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irishanimefan · 1 year ago

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One Piece Anime Watchalong: Sky Island Saga 1/2

Jaya (144-152)

Started: 20/9/23 Finished: 23/9/23

Hey guys! It's been a while since I last talked about the One Piece anime, but after making the OPLA video, I needed a bit of a little break away from doing anything OP related. Anyway, I'm back talking about OP again and this time, we're venturing into new territories, and by that I mean we're ascending up towards the skies! That does mean that I had to skip three back-to-back filler arcs, which aren't that long in the grand scheme of things. Like I've said before, I will get around to those filler arcs soon, probably after we're done with the first half as a little breather.

To pick up where we left off, the Straw Hats have just recently added Nico Robin to their crew. I realise now that I forgot to talk about her when discussing the previous arc, but I have been very intrigued by her character. It's revealed that she has been considered a notorious threat by the World Government ever since she sunk six warships when she was just a child, leaving her with a bounty of 79 million berries. Ever since then, she has been working with Crocodile in order to find the ancient weapon known as Pluton, which its location can be found by reading the poneglyph in Alubarna, which Robin is the only one who can read its script. That's a lot of lore to take in for me at the moment, but from what I understand on a thematic level, Robin seems like she has no sense of free will. Thus, since she "fulfilled" her obligation with Crocodile, she thinks that she has no reason to live anymore. That is until Luffy saves her against her wishes, and so, as a punishment, she is now travelling with the Straw Hats. So far, her more mature and dignified presence amongst the rowdy and childish group dynamic is a welcome change of pace, and I look forward to see her get more involved in the story.

Anyway, let's get onto the arc proper. It starts off, as always, with a great hook: a giant pirate ship suddenly falls from the sky, almost killing the Straw Hats. I've noticed that almost every OP arc begins with a big set piece to ease viewers into a new arc, and I think this one is my favourite so far. You, along with the rest of the cast, have so many questions, like what the hell is a pirate ship doing up in the sky? Anyway, within the ruins they find a map of Skypiea, an island located up in the sky, and since the log pose is pointing upwards, that must be their next destination. But before getting to that point, they find themselves on Jaya island to find more information about the sky island.

I'm in two minds about this arc. I'll start with the positives because there were so many great moments that happened in this arc. Firstly, the stuff in Mock Town was fantastic. The location itself looks like any other port town, but underneath the surface is a cruel and mean-spirited atmosphere amongst those who visit it. The person who encapsulates this conceit is Bellamy, a relatively new pirate captain with already an impressive bounty on his head (55 million). His personality is so brash and cocky who, despite being so fresh on the scene, thinks he's got the world all figured out. This is posited by his main philosophy that dreams are worthless and have no place in this new age of piracy. It is the polar opposite of Luffy's beliefs, which abrasively clashes when him, Zoro, and Nami visit the local pub to get more information about the sky island. Upon inquiring about it, they are ridiculed by everybody, especially by Bellamy, who lectures them about it and how he rejects the notion that a sky island actually exists and also rejects the notion that even the One Piece itself doesn't exist. You can see that Bellamy has struck a nerve with all three Straw Hats, even provoking Nami who initially wanted the boys to stay civil. However, even though she gives them permission to fight him, Luffy orders Zoro to "not attack them, by any means", and lets Bellamy and his crew to beat them up. I got chills at this scene, because it's obvious that Luffy fundamentally disagrees with everything Bellamy has just said, but with someone as stubborn in their ways like Bellamy, is he even worth fighting for that slight boost in ego?

But, that makes the following scene all the more impactful. After letting Bellamy wail on them, Nami drags the severely injured Luffy and Zoro out of the bar, only to encounter someone in the street to say that the sky island does, in fact, exist. The person who said that was Marshall D. Teach, who is later revealed to be Blackbeard but more on that revelation later. The speech he gave to the Straw Hats about Bellamy's idea of the new age of piracy being wrong, and topping that off with him declaring that "people's dreams... never die!" Chills. To onlookers, he appears to be some drunkard spewing a rubbish philosophy, but to viewers like me whose been watching this journey unfold up until this point, it encapsulated everything that the series is all about. However, despite how affirming that speech should be to Luffy, he instead gives the man a blank, expressionless stare. What Teach is saying is reminiscent of the lessons that Shanks and Ace have imparted onto him, Luffy is still very wary of what Teach's true intentions are. He obviously speaks of a code of piracy that Luffy may agree with, but if some greater opportunity comes up, will he abandon those ideals in favour of using others to further his own career. And by the end, when Teach finds out about Luffy's current bounty and resumes his activities as Blackbeard, those suspicions were confirmed. I have no doubt we'll return to this at a later date, but it's given me a lot to think about.

While those moments are definitely the highlights and rank among some of my favourite OP moments, what drags this arc down for me a bit is the stuff involving Masira, Shojo, and Montblanc Cricket. Not to say that the scenes involving them weren't any good; they were fun to watch on screen and the whole fairytale aspect involving Noland the Liar was a really nice touch. But, compared to the more thought provoking content that was on display earlier in the arc, it was kind of a step down from that. Also hindering it for me was the fact that it didn't really go anywhere sometimes. For example, Usopp's confronting Cricket about whether his intentions are good kind of came out of nowhere and were resolved just as quickly as it was brought up. That part kind of confused me because it makes sense for Usopp to be initially reluctant to whatever reckless idea that comes their way, but it felt really forced in this instance. At least the Straw Hats trying to find the South Bird to know which way to go was cute.

Last thing I want to bring up before we wrap up is the fact that the arc's penultimate episode packed a lot of content into its runtime. There was the fight between Luffy and Bellamy that took up the first half. It was way shorter than a lot of the fights we've seen up until this point, almost to a comical degree, but it was so satisfying to see Bellamy go down after Luffy's one singular punch to the cheek. Then the rest of the episode was dedicated in expanding the world outside the main Straw Hat unit. It was like a carousel of new characters being introduced. Five elders who had senior positions in the World Government; two warlords of the sea Donquixote Doflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma in order to discuss who to replace Crocodile as a Warlord; we finally get to see what Whitebeard looks like, albeit concerningly hooked up to multiple IV drips. However, probably the biggest revelation in this arc was Blackbeard and his crew whose goal is to capture Luffy after catching wind of his current bounty, boosting his status high enough for him to be recognised by the World Government to make him one of the seven Warlords of the sea. We also catch up with Shanks and the Red Hair pirates, who after failing to communicate with Whitebeard via letter decides to give him a personal visit. This was a lot for the series to casually drop in like its nothing, but it was still fascinating to see all the cogs turning elsewhere while the Straw Hats are doing their own thing. Shows that the actions that have been taken by the main unit have real ripple effects throughout the world.

Overall, I thought this arc was alright. It wasn't as dense as the arcs that came before it, for the most part, but I don't think that was its intention. This arc is clearly structured like a prologue to the next big adventure we're about to embark on, so it can be pretty easy to gloss over it. But, when it does show those typical OP sparks, then it really does shine. Anyway, let's keep moving forward, as we take to the skies for real this time! Join me next time, when we will be focusing on the Skypiea arc! Like with Alabasta, it's another long one so it'll probably take a while, but hopefully when I finish it, it'll be worth it!

#one piece #one piece anime #monkey d luffy #roronoa zoro #nami #usopp #sanji #straw hat pirates #jaya #watchalong

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fantastic-nonsense · 1 year ago

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That, like most things related to Wonder Woman lore, is a difficult question. DC fundamentally does not respect the Wonder Woman mythos on the same level that they do Superman and Batman, so unfortunately her age can vary wildly depending on the story, continuity, and screen adaptation. In the comics, though, the answer has largely consistently been "she's less than 30 years old when she arrives in Man's World" because they want to keep her age vaguely contemporaneous to Clark and Bruce.

Pre-Crisis!Diana was a grown woman when she first entered Man's World, but was also usually shown as being a contemporary of Clark and Bruce. She was not portrayed as significantly older or younger than either of them, but was significantly older upon leaving the island than she has usually been portrayed as being since 1987. Post-Flashpoint!Diana's age has been very nebulous, but she is also usually portrayed as being of a similar age to Clark and Bruce.

For our purposes, the post-Crisis continuity remains the blueprint for the Amazonian backstory and thus Diana's birth, so I'll give a more detailed answer using that one: there, Diana was 21 when she left the island. She was born long after the Amazons were enslaved by Heracles and broke free, long after they were sent to Themiscyra by the goddesses to guard Doom's Doorway, and long after they had built a functioning society and begun living on the island as a society of ageless, immortal women. Specifically, she is born approximately 30 centuries (or 3000 years) after the Amazons arrive on Themiscyra:

Outside, beyond the seas, the world of Man changes. Great civilizations rise and fall. But the Amazons know nothing of this. They hear only the voices of the Old Gods grow more distant—as if Olympus itself were being swallowed in the clouds!........thus it is that on this fateful night, during the 30th centennial of Paradise Island...... -Wonder Woman (1987) #1

Diana is then raised collectively by the Amazons as the sole child of Paradise Island, which deeply informs her perspective on Amazonian culture and ideals:

Diana! The word sings from the lips of all Amazons. She is the only child they have touched in over 30 centuries, and her innocence stirs the love of Aphrodite within them! So it is that the infant princess knows the care of a thousand mothers...of the Queen's most learned scholars! They read her their history—that she might be one with them, heart and soul! And the more she matures...the more she excels! -Wonder Woman (1987) #1

She was depicted by George Perez in his debut "Gods and Mortals" arc as a sheltered young hero whose initial entrance into Man's World and fight against Ares functions as a "coming of age" narrative:

It is so...unfair! Was I born only to be coddled like some eternal infant? Am I not an Amazon? Am I not a woman? "Oh Gods of Olympus! Though I love Paradise, I yearn for more from my life...I yearn for purpose!" -Wonder Woman (1987) #1

And was also far from the first superhero on the scene, as post-Crisis continuity depicts a world where several superheroes (including Superman, Batman, and Black Canary) are already operating when she begins integrating herself into Man's World:

Now, for the first time, it seemed as if Diana might finally find some sense of belonging in Man's world. But, despite their warm welcome, Diana fled this company of heroes even as she was invited to join the newly reformed Justice League.....however, from that day forward, Diana was constantly discussing these unique beings. The Black Canary was the first female crimefighter the Princess had ever seen. On Paradise Island, Diana said the Canary would have been hailed as a great gladiator.............Most interesting was the strange silence that would come over Diana whenever I mentioned Superman. She would not talk about him-as if some unspoken secret existed between them. Maybe some day she'll tell me about it. -Wonder Woman (1987) #8

This, of course, has somewhat changed over the years as DC has done some soft retconning to emphasize the Trinity as equals, friends, and co-founders of the Justice League, but the one thing that rarely changes in these origin retellings is that Superman and Batman are already established heroes when Diana arrives on the scene as a fresh-faced new hero. Her actual age has fluctuated from being somewhat younger to being about the same age to being a little older, but largely: Diana been portrayed as being of a relatively similar age to Clark and Bruce, while Wonder Woman debuts as a hero at least a couple of years after Superman and Batman.

On the topic of Diana's immortality...tricky question. The gift of Amazonian immortality is usually specifically linked to Themiscyra. If an Amazon leaves the island, their immortality is forfeit and they become mortal, though the reasoning behind this change differs:

At the age of 15, she recieved her bracelets of submission at the altar of Aphrodite and first drank from the Fountain of Eternal Youth. As long as she remained on Paradise Island, Hippolyta told her, she would remain always young by drinking from that spring. -Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (1985)

As long as you remain [on the island] and shirk not your new charge-you shall live as immortals and your souls shall again become pure. -Wonder Woman (1987) #1

"This champion...my Queen, you would damn one of our sisters to eternal exile. Any who leave Themiscyra can never return. Their immortality is forfeit. She would be a woman in a world of men." -Wonder Woman (2016) #4

This is why the other Amazonian tribes who don't live on Themiscyra—the Bana-Mighdall and the Esquecidas—are not functionally immortal the way the Themiscyrans are. Themiscyran Amazons can be killed, but they are generally immortal in the sense that they will not age, get sick, or die of natural causes.

While this is not universally the case for Diana specifically (occasionally writers want to put in weird stuff about her being immortal because she's a clay baby or Zeus's demigod daughter), Diana is usually portrayed as a very hardy, long-lived mortal once she leaves Themiscyra. She's even been killed on a couple of different occasions (most notably in the 90s, when she was killed by Neron and spent a bit of time operating as the Goddess of Truth, and a couple of years ago after sacrificing herself to save the multiverse in Dark Knights: Death Metal). But she has never been depicted as already being thousands of years old when she first arrives in Man's World in main comics continuity; unfortunately a lot of adaptations, where most peoples' knowledge of her comes from, seem to want to treat her like a female Thor instead of the unique character that she is and so they tend to dial up her age a lot.

In the comics, Diana is often contrasted with the rest of her people because where they've already experienced the joys and horrors of Man's World (both in their first lives and their reincarnated ones as Amazons) she had not. Diana was and remains the only Amazon truly born on Themiscyra rather than being reincarnated via the Well of Souls, and she is born from clay and the goddesses' will rather than through "natural" birth. She is the hope and promise of Amazonia realized, a child who grew up completely separated from Man's World and any cultures it contains.

Because of her unique birth and childhood, she is able to be a fresh voice of truth and reason among a mythos of ancient gods too set and stubborn in their ways to see the Truth, a society of women who have been scarred and disillusioned by their own experiences and victimization in Man's World, and the world of men not prepared for her earnest mission to teach Amazonian ideals to mankind. That is her function as a character and it's one she fills very well!

However, this is not to say that the Wonder Woman mythos is without the "ageless immortal Amazonian warrior woman who's already spent a lifetime fighting against gods and men and mythological monsters." It's just not Diana! It's her mom, Hippolyta:

"A fierce, aggressive warrior, Hippolyta was also a decisive leader.....As Wonder Woman, Hippolyta fought alongside the JSA to end Nazi tyranny in World War II...Hippolyta and Heracles face off in ancient Greece." -Wonder Woman: Secret Files and Origins (2002) #3

When DC revamped Wonder Woman lore in the late 90s to explain why Wonder Woman was active during World War II, they did not attempt to explain it by saying that Diana was actually thousands of years old and had been operating as a hero for decades before Clark and Bruce were born. They just said it was her mom, who had temporarily time travelled and spent a few years there working with the JSA! Which is a perfectly valid explanation that doesn't compromise Diana's unique story and place amongst the Amazons.

This is what ultimately frustrates me about Diana age discourse: you don't need to make Diana into something she isn't to get the character you want to see! All you need to do is acknowledge that other Amazons exist and read about them instead!

Honestly, people can argue about Diana's age when she arrives in Man's World if they like—there's lots of contradictory canon to argue about there—but it should still be a somewhat reasonable age that is relatively similar to Clark and Bruce's ages, none of this "she's 1000/2000/3000 years old" nonsense.

Wonder Woman age discourse is happening on twitter again. when will I be free

#wonder woman #diana of themyscira #wonder woman meta #dc meta #dc comics #long post #queue

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gear-project · 2 years ago

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. . .

Welcome to New Followers:

Just a head's up: I take Guilty Gear Lore very Seriously on this blog, something you may not be used to, compared to other blogs on Tumblr.

I very rarely post jokes, memes, fake-outs, or parodies (unless absolutely warranted or deserving).

I do sometimes celebrate GG Birthdates and other events, depending on the flow of things. I haven't done so for older characters in a long time because I haven't had much new content to add.

I will also be (on occasion) fixing older outdated content from this blog, so expect a few edits once in a while... and if you spot posts that have GG Lore in them that don't have tags, please let me know and I will TAG them appropriately! There were times in the past when I would rapid-fire answer questions and forget to add tags to some old posts, so just beware I am not perfect.

If you read something and don't understand or something catches your eye that you want to discuss, feel free to ask in my inbox. Try not to be too intense, I try to keep things civilized and peaceful around here.

Sometimes I will post long articles or posts from time to time, but if you don't have time to read them, just save them for later in your spare time.

For resources and other more pressing things, be sure to remember I have a "Links" tag that links to various GG content, and a "GG+News" tag, which I always use to keep people up to date. Also the "GG+Interviews" tag has a lot of useful info as well.

That's it for now... thanks for following, and I hope you begin to enjoy Guilty Gear a little more from now on~!

#GP Updates #Friendly Reminder

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riathedreamer · 4 years ago

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Zero is Null

A discussion of Zero’s love-hate-relationship with RvB and struggling independence; including a hotdog too big for the bun, tragic backstories, a single bow-chicka-bow-wow, and a cookie at the very end.

Welcome to what will be a lot of text. Basically, it will explore why Zero fails as an RvB (with emphasis on RvB) season. I will not be the first one to bring forth some of the points, and I promise to be fair and civil and fun. This isn’t supposed to be a piece of hate – in fact, I’m writing this because I love Red vs. Blue.

Okay, first of all, to increase your fun – take a guess on just how much of Zero is spent on fight scenes. You see, I’ve calculated the exact amount, and I will reveal it later, but for now, take a guess and remember the number. Maybe you are the winner!

Alright, time to share my thoughts. Wait! Since I suffer from anxiety and have this one annoying voice pretending to be all those critical statements my opinion could be met with, let’s give it an actual voice and address the points throughout this review.

“Why would I care about your opinion, Ria?” – I don’t know, you’re the one who clicked Read More.

“Your opinion doesn’t matter!” – Of course, it doesn’t! Geez. Do you think your opinion matters, though? Listen, we’re on Tumblr, the actual equivalent of screaming into the void. And it’s fun, too!

“If you don’t like it, don’t watch!” - *activates Uno Reverse Card* “You can’t talk about something you haven’t watched!”

“You’re just a Hater” – Actually, this is a point I’ll come back to. Like a cliffhanger. Also, at the end of this, there’ll be a cookie. But this will also include me talking about the stuff I like, because, surprise, Zero is not without talent!

“You just don’t like it because the Reds and Blues aren’t in it!” – Actually, that’s a good point, so instead, this review will start with a sole focus on Zero and discuss the problem that lies within that story. Then we can address why the lack of OG cast is understandable and problematic and weird.

But first! Backstory.

When the first 5 second teaser dropped back in spring (you know, when we were young and innocent and the world didn’t feel like an apocalyptic movie yet), I held onto that one image of what I thought (hoped) to be Grif and Simmons in the sunset, hopefully addressing Grif’s hateglue arc, but boy was I wrong because a) that’s not Simmons, that’s Sarge, and b) the image was from a PSA since the Reds are not in Zero.

Actual face-reveal of me below:

Admittedly, when I heard that the Reds and Blues were not going to be the main characters (or even show up), it felt like a gut punch. However, I actually found myself getting excited due to the creators’ hype. I want to praise them for this. It’s been a while since an RvB season was talked so much ABOUT before its release; it had advertisements, it had creators and voice-actors talking about it. Please. More of that in the future. Their passion rubbed off on me, and that deserves recognition. So it pains me that this was clearly a passion-project, and then when I gave it a try, I didn’t want to touch it again for weeks.

Here’s the thing. I cannot whole-heartedly say that Zero is bad. It’s not gonna melt your eyes. It’s not even so-bad-it’s-good. For me, it’s meh. It’s a Saturday-morning-cartoon aimed for a younger audience with a rushed plot and clichéd characters. The problem is that it calls itself RvB, and with that title comes something to live up to – but more importantly, something to continue.

My main issue is that Zero forces its story into existence by ignoring established content rather than adjusting to it. Let’s call this for the hotdog-too-big-for-the-bun syndrome solely for the sake of the bow-chicka-bow-wow that’s coming now. Bow-chicka-bow-wow. Many of the separate issues I will dive into all add to this hotdog-issue, so I will scream “Hotdog!” whenever this is the case so we can all keep track of my argument.

You can continue the story of Red vs. Blue without the Reds and Blues. While that would personally crush my heart, it can be done. There’s a story of Red vs. Blue that can be continued. The world can be expanded, the previous actions of the Reds and Blues can be explored from another angle.

So.

How does Zero do this? It doesn’t.

I just want to make it clear that new elements can definitely be added when it comes to worldbuilding. That’s literally the point of sequels. But Zero’s settings are presented with so little grace and with no connection to previously established worldbuilding. We get Alliance of Defense and GLASS thrown in our face as very big important organizations – yet we’ve never heard of them before. A big central plot point of RvB is the UNSC and Project Freelancers, and those were introduced naturally with the plot. We already have big established intergalactic organizations. What is AOD’s connection with those? We aren’t told. We are just told they exist and expected to accept it, no questions asked. If this was a whole new world and story – fine. But when you need to build on an already established worldbuilding, you need more grace than this. Chorus was a whole new setting, but it was explained, and it was connected to the previous plot. Same with Iris. Same with Desert Gulch. In Zero, it feels lazy. It feels forced. These organizations are just there because the story is built around them (HOTDOG).

This vagueness when it comes to wordbuilding is also reflected in the settings - we have a desert, a training base, a lab, temples, Tucker’s workplace, and we do not know if all those are set place on the same planet. If that is the case, what is this planet’s relationship with Chorus? Is it Earth? And most importantly, what is the deal with the temples? Why are they connected to Tucker’s sword if it isn’t the same planet. Are they made by the same aliens? Are people okay with this? Why haven’t these temples been explored before? Chorus makes sure to establish this, while Zero doesn’t, adding to a growing amount of confusion.

Okay, so no connection with previous worldbuilding. What about characters? I mean, we got Wash and Carolina and Tucker! So we have RvB characters, it gotta be RvB! Technically – yeah. But it feels dirty. These three characters are not here to be characters. They are here to be props to the new cast. They are not given any development. Their presence isn’t even that important, and if this was a whole new show, they could easily have been replaced with an unknown face. Worst of all, they feel miswritten.

Carolina and Wash are working at a new military organization? Leaving the Reds and Blues behind? To help people? First of all, fucking bad idea, Carolina, the last time you left the Reds and Blues alone, they changed the timeline. But most importantly – Carolina and Wash just joined this new super elite military organization? After being mistreated and manipulated by such an organization in the past?

Carolina is there to introduce the characters. That’s it. We are force-fed their personality by having her literally read out loud their personality. There is no gentle introduction to the new cast. We are not allowed to get to know them naturally. Why show when you can tell, huh? That’s Carolina’s role. That’s why she is there. To introduce the cast and explain their story. That’s it. (HOTDOG).

How about Wash? He is there to get beat up and be a damsel in distress so that the new cast has a reason to explore the plot. Oh, and that brain damage that was the consequence of previous seasons – gone now. The guy who literally has trauma from having an AI explode inside his head is fine with having a computer inserted into it instead. Because that’s needed. To explore his brain damage wouldn’t work now when his role is to be a prop to lure the new cast for one episode and then be put onto the bench for the rest of the runtime (HOTDOG).

And Tucker – he is there to die for a second and have his sword taken from him. That’s literally it. And for the few moments he is there, he feels like old super flirty Tucker, which erases the character development he went through in previous seasons. Okay, so Tucker dies, and then not dies, and then he is put on the bench with Wash where they can sit and talk or whatever (‘cause holy shit, the new cast is not allowed to that), because he isn’t important. The sword is. Tucker is just a prop, even more than his sword is (HOTDOG).

Damn. Wash gets beat up. Tucker gets beat up. Dies. Gets his sword taken away. Almost seems like a Red’s wet dream. Sorry not sorry, Blues, you were done dirty.

So there are miswritten old characters. Even worse is the retconning. The plot needs a “normal” Wash, so, bam, magic computer solution. Never mind Wash’s trauma and character traits. Never mind the logic of the new worldbuilding which also includes a character suffering for years to heal an illness. But the brain damage that was such a big consequence that it became the main part of the plot of the last two seasons – gone. I mean, a gunshot to the head can be healed by CPR. That’s canon. But no one gave Wash CPR so it’s a big thing, okay. It was canonically a big thing, and Zero erased that. This is not me saying that a Cerebral Enhancer couldn’t work in the RvB universe. Imagine it being done right. Wash struggling with the choice of getting used to his disability or accepting the possibility of help - at the cost of reliving his trauma. The struggle between what to choose - what should he choose when he wants to help as many as possible, the sacrifices he thinks he has to make, the way it could have been used as a part of his character growth. But in Zero, the enhancer isn’t a part of Wash’s character. It’s there so the story can work without having to deal with the previous plot’s consequence (HOTDOG).

Same with the sword thing. They sorta explain it by having Tucker flatline, but it’s weak. Honestly, I find it sorta offensive. What about Locus’ sword as well? It’s twisting previous lore to make the new plot work (HOTDOG). (Also, are we not gonna talk about the ultimate power being Spencer Porkensenson’s helmet? Have the writers forgotten Spencer Porkensenson? Have we as a community forgotten Spencer Porkensenson?)

If you have Red vs. Blue in your title, you cannot ignore what you inherit from it. You need to respect the worldbuilding, the established characters, and the previous plot. Zero does not do this.

Let’s talk about the Triplets. No, really, let’s do it. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about them before, because season 14 was a mixed bag for me (that I have now learned to appreciate. Thank you, Zero.) because I have heart at the size of the Grinch and can only love a few characters at a time, and that did not include the Triplets. Can’t even remember their names. Well, I can, but I can’t for the love of me remember which state is which, and my tongue is twisted every time I try to say Ohio, Iowa, and Idaho, and I know it’s on purpose. I know it is. And it got me good. That being said, the fandom actually embraced them really, really well! Seriously, I’ve seen more content for the Triplets than for Zero as a whole.

Why talk about the Triplets? (Was Iowa the lesbian? Or was it Ohio? Fuck.) Because like Zero, they introduced new characters with a story of their own. The Reds and Blues didn’t play a role. But here’s what I feel like the Triplets got right. They didn’t change the settings to force their narrative. They used stuff already established (Project Freelancer), added their own story as a continuation of that. They even included old characters in the beginning (Wash and some other Freelancers) but it felt natural and it didn’t feel like it happened at the expense of the old characters. Wash’s writing felt natural, and his presence wasn’t needed to tell these new character’s stories. He wasn’t a prop to them. He was there to establish the setting and to establish the relationship with these new characters, and then he and the other familiar faces (helmets??) left, and we as the viewers were left with these new characters. And the new characters told their own story by themselves. It felt like, hey, here’s something you know – remember Mother of Invention, and remember Wash’ lower rank, but now, try to imagine being even lower rank than him, aren’t you curious about those fates? Now let’s hear their story! It was new, it was something else, but it didn’t wreck what came before it, and it stayed true to the classic vibes of RvB.

As I said before, the hotdog-issue is my biggest problem with Zero. It infuriates me. I will return to this. But there are more issues, even if we try to look past the title-related problems.

If we try to imagine Zero as its own story and universe (as it should be, in my opinion), it still earns the meh review from me.

These isolated issues include awkwardness, the writing, lack of self-awareness, and pacing. First of all, holy shit, this is a tell, don’t show. Nothing is subtle, nothing is allowed to develop. It’s like the show thinks you are six years old with an attention span of a goldfish. You are not just led by the hand – they have literally pulled off your arm by the end of the show. We are force-fed every bit of information, every bit of personality from these new characters.

The voice-acting is a mixed bag for me. Sometimes it’s pretty good, sometimes it’s not. Some of the problems can definitely be blamed on the dialogue that you can only do so much with. It’s not good. I can’t remember any good jokes (the one joke I really appreciate was the cast on armor, and that was freaking visual humor. That was so RvB. Kudos to that. It was fun. More of that, please.), and RvB is known for having memorably good lines. This is a show built on good, clever, funny dialogue. Zero does not deliver. You have to sit through clichéd lines – “You’re not my dad”, “I trusted you”, “Come with me”, “It can’t be!”, “She’s way too powerful”, and “We have to do this together” – performed unironically. I cringed more than I laughed. Worst thing is that Zero could be a good parody. Sometimes, it feels like it is. One-dimensional characters, a villain wanting ‘the ultimate power’, very overpowered characters, bad one-liners, etc. But Zero takes itself seriously, and I was one of the people rooting for Jax to show up at the end and yell “Cut”. That would have been a funny-as-fuck twist. A spin-off parody. If I can’t have “Sarge the Movie”, I would have taken that and loved it. I would have forgiven everything. “We put so much info into finding that power, but we had no idea what it was” is really a line in the finale, and I cannot believe this is real in a show that somehow still tries to present itself as serious. What a plot.

We have to talk about pacing. God, first of all it should be stated that RvB is a mess when it comes to pacing. I honestly get what they were going for. Sometimes, RvB has come across as a bit boring when you get three episodes stretched over three weeks without much going on. I know season 11 did not have the warmest welcome because it was seen as boring until the finale. But when you see season 11 as a whole, as a movie, as a part of a trilogy, it works so well. Zero is more focused on being episodic. They want something to happen all the time so we will stay tuned. The thing that will happen – a fight. Oh god. The fight scenes.

I have done the math. I have run the numbers. I deserve a freaking cookie for this. Are you ready?

If you put all the episodes together, you have a runtime of 106 minutes. HOWEVER, with the introduction of credits in every episode, you gotta account for this. Removing the credits, this gives us 94 minutes of actual runtime. Out of that, 45 minutes are dedicated to fight scenes. That means 48% of the show is fight scenes.

If I wanted that many fight scenes, I’d watch Death Battle. Except the actual RvB Death Battle episode has a runtime of 20 minutes, and out of that, 5 minutes is dedicated to the actual battle. For the people who hate math – that’s 25% of the actual runtime.

RvB Zero has more fight scenes than a show called Death Battle. Take that in.

The pace suffers from this. Where’s the time to explore the characters? Where’s the time for good dialogue? All I can think of is this:

I get that RvB is a show that’s literally making fun of itself by acknowledging all their characters do is stand around and talk. I get that you want characters to do more than that. But for the love of Church, would it kill the new characters to stand around and talk? For just a minute? Stop fighting, I am begging you, stop fighting! Am I a pacifist now? Am I purple? Have I joined Doc’s team? What has Zero done to me?!

The good thing though is that fight scenes are very good. They’re entertaining. However, they seem to deconstruct themselves when we need to get a fight scene in every episode. Usually, the few fight scenes in an RvB season were in some of the most climatic episodes. In Zero, I can hardly keep up with the pace because they won’t stop moving. Fight scenes aren’t plot. They aren’t character development. You need more than just fight scenes. They entertain, but there’s a limit to that.

Noël Wiggins, the co-writer, stated the inspiration was a Saturday-morning cartoon. They nailed that vibe. If that was their goal, hurray, they have accomplished something! Because of the poor plot and constant fight scenes, it feels like you could just switch on the TV and drop in at any moment and let yourself be entertained by the cool and colorful soldiers punching and kicking each other. I will admit that the fight scenes entertained me. But they don’t make it a good season.

If I were the six-year-old with the attention span of a goldfish that the show believes I am, I honestly would enjoy it. The stiff dialogue and the constant tell-don’t-show makes you feel like an audience that’s not supposed to do anything else but admire the flashy fight scenes. I miss the cleverness of RvB. I miss the characters I get to connect with as I see them grow.

I miss the tone of RvB. Because this isn’t RvB to me.

It’s not that RvB hasn’t changed its tone before. Holy shit, I sorta do want to experience the absolute shock the RvB fandom went through when s6 aired and they were given new characters and serious plot. I would have loved to experience that, but I was too busy being ten years old. The Freelancers seasons also introduced a new tone and more fight scenes with very talented fighters compared to the Blood Gulch gang, but a balance was kept by having half of the season still revolving around the Reds and Blues. But Zero – Zero is so much change. And it’s on purpose. At least this has been made very clear from the beginning.

They constantly seem to appeal to new fans, rather than be directed towards older fans of the show. If you want an entirely new audience with a season with a new cast, new worldbuilding, and new tone, I’m confused as to why they don’t just make a new show. The hotdog-problem begs for this solution. This story and environment and characters feel so out of touch with the original RvB, that with a few rewrites and lack of Halo-armor, it could just be a new show. Problem solved.

If not this, then present it as a spin-off. In all ways, it feels like a spin-off (again, see everything marked HOTDOG). But the creators refuse to do this, and I don’t understand why. I could forgive many of these issues, had they officially separated themselves from canon.

Ah, what’s the idiom? You can’t both swallow and blow? (You can hear the Bow-chicka-bow-wow in the distance). Something about eating cake and having it. Forgive me, English isn’t my native language. POINT IS why are you calling yourself RvB while actively fighting against the core essence of RvB? In my humble opinion, you can’t be both. Marketing it as a spin-off would have granted it some defense when changing, well, literally everything, and I just, would someone please properly describe why it isn’t a spin-off? Isn’t this season marked by its association with the plot of RvB rather than a continuation of it? Zero presenting itself as not a spinoff feels like a toddler clinging to the hem of its mother’s dress while forcefully running away from her, ripping the dress in the process.

When they do connect with the original RvB, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. When they let Carolina, Wash, and Tucker appear for a moment, it feels like luring viewers in with the RvB title. Look at me. Look at me! I’m not saying this is the case. I say that it gives me the annoying vibes of being lured, rather than letting the characters be a part of the show for their own development, rather than having RvB in the title to continue its story. I should not be getting these vibes at all. But I am.

If you want to use RvB in the title, something from the core of RvB needs to be embraced. Things can be changed. They should. Something new should be brought in. But there’s a limit to how much you can change and replace and twist until it would have been better with an original show. As a season of RvB, it should tell the story of Red vs. Blue.

From my perspective, Zero fails to do so.

It pains me that the old cast has been replaced, but as stated earlier, a season could have worked without them. However, I do not like the take that one should be excited about all the new characters. That it isn’t a big thing that the OG cast got replaced. That we should just deal with it. Just, try to imagine another show suddenly replacing the main characters with characters we’ve never met before. Imagine RWBY suddenly only focusing on a new team of huntresses with the previous main characters reduced to an Easter Egg presence, or Camp Camp suddenly being about a new team of campers, no warning given. Can you imagine the outcry? So maybe let’s agree that a replacement of the main cast is a big thing and should be addressed and it’s valid to be upset about this change.

Could Zero have worked? It’s hard to answer this. How can I accept something as RvB if the season actively pushes away the core of RvB aside for an isolated story that could have been told in any other media? As a spinoff, I could have ignored it. To enjoy Zero, I have to fully separate it from RvB in my mind, and then it’s alright. S’not good. But it’s not bad. It’s entertaining enough. I really ended up liking Raymond and Tiny, and there were a few good jokes, and the fight scenes were admirable (but too much) and I love the creators’ passion. But it’s not RvB. I also wish that the new characters had been attached to previous worldbuilding, for example soldiers on Chorus or agents from Project Freelancer. That way we could build on familiar lore which would have decreased the confusion and added a much needed connection with the previous seasons of RvB.

God, the anxious voice is back (by the way, it sounds like Tutter from “Bear in the Blue House”).

“You’re racist” – I hope not. Literally, I do not want to be. Tell me if I’ve ever crossed some lines, because I swear, that is not my intention, I will apologize and most of all, change and do better. I included this because I’ve seen this take thrown around in the big ugly mess that is the fandom clashes regarding Zero. And racism is problem within RT community (this includes AH and RvB, sorry, I just use RT as an umbrella term for the latter), and I’m not saying it hasn’t been a problem with this season. Writers should never be harassed, and never-fucking-ever because of their skin color, and voice actors shouldn’t be treated like they are responsible for the choices of the show. But I was legit nervous to post this review, and I hope it’s been factual without feeling like personal attacks on the creators because that has never been my intention. I was delighted to hear about the diversity behind this project, and Torrian’s passion legit blew me away because it’s been a while since I’ve seen that for an RvB project. I’d hoped for it to be good, and when I feel disappointed, it’s for the reasons stated in this analysis. That said, Zero is made by a diverse cast and it’s made with love, and both of those things are so, so great, but it does not mean that Zero cannot be criticized. It can, and it should. It’s a product, just like all the other seasons, and fans are allowed to discuss it – both what they loved, and both what they found troublesome. And to repeat previous points, and be respectful, always, fuck racists, and never-fucking-ever harass the staff behind a season, what the fuck is wrong with you if you do this.

“Don’t you get it, it’s different because it’s trying something new!” – Hey, remember the philosophical question: if you replace all the parts of a ship one-by-one, is it still the same ship when you’re done? If it doesn’t include the Reds and Blues, if it ignores previous plot, if the old characters feel miswritten, if it values animation over dialogue, if it values fight scenes over comedy, if it wants to be Fast and Furious instead of Red vs. Blue – is it still Red vs. Blue? Because it doesn’t feel like it to me.

“It's been 17 seasons, it’s time to let the Reds and Blues go so someone else can shine!” – I simply do not understand us having been with the Reds and Blues for 17 seasons should be an argument to let them go, rather than be an argument as to why their absence hurt like hell.

“The Reds and Blues ran out of things to do!” – Did- did they, though? I mean, if we were discussing pretty much any other show, I’d probably agree that they were running out of content. But for the Reds and Blues… I think the PSAs nailed it this year! I’m not kidding, I had more fun watching the Reds and Blues discuss how to do laundry than watching Zero. You could literally give me an hour of the Reds and Blues trying to bake a cake or clear a gutter or simply settling down with an ordinary life, and I would trust them to make it worth the watch.

“The flaws were due to the fact it’s only 8 episodes long!” – Look, I can only judge a product the way it’s presented to me. I cannot come up with excuses for it. If they had 8 episodes to work with, they need to come up with a plot that works with this runtime. Seriously, this excuse cannot work when 48% of the season is spent on fight scenes. They could have used more runtime, sure, but the show needs to be able to pace itself and be planned accordingly.

“The OG cast couldn’t be a part of this year, hence Zero!” – That might be true. But. Would one year without RvB kill it? Is Zero necessary? Again, I just can’t judge excuses for the show. But trouble with the cast has been an issue before. Season 15 solves Geoff’s sabbatical by actually making Grif’s absence a part of the plot. Zero’s lack of Reds and Blues just feels like this excuse to tell a story that needn’t be a part of RvB.

Am I a hater? I guess? I greatly dislike Zero for the critique stated above. I do, however, not harass the creators and no one should ever do that. However, I have to admit that I feel there’s been this weird rejection of any critique of Zero where everything’s been brushed off as haters gonna hate, including the critique stated above. And I think that’s a problem because critique, as hard as it can be to hear (and I know this. I’m an author of original works. Weird flex, I know), is valid and necessary and shouldn’t just be shrugged away. As always, both sides of the fandom should always be respectful, but my own opinion is that addressing the flaws of Zero should not be controversial.

Does this super long rant/critique/whatever mean you cannot enjoy Zero? Gods no! I almost envy you if you enjoy this season, but holy shit, feel free to love it and tell the creators that you love it! Me pointing out the issues I have with the season shouldn’t be stopping you. I loved (and still love) s15 when it came out, and it was majorly rejected by the fandom. There were many, many critical posts, people were going on about how RvB should have ended with s13, and it evolved into the writer receiving death threats (me, once again: never ever harass the creators, assholes). But I didn’t tell people to stop being negative. I actually agreed with many of the flaws that were pointed out, and I enjoyed the season despite this, because that is possible. We, as RvB fans, should agree that RvB, is... I mean, it’s not the greatest, most flawless of shows, but we love it nonetheless. So go ahead and love Zero. This is not a stop sign. This is my opinion that you chose to read.

Wait, I promised you a cookie, didn’t I? Well, you’re not getting one. Why? Because I’m a Red and this is my chance to piss off a Blue. As Caboose wisely said: “Well, at least I don't go around... knocking on people's non-doors... and promising them cookies... and then NOT. GIVING. THEM. COOKIES!”

Blue Team sucks.

End speech.

#rvb zero #rvb #rvb zero critical #rvb critical #rvb0 #my rvb stuff #pls dont hate me for this #this is my honest opinion that people apparantly wanted to hear #as a standalone story zero isnt totally bad #as an rvb season it is

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huntingorbits · 3 years ago

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☆ A Curious Catalogue ☆

Welcome to my cozy corner of the internet.

This blog welcomes all LGBTQ+ members, races, cultures, spiritual paths, disabled individuals, and neurodivergent individuals. DNI if you're a TERF, SWERF, or Pedo/MAP.

I welcome those who seek to learn and improve their knowledge regarding any of the above topics in addition to those below, and highly encourage questions and civil discussions. If I don't know something, we'll find out together.

I will not accept hateful or abusive behavior of any kind, including gatekeeping, proselytizing, and cultural appropriation.

This post documents the study and resources of my journey into the occult, witchcraft, chaos, and so much more. This catalogue will be updated regularly as I gather more information on each subject and resource. I'll include links to anything and everything as I go, including my own posts and tags, and cite sources where I can.

Common Tags:

#ArchersArchive

#ArcherSpeaks

#ArcherAnswers

#Research Tips

Who Is Archer Sims?

I chose this name for myself rather specifically, as it reminds me of my goals regarding my research and practices. I'm a bigender witch living in Midwest America (ope) with a background in anthropology and some educational exposure to non-Christian religious studies.

Meet the Witch.

Here's My Story if you want to learn more about what specifically brought me here.

The Archive:

My Library

Currently Reading + Queue

Works I've Read

Other Sources

Recurring Festivals in America

BIPOC Metaphysical Shops & Support

My Tarot & Oracle Collection

Research Topics

Classic Occultism

History & Types of Witchcraft

History & Types of Paganism

Covens Past & Present

Famous Practitioners

Witches of Color

History of Queer Practitioners

Cultural Studies

Open & Closed Practices

Pantheons Around the World

Myths, Legends, & Lore

Chaos Magic

Word & Art Magics

History & Types of Divination

Shadow Work & Psychology

Astronomy & Astrology

Botany & Herbalism

Geology, Crystals, & Ethical Harvesting

Environmentalism & Conservation

A Grimoire of Sorts

Magickal Tools

Sabbats, Esbats, & Other Sacred Events

Common Magickal Correspondences

Spellwork, Sigils, & Ritualcraft

Wordwork

Divination & Scrying

Do you have resources or recommendations? Visit my Ask Box and shoot your shot! I'm open to learning about pretty much everything. Does something seem wrong? Politely let me know, and I'll look into it some more.

~Archer

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breannasfluff · 10 months ago

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I really appreciate you sharing this! I get that it's scary to worry about making a blog angry, especially a big one. But as long as we can be civil I don't want anyone to worry about making me upset, at least. Especially in this case where I'm asking for it.

Fav characters makes sense. We all have our blorbos we'd like to talk about. I will say that personally, if I get an ask about a blorbo I'm not as interested in and I DO know someone who is, I often tag them! I'm fine being a connection for two people.

You're welcome to drop questions about Legend to me! I've followed LU for three? years now? Maybe more? But it was only in the last year that I got active in the fandom on tumblr. I certainly don't know all the answers or what was discussed before, but I do like talking about him!

As for asks and checking on AUs; if I don't remember all my own lore I certainly don't expect others too lol. If it's the exact same question and I have nothing new to add I might link you to the previous answer. For me, though, my thoughts on my own AU change over time so asking the same question again will probably get you different details depending on the day haha. Again, can only speak for myself in this.

I've made a lot of my friends through comments on AO3 migrating to tumblr. Or just trying to branch out and talk to others.

Big, connected groups of friend blogs can definitely be intimidating and hard to break into. Especially ones who've been here for years, just because they've been around so long they've met lots of people.

It might be that big blogs need to do more to reach out to new members, too. Group effort on both sides, you know?

I had a poll a little while ago on whether I was intimidating or not and I was a little sad at the number who do think so, because I put a lot of effort in trying to be welcoming when people stop by. But there's only so much I can do on my side, too, before it takes participation form others as well.

Anyway, thank you for sharing and if anyone else wants to add thoughts please do, I appreciate it <3 I think these are important convos to have and they might not result in clear answers, but hopefully people feel seen and heard.

For everyone who’s worried about interacting with people on tumblr I have a pro tip:

Use ask games!! Literally the lowest entry bar.

And if that’s still too much, I got nothing 😂 just please don’t expect creators to come track down everyone who secretly wants to be friends 🫠 I see my mutuals post them pretty often so there’s a good chance you have an in with them at some point.

#fandom discourse #linked universe

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just-a-space-nugget · 3 years ago

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Here it is, the lore and world-building I did in one day for my concept of a Combine master race. Hope you like it! If you have questions, want me to elaborate on something, or would like to discuss my concept more with me you can send me an ask or DM me if you do not wish to make it public. I will take NSFW questions but only in DMs and only if you are not a minor. :)

Also, you are more than welcome to draw your own ideas for what you think they may look like to you based on my description. I would love to see what you come up with. Just make sure you show me so I can squeal with joy and shower you with happiness.

#i love sharing my concepts and ideas with yall and hope you enjoy what I have so far #I really need to draw out what these guys look like but everytime I really think about their design something small changes #half life 2 #combine master race #combine #nugget writes

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dragonrajafanfiction · 4 years ago

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Oral Tradition

It was a little past midnight as the weary-eyed students picked up their luggage from the jet. The entire back of the plane had lifted up and a conveyor belt rolled out the attack aircraft they would be using for the mission. It was like the big Beluga whale plane was giving birth to a killer barracuda.

The jet was outfitted with high powered explosives. The outer shell was made of a material that would shatter and turn into thousands of razor blades, just like the Storm Torpedo had shattered Norton. Huge turrets were armed not with bullets but with thousands of needle-like projectiles like how the sky weapon had devastated Herzog. It was as if the Gear Department had taken all the technology that had been used against the dragons in recent years and put it all in one airborne package.

Brian stood, his duffle bag over one shoulder, watching Ru’Yi collect her things. She seemed sleepy but still bright and happy. He didn’t try to say hi. Their last encounter was humiliating enough.

It has always understood that through training and learning, even the least of the Hybrids could excel in all sorts of missions in regards to dragonslaying. From the beginning, Brian had distinguished himself in that regard. But at the same time, it was understood that pedigree and bloodline could close the gap between lack of education and training.

He was sure she didn’t mean anything by it personally. She just laid out the facts to him. Ru’Yi’s father and her mother were confirmed slayers of Dragon Kings. She had a better pedigree than even the Executive Department head. Bloodline wasn’t everything, but it was one of the ways you were evaluated. Even though she was not nearly as skilled as the rest, the crowd around her couldn’t help but part now that she had so clearly conveyed to them who exactly she was. She wasn’t even aware of their reverence. She just smiled and nodded in surprise assuming they were being chivalrous when they offered to carry her bags.

He should have taken the hint from his friend Aaron but she definitely put him in his place in her own way. He had no right object any longer.

Aaron stayed next to him, grinning ear to ear. He raised his face to the warm sea breeze and sighed. “You look like a kicked dog. Cheer up will you?”

He tilted his head to him. “Sure.”

A uniformed woman, tall, with turtle shell glasses, stepped in front of them all. A small smile graced her lips. Her skin was an exceptionally dark and silky ebony. “I’ll be taking you to your accommodations. Please follow me.” Without waiting for confirmation, she turned and started to lead them down a narrow staircase to a passageway below deck.

“Welcome to the Aido-Hwedo. For the unfamiliar, she is a Yorktown-class Aircraft carrier, staffed with 1,273 persons, not including yourselves. We sail for months at a time patrolling for any sign of dragon activity. We are currently carrying 76 aircraft: 10 Seahawk helicopters, 35 Hornets and 31 Super Hornets. Your fighter the Javelin will be making the entry into the weather anomaly but we are here to support you in any way possible. The goal of this mission will be maximum air superiority.”

Despite the age of the vessel, everything was new and state of the art. The halls were spacious enough for them to walk unobstructed even as it was bustling with people. “My name is Lieutenant Summer Hart and I’m going to be your main point of contact.” She turned on her heel to face them. “This cooperation is based on the association with Mr. Baldwin as well as on the goodwill furnished by Principal Anjou. You are representatives and ambassadors here. So don’t do anything to make Anjou sigh in heaven.” She paused a moment and then smiled. “Oh… who am I kidding, we all know he’s in Hell.”

A ripple of soft laughter came from the group. They all had no experience with Anjou in real life, but his reputation for ruthlessness outlived any other trait he had.

Lieutenant Hart continued walking down the hall. “Because you are guests here, we won’t hold you to the full responsibilities of a sailor, however, we are expecting you to be on your best behavior and to follow the schedule of the ship. You are to report at 6 am for roll call. Breakfast is at 8 am. Lunch at 12 noon and dinner at 5 pm. If you are in need of anything we do have a shopping area here on board. As a guest, you are not expected to pay but please…” She glanced behind her. “Do not abuse the privilege.”

“Part of your responsibilities will be keeping your living area clean and tidy. We do not have maid staff on this voyage. At 9 am, your sleeping area will be thoroughly checked for cleanliness and infractions will be reported. Any contraband will be confiscated.”

The hallway came to an end and she swiped her card. The wall panel suddenly slid open and they were led to what appeared to be something almost like a hospital ward with white walls lined with art and fluorescent lighting.. “This is where you’ll be sleeping. It’s cramped I know but you won’t be here for very long. I know you’re tired from the journey.”

She suddenly turned to Ru’Yi. “Sleeping areas are strictly separated by gender so I’ll show you to the women’s quarters.” She gave the others a fierce glare. “No men are allowed in the women’s area. If you are seen there you will be thrown into the brig. The area is clearly marked.”

Ru’Yi gave a shy little wince. “I guess I have a room to myself?”

“Not really. We weren’t …” Lieutenant Hart paused, rethinking finishing that sentence. Then her smile returned. “We can discuss that later.” She raised her eyes to the rest of the group. “Do you have any questions?”

Shimoda Masato raised his hand. “This is my first time working with the West Africa Branch. Can you tell me a little about your history?”

Liutenant Hart gave a curt nod. “Hybrids have always existed in Africa. While Mesopotamia is traditionally held as the ‘cradle of civilization’, it was the African plains and low forests that birthed humanity itself. We have the oldest relationship and conflict with dragons and their kind.”

She continued. “Our oral history cannot be fully explained by your traditions of the Dark King and the Light King. Our Creation Traditions do have dual gods, Mawu and Lisa. They are Brother and Sister as well as Husband and Wife. Mawu is Female and Lisa is Male.”

Ru’Yi rubbed her chin. “Mawu and Lisa are the same Dark King and the Light King?”

Summer Hart shook her head. “We cannot make that assumption. There are too many differences that cannot be explained by Cassell’s traditional knowledge.”

Aaron had an eager expression, pushing to the front of the group. “Can you give us a brief run down?”

Summer looked a bit tired but couldn’t resist such an enthusiastic and curious audience. . “It was Mawu who created the earth while riding the Rainbow serpent, Aido-Hwedo, sliding across the ground and creating the hills and mountains. After the creation was finished, Mawu felt that the Earth would sink under its own weight, so she tasked Aido-Hwedo to support the earth in its strong coils under the sea.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “In Cassell tradition, there are two Dragon Gods over all dragons, the Dark King Nidhogg and the Light King Izanami. However, in our tradition, the creator duality itself has a parent: Minona. Our traditions are passed down from her, the Mother of the Earth’s creators. She taught us to use the palm tree to tell the future, that is… Alchemy. Minona herself is a twin, sister to the god Legba, which is consistent with draconic relationships and lore. Legba is the one who gave us our Soul Skills.”

The students were whispering and murmuring among themselves after receiving so much new information.

“So, what you’re saying is there are more than two dragon gods? Then how come we don’t read about them in other histories?” Aaron asked, with a puzzled frown.

Summer Hart gave him a kind but pointed look. “Because our traditions are oral, my dear friend. We did not write them down. There are no temples to explore, no ruins, no clay tablet to find.”

Aaron sighed mournfully. “I’m sure Anjou was really curious about it too. It’s a shame he didn’t get to know any of this. I would have loved to have taken a class.”

Summer didn’t respond to that. She simply turned back to the group. “Any other questions?”

Brian lifted his hand. “What sort of kit is on this ship besides the planes?

“The ship is equipped with 8 Mark 12 5"/38 caliber guns, 45 Bofor antiaircraft guns, 32 Oerlikon cannons. All are modified to deal with dragon targets rather than fighter jets. We’re running heavy with alchemy rounds.”

Aaron blinked in shock. He didn’t expect so much artillery. “From the gear department?”

She shook her head. “We have our own engineers and alchemists to take care of our needs. But please do not be concerned. We pride ourselves on our alchemical prowess and we have a long history of dragon slaying.”

Aaron raised his hand again. “By any chance we could maybe learn more about your type of Alchemy and Soul skills?”

“I will have to ask the brass but… highly unlikely.” She checked her watch. “I will have to take our lone lady to her sleeping quarters. I suggest you get as much rest as you can.”

#Class of 2032 #Dragon Raja #Fanfiction

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vanessverse · 4 years ago

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Welcome to my first side blog

Here's the rules:

1. No NSFW ocs under 18 art of or rp of a character that is canonically currently underaged must be aged up.

2. DM to discuss things about my stuff or what is cannon ocs can be asked about in general but please do it in DMs if it's a personal question

3. 11 oc limit ( except me because this verse is different because it also has a interactive RP server not just a online blog) if you kill off an oc you can replace them

4. No ocs that conflict too badly with another person's oc's

5. No commenting in world building unless posting info( lore may be submitted but must be shared with an admin to be reviewed just to see if it would fit in the verse)

6. Those under 18 can't go to NSFW channels or chats

7. No arguments, in general, let's all try to do this in vent chat or DMs I think this a bad habit that really isn't good. And this makes other people in the server uncomfortable.

8. New members must be interviewed by me

9. Any form of nudity even if not sexual must be posted in NSFW if you don't follow this rule I well delete them no hesitation. Some members here are younger and we must consider that.

10. You can have more than 11 ocs if they are a race in mewni that YOU created

11. No making siblings for other people's characters without their permission. Please, please, please check the ship list or ask someone before making a possible sibling for any of their characters.

12. Don't god-mod or spam in any of the roleplay channels. As well as other basic rules like not killing of anyone's character nor parent without their permission, etc. Also, if someone's no longer interested in a roleplay then don't pressure them to continue it or anything.

13. Treat others how you'd like to be treated! Don't be rude and if there's an issue try to handle it (preferably in dm's) in a civil way.

14. Avoid talking about triggering and sensitive topics. If you do, put it behind a spoiler (two ||'s before and after the message) and a TW or CW before it.

15. No NSFW, unless it's appropriate, please.

#vanessafangirl13 #Vanessverse

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morelikesin · 4 years ago

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Welcome to the first chapter of my self-indulgent kiss fic! My first Apex Legends fic, as well!

This fic has five chapters, including an intro (you’re here!), an ending, and three middle chapters that focus on a specific relationship each within my self-indulgent polyamorous ship of Bloodhound-Octane-Mirage-Caustic. This is like my take on the start of their romantic relationship 💕

I have to put a disclaimer, for I know not too much about the Apex lore, and have been playing for only a little more than four months as of now - so my characterizations and headcanons are purely based on what I think from seeing them in-game. I hope Apex veterans will still like my take (⺣◡⺣)♡*

For quick reference, not that it truly matters to the reading experience, I wrote this fic with certain character skins in mind - Caustic has his Blackheart skin, Bloodhound has their Flamingo skin, Octane has his Original skin, and Mirage has his Fiber Optics skin.

Sidenote: There’s a lot of language other than English within these chapters, regarding dialogue - Old Norse, Icelandic, Spanish, and French being what they are. I have not included translations, but many of them are able to be understood with context. I also write dialogue based on how they actually speak, rather than readability. Words containing “r’r” represent a roll of the r, and missing letters represent the character skipping over them because of accent or dialect. Everything else should be self-explanatory! Any questions regarding this sidenote can be asked through the notes of any of the relevant chapters.

Below is the chapters in order.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Intro (You are here!)

Chapter 2 - Mirage

Chapter 3 - Octane

Chapter 4 - Caustic

Chapter 5 - Ending

Without further ado, Chapter 1 below the cut!

The dormitories abruptly filled with stumbling footsteps.

“Are you sure it’s fine?” Mirage spoke uncomfortably as he eyed the team’s best hunter.

Bloodhound swatted away any hands that came to touch them - not meaning to come off as rude, but rather in their discomfort of general intimacy. The other legends were aware of this, but the natural urge to touch someone’s arm or back in comfort arose stronger now than in previous encounters, despite the hunter’s visible unwillingness to accept such an offer. In the middle of battle, it was often too risky to offer physical forms of affection even for a moment in terms of someone ambushing them, but even when the chance presented itself Bloodhound was always one to dismiss their hurt and assure their other teammate(s) that they were fine.

“Quite,” started the hunter, their ever-so-slightly-shaking fingers fiddling with one of their prominent jacket pockets, “I’ll be fine. Don’t treat this as such a dire issue.”

“Compadre, of course it’s a big issue,” Octane assured Bloodhound with his unwavering hand resting on their arm, much to the latter’s dismay. “Che needs to at least see it-”

The man’s purring voice was cut off by one deeper and more grainy.

Caustic pulled at his sleeves and turned to check the emergency medicine cabinet by the door - giving a bitter “I’m thinking if someone didn’t use an illegal play, then you’d not be wounded. I know a particular subject who despises common etiquette,” referring to Revenant.

Bloodhound gave a reassuring “Don’t tr'rouble yourself finding someone to blame. I’m fine, thank you.”

All three men seemed wanting in terms of disputing how fine Bloodhound really was (not to mention faulting the obvious perpetrator of their wound), but mutually abstained for civility’s sake.

“Cabinet’s bare.”

“Think I got some supplies left in my own stash,” Mirage offered as he hastily turned to go up the stairs to his room.

As he left, the hunter walked to the left side of the kitchen they were all standing in and leaned against the counter - looking down and tapping a hand against the granite. The motion gave the two men with them a quiet sign of how they were trying to ignore the pain.

“Where is it exactly?” Octane questioned as he came to stand in front of them, “Face, neck-?”

“Face,” they confirmed. “The pain feels centered on my right.”

Octane went to say something before Mirage had come back down - carrying in his hands a few items of aid.

“Got some antiseptic, some cotton pads, and a thing of g- a thing of- ah- some bandages.”

Octavio was quick - obviously - to take the pack of cotton pads, roll of applicable gauze, and travel-sized bottle of antiseptic. Before Mirage could question it, Octavio purred to Bloodhound, “If you need help with it, compadre, I’ve gotten five star reviews on my medical care.”

“From who, exactly?” Caustic quipped, “Last we were teamed, you could hardly administer a syringe to me without missing the vein two times first.”

“I’m thorough, what can I say?”

Bloodhound slightly reached out a hand to take the supplies, “Thank you for these, Mr. Witt. I think I’ll be fine to administer these myself, really-”

“Oh, it’s no big deal!” Octane assured, pulling open the bag of cotton pads as he spoke, “It’s better when you got someone else to look over your heridas - más cobertura.”

Bloodhound swallowed. The offer was tempting - knowing Octane was right in that - but they’d never taken their mask off in front of anyone in terms of the other legends. They trusted them, of course, but it was still a strong desire of theirs to keep their physical identity hidden. There’s been occasions they’ve seen their hands or their hair, but their face was something they were always careful to hide.

Taking in a sigh, they decided against their better judgement and slowly raised their hands to unclasp the few straps holding their mask in place behind their head.

“Just be quick about it.”

Octane half-expected Bloodhound to decline the offer, take the supplies, and head to their dorm - and yet they didn’t. Blinking, he popped open the cap of the antiseptic bottle and doused a cotton pad, “Sure thing! Sorry if this burns any.”

Bloodhound shook their head a bit, “I assume it will - no need to apologize.”

The next few moments felt so slow - Mirage and Caustic consciously looking elsewhere as to give the hunter a bit of privacy where it was due, Octane setting down the rest of the supplies on the counter beside Bloodhound until he needed them again, and all accompanied by a small clink from them unbuckling their mask.

They visibly hesitated to pull it off, gloved hands grasping the sides of the mask timidly, and had their gaze pointed downwards.

Nothing was said when they fully pulled the cover away and looked up - heterochromatic eyes looking to their left at nothing in particular just to avoid eye contact.

Octane, being the one to have been looking at them the entire time, would have been the first to find that they were so pretty - gorgeous, even. A slightly angled jaw, warm olive skin decorated with scattered beauty marks, blushed lips, a large angled nose, soft brows - not to mention the scars. One dragged from their right to left cheek horizontally, across the bridge of their nose. Another was smaller, and trailed vertical from their right brow to their cheekbone - the same side as their grey, presumably blind, eye. The last was a gnarly horizontal across the fully shaved part of their head - just below where their deep black hair began and trailed much past their shoulders.

Octane figured they wouldn’t want anything to be said about their appearance, which fought with his want to compliment them, but ultimately he went with the former idea. Raising the cotton pad to clean the notable fresh wound, an abrasion scuffing the skin beside their chin and just above their jaw, Octane pressed it against the scrape gently.

Bloodhound made a muted wince.

It was then that, as goes human curiosity, the two other men looked over - finding themselves at the same conclusion as Octane had just seconds ago-

Bloodhound was damn pretty.

It felt rude to stare, but it was hard to look away - Caustic being the first to reluctantly move his gaze towards the floor, followed by Mirage looking down and fiddling with a random pocket on his suit.

Octane tossed the used cotton pad into a nearby bin. Picking up the applicable gauze, he unwrapped it and began to line it up with Bloodhound’s wound.

“I think it’ll heal up just fine,” He assured, “Doesn’t look like anything that’ll leave a scar behind.”

The hunter gave a hushed “Thank you” as Octane pressed the bandage against the wound and made sure it was secure. As the man pulled his hands away, Bloodhound felt the urge to cover their face over once more - though as they’ve already seen it, they simply held the mask in their hands.

“..Þakka fyrir,” they spoke quietly, “All of your concern is appreciated.”

Given they seemed comfortable enough to leave it off, Mirage glanced back over prior to lifting his head up a bit. “It’s nothin’, really. Gotta’ look out for one another, you know?”

Bloodhound gave a nod.

“..I’ll retire to my room. Thank you all, again.”

Caustic gave an assuring “Our pleasure.”

With that, they made their way to the stairs and left - leaving behind a trio of men who suddenly needed time to think.

That was a week ago.

The opportunity to discuss the event came in the form of an early Monday morning - the beginning of the work week regarding games.

Caustic was a known early-riser - him or Lifeline always being the first to brew a pot of coffee in the morning. He and Mirage sat at the dining table making seldom conversation - the scientist drinking his coffee black while Mirage had poured in a concerning amount of his favourite pumpkin-flavoured creamer into his own.

Mirage wasn’t known to wake up quite this early, it being seven, but he wasn’t late to do so either - that title belonged to Octane, an infamous sleeper-till-three-or-four-in-the-afternoon. Considering that, it was a shock to find the man coming down into the kitchen.

“Morning,” Octane quipped prior to yawning and scratching his lower back. Unmasked, his baggy grey sweatpants and violet tank-top looked freshly wrinkled - most likely having just woken up.

Unperturbed by most things at this point, Caustic gave an unwavered “Good morning,” though unlike most days he sounded a little tired. Come to think of it, so did Octane.

Mirage returned the greeting with a playful “Aren’t normally up this early - special occasion?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Ah.”

Octane took a seat beside Caustic, in front of Mirage - rubbing the back of his head and messing his hair a bit. The silence wasn’t necessarily awkward, but there was an obvious something between them not being said.

Knowing Mirage nor Caustic were going to say anything, Octane felt it his responsibility to break the tension.

“¿Qué pasó? We’re not gonna’ just forget about what happened last Monday, are we?”

Caustic furrowed his brows and hesitated to speak - taking a drink from his mug before responding, “I’m unsure what you mean.”

“I know you know what I mean, Nox,” Octane chortled, “and you aren’t free from this talk either, Elliott.”

Elliot gave a scoff. “I’m.. abstaining.”

“Really - can we talk about it?” Octane leaned back in his seat, putting his hands in his lap. The three of them haven’t been able to talk alone throughout the week, and any conversation with Bloodhound was the same as before that Monday afternoon. Octane continued, “Say what you want, compadres, but I have a feeling we’re all thinking the same thing.”

Octane’s intuition seemed to carry some weight when neither of the other men said anything - Dr. Nox hesitating before taking another drink and looking away while Elliott set his cup down.

The latter ultimately gave in with a sigh. Looking between Dr. Nox and Octane, Elliott spoke a little sheepishly, “Well, I…” He paused, “Look, promise you it’s not new - been.. liking Bloodhound for a while now.”

“How long is a while to you?” Octane teased before being reprehended by Dr. Nox.

“How exactly did you come to the conclusion this was the discussion you wanted to have?” He spoke while lifting the mug to his lips.

Octane scoffed and bore a smile, “I can’t be the only one who felt that tension after they left - I’m not dense.”

When the remark was met with no defense from either of them, Octane felt safe to assume they were now on the same page.

“..For what it’s worth, I’m fine with however we wanna’ go about this.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Elliott questioned with furrowed brows - though after a moment or two he quickly cleared his throat as the statement clicked. He put his elbow on the table and propped his head up in his hand. “Scratch that. Gotta’ say - would’ve taken you as a jealous type, Octavio.”

The comment earned an amused, short exhale from Dr. Nox.

Octavio spoke with playful surprise in his tone, then put his hand on his chest, “Me? Jealous? Estoy dolido.” He put his hand back in his lap. “Pero, I really don’t mind. I know I’m one of the least serious people here, but I’m talking about it because I’m trying to be for once.”

Dr. Nox set his mug down, his attention assumedly fully taken now.

“I’m just saying I’m interested in them,” Octavio finally confessed in concise terms. “And maybe I’m not as good at reading people as I think I am, but last week I felt something there. And I know nothing about your preferences,” he looked to the scientist, “Pero I wanted to.. how do I say this?”

Elliott looked focused on something, with his eyes narrowed and looking away. When Octavio found himself at a loss on how to convey his thoughts, Elliott spoke up in hopes he got the gist of what he was going for.

“What, like polyamory? I am, if it means anything - but, I’m.. sure you already knew that.”

Octavio gave a snort, “A huevo - yo también.” He then looked back to Dr. Nox and gave a quick nod of his head, “You?”

The man took a moment to answer - almost as though he’d never really thought about it before. Hell, he never expected to be talking about something like this. “..Might be. I’ve never given it much thought.”

“With what I’m proposing,” Octavio wanted to confirm, “You’d be okay with that? All of us having permission to pursue them, I mean.”

“I’ve yet to reject your offer,” Dr. Nox replied with a tinge of surprise in his own statement - definitely never before questioning this about himself.

The discussion seemed over on that note - an odd feeling of mutual relief lie between them. They knew Bloodhound had no obligation to accept any theoretical advances, but the first step was to make sure between themselves that they could do so in the first place. Octavio relaxed a bit and slouched in his seat, finding his once restless mood fading and, for the first time this week, ready for some proper sleep without anxieties occupying his mind. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms behind his head as a sort of cushion. Elliott took a quiet sip of his coffee. Dr. Nox kept his gaze elsewhere, in thought, and proceeded to pick his mug back up.

It was silent for a long while - the three enjoying the company, in a way.

Upstairs, alone in their room, Bloodhound sat on their bed. Their hands clasped together, they couldn’t keep their mind off of something in particular - having kept them up for a few hours now.

Since last week, the hunter had been slowly becoming more comfortable with showing their face around the other legends - albeit for short periods, at times they’d been having a communal meal, but it was still progress. Last week had encouraged them to be a bit more open about the idea of doing so, but something about then still bothered them.

Bloodhound couldn’t tell whether it was fortunate or not that the three people they’d taken their mask off in front of for the first time were the exact three people they’d found themselves attracted to for months now - maybe the circumstances were the Gods’ sense of humor.

#um this is my first like. fic for apex so i hope those who are more knowledgeable of the lore still like it :')#apex legends #apex bloodhound #apex mirage #apex octane #apex caustic #what are the ship names lmao?? oh well #my work #my writing #morelikesin #original #don't steal

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lightshielded · 5 years ago

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today i would like to talk a little about the late queen catherine lightshield, the late - king jarvan lightshield iii and the little riot shone for a brief moment in the slight development of their characters and how this light needed to be smothered to continue the story they wished. this is not a post to condemn riot for this decision, for the reason for doing so is understandable and they are not champions so less important, but a post to talk more about what i personally theorise why these decisions came about during maybe character development and what would have happened in lore had riot not made these decisions ( in short, lore would be nice but more boring as the champions would be doing nothing ) and my reasoning behind this. -- also i know it is entirely possible that they did this purely for drama and i know that jarv is my muse and thats basically all he is used for by this point but look this was fun and interesting and i just like the two characters a lot -- so this is just a little brain storming “what if” if you will, so i hope you enjoy if you continue to read along. part one is my rambling explanation, part two is a what if at the end.

MY RAMBLING

in previous lore ( meaning lore with new lore demacia but prior to recent changes with new champions ), the crown royals of demacia were never quite developed, there was ultimately no need. their ambitious and scarce mentions in their son’s lore gave way to reasonable assumptions of their character and we can assume they were very generic demacias. would could also imagine them both as characters which actually opposed their son in ideology based on the state of this demacia ( the laws were closer to the ones instated by most recent lore jarv with the hardest line mage suppression ).

however, with the newer lores for demacia, riot ultimately wanted to provide xin.zhao with a backstory to fit into the new lore and this is the first large change. now while this lore was not released first, we can assume they were worked on in development together due to the closeness of their update times and this proves a crux to my point. prior, jarv ii was the one who had rescued him from noxus but with the new lore this is jarv iii. now we can assume this is for age reasons as well as making more things relevant in lore ( tho jarv ii does get a nod to in the story and i do like this fact ) by having all active characters closely tied to each other. now we know OLDEST lore demacia raided noxus to free some of their slaves, this is not possible with new lore demacia as they don’t raid nor are they close enough that they can just grab their army and take it to the heart of noxus casually. so noxus had to be the aggressor for it to work, hence xin.zhao’s position as a slave soldier in this story.

but, this inspires a first change in the character of jarv iii - to accept a stranger, a noxian soldier, into demacia he had to be significantly compassionate. so by establishing the king as someone kind enough to release noxian slaves, prisoners of war, and entrust himself to one, to call one friend. BUT this essentially sets up a very kind man who is enforcing harsh, prejudice based laws on a population of his people. obviously, this is a paradox and riot also noticed it and changed it. and with the newer bits of lore we find out multiple new things:

one) this newer lore jarv iii didn’t teach his son to be suspicious of magical beings. this was mentioned before in his old lore that jarv iv was like most demacians on this and this part was removed on revision, even then enforced that this was not true by his uncle remarking on that is was very unlike him to be so during aftermath. so we can assume he was at least not vocal about his opinions or was genuinely trying not to be prejudiced. two) the laws of stone were introduced and presented us with a not much better but step in the right direction set of laws for demacia which is implied to be done by jarv iii. through they were subsequently slowly undone by the council of nobles as seen in a couple mentions in lore of how the laws were tightening in ways the lightshields disliked and how the king had been giving the council more power. three) the king welcomes shyv when it was open that she was a dragon and the nobles questioned his wisdom in it which meant he openly supported the idea of his son having a dragon guard. (old lore had her hiding it and people just thought she looked weird and were super sus of her). four) all the extra lore we got with the royal family publicly helping mage exiles and meeting with them on conference and other things and all.

essentially made him a king trying to be good for mages. in addition to these changes they wanted to make him a likeable person as well. they worked this into jarv iv’s lore by him being genuinely happy for his sons return rather than emotionless, mentioning how his father genuinely cared for him for one and basically having him present. but in the development of his father they also wished to develop his mother. previously it had be a loveless arranged marriage which tied them together but i guess they figured that wasn’t the route they wanted to go now with this new kinder and more emotional jarv iii so they had them romantically inclined with court whispers, gossip and all. so given this opportunity they went to develop her a little bit, giving catherine strong leadership traits and they likely decided they wanted to show these as plainly and briefly as possible, which apparently in demacian lore is how quickly you can shut down a arms race. which she did instantaneously essentially. she basically kisses the king and said stop and the entire nation was like oh shit we need to stop. no arms race civil war for a good spot near the king’s ear. so, yeah, a queen who can shut down civil war and convince nobles to her side every easily that is much beloved by the nation.

in short, they fixed the paradox of a nice king being cruel to a nice king trying to be good. and then added a powerful queen ruler who stands at his side who is greatly loved and just as influential. HOW LOVELY! however, this causes the issue of why could the good of a now markedly feudal kingdom ( they were constitution monarchy in old lore and still kinda are cause the council and they elect the king but we aren’t here to talk about that ) not just make the decisions they wish? i believe this was their point of realisation of their mistake. the realisation that these two would just do what they want, and that the entire lore of demacia for the 26 years prior would be altered. you have an idealistic king and a queen whom the entire nation adores and bends knee to? they SHOULD be able to do everything they want. and likely did some as it is mentioned the king wants his son to finish what they started and achieve his dreams. have to start something to finish it.

alas, by wanting to develop these characters for the sake of champions like jarv and xin, the essentially wrote themselves into a space of, if they continue to exist we can’t have the story we want. so they basically stopped them existing. first they killed of catherine, in all previous lores as far as we know she was alive just wasn’t romantically interested in her husband. but they did royal stuff together, watched her son get almost killed with a poison crossbow once. good ol days. i imagine they were like good business partners. but for the first time in all lores they had her killed, removed her ( they also removed jarv’s capture by noxus too which has existed just as long but thats a discussion for another day ). now this one move is easy since they put fault on the time period, its olden days in terms of technology in demacia, and unfortunately deaths in childbirth were common. so a very easy disposal which not only removed the civil war ending queen but also injures the motivation of the king by making him emotionally worn out ( in an already emotionally taxing job )

essentially, in one fell swoop they pushed back the pro mage changes to be completed by jarv iv based on his lore as had been written. which is then removed from him and he is given the role of the villain with the comic. funny that if they had just left them both ambiguous they could have just easily had the king the villain cause there wouldn’t have been paradoxes. though i’m not sure how xin.zhao would have gotten in... maybe he escapes and they find him fighting noxians. seems alright? oh well at least we get the cute uncle/nephew relationship in this version of lore. this gives me strength. but ye, so it gets interesting from here because you can sit and just think, what would have happened if she didn’t die?

WHAT IF?

for one, the power couple would have been able to do so much more. i like to think they would have been slowly working down the laws for the betterment of their people and since jarv is not emotionally weakened and lady catherine has the entire council at her beck and call, there would be little resistance amongst the nobility. slowly the laws would lower from mageseekers having to register all emergent mages and ensuring they don’t slip up or they’re out to all emergent mages having to attend classes with members of the lightbringers to learn how to have basic control of their magic -- something they are all too happy to do for they have been doing their best without aid until now -- this would then evolve to allowing more experienced mages to take these classes as an assistant and then a teacher, the lightbringers allowing their secret inner circle to take these places and serve in the open for the first time in so long.

slowly mages are given voices in positions of leadership and exiles from “slip ups” are lowered as mages are not repressed and know how to control their magic. this would change to not fearing slip ups as use of magic is less restricted for people are less likely to fear what they understand, magic usage becomes legal on school grounds then ever growing territories, eventually towns would have mage quarters where all manor of magic is permitted. although greater usage of magic would likely not be permitted in older parts of cities as it is known to discolour walls and there is only so much you can replace in instance of greying and flaking. got to keep it simple around the grander structures. but maybe over time the mortar can be replaced to not contain petricite, or maybe the bold amongst them might design builds intended to be saturated so their ceilings flake free and reveal the magic like opals within.

slowly magic is phased into the way of life, a smithy apprentice might be permitted to light his own flame without a flint or builder help ease the load of stone. and then ( as jarv seems to have been doing with shyv prior to the comics ) mages might be permitted to don the blue if they so wished, integrating magic into what demacia sees as their pride and joy. their heroes. the mageseekers would become more a force for protecting against mages in war rather than at home, a battalion rather than a power hungry force governed by a few. or maybe they would remain a police force, part of the city guard like any other just they possess protection from magic so are called for a mage criminal while the non magic protected are called for a person swinging a sword. right armour against the right weapon. also as likely, they will lose their name, and their tools simply be another weapon to the people that wear the blue. the tainted history of the name remembered but not allowed to continue on.

slowly, it becomes a nation that embraces magic rather than shuns it out of century old fears. together it is a country that could have healed its wounds both given and inflicted on each other. and our beloved champions could have grown up in a much brighter demacia. frankly, i imagine that within the 20 years from finding xin to the “now” of this universe, much of this could have been accomplished given what we know of them. i do hope, once all the pain and suffering if through in our version of the lore that maybe these steps could be walked by the true of our champions.

#i spent a couple days writing this #i think i started the day after i made the post #if i am remembering right #my finger tips are tingling a bit from this and work #— out of character `

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much-obliged-timothy · 5 years ago

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Welcome to the Vault Hunters Discord server!

This server is a place for any and all fans of the Borderlands series. Here you can meet other players, share content such as art, cosplay, or writing, discuss characters and lore, and just have some fun. Everyone is welcome, but please be sure to read the rules under the cut!

Invite link:

https://discord.gg/sv3rHY7

If you have any problems with the link or any questions at all, please feel free to message me, and feel free to share this with anyone who might like to join!

Rules:

Everyone is welcome into this server, which means no derogatory comments allowed.

No video game gatekeeping. By this, I mean no being rude to players because of how much or little they’ve played the content in the series. You don’t get to tell someone they’re not a true fan just because they’ve only played 1 or 2 of the games, or haven’t played the dlc

Debates are fine, but please keep things civil!

There is a NSFW channel, and I ask that if you’re under 18, you stay out of that channel.

In general, just be polite and respectful to everyone in the server and we’ll have no problems!

#borderlands #borderlands 3 #borderlands 2 #borderlands the pre sequel #borderlands 3 hype #borderlands discord #bl3 #bl3 hype #bl2 #bl tps

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cordiibus · 6 years ago

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HEADCANONS. The Anerufu ( Dark Elves )

I’ve have Daichi for several years now and haven’t made a proper post about the kind of creature he is nor about his people. I’ve been writing down important headcanons and their history and decided to share it ( despite Daichi’s dislike of sharing information over his people ). It will show what hes capable of doing, what his people were like/capable of, and as well as just my own lore to the people that once roamed. This is not everything about his people, what he is and there are things I obviously left out, this is basically a short version of everything I remember/written down. If theres any question though or you want to know about a certain thing/topic just send a ask in !!

CREATION. Two Paired Goddess created the Anerufu. To say they were created with a mission was far from correct as these creatures were created out of boredom from the pair. Wishing to have creatures of their own to cause destruction and to rule -- they began their creation over these new creatures. Though the Goddess knew of Dark Elves, they wanted to make their own more powerful among all of them. Infusing their own blood, powers, life, into these creatures. As well as connecting them to their environment and the feeling of chaos, so they were never without energy. They were creatures connected to the Goddess, environment, and chaos. It took a total of 2 days in the creation of the Anerufu. Plus, to keep themselves occupied they took as long as they needed. The Goddesses decided to create clans of these peoples, all governed by one royal clan.

SPLIT / FIRST CIVIL WAR. It was 3000 years after the first creation of the Anerufu before the broke into a civil war. Wanting to dominant the entire world and many wanted to enslave those who were not Anerufu. When the royal clan at the time did not agree to that -- an uprising took place. With the slaughter of many of the Anerufu, the Goddesses attempted to make peace between the two -- however found that they were at odds with themselves. The two Goddesses argued against the action that their creatures should take: one agreeing with the royal family, the other agreeing with the uprising. Due to that, there was a fight among the Goddesses as well. The victor ? Tianliú, the Goddess who sided with the royals. Due to her winning she was able to strip the abilities of those who rebelled -- though they were powerful still, they wouldn’t be able to use the environment to replenish their powers. Also breaking ties with her partner Goddess who fought against her -- their bond broken from the betrayal. Tianliú began creating new Anerufu for the people, taking her time with these despite them being similar to the old ones. Those were rebelled ? They were exiled away and taking under by the other Goddess. Though she couldn’t restore much of their power, they continued to feed off of chaos and destruction. These people were renamed Shenerufu.

SECOND CIVIL WAR/EXTINCTION. The second civil war, ~ 165,000 years after the first, was on the anniversary of the first year war. There were constantly battles against each side, never one ever overpowering the other. There was no sight of the sneak attack that happened that day, nor was anyone among the Anerufu anticipating it. The warriors who were watching the troops gave no signals to oncoming warriors of the Shenerufu. It was a complete ambush and destructions to both sides. Anerufu near the Shenerufu territory also resorting into fighting. Everyone was sent into battle. Warriors, Generals, Royals, Civilians -- everyone was aware they had to fight to conquer. There was a battle between the two Goddesses and when one was slayed they all soon feel. Tianliú was killed first among them, the second seemingly followed. With the fall of their goddess began a domino affect on their people. The only living Anerufu are Daichi and Noboru. No Shenerufu survivors were ever found.

THE GODDESS. Tianliú is possibly the most interactive with her people among deities. Having her own sanctuary, many Anerufu are welcomed to come into and have a chat with her if they wish and she is accepting visits. Though the Goddess is much larger than them, if she wishes to roam the kingdom, she will do so in a smaller size ( though still much taller than any other Anerufu ). She is loving of all her children, though definitely know to have some favorites. Everyone refers her as the Goddess or Mother, only the special favorites refer to her with her first name.

APPEARANCE. The Anerufu were created in the image of the Goddess. They stand tall with the average height being 10 feet ( Daichi is actually taller ). With fanged teeth ( lateral incisors, canines on both top and bottom jaw. ) that could easily mistaken them for being vampires. They have pointed ears, however aren’t ridiculously large as most depictions have them. They have average size ears just coming to a longer point. Their hands have longer claws instead nails, sharp and strong enough to pierce through someone’s skull. Long hair is highly common among them, however coloration varies ( usually with paired with eye color ). Eye color also has different variations ( some having pink, gold, purple, etc ). Due to the fact that they have gold blood -- they are often dressed highly in gold and see gold as very valuable. They were many accessories for their claws and fangs. The only real distinction between them are some having wings and others do not. Wings are not developed until the Anerufu has encountered their mated pair and had sex. The wing size are often based on status ( though everyone would have rather large wings, the royal family winged would have much larger wings that touch the ground ). The color of their wings depends on the Anerufu hair color as well as their eye color. Their eye color will determine the color of the markings that they would have on their wings.

MATING BONDS. Tianliú had made the Anerufu with their own destined mate and mate for life. However, these mates are not considered to be soulmates in any regard. As soulmates are destined by fate alone, not by the gift of a Goddess. Though for some it is the same as it is for soulmates, it is not the same in any regard. As soulmates are those that complement each other and who’s heart and souls are the same --- here it is based on chance more than anything else. There is no guarantee that the destined pair would be someone that you love. The Anerufu believe gaining a mate is the next step of growth. There are mating festivals and social parties held specifically for introducing/finding eligible mates to one another. After finding their mate, they go through steps into fully complete the mating process.

At first they will constantly feel the tug and need to be with their mate ( known as the mating call ). If this call is ignored, then the pain of being from their mate will only continue on and become worse until they are touched by their mate. With this mating call also comes with the trait of being able to feel everything your mate is feeling as well as telepathically speak to each other. One can feel their mate’s anger, happiness, arousal -- even some being able to send images to one another. To end the mating call, the next step is to have sex and climax with your partner and become united -- accepting each other and ending the tug feeling as well as the knowing of your partner’s emotions ( This rises question for Anerufu who identify as Asexual, which isnt commonly discussed among the people, go figure. However those who identify and wish to not partake with the last part may speak with the Goddess and be united in whatever way they choose ) However telepathically speaking and image sending is still there. After this is accomplished, the submissive pair will begin the process of growing wings about a week after mating. Once the submissive have their wings, they are able to start reproducing. The markings on their wings changing to a lighter shade once they are pregnant. There is also no disrespect nor sign of inequality between those who are dominant and those who are submissive. There are also festivals honoring winged Anerufu.

OTHER BONDS. There are other bonds among the Anerufu that can occur. Such as a bond between close friends, a ruler and their right hand soldier. These bonds are completely solid things and completely unbreakable. They are similar to mated bonds, with the exception of having the mating call and the rest. These bonds are very cherished as they are also able to be telepathic to one another, as well as feel what the other is feeling ( which isnt part of the Mate Bond ).

MAGIC. The Anerufu are pure magic, with no single magical core but almost branches. Able to draw magic from everything around them -- the earth, from those who have magic within them, from chaos. They are creatures who can call upon the elements, who can retract abilities from others and grow their own magic. There are also abilities that are not shared with every Anerufu. Warriors are given different abilities as Healers have ( ie. Healers gain the ability to see auras that help with their own work, Warriors/Guards are able to communicate without sound or telepathically with each other .. given their own language ). They are seen as very powerful creatures -- however with power comes the Sacred Law they have. This Sacred Law declaring that no Anerufu would use their magic against any person when in any type of battle. They also arent the most powerful and of course can die ( easiest way to kill a Anerufu is the neck and head ). Also know that Daichi is the most powerful among the Anerufu simply because he studied and mimicked the powers of other elves and creatures.

#( the dark elves. )#( daichi headcanons. )#save #( i finally finished ?? at least the ''''important''' things i got to lskdjf )#( save. )

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