those that doubt Taranis' name prefer to call him "the god with the wheel". Taranis is always seen holding a wheel. For some the wheel depicts the "cosmic wheel" that moves the stars in the sky, around the polar axis ; for others it is a solar wheel, that Taranis would hold as a master of the sky... It is however more commonly believed that this is a symbol of thunder - the wheel being the wheel of the "chariot roaring through the sky" when storms happen (see Thor's chariot). Mind you, as Daniel Gricourt pointed out, the wheel could symbolize BOTH the lightning AND the Sun, the two manifestations of the "celestial fire". Similarly the spiral is a recurring element of Taranis' symbolism, and it is well agreed that the spiral is a sign for "lightning".

The wheel as Taranis' emblem made some people compare the god to the Dagda (also holding a mace, like Taranis sometimes), who had as one of his "avatars" the druid Mog Ruith, "Servant of the Wheel" - a wheel which blinds those that see it, deafens those that hear it, and kills whoever is touched by it. Another possible tie to the Dagda would be a component of male sexuality - some argued that Taranis' titles such as "boussourigios" implied a sexually active and accomplished god (like most thunder gods of Indo-European cultures, from Zeus to Indra) and that the mace he held could be a phallic symbol... But it might be a bit of a stretch since we have no actual proof that Taranis had sexual components to his myth.

(A statuette of Taranis)

Third and final: Esus. The most mysterious of the three... Taranis is pretty well-rounded up and defined. Teutates is a bit more unclear, but at least we get his rough deal, his vague business. But Esus? He is a very confusing deity...

Esus (also called Hesus, Esos, Aesus) is most famous for his clear iconography: a man working with a tree. On the Pillar of the Nautes, Esus appears striking a tree or cutting its branches with some sort of billhook. This reflects an engraving found in Trèves where he cuts down a tree with what seems to be an axe. (Sometimes these trees are identified as willows) This led people to describe Esus as a "woodsman" god, a "lumberjack" deity - some even making him a tree-god, forest-god or earth-god. However this picture doesn't explicitely make him a "forest god"... Indeed, these images of Esus cutting a tree are ALWAYS coexisting with a picture of the famous "Taruos Triganarus", the bull with three cranes on his back. This mythical animal is well-established as a legendary symbol of Gaul linked to the divine (like the ram-headed snake), however nobody knows exactly WHAT its deal is. Is the animal a companion of Esus? Or is Esus trying to reach, perhaps kill the bull? Indeed, many pointed out the tree seems to "shield" or "cover" the bull (sometimes the bull seems to be INTO the branches of the tree)... Everybody agrees that this recurring image is the reflexion of a legendary episode that is today entirely lost. There's a tale there that was not recorded - many have tried to recreate it, with various results...

[Anne Ross, in her article "Esus et les trois grues", used comparisons with Irish-Celtic mythology and other Celtic folktales to prove that this episode was likely of a solar nature and that the three birds likely depicted transformed goddesses. Paul-Marie Duval, in the article "Esus et ses outils sur des bas-reliefs" pointed out the difference between his two famous depictions - in one he cuts the branches, in the other the trunk of the tree - to prove that the core idea of the myth is that the god is simply "cutting down" the forest in an attempt to find back the animals "lost" in the woods]

So if we cannot know things out of this picture, what else can we find about Esus? We know that his name appeared in a recurring way in Gallic proper names: "Esugenus" (son of Esus), "Esunertus" (he who has the strength of Esus), "Esumagius" (powerful like Esus)... All these names implies Esus was some sort of "strongman" of the gods. Some argue that Esus comes from the etymological root "veso" (the best, the better, the good one) - and they can push it further by comparing it to the Dagda ("the very good"). Others rather defend that Hesus is etymologically linked to "herus", "lord" or "master", which led some to believe Hesus was just an alternate name or identity for "Teutates" - the two being one entity that the Romans thought were two. This latter theory is reinforced by the strange syncretism confusion between the two...

Indeed, Teutates has been identified as both Mars and Mercury... And Esus has been identified as both Mars and Mercury. In the Roman sources where Teutates is translated as "Mars", Esus is identified as "Mercury" because his worship was apparently common among merchants. However, when the Roman sources identify Teutates with "Mercury" they claim Esus was the Gallic name of "Mars"... (Things are further complicated by how on the Trèves depiction, Esus is depicted alongside the Gaulish Mercury - Gaulish because he wears a torc and has Rosmerta by his side). As a result, some people argued that Esus was the actual "Gaulish Mars" or Gallic war-god, the one causing battles, bringing rage in combat, the one to which the Gallic warriors dedicated their slain victim during or after the war - instead of Teutates. But other argues it is not the case - and as I said above, it seems that ALL the main male gods of Gaul were linked to war in one way or another, so things cannot be clear-cut.

However, one thing that CAN be said is that Esus is definitively tied to trees. Outside of his "woodsman cutting down a tree" iconography, there was the strong Roman belief that Esus' human sacrifices were performed by having people hanged from trees... Not hanged as in "strangled with a rope", but hanged and then dying from "losing all of their blood". The descriptions of these sacrifices has fascinated scholars, since the Romans described a hanging and then a bleeding without talking at any points of a wounding... But it is safely assumed that Esus "sacrifices" were done by tying someone to a tree and bleeding them out. Some defend the idea it reflects the role of Esus as a god of vegetal fertility, since such a ritual would lead to the victim's blood pouring onto the tree's roots and thus "feeding" the tree; they compare it to various "hanging and stabbing" rituals found in cultures to ensure the harvest. Others compare it to the myth of Odin hanging on a tree while stabbed for nine days and nine nights. Other similar deaths have been pointed out: Lleu Llaw Gyffes in Welsh legends, or the Christian martyrdom of saint Marcel of Chalon.

Many people have tried to find a character in ulterior "Celtic" fiction tied to Esus. Some proposed that by linguistic transformations Esus' name ended up as the "Owain" of Ireland and the "Yvain" of France. Others defended the idea that Esus had correspondances with Cuchulainn.

(Esus as he appears on the Nautes pillar)

Outside of all what I said above, there are also various theories, reconstructions and so-called "claims" that have been going around... But which I doubt highly due to them not having reliable sources, solid proof, and sometimes common off a bit from nowhere - giving off the feeling of being VERY imaginative reconstructions... I'll still list them below (after all many of them are based on comparative mythology, Indo-European archetypes or comparisons with other Celtic myths, so maybe there's some truth in there) but I want to keep them separate:

Some people consider that Teutates was likely the "judge after death" in the Gallic thought of the afterlife: they believe that when a person from Gaul died, they presented themselves in front of Teutates who judged if they were worthy. Worthy of what? Well, for some of an idyllic afterlife/otherworld of endless summer and bountiful orchards - yes, openly identified and linked with Avallon. For others, worthy of a reincarnation. [However to my knowledge there are no actual sources linking Teutates to the afterlife, Avalon, reincarnation or any "cosmic jugement"]

Some people "reconstructed" a myth opposing Taranis and Esus as a sky-god and earth-god, supposedly fighting for the love/ownership/marriage with the Mother-Goddess (imagined to have been Taranis' wife at first, then to have left him for Esus', and Taranis' revenge being tied to the episode of the "bull with the three cranes").

Some people believe that Esus and Cernunnos were one and the same, the two faces of the "earth god". Supposedly, Esus was the more "human" face of the god corresponding to springtime, to the blooming vegetation of the "surface", while Cernunnos was his more "monstrous" face, corresponding to the winter and to the nature retreating "underground", in the underworld over which Cernunnos ruled.

(A Roman sculpture of Jupiter-Taranis)

[iiphides]

continuing the idea of iiph's theory of the unified dimension 20 multiverse.

three quarters of Natures Wrath (Titan Takedown team) sound like iterations of Erika Ishii characters- spiritual nature person that throws up peace signs all the time? That's Danielle Barkstock. The dryad, the woman who is a the spirit of tree? A) more Danielle Barkstock, but this time channeling Anima and B) good cop dryad cop from MSN episode Wicked Switch of the West

Glittery sparkly pegasus like a lisa frank drawing? that's K Tanaka

[theneutralhumanproject]

how would you stereotype the female panther?

and this question is meant sincerely. what could this panther do to be more “feminine”? how many octaves does she have to raise her roar for you to hear her as a female? does it matter when she’s chasing you at full speed?

is she less violent with less melanated fur or skin? is she more violent the darker she is? does it change her existence as a female panther? does it change how she scales a tree in search of prey? does it change her love for her cubs, or the way she loved her mother when she was a cub? does it change the sharpness of her canines?

do you look at her and see her as a female? or do you see her as a panther first, with her femaleness being secondary?

and why would a human be different?

why would a human female be stereotyped the instant she’s perceived? why does her skin correlate to violence or docility? why is she female before she is human? why is her existence inherently sexual, inherently meant for consumption?

it doesn’t have to be this way.

welcome to The Neutral Human Project, a space for envisioning a future beyond the myth of gender, beyond the myth of race, beyond the tangled web of identity as inherently political. this project is a work of theory, ever evolving before your very eyes, aimed at narrowing down the path toward the next stage of humanity, one with unity, equality, compassion, and connection at the forefront of all human interaction, political or otherwise.

this project values the human as another species of animal. despite our minute differences in epigenetics, culture, upbringing, class, and environment, this project makes it clear that there is simply more that unifies us than divides us. through advocacy for separation of church and state, dissolution of gendered stereotypes and discrimination, normalization and separation of sex from the gendered myth, the rights of all human females, and the freedom to be who you are without the burden of overcomplicated labels, this project aims to make a clear and ever changing plan for evolution beyond the boxes and borders of modern human society.

welcome to the future of humanity in text. we are equal, we are united, and we will stand indivisible against all problems— no matter how tricky they may be.

[cissa-calls]

Foreword to Agatha All Along

After years of waiting, tomorrow witches, marks the anticipated start to Agatha All Along! But, before the first two episodes stream, it's time to take one last crack at discussing some possible theories (and hopes) for the series:

Akin to how Wandavision was an exploration of American Television sitcoms, this series is partially an exploration of depictions of witchcraft and referential to horror in pop culture (the Witched Witch and Glinda from the Wizard of Oz).

Is Rio dead? How does she seem to emerge from the ground on the side of the witches road? Did she and Agatha try to walk it long ago, and Rio perished, thus she is now trapped there forever?

At some point, Agatha will end up alone. She will be walking alone because either everyone has died, or those remaining leave. This however will not be indefinite.

Conversely, it could also recall the beginning when it was just her and the teen, but just the two of them make it out.

I keep thinking of that scene with her and the teen in the metal room, where they both appear to be in patient gowns. Are they in facilities at S.W.O.R.D.? Is the teen crying because Agatha is making him walk through memories and realize his identity?

Agatha's knowledge of the road is either from the Darkhold or what Evanora taught (or rather tried to keep from her daughter).

As a green witch, Rio is connected to plants. Her costume quite literally looks like vines and roots growing are forming the bodice. Are plants relevant in the sense of bloom and regeneration? Or rather decay and withering?

Using, dismantling, subverting, or cannonizing of symbols or tools of witchcraft. From kitschy to terrifying.

The hooded figures who appear in front of the teen, is there one for each member of the coven? Is it a haunted form of themselves, or a twisted appartion assigned to capture each?

Part of this story is found family, and Agatha's fear of comraderie. Built off a lifetime of distrust, backstabbing, and taking, Agatha has to learn to trust. In a similar vein, Agatha has no sense of comfort or home.

The scene where Agatha's face is covered in small cuts or splatters of blood. Either that is the cataylst to a glorifying rise near the end of the show, or a horrifying turn of seemingly irredemtion.

Rio was once Agatha's companion, her only companion. A betrayal between the two sent Agatha into permanent solitude.

I sincerely hope this show explores horror and gives into the darkness that Multiverse of Madness teased. Comic relief is a needed presence, but the tone is overall geared towards darker themes and storylines

Speaking of darkness - night! The majority of this series will take place at night! At least the juicy and important scenes.

DOES AGATHA POSSESS THE DARKHOLD AGAIN OR WAS ITS APPEARANCE IN A FLASHBACK

When Agatha was young and on the run, she was targeted for possessing the Darkhold.

Rio and Agatha...history may call them the best of friends.

The Ballad of the Witche's Road might be sung in several versions/genre's (we've already heard two)

More lyrics of the ballad will be revealed and sung as the story progresses.

The Witches Road may be terrible, but it is a unifying force as it welcomes everyone. Remember the lyrics: "Seekest thou the road, all that's foul and fair," the road is a living thing, inviting everyone but casting judgement on those who can achieve

I will cry at some point. I am certain this will break me just as Wandavision broke me.

The glowing tree in the middle of the Witch's Road has something hidden beneath and growing within the roots. (Is it the heart of the Road, because it is a living legend?)

Each of the witches will have to confront their greatest fears manifested as scenes, memories, or landscapes of their personal hells. Only when they begin to trust each other or confront/admit their weakness can their proceed. Agatha would obviously have the final and hardest challenge.

Without her magic, such a core tenant of her identity and confidence, Agatha will be even more combatative and threatening (borne entirely out of insecurity).

Agatha's cameo, and the lock of hair in it, is a reminder of her humanity and connection.

At some point, Agatha will break, spilling out centuries worth of every held back, messy emotion (and Kathryn Hahn will SERVE).

Perhaps it is based on the obvious Eve allegory, but there will be more biblical allegories or subversions. Is Agatha being born anew?

Teen and Señor Scratchy bond. It is likely a trauma bond. (The rabbit may also gain a more horrifying form or eat an entire monster/adversary)

Elaborate outfit reveal. ELABORATE FINALE COSTUME OUTFIT REVEAL! AGATHA ACHIEVES ENLIGHTMENT AND HER MOST POWERFUL FORM WHEN SHE FINALLY RECLAIMS HER MAGIC...possibly foiling Wanda when she became the Scarlet Witch.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it will be interesting to compare these ideas to how the show actually plays out. In all of this excitement, there is still a touch of trepidation. After pouring so much love into counting down the days to release and yielding art, writing, research, and costumes for this character, Agatha has remained a fun force of exploration and expression for me. However, the excitement over seeing where Kathryn Hahn takes the character next assuages any and all fears, as we finally will confront who exactly Agatha was all along.

Get ready witches, it's time to walk the road.

[nightmare-grass]

One of my biggest hyperfixations nowadays is the lore of ancient kingdoms in Genshin Impact. I wanna know what they were all about, how life was like for them, what led to their downfalls, and how or if they interacted with one another. It’s said that there used to be a unified civilization of humans in Teyvat, and that’s why so many ruins have similar architectural details despite being spread across all the nations of modern Teyvat. We still have very little lore about the Nameless Ruins in the Chasm, we still don’t even have a name for them despite Dainsleif’s quest taking place there. But there’s also strange similarities between the stories of the ancient kings and how the kingdoms fell. I already buy into the theory that King Deshret of Sumeru/Gurabad may be related to or the same as King Irmin of Khaenri’ah, since the Traveler’s twin is the Abyss Prince/Princess, and the Traveler seems to remind Liloupar of Deshret in terms of looks and powers. And wouldn’t it be fitting for Deshret, who turned down the Gnosis and challenged the heavens by obtaining Forbidden Knowledge (abyssal power) to be in some way related to the king of Khaenri’ah, a nation without a god that hid from Celestia and was later punished for it? And there’s sources about Remus, the king of Remuria, citing Remus as a god king just like Deshret. And Remuria as well as Remus were swallowed by the Abyss, reminding me of the sinking of Enkanomiya, where the names of the people are lifted directly from Greek/Roman mythology. And Remus is directly inspired by the Rome founding myth, while Remuria as a whole is inspired by ancient Rome. And the most tantalizing thing for me has to be the lost kingdom of Sal Vindagnyr, where it seems so cut off from these other lost kingdoms but their princess dreamt of events that wouldn’t come to pass for thousands of years, long after her civilization was destroyed. She was born under an offshoot of Irminsul, and had the power of prophecy through her connection to the tree. She foresaw the Cataclysm in Khaenri’ah, the coming of the abyssal dragon Durin, but she had no frame of reference for when these visions would come to pass. Think about what that would do to you as your kingdom was being swallowed in ice and snow, the gods having forsaken you, and your father asks to see a vision of the snow cleared and blue skies, but you’ve already forgotten what that looks like since it’s been so long in the blizzard. Dragonspine and the ruins of Sal Vindagnyr haunt me.

EDIT: I think I figured something out about Dragonspine. In every source I could find on the topic, people usually sort the Princess’s vision of Durin before the Celestial Nail that destroyed their Irminsul tree. I think, since the people of Sal Vindagnyr proclaimed to be in such close contact with Celestia, that Celestia dropped the nail on Dragonspine as a response to the princess’s vision. They laid down a preemptive strike against the abyss and then realized, “oh shoot, we messed up,” because Durin wouldn’t appear in Mondstadt until thousands of years later! So Celestia gets the heck out of dodge before the humans can seek retribution for the destruction of their home, that’s why they abandoned the people of Sal Vindagnyr. The humans were left wondering what they did wrong, but Celestia is the one at fault! Celestia panicked and messed up!

[dinosaursonthetwinplanet]

Why Are Petrified Trees Trunks Fossilization Without Roots

My Theory Challenges the standard geology and mainstream Fossilization theory and the connection to dinosaur extinction :

• The mainstream theory say that fossilization requires burial under sediment, often by flood, volcanic ash, or landslides.

• In the case of roots, being the most buried part of a tree, should fossilize before or at least along with the trunk. Yet in many petrified forests worldwide:

• Trunks are perfectly petrified, often upright or lying sideways,

• Roots are missing, poorly preserved, or completely unmineralized. This contradicts the slow, uniform process expected under normal sedimentary fossilization.

Cosmic Flash Fossilization Explanation This phenomenon aligns well with the idea of a surface-directed energy event such as:

• A cosmic radiation burst.

• An electromagnetic pulse.

• Or a shockwave from a supernova or atmospheric plasma event These would:

• Strike the exposed upper portions of standing or fallen.

• Cause instant petrification of trunks above ground.

• Leave subterranean roots unaffected, as the energy could not penetrate the soil.

Supporting Visuals in Petrified Forests.

• Tree rings preserved in glass-like quartz structures.

• No sediment layering consistent with long-term burial.

• Surface alignment or orientation of trunks in similar direction (suggestive of energy flow or blast).

Petrification was not uniform, not gradual, and likely caused by a brief, external force acting only on exposed surfaces.

The Unified Petrification of Trees, Dinosaurs, and Marine Life

The Shared Characteristics Across Life Forms Petrified trees, dinosaur bones, and even some marine fossils exhibit:

• Quartz or silicate replacement of organic tissues.

• Exceptional detail in cellular or anatomical structures • Inconsistent or partial fossilization, often only on exposed surfaces.

• Unusual preservation of soft tissues (e.g., blood vessels in dinosaurs, inner bark in trees, soft-bodied marine fossils) This suggests that the mechanism of petrification was not selective by habitat (land vs sea), species, or burial depth—but rather acted universally and rapidly.

Evidence of a Single, High-Energy Event The preservation pattern across:

• Terrestrial megafauna (dinosaurs).

• Ancient forests (petrified wood).

• Marine species in sedimentary rock …points to a simultaneous exposure to the same cosmic flash event, possibly caused by:

• A supernova shockwave.

• A plasma burst or gamma-ray burst.

• Or a high-energy interstellar particle stream This would explain:

• Instant petrification on a global scale.

• Widespread distribution of fossilization regardless of environment. • The uniform mineral composition in fossils across continents.

*A Global Petrification Event This supports the hypothesis of a planet-wide petrification event, initiated by a cosmic force strong enough to:

• Penetrate the atmosphere and ocean surface.

• Interact with biological material at the atomic level.

• Mineralize tissues in seconds or minutes, not millennia This unified process dissolves the boundaries between geologic eras and environmental zones, replacing slow, local fossilization theories with a single, rapid cosmic event hypothesis.

Shared Preservation Traits Petrified trees, dinosaur fossils, and marine life show parallel fossilization patterns that suggest a shared, rapid petrification mechanism. Despite vast differences in habitat and structure, these organisms were subject to a similar mineralization process that preserved fine details and soft tissues. Across these biological categories, the following features are observed:

• Silicification and quartz-like mineral replacement of organic matter • Exceptional preservation of anatomical or cellular details.

• Partial or surface-focused petrification (outer fossilization, inner preservation).

• Fossils found in environments where slow fossilization by sediment is unlikely. These patterns challenge conventional models of localized, time-dependent fossilization. Indication of a Single High-Energy Cosmic Event The consistency of fossilization across life forms suggests exposure to the same type of cosmic energy, likely from a supernova or a related astrophysical event. This event could have:

• Released intense gamma radiation or plasma streams.

• Affected Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and land surface simultaneously.

• Triggered mineralization of hydrogen-rich tissues at the molecular level This would explain why fossils in marine sediments, volcanic zones, and petrified forests share striking mineralogical and structural similarities.

Global Petrification Hypothesis I propose that a single cosmic event induced a wave of petrification across Earth’s biosphere. This mechanism:

• Worked at or near the speed of light causing Mineralized biological structures nearly instantly.

• Created long-lasting fossil records without the need for burial over millions of years This unifying process reframes fossilization not as a slow, isolated geological function, but as a short-lived, high-energy phenomenon of cosmic origin.

[rallamajoop]

PG, 7,470 words

"Didn't you know you were naked?" asked the chaplain, who was confused all over again. "I hadn't given it much thought," said the man in the tree who was probably Yossarian. "But then, I've been avoiding fruit on account of my liver, so I haven't eaten any of these." He proffered a juicy, red fruit that the chaplain recognised, to some alarm, as a cherry tomato of much the same species that he'd been so cruelly accused of stealing from Colonel Cathcart's office, even by Colonel Cathcart, who had been the one to insist he take it in the first place. "Want one?"

Honestly, my plans for this year's Yuletide were to check out any prompts for The Lost Boys or maybe Dracula too with the aim of writing some treats, depending what turned up. Which I still did ‒ but then I randomly spotted Catch-22 on the sign-up summary, and never in my life have I gone from 0 to omg I have GOT to write something for this! nearly so fast. (Did not hurt that the request was, of course, exactly the pairing I knew it would be.)

See, Catch-22 is one of my favourite novels. It is by turns mad, hilarious, horrifying, utterly gut-wrenching, absurdist, cynical, humanist, and somehow still hopeful at the end of the day. When I tell you how hard Catch-22 begs to be queered, I need you to understand that despite the most gleefully gay opening lines, I warn you this thing was penned by one of the horniest heterosexual men I have ever encountered in writing (and that is saying a lot). It's narrative voice is so strong and unique that the first time I read it, I found it leaking into my fecking CLAMP fic (no regrets). It's the novel I reread deliberately while looking for inspiration for A Unified Theory of UNCLE (my own attempt at questionably-heterosexual absurdist historical government-regulation-drama). This thing gets in my head in the best way.

Despite all the above, I can't say I've ever seriously considered trying to write fic for Catch-22 itself before. But it turns out all I really needed was the excuse.

And if that isn't everything Yuletide's meant to be about, I don't know what is.

[zahri-melitor]

Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing (Saga of the Swamp Thing #20-64):

This is both incredibly good and also incredibly Alan Moore, in ways that anyone familiar with his writing will instantly understand.

Moore rapidly accelerated the complexity of the property, and introduced and defined a bunch of beloved fundamental concepts to the lore. He gave us The Green and the Parliament of Trees, which provided the foundation for the elemental forces lore that was furthered by later Swamp Thing and Animal Man writers to provide a unifying theory of where a whole host of disparate heroes get their powers from.

He spent a lot of time discussing his own ideas about environmentalism, ethics, pollution, corruption, ethical drug use, metaphysics, and so on. Moore’s own politics are never far from the surface of anything he writes, and there are issues in here that are polemics against issues he despises: nuclear waste, for instance. The evils of big industry and his disgust at big corporate culture of the 80s. His hatred of Margaret Thatcher.

He made this title the thing that solidified the British Invasion and created a halo of surrounding interwoven titles as later writers brought in on that tradition expanded and embroidered on his work here. Grant Morrison. Jamie Delano. Peter Milligan. Mark Millar. Neil Gaiman. And so on. Working with Swamp Thing and Hellblazer and Animal Man and Shade, The Changing Man and The Sandman etc to assume control of a coherent corner of the DCU as their personal territory, that eventually seeded off the concept of Vertigo.

He gave us John Constantine, who is such a quintessentially 1980s English creation that Constantine has been guarded and incubated by British writers for decades until he was so solid that even when stereotyped it couldn’t ultimately harm him long-term.

And with all of that: it was time for Moore’s run to end. The final run of issues or so from #56-64 very much have the vibe that Moore was running out of ideas about where he wanted to take the title, and so we got a bunch of space adventures as an afterlife experience, heavily influenced by Moore’s own views on religion. The best of these are probably #56, set on Blue Planet where Swamp Thing is all alone and in his loneliness replicates his Louisiana home, and #61, which is the story of the planet J586, where the planet’s plantlife is sentient and the apex species.

I’ve loved it. I’m excited to get to Rick Veitch’s run, who from all of his artwork on this run and occasional fills show how immersed and marinated he is in the more complex mythology Moore built.

I can see why people rave about this. It’s a run that fundamentally altered the direction of DC comics in ways that are both blatantly obvious and hard to tease out. It’s so entwined in the lorebuilding of DC, that looking at titles that come before it you find yourself astonished at the gaps: surely the elemental forces as personifications such as The Green, The Red, The Rot etc have always been there, just like talking about The Flash before the creation of the Speed Force seems weird at this point in the lore.

[narhinafan]

Why I think Himawari inherited Kurama

So saw someone complaining about Kurama ending up inside Himawari and saying it retcons what we know about tailed beast. And wanted to share my theory for why I think this is wrong and explain why it happened.

First we are going to go all the way back to Kushina who before Naruto and Gaara is the youngest jinchuriki and one of the few truly confirmed case of one starting a family.

Its been established that Naruto ended up with his whiskermarks cause of being exposed to Kurama's chakra while in the womb altering his DNA. This altered DNA then got passed on to Boruto and Himawari hence why they also have whiskermarks. Going further Naruto's chakra had been mixing and syncing with Kurama's since before he was born. This means that his children not only inherited altered Kurama DNA, but also their chakra would be the closest it could possibly be to Kurama's as well. This get confirmed by Kurama stating Himawari's affinity towards his chakra is even higher then Naruto's.

This perfectly sets up why Kurama could revive inside Himawari cause there is still a strong presence/connection of his chakra in the world that would act as a foundation to gather his scattered chakra. Since her chakra is the largest presence of Kurama's left his chakra would naturally be drawn to it as he reforms.

The reason why this has never happened before is quite simple jinchuriki are usually chosen when they are adults and of them very few are women and other the Yagura and Mito no other jinchuriki is confirmed to have started a family and in both their cases they were adults before they became hosts to a tailed beast as well. So Kushina is the first female host of a tailed beast to become one during her childhood and to have made a family after becoming an adult. Leading to her child and grandchildren inheriting a great degree of Kurama's chakra and traits. No other tailed has had this before their is no one else with their chakra nor remaining link for them to use as a base to reform and even those that had children they would only have inherited a small portion of tailed beast chakra. Then you have the fact tailed beast rarely die and usually get resealed or transferred to another host so its usually only generations after when the tailed beasts chakra has watered down that they end up reforming.

Next the combination of Hyuga and Uzumaki bloodlines unifies both Hagoromo and Hamura's branches. This basically means NaruHina's children are as close to Otsutsuki and Kaguya as you can be naturally which adds to their already great affinity and capability with Kurama. Kaguya was the ten tails and original tailed beast hence genetically Boruto and Himawari are perfectly compatible with all tailed beasts due to that connection with the origin of the tailed beasts.

This could also explain why Kurama was able to revive inside Himawari directly and do so without a seal. We all know that Kaguya merged with the God tree to become the ten tails she didn't seal it inside her like what was done with the jinchuriki she and the ten tails were one in the same. So Himawari and Boruto likely inherited a similar constitution not needing a seal to host a tailed beast cause they can merge with it a similar way to how Kaguya did to make the ten tails in the first place.

Finally why Himawari and not Boruto and the answer is quite simple, Boruto is a complete Otsutsuki due to the fact Karma changed his DNA to that of Momoshiki's this means his chakra has likely been affected as well. So while the connection to Kaguya is still very much their Boruto is more Momoshiki then either Kurama and Kaguya it now pales in comparison to Himawari who remains unaltered and purest descendant/inheritor of both Kurama and Kaguya remaining in the world.

[lanternfields]

Bergens are cursed pop trolls

Okay! Before i even get into this I just wanted to clarify that this is specifically a headcanon I somehow wove into existence and is in no way canon to the trolls universe whatsoever!

------

So to summarize what this is, i basically have made a headcanon/ AU about the bergens being the descendants of cursed pop trolls. Cause like⎯⎯

Look at the weird similarities at the designs of the trolls to the bergans (I'm using bridget and poppy specifically since i couldn't find any good pics online to get my point across)

Like you can see the design of bergens and trolls being similar to each other. Obviously the face shapes are similarly different because of the size and color differences. And then I ended thinking 'But doesn't it look like that the bergens look like a more messed up version of the trolls?'

And this is where my headcanon happened in my head, cause like the lore between the pop trolls and bergens is straightforward as hell, bergen are miserable creatures and eating a pop troll makes them happy

but then the question of why were the bergens so miserable in the first place?

cause like there gotta be a root cause to that and given the ambiguous timeframe of the pop trolls being under the bergens rule and the VERY merky timeline of the past of music tribes with pop's attempted unification of all music

that got me making a storyline in the era where the old pop tribe when they tried to unify everyone, probably had some opposition within their tribe and given how the strings could be used to create the ultimate powerchord to create music zombies, why not write a backstory to this plot device?

So basically when pop was getting ready to you know unify everyone before they did that, the old king of pop then wanted to ensure total control over the music genres and decided to start making the theory of the ultimate powerchord. Problem was its was just that, a theory, untilll.... he realized he could 'test' out strings since pop was entrusted with it at the time on trolls who wouldn't be missed in their tribe and have been rumored on planning on leaving soon anyways because of their opposition to unifying everyone under one genre: pop.

And so the old pop king did and it worked at first...

But because the theory at that point was still incomplete and in its testing phase. All it ended up creating was genreless and unhappy troll zombies as it was incomplete and okay I'm playing off the idea that trolls NEED music to survive so in this headcanon/AU

so seeing this the old pop king ordered all the failed zombies experiments to be transported faraway from the trolls territory as soon as possible

this lead to the banished troll zombies who at this point is only surviving because of their unhappiness and constant search for something to make them happy replacing their need for music to well start to evolve into some more to fit their current needs now.

being banished to giant forests where the food wasn't at all what they were use too and now their voices not being able to make the sweet music it once did that made their survival before their transformation happy well... those groups of banished zombies were gonna change no matter how much time would pass

and such by the time the bergens find the trolls tree its been over a CENTURY since their ancestors came to change in such short periods of their lives

and well the rest follows up in what the first trolls movie lore gave us :P

[queensectonia]

last night i was reminded of one of my extremely few Hater Moments (lighthearted) about this series and i never got around to fully articulating my thoughts on it, so it is once again time for our regularly-scheduled kirby rant:

the spider sectonia reveal was poorly-executed on every level.

to start with, this plot element was introduced when the series was in its worst throes of Not Putting The Fucking Lore In The Fucking Games, but I will happily concede that this reveal was at least in a game; just not the game it should have been in.

I almost wonder if the Sectonia Clone as a whole was a leftover from the fact that Robobot started out development as Triple Deluxe 2, but considering that a) TD2 was dropped pretty early on and b) Robobot is just full to the brim with fanservice and callbacks anyway, I don't feel there's much evidence for such a theory.

at any rate, reducing the otherwise very intriguing reveal of Sectonia's prior form to a blink-and-you'll-miss-it easter egg in an entirely different game is pretty... underwhelming. we've had plenty of "reveals" or cool nods and expansions to other lorebits in similar easter eggs, but none of them were nearly as important as "oh, by the way, here's what the character whose whole arc revolves around personal and physical image used to look like! in a totally unrelated game!"

but that's the tamest complaint. that's just the accessibility of this information, which could have been better but certainly could have been worse.

the biggest problem is Sectonia's design. it's bad. it is just not good, fellas. she is literally just genderbent Taranza. it fails visually, it fails conceptually, and it fails really hard story-wise.

this design was so uninspired that when people in the EN sphere first saw it, tons of people thought it just was Taranza. then when we got screenshots, model rips, etc., it was still so painfully similar to Taranza that it made people assume HAL was saying Taranza and Sectonia were related - which turned into just as much of a shitfight as you might think.

even if this weren't attached to such a crucial character reveal, it's just downright a bad design! instead of taking even the slightest efforts to differentiate Sectonia from Taranza, they did the laziest, most barebones "uhhhhhh what if taranza But Girl" design shift possible. she's wearing the exact same outfit as Taranza, just palette-swapped. so little effort went into both the concepting stage and the modelling stage. she's just Taranza's model with the merest tweaks to make sure you know this is a Girl Spider.

genuinely, I would be a hundred times more amenable to this entire plot point if HAL had just bothered to give her an actual design.

but the problem is, making Sectonia a spider kind of just fucks everything about her story and contradicts itself at multiple points.

the aesthetic and theme language in TD is very clear. this is one of the biggest strengths that both it and Robobot share - the identity and literary through-lines of both games pervade every single visual element of them. Robobot tells its tale of capitalistic tech-fuelled colonialism through every part of the game from level backgrounds, to enemy designs, right down to surgical decisions like mechanising the pinwheel tree that was such a fond image from KRtD. every tiny thing bore the mark of the HWC, whether metaphorically or literally, such that you spent the entire game never forgetting that there was one unified force behind all of this, and Haltmann at the end of the game was the culmination of this aesthetic.

TD did the exact same. every part of TD sells that it's a fantastical fairytale romp through a series of themed locations with a connecting thread of the invading Antr* force.

*(this is a way better romanisation than "antler" this is my hill)

if anything, I'd argue that TD's design language in this respect is tighter than Robobot's, because Robobot had a fairly broad theme of "industrialisation and hi-tech space future sci-fi" to draw its foes from, whereas TD had to condense its antagonists under the stricter banner of "evil insect army".

and they did incredibly. every point of design about the Antrs points straight to Sectonia and draws from her in some way or another. it's absolutely seamless. she's the perfect logical endpoint of Antr design from every angle: she's the literal queen bee of this insect hive and the perfect expression of their anatomy. she's bigger than the biggest Antr. she's more developed. she's more powerful. they were so careful and thorough about this design conceit that Antrs have multiple stages that all march straight up to Sectonia. we go from the tiny bronto burt and waddle dee clones with their little wings and eyes that seem so familiar, to the Antr soldiers, all the way up to the Lord Antrs who are one step away from Sectonia. they have stripes and facial markings to echo hers. it's all wrapped up with the genius bow of combining ants, bees, and wasps: they're all hymenoptera! the metaphor goes even deeper than that because there's a species of wasp that parasitizes spiders! controls them, even!

... except no actually, we've decided she's a spider too and all of that buildup and artful design means nothing.

it's awful. it's taking what is far and away one of the best-executed designs in the series and saying that all of that buildup and blatant connection of ideas meant nothing.

but that's just the visual end of it. Sectonia actually being a spider makes no sense in the lore, either.

first of all, TD's incredible design sense and artistic direction applies to Taranza as well. while he's obviously derivative of Magolor, within the context of TD he's clearly meant to evoke the sky fairies. he's designed to look much more like them than any of the insect characters. he's got the same body type, he moves the same way as them, he's a sky fairy with a spider theme. the game draws visual parallels between him and the sky fairies more than once; this is not unintentional.

this is part of what makes Taranza's role as Sectonia's right hand more impactful: he's only insect adjacent, and the design language would have you believe he's more closely related to the fairies than the insects, so him being with the bad guys is notable and interesting.

so why would a spider character be the ruling monarch of the insect hive? why would the line go ant, bigger ant, fancy ant, armoured ant, spider, wasp?

I mean, shit dude, the miiverse posts directly tell us that Sectonia used to "look like her insect underlings". it really feels like the decision to make her be a spider was a total spur-of-the-moment one, between how badly it interacts with the rest of the story and how lazy the design was. Sectonia's backstory had a couple of holes in it regarding the actual timeline of things, but those were just mysteries regarding what order everything happened in. she was both a bodyjacker and a good queen at one point, which don't exactly jive, so it becomes interesting to think about how those two facts coexist. on the other hand, her being a spider just gets shoehorned in there for no apparent reason other than to... heighten her connection to Taranza?

and that just dovetails into the complete mockery HAL made of Taranza's character development after TD, and THAT is a rant for another time.

there was just no point to it all. Sectonia being a spider adds nothing, removes a bunch of nuance and intrigue, and muddies both her story and the background world of TD.