#Foundation is my new Roman Empire

[lebonah]

Lee Pace as Brother Day in AppleTv's "Foundation"

[uncleclaudius]

The Lyon Tablet, a transcript of the speech Emperor Claudius had given in the Senate in 48 AD, arguing for the admission of senators from Gaul.

1. I should say at the outset that I reject the first thought that will, I am sure, be the very first thing to stand in my way: namely that you will recoil from my suggestion as though I were introducing some revolutionary innovation.  Think, instead, of how many changes have taken place over the years in this state and how many forms and constitutions our state has had, from the time of its very foundation.

2. At one time this city was held by kings, though they did not pass it along to successors from their own families. People from other families came to the throne and even some foreigners.  Numa, for example, succeded Romulus, and was a Sabine; that made him a neighbor, certainly, but at the time he was also a foreigner. Another example is Tarquinius Priscus, who succeded Ancus Marcius: because of his impure blood--his father was the Corinthian Demaratus and his mother was from Tarquinii, to Tarquinius Priscus supposedly had a Greek father and an Etruscan mother. And though well-born she was very poor, which is why she was forced to marry such a husband.--Tarquinius was kept from positions of honor in his own land and thus emigrated to Rome, where he became king.  Between Tarquinius and either his son or his grandson (for our authorities disagree on this point) there came Servius Tullius.  And according to the Roman sources Servius Tullius had as a mother a prisoner of war, Ocresia; according to the Etruscans he had been the faithful companion of Caelius Vivenna and took part in his adventures, and later, when he was driven out by a change of fortune, he left Etruria with all the suriving troops of Caelius and seized the Caeliian hill, which thus takes its name from his leader Caelius, and after changing his name (for his Etruscan name was Mastarna) he was given the name I have already mentioned, and became king, to the very great advantage of the state. Then, after the behavior of Tarquinius Superbus came to be hated by our city--and not only his behavior but that of his sons--the people obviously became tired of monarchy, and the administration of state was transferred to the consuls, who were annual magistates.

3. Why need I mention the dictatorship--more powerful even than the consulship--which was what our ancestors came up with when wars were particularly hard or there was serious civil disturbance?  Or why need I mention the the creation of tribunes of the plebs, to provide assistance for the plebs?  Why mention transfer of imperium from consuls to the decemviri, and at the end of the reign of the decemviri the return of imperium back to the consuls?  Why mention the distribution of the consular power to multiple recipients, called tribunes of the soldiers with consular power, who were first six and then eight in number?  Why should I mention the fact that offices that were once patrician ones were shared eventually with the plebeians, religious ones as well as military?

4. If I were to tell of the wars, which our ancestors started with and which have continued down to the present day, I fear that I would appear too boastful, and look as though I wanted to boast about my glory in extending the empire beyond the Ocean.  But let me instead return to my original point.  Citizenship can ... [some text is lost here]

[column II]

5. Certainly it was a new thing when my great-uncle Augustus and my uncle Tiberius decided to admit into this Senate house the flower of the coloniae and the cities from all over the empire--all of them good and wealthy men of course.  But, you may say, is not an Italian senator more useful than a provincial one?  When I start explaining this aspect of my censorship I will reveal what I think about that.   But certainly I  think that provincials should not be rejected, as long as they will be a credit to the Senate.

6. Behold that most glorious and flourishing colony of Vienne: how long has it provided senators for this chamber?  From Vienne comes an ornament of the equestrian order with few equals, Lucius Vestinus, whom I esteem greatly and retain even now in my service.   May his children, I beseech you, enjoy priesthoods of the first rank, and after that, in the years to come, may they proceed to further honors.  (I will not utter the dire name of that brigand—I detest him, that monster of the wrestling-ring—or the fact that he acquired the consulship for his family before his colony had ever obtained the solid benefit of the Roman citizenship.  And I could say the same thing about his brother, who suffered a pathetic and fate, and was thus no use to you as a senator.)

7. It is time now, Tiberius Caesar Germanicus, to reveal to the senators where your speech is headed; for you have already come to the extreme limits of Gallia Narbonensis.

8. Consider all the distinguished young men I see before me: the fact that they are senators should cause no more regret than that felt by Persicus--a most distinguished man and a friend of mine--when he reads the name Allobrogicus among the images of his ancestors.  And if you agree that this is true, what should I not also point out to you that the land beyond Gallia Narbonensis already sends you senators?  We do not, after all, regret that we have men in the senate from Lugdunum.

9. I was somewhat hesitant, senators, about leaving the boundaries of provinces that were well known to you, but now I must make the case for Gallia Comata with some seriousness.  If anyone concentrates on the fact that the Gauls resisted the divine Julius in war for ten years, he should consider that they have also been loyal and trustworthy for a hundred years, and had this loyalty tried to the utmost when we were in danger.  They it was who provided my father Drusus with secure internal peace when he was conquering Germany, even though he was summoned to the war while in the middle of a census, which was then a new and strange business for the Gauls.  And we know from our own experience how difficult the census can be, even though for us it involves nothing more than the public recording of our resources. (tr. E. M. Smallwood)

[trippin-over-my-fandoms]

The tv show Dexter is my Roman Empire

I absolutely fucking love the show Dexter and its title character but I’m on my rewatch and ooooohhhh my gosh it pisses me off so bad especially with knowing everything that comes next. And you wanna know why? Because Dexter Morgan was done a terrible disservice. And look I know you have to have conflict to have a show and I love it for the complexities I’m probably reading too far into but its so frustrating to see it all go down. Which if your like me is how you get sucked into wanting Dex to come out on top and get his justice but then New Blood comes in and wakes you up and you’re like left like …. whoa.

Let me explain-

* Disclaimer: this is my personal interpretation of the character of Dexter Morgan in the tv show Dexter, I am in no way a licensed therapist or psychologist but I am neurodivergent and diagnosed with Borderline Personality (potentially ADD and OCD but we’ve yet to explore those in full) and my view is heavily influenced on my own experiences with mental health. This is also not a “oh we should give all bad people a chance” post this is on Dexter specifically thanks *

Before I started my rewatch I was always on how Dexter frequently expresses that he has no emotions or does not have the typical range someone who’s “normal” would. He often thinks on emotionally difficult situations as trivial and he cannot put himself in someone else’s shoes. But he is not void of emotions. He very clearly cares for Debra, Rita, and his children. When Brian is a threat to Deb’s life he is incredibly protective of her, when he’s forced to kill Brian it so visibly upsets him, going through therapy and coincidentally unlocking painful memories, Brian’s death leading to a nervousness that hurts his ability to kill, the pain of losing Rita and his son being left the same way he was as a child, etc etc

Now you might say hey these are all negative emotions but there’s plenty of examples of positive as well. Anytime he receives closure and is put at ease, endorphins released from his addiction to killing, spending any time with his children (I fully believe its not an “act” especially the longer he’s with them), feeling like someone sees and understands him for who he is and accepts him despite all his flaws (the absolute most painful imo), etc etc

A lot of these examples come from the first season alone (also that I’ve seen twice, I’ll update perhaps as I continue) where he has so much potential for healing that I believe gets ripped from him more and more as the show goes on.

It is my firm belief that Harry groomed Dexter to be a serial killer and enabled his negative state of mind therefore ruining any chance at healing from trauma and dealing with a clear neurodivergency he exhibited for whatever sick sort of fantasy he had and could act out through his adopted son. And it pisses me off to no fucking end.

Constantly we are fed as a core foundation of the show and main character that Harry Morgan is who “helped” Dexter live the life of a serial killer. He taught him how to get away with numerous murders, how to avoid police suspicion, how to channel his desires, how to dispose of a body, and most importantly how to fake being like everyone else. He didn’t give Dexter a true chance. You don’t look at a damn child who kills an animal and think “oh he’s gonna be like that for forever so let’s either get rid of him or teach him how to do it safely” (but if you do- fuck you dude), no, that’s a CHILD and in Harry’s case one he KNEW came from a horribly traumatic background. You see a child clearly struggling and you help them. You don’t look at them and tell them that everything they have ever done wrong is part of an evil they will never be rid of.

Dexter looked up to Harry. Dexter and Deb both saw Harry, as most children do their parents, as some super being who knows all and could never do wrong. So when an idol looks at you and tells you for so many years that you are a monster and there is no cure to this darkness inside of you? You believe them. It becomes your identity. Because surely they know everything so why would they be wrong? Why would you question it? You go along with what they say to do and the only relief you get from your trauma is the destructive way you are taught to express it. In Dexter’s case that is taking a life. It doesn’t help that Harry hid so much from him. It doesn’t help that he made Dexter feel as if he was alone instead of getting him proper help and not taking advice from a gosh damned therapist that also grooms children into being serial killers.

Get him into taxidermy or even encourage bloodwork from an earlier age, teach him to be a coroner or mortician or euthanasia tech. Get him someone to listen to how he feels if you can’t do it yourself so he feels heard and seen so he doesn’t grow up thinking that his problems are terrifying so he must bottle them up because no one can handle them. Dexter spends so much time feeling so alone when all he needed for years was someone to just listen to him and not be afraid. And it’s honestly so damn sad as someone who spent so long feeling similarly.

I mentioned I have borderline personality and while I don’t often experience the rage commonly associated with it I do heavily experience depression and anxiety frequently as a result of struggling to understand my connections with others. Similar to Dexter I encounter hardships with empathy and I constantly second guess my relationships with everyone to the point it was so bad in junior high and high school that I began to believe that no one would ever understand me and I would need to keep my thoughts bottled up. I struggled with intrusive thoughts that ranged from self harm to sexual whether it was of me or of others. I find dead things and anatomy fascinating as well as how graphic deaths can occur interesting. I’m not phased by certain things people deem so morbid. Until I got therapy to accept myself and my interests and understand that I am not my thoughts I felt crazy and weird and like I was a square block in a puzzle box. So it is heartbreaking to see Dexter treated like a monster.

I love how New Blood went and I love that Dexter died. I don’t believe as much as I feel bad for him that he “deserved” any sort of happier ending in fact I feel like it fit the story very well. And I above all absolutely loved that Harrison broke the cycle. The show to me overall is terribly tragic and it’s difficult to watch at points because of the statements i have made. But I do love it. It’s very entertaining. Very thought provoking.

And to those who find themself in similar thought patterns to myself or even relating to Dexter as I do- you are not your thoughts. You are not too far gone and you are not any sort of monster for thinking those things. You are cared for you are loved you are seen you are not alone.

[room-surprise]

When does Dungeon Meshi take place?

This is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of my paper, "Real World Cultural and Linguistic Influences in Delicious in Dungeon." Dungeon Meshi takes place in the year 514, however we don’t know how that number relates to anything else in the Dungeon Meshi world, so it isn’t really useful for identifying what era Kui is trying to depict.

It can’t be that the Ancient Cataclysm happened 514 years ago (it was still referred to as ancient history by Thistle and Delgal a thousand years ago), and it can’t be when the current elf queen’s reign began (she’s only 372), so it’s either marking some other major event, like the beginning of the reign of a royal family or the end of a war, or they reset their calendar at regular intervals, such as every two-thousand years for record-keeping purposes.

In the real world, 514 CE would have been the early Medieval era, just after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, which left Europe fractured into many small Germanic kingdoms competing with each other. It was also the beginning of the Asuka period in Japan, and the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty in China.

This has some similarities to the world we’re shown in Dungeon Meshi: the Western elves have abandoned most of their land in the Eastern hemisphere, leaving the local dwarven, gnomish and tall-man people (whose cultures are primarily Germanic) to fight amongst themselves for the land. A massive upheaval caused by a major imperial power collapsing.

However, based on character behavior, culture, clothing and technology, Dungeon Meshi appears to be set in a vaguely Renaissance (1450 CE-1650 CE) time period, with some elements from classical antiquity (800 BCE-500 CE), the Medieval era (476 CE-1300 CE), as well as some hyper-advanced steampunk/magic technology and modern day anachronisms. (Potential spoilers beyond the cut.)

The technological and artistic development of the different cultures is very different, with the long-lived races appearing to live a more modern lifestyle than the short-lived races. In the extra materials, Toshiro implies that Falin might find the Island of Wa “primitive” because they lack the social and technological advancements that come from contact with the long-lived races, and the Western elf Fleki calls the Eastern Continent a “primitive land” while complaining about the quality of life.

Based on this and additional evidence, we can reasonably conclude that the elven lands in the West are probably the most “modern”, followed by the lands in the Eastern hemisphere, with the Eastern Archipelago lagging the furthest behind.

Because of this difference between the races, it makes sense that we see a mix of different eras and styles of technology and clothing. For example, we see characters wearing Neolithic fur garments, Greco-Roman tunics, and Medieval garments as everyday clothes at the same time that other characters wear Renaissance and even 19th century-influenced garments.

Meanwhile, many things in the Dungeon Meshi world have also remained unusually stagnant for far longer than they did in the real world. Realistic oil painting seems to have remained unchanged for more than a thousand years, and Medieval-looking clothing that was worn a thousand years ago is still being worn in the “present” day, virtually unchanged.

There are also some things that are much more advanced than the Renaissance period, like steampunk elevators, and magical communication that works through birds/fairies/crystal balls/telephones and allows for instant contact across the globe… A huge advancement that should impact every element of life and society, thanks to the ability to easily exchange information.

In the real world, instant communication is the foundational element that makes things like precise time-keeping, time-zones, advanced banking, stock markets and news reporting possible… So one can assume that some of these things might possibly exist in some form in the Dungeon Meshi setting.

[hawkbutt]

Hi! I have to admit that I know nothing about Fallout but would like to understand your AU so idk could you explain Fallout for beginners please? (and maybe how the AU works specifically) 🧡

I’m going to try and put this in the most straightforward terms I can and maybe steal a few things from Wikipedia if I can’t.

And I hope you don't mind, I'll publish this as well so others can learn.

There are currently 7 Fallout games: Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. (This is not counting the small things like mobile games or the table top games, or even the freaking pinball game either) PLUS there is also the “Fallout”  TV show on Amazon (It's good, My dad who knows NOTHING of Fallout loved it) ▬ The Show on Amazon is based in Los Angeles.

▬ The setting, back story, lore, just a little history:

The series is set in a fictionalized USA in an “alternate history scenario” that diverges from reality after 1945, following World War II. In this alternative "golden age", where atomic physics serves as the foundation of scientific progress, which leads to a bizarre socio-technological status quo. This means things like advanced robots, nuclear-powered cars, directed-energy weapons, and other futuristic technologies are seen alongside 1950s-era computers and televisions. 

▬ Nuka Cola ad featuring Nuka Girl leaning heavily into the atomic/nuclear aspect

The United States divides itself into 13 commonwealths, and the aesthetics and Cold War paranoia of the 1950s dominated the American lifestyle well into the 21st century.

▬ Map of all of the Fallout Commonwealths

The a whole bunch of history happens, it’s honestly wordy and gives the lead-up to how the bombs dropped on the morning of October 23, 2077, a “global nuclear exchange”, which subsequently created the post-apocalyptic United States, the setting of the Fallout world.

▬ Now, in my AU, I say that Buck is from a Vault.

The U.S. government, having foreseen this outcome just a few decades earlier, began a nationwide project to build fallout shelters known as "Vaults".  The Vault-Tec Corporation designed the Vaults as public shelters, each able to support up to a thousand people. Something round 400K Vaults would have been needed if they actually wanted to help the American people, but only 122 were commissioned and constructed. 

Vault Boy; He is the corporate mascot of the Vault-Tec, His female counterpart is Vault Girl. They appear in virtually every released game and evolved over the years into a symbol of the Fallout franchise in general.

However, the Vault project was not intended as a viable method of repopulating the United States; instead, most Vaults were secret social experiments and were designed to determine the effects of different environmental and psychological conditions on their inhabitants. 

▬Lemme just use Norm Maclean (Fallout Series) here to showcase the sort of view in the vault and the lovely blue and gold jumpsuits ALL vault dwellers basically wear.

Now, only Seventeen control Vaults were made to function as advertised, in contrast with the other Vault experiments. However, they were usually shoddy and unreliable due to most of the funding going towards the experimental ones.  Many Vaults remained sealed as part of their respective experiments even after the radiation had reached safe levels.

EDIT: I forgot to actually talk about the Brotherhood of Steel.

▬ Eddie is a former Brotherhood of Steel Knight.

The Brotherhood of Steel, commonly abbreviated to BoS, is a quasi-religious technocratic military order founded in the immediate aftermath of the Great War  The BOS' core purpose is to preserve advanced technology and regulate its use. They believe humanity cannot be trusted with the means to destroy itself, and they think that acquiring technology would prevent another apocalypse. The Basics of BOS came from the fall of the western Roman Empire when the knights and scribes kept the fire of civilization going after the empire imploded. The BOS is a military order with a strictly enforced hierarchy and chain of command. At the foundation, that mandates obedience to one's superiors and forbids circumventing ranks when giving orders. When it comes to the individual members of the BOS, loyalty to and defense of the organization are the top priorities, - 1st: Loyalty to and defense of the organization - 2nd: Dedication and loyalty to the mission. - 3rd: Dedication and loyalty to one's superior officer. Brotherhood members are expected to follow each of these rules in that order. If one's superior should act against the interests of the organization or mission, the third rule is superseded by the second or first rule.

▬ Brotherhood of Steel Ranking Structure

The Brotherhood has been featured in every game and other entry in the Fallout series in one form or another.

▬ My manip of Eddie in a Brotherhood jumpsuit

Eddie's History with the BOS without spoilers

▬ My manip of Eddie in a Brotherhood jumpsuit

While homosexual relationships are generally tolerated, they are pressured to instead seek relationships that will result in 'repopulation.' This leads Eddie to be arranged with Shannon, which then leads to Chris's birth, though Eddie and Shannon are able to keep Chris' Cerebal Palsy (though in the FO Universe, it would be considered his 'disorder or ailment) secret from the BOS for the first few years. BOS finds out about Chris, and would never tolerate someone like Chris within their ranks. Eddie ultimately decides he can no longer remain a part of them, and following his own moral compass, he chooses to desert the BOS.  The Diazs, on their own, now in this new reality, Eddie is constantly on the lookout, aware that his status as AWOL from the BOS makes him a target.

▬ I have planned in the future that Karen is a former Enclave Scientist.

The Enclave is another military organization dedicated to the execution of an all-inclusive holocaust of non-members, who they dehumanize as "genetic non-compliance offenders." While being the continuation of a pre-war American deep state consisting of high-ranking political, military and corporate figures, its members publicly claim to be the direct continuation of the United States of America and its government after the destruction of the world during the Great War.

▬ Enclave power armor, X-01 power armor 

Without going too in-depth with them, it's obvious I hate them, they're the worst, they Suck, and I'm glad Karen left them (In my AU).

here are things I may mention in my AU (when it comes to finally posting my fic)

Pip Boy: The Pip-Boy (Personal Information Processor-Boy) is a wrist computer given to the player (Vault-Dweller) early in the games and series, which serves various roles in quest, inventory, and battle management, as well as presenting player statistics.

▬ This version of the Pip-Boy is not stated in-series, though the official replica sold by The Wand Company is called the Pip-Boy 3000 Mark V

Power Armor: Power Armor, is a type of powered exoskeleton featured in every game in the Fallout series. It allows for protection from enemy fire and enables the wearer to carry cumbersome weapons and other objects with ease. There are so many types, levels and styles of Power Armor. It is considered an iconic part of the Fallout universe, an effective marketing tool for a faceless protagonist, and a prominent symbol within the game's lore. ▬ “Post-war” the Power Armor is most widely used by the Brotherhood of Steel, a cult-like organization that collects and preserves technology (My husband said the BOS is like Mormons and their obsession with Geneology)

▬T-60 Power Armor

There are INSANE Animals that roam the ‘wasteland’. Some were modified by the Government (ie. Death Claws), but some were also just changed by radiation.

▬ BAD: genetically engineered creatures developed by the United States military to replace humans during missions, but they escaped into the wild in the aftermath of the Great War

▬ GOOD: Brahmin are mutated two-headed cattle; they still provide meat, milk, hide, and manual labor.

Ghouls... Ghouls are humans mutated by radiation, rather than killed by it. The mutation process, referred to as "ghoulification", this typically results in an extended lifespan, if not functional immortality, real-time regeneration of wounds allowing for reattaching limbs, and immunity to direct damage resulting from irradiation. However, it changes their appearance, resembling rotting corpses, burn victims, or walking corpses

▬ Cooper Howard - The Ghoul From the Fallout Amazon series

▬ Feral Ghouls in Fallout 4

Now, with my AU, I’m doing a small mix of The TV show, but throwing in elements of Fallout 4 and New Vegas (Kinda) While I won't delve into the details of every single game and its historical context, I hope this overview will provide you with enough information on the basics of Fallout? If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Much Love, ▬ Kenna

[fixated-on-something]

I have a theory, very unoriginal but I just want to yap

I feel like part of the reason Kady is such a nothing sandwich of a character is because she didn’t exist in the books.

(Loooong rant that’s kinda aimless but idc I want to talk)

(Hot take I know!!! I’m sure no one’s every thought of this one)

And I know that a lot of the characters are very different from their book counterparts in a lot of ways, but the groundwork was there! The idea of the character, the foundation, had already been written.

Whereas with Kady, I feel like they just threw her in and then… and then what? Sure she’s like, a “bad girl” character… with a… semi-angsty backstory? And sheee’s… dating Penny… and she hasssss mommy issuuues…??? But where do you even go from there? They literally throw her away for like a whole season just because, well, what is there to do with her?

She wasn’t even there for most major season 1 and early season 2 plot points! Then she’s kind of relevant in mid to late season 2, and then in season 3 she disappears again and when she returns her whole plot is centred around penny.

And THEN in season 4 I guess she’s doing… hedge stuff? Where they try to give her agency and make her #empowered but it’s just… weird

Because everyone else is dealing with a body hopping unkillable monster in Eliot’s body, and Kady just… fucks off??? I guess??? I mean she’s doing stuff with the library for a bit but like… why??? I get why she wants to fuck them over but also where did that come from

Like why is she not helping defeat the god monster. That seems like a pretty major issue that she should be more involved with.

I understand that her stuff with the library does ultimately help, but it really did feel like it was just a way to wedge her into the plot somehow. Also, we’re not even talking about season 5. Let’s not open that can of worms.

Idk I guess it just never really feels like… she’s part of the group? She kind of hangs out around the edges, and she’s close with Penny and Julia but other than that kind of just hangs around

Because… she WASNT IN THE BOOK!!! She didn’t exist!!! She wasn’t Julia’s hedge buddy, or Penny’s girlfriend, or anything! “Amanda Orloff” in the books, (who I’m guessing was her vague template??) is the first character to get killed. First beats encounter. She’s meant to be like, an example of “magic is dangerous”. That is her role.

Originally the group dynamic wasn’t WRITTEN to have her in it! So they were winging it.

Most of the other major character plot lines were based in something, but hers just kind of had to be pulled out of thin air- and it feels very strange

I found myself at several points in her story going “Why is she in this show?”

And it feels very, VERY jarring when she is then the person to… choose the song that is QUENTIN’S MEMORIAL?

They spoke like maybe twice. I feel like, I don’t know, ANYONE else in that group should’ve chosen

I love the Take On Me number though it’s literally my Roman Empire

All this to say, I have empathy for how hard it would be to wedge a new major character into an already very established group dynamic, but then… why did they do it…

[hanakihan]

Vienna/Salieri related Singularity below because I needed to share my brainrot full of nerd arcane knowledge from my music classes in 5th grade so expect nerd arcane knowledge with added references, delusions, bad life choices and inaccuracies (also since its a delulu setting watch me screw entirety of FGO canon) ANYWAY FUCK IT WE BALL THAT’S MY SINGULARITY

Vienna: Revolution and The Little Tragedy of a Kapellmeister

- Events take place in 1825, in Vienna at time of ruling of Francis I when Holy Roman Empire fell and Austrian Empire was established. More specifically it takes place after May of 1825, and significant story divergence takes place after Francis I have died 10 years earlier than he was supposed to in 1935. This event is supposedly connected to a group of people that desire the return of HRE to its former glory and reestablishment of an absolute monarchy.

- Upon arrival in singularity, it’s pretty clear that entire thing was successful and countries that were established after HRE’s fall exist no more. Results of HRE’s fall and French Revolution were also annulated. this in itself threatens human foundation because as a result it shows futility of revolution and results in social and law stagnation.

- When collecting an information about current situation and facing an aggressive response from imperial army, Guda and Mash were aided by Camille Desmoulins (Archer, because as witness accounts state ‘… Desmoulins [was] among them arming himself with a bayonet rifle and two pistols, and embarked upon the Storming of the Bastille’) and Maximilien Robespierre (Berserker, because Robespierre faced growing disillusionment among others due in part to the politically motivated violence advocated by the Montagnards), who are also hunted by imperial forces due to being two among many famous figures who instigated French Revolution that ultimately led to fall of monarchy not only in France but later in Europe as a whole. These two are reluctant to work together and constantly exchange acidic comments, mostly Desmoulins, because he’s angry at his ex-friend for betraying their goal of freeing the country of an absolute monarchy and Robespierre being a supporter of Terror policy and resulting in their ultimate executions. These two agree to set aside their bitterness and work together with Guda to set human history back on track, because they were the ones to start French Revolution, even if it didn’t turn exactly the way they wanted it, it was still a big moment in humanity’s history.

- Further information gathering put things to more clarity: current ruler of New HRE is Joseph II who by this time is supposed to be dead. Main crew does get a chance to encounter him but ultimately is unable to defeat him as he’s now - he’s clearly in possession of a Holy Grail but appears to be in clear enough mind to be negotiated with. Furthermore, Joseph II is clearly aware that his existence contradicts proper flow of human history, he acknowledges that his actions ultimately will bring destruction to foundation of humanity, and he’s genuinely sad he has to do it, but he also wants to do it because everyone he held dear were destroyed by humans with excessive cruelty. At that moment Avenger Marie Antoinette appears and upon seeing Robespierre and Desmoulins initiates battle out of anger towards people who started her downfall which resulted in beheading. Clearly being overpowered, Guda and company retreat. After that Joseph and Marie decide to pay a visit to Salieri.

- While being pursued by imperial soldiers, they are aided by Marianna Auenbrugger (Caster) and Joseph Haydn (Caster) who escort them to a hideout where other various musicians and composers are hiding. It’s pretty much a company of Casters and a Berserker (Beethoven) who are puzzled at such turn of events - if Joseph II has issues with Revolution and downfall of monarchy as a whole, then why all of them - musicians and composers - were summoned as well, at the same time. Furthermore, they all are also being actively hunted by imperial soldiers.

- Back in Palace Marie is happily chatting with barely conscious Salieri. After she leaves, small shadow materializes and approaches Salieri promising him a soon arriving salvation. At the same time, Joseph has a conversation with Napoleon, but it’s not going that great. Joseph understands Napoleon’s desire to become an Emperor once again but he’s also not allowing him to take rule over country again, not after such spectacular failure. Multiple monarchs do not mix well. Aside from desire to reclaim his position, Napoleon also wants a rematch for that shameful result of Battle of Borodino.

- In middle of discussion among Guda and others arrives Pyotr Bagration (Rider, since in Battle of Borodino he was injured while riding a horse) and informs others that apparently they need to move or else they’ll be found and none of them are in proper state to fight back. In middle of moving they meet Andrei Bolkonsky (Saber) who gladly agrees to join and discusses with Bagration their real and fictional experiences at Battle of Borodino. Bolkonsky also mentions that he saw Pushkin wandering streets of Vienna until he was chased down by soldiers. Bolkonsky himself was ignored by soldiers despite being a man who participated in war, yet a writer and poet is chased aggressively.

- Just as they move, they stumble upon Pushkin being cornered. After helping him out, Pushkin (Archer, he himself is puzzled at being summoned not as Caster but as Archer due to his last duel) provides information that hunt after him was a specific priority order from Joseph II. Eventually it was deducted that the reason for specific hunt after Pushkin and other musicians is because of Salieri, whose role in this Singularity is unknown. More accurately to say it’s because of Pushkin’s ‘The Little Tragedies’ cycle, specifically ’Mozart and Salieri’ that was one of the reasons for Salieri’s false fame as a jealous murderer. At the same time palace if full of masterful piano play. In his chambers Salieri patiently listens to a child playing a piano. Salieri, still tired and barely conscious, praises said child before falling asleep. Child goes out and stumbles upon Joseph. ‘Keep going and you’ll forever erase my existence from his. That’s what we both want, aren’t we?’

- After circle of soldiers becoming smaller and smaller it was agreed to launch an assault on Joseph’s residence and claim grail from him, especially now that they know the reason for his actions. At entrance they’re greeted by Napoleon who refuses to let them pass. Bagration isn’t happy to see familiar face, just as Bolkonsky. Fight ensues and in middle of it appears Dantès to aid a little because apparently he’s not a fan of Napoleon and remembering whole thing that was the reason for him imprisonment he can’t deny himself the chance for a little revenge. In the end, Bagration, Bolkonsky, Dantès stay to deal with Napoleon. Before separation Pushkin jokes about meeting Dantès but not the one who shot him (d'Anthès) /a play of phonetics because in Russian both d'Anthès and Dantès sound the same/

- Further in Palace they encounter Marie Antoinette. She does mention how it’s ironic how she and them (Desmoulins and Robespierre) were beheaded for sake and as a result of Revolution. She asks them if ending like they did was worth it. They in return ask if beautiful and compassionate queen that held her head high at her own execution and loved her people would bitterly destroy bright future of her people and country over bitterness and anger. Marie desires to behead them herself just to see how it feels to be on other side of guillotine.

- Guda and Mash with others encounter Joseph and ask him why exactly he’s doing that. Joseph doesn’t really answer, but does mention that it’s not only about anger and frustration, it’s also about love and compassion. He does mention that humanity is plagued with idiocy and lack of thinking, and thus it has no right to exist. Joseph also mentions that he doesn’t care about restoring monarchy, it was about his closest people he cared the most about, but seeing Napoleon being summoned it did paint a clear picture of natural power struggle. As of seeing Pushkin, he becomes clearly obsessed with targeting him. ‘After all you’re one of the reasons he ended up like that. Unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable. It’s a shame Mozart wasn’t summoned, I would’ve liked to put my sword through his neck.’

- After Joseph’s defeat appears a little boy and takes Holy Grail. Disappearing Joseph calls him ‘Salieri’ before bitterly correcting himself and calling little boy ‘A cursed abomination’. Supposedly ‘Salieri’ stabs him with Blade of Wildlife saying that Joseph himself did an awfully bad job at granting Salieri’s wish and by analogy getting rid of ‘him’. After that ‘Salieri’ addresses Pushkin as ‘one of his creators’ and uses Grail to fully transform and don Wailing Facade. After near defeat he, barely holding himself together, runs away. Guda and others chase him only to find a little ‘Salieri’ with damaged spirit origin protectively covering a man on bed whom Beethoven recognizes as Antonio Salieri. Both boy and man are Servants and have awfully unstable yet almost identical Spirit Origin.

- Actual Antonio Salieri comforts little ‘him’ and thanks him for granting his actual wish of seeing people he loved once again. ‘Salieri’ retorts that his true wish was desire to get rid of ‘Salieri who murdered Mozart’ and humanity as whole, that was the thought of dying Salieri. Salieri explains that it was a momentary hate and bitterness that colored his last moments in life he ultimately never regretted. Just as he embraces ‘Salieri’, he says, that despite everything he does not regret ‘Salieri’ or ‘Gray Man’ existence, because despite their weird and unstable situation he’s the one keeping Salieri’s Spirit Origin somewhat whole and allowing Salieri to manifest at all, since myth is much more famous than actual person.

- After Salieri’s death, his bitterness and rumors along with fake accusation merged into ‘Salieri’ who shared feelings and memories of real Salieri. Gaining his own sentience as ‘Salieri who murdered Mozart’, this ‘Salieri’ was angry at humanity for doing this to a simple man who was too nice to be treated like that at end of his life and decided to carry out his last wish with Grail that was given to him. To maintain proper existence he used grail to summon Salieri. Then Joseph, but Joseph despises ‘Salieri’ for being a product that ruined actual Salieri he cares about. ‘Salieri’ proposes a deal: Joseph can’t kill ‘Salieri’ for it will send both him and Salieri back to Throne or even worse completely damages their Spirit Origin so they’ll never be summoned again. Instead, Joseph can take this as a chance to destroy the world that executed his precious little sister and completely twisted his beloved kapellmeister. By doing that Joseph will erase future where Salieri is known as ‘Salieri who murdered Mozart’, which means Salieri won’t have to suffer anymore.

- In the end Salieri apologizes for all the trouble. Salieri says that he doesn’t regret ‘Salieri’ being a part of him and asks ‘Salieri’ to give Grail to Guda. After it’s done, Singularity starts to fix itself, Salieri disappears first as a summon of Grail and ‘Salieri’ follows. Salieri wishes that next time they’ll meet it will be a willing peaceful summon for them both as whole, much stable existence.

- After that in Chaldea before Salieri is summoned, Joseph is summoned first because he needs to keep an eye on both his sister and beloved kapellmeister. After that Salieri is summoned as a Double class - Antonio Salieri (Ruler) and ‘Antonio Salieri’ (Avenger) /aka local tired man keeps check and adopts a shy but feral child who occasionally wants to stab Mozart, Pushkin and Joseph II with different states of success/.

[sailorspica]

hi kat, my love my dearest, i have a question for you

would you say that towards the end of the 16th century Spain was the biggest Catholic power in Europe? I know the Spanish Empire was powerful in general at that time but did their influence spread on Vatican in any capacity? The only way I know a country can affect religious politics is to have a person from this country to become a Pope (like that Genovese Pope hating on Venetian Republic just because Genoa and Venice have historically beefed) Would Vatican have allowed it? How hard do they control Church's impartiality?

The reason I'm asking is because I wonder whether or not Reiner's gonna return from Rome looking sleek in Spanish-fashionable black or.. just.. be normal Roman Catholic boy

i'd say they were rome's best friend and tbh on better terms with the papacy than many nearby republics based on, mostly, spanish and portuguese monarchs' documented, epistolary (i think) friendships with various popes, and that catholic missionaries reached the americas and asia on iberian ships. a good measure of this is the society of jesus (the jesuits, like the current pope) being primarily spanish in origin, and their transition from a quirky new religious order some catholic authorities suspected of heresy in the early 16th century but they had bigger fish to fry at the time (protestantism), to the 17th century and onward of being called the pope's personal army.

i'm incredibly biased because i love jesuit history, but the appeal of the society of jesus was their whole ascetic, spartan schtick of their founder, ignatius of loyola, was a soldier in the first hapsburg king's army who applied a similar rigor to contemplation. once they start gaining influence toward the end of the 1500s, they've kind of been inaugurated as a force of the counter-reformation, even though at their foundation they were barely aware of anything going on in germany/the netherlands/etc. they're kind of taken as proof that the catholic church is aware of its flaws and excesses and moderates itself, so i can imagine someone in the italian peninsula idealizing the jesuits as a perfect cultural/aesthetic contrast, grass is greener if they're repulsed by their surroundings

WHICH IS TO SAY please send reiner to a jesuit-founded university, even just to visit. i think ignatius's spiritual exercises are extremely him. running away to do a month-long solo silent retreat because you're riddled with guilt and your attachments to the world and flesh? reiner braun

[fortunatelychaoticphantom]

Highlighted Posts - Serious Topics

Link for the fandom topics post.

For the sake of convenience, I've decided to make two massive posts concentrating all of my most important posts on various topics. These are my most popular posts, my favorite posts (i.e. not necessarily popular but they should be! Just kidding. Or not...) and my best comments on other people's posts that are valuable enough to be mentioned here (in my opinion obviously...).

The posts are separated into subjects, and each has a comment in brackets denoting what type of post it is: an analysis relating to real world issues, meta for fandom stuff, and jokes when it's, well, jokes, plus occasional ones that are self explanatory. Both subjects and Types might overlap. It seems like there might be a limit to the number of links per post, so I've divided them into two groups - serious topics posts and fandom posts.

Beside these posts, I have many others I made or commented on that were just not important enough to include here, as well as literally thousands of amazing and fascinating posts I've rebloged from others, but mentioning them all here is of course impossible. It should also be mentioned that often specific reblogs might have valuable notes on them on chains of reblogs, so keep that in mind.

Jewish Things:

Mourning October 7th (analysis).

Part 1: You fuckers say: “go back to where you came from”. The fuckers in those places say: “they’re not from here, don’t send them here”. Jews: =/ (analysis/joke).

Part 2: Denying the connection of Jews to the Land of Israel, but not letting us live anywhere else. It’s almost like… you don’t actually want us to live. Anywhere. At all. [AKA: the history of antisemitism on the left] (analysis).

Part 3: It's okay, the others hate us too [AKA: antisemitism on the right] (analysis).

Stop pandering to Western Leftists. They want us dead (analysis).

Western leftists might want me dead, but I don't want them dead. I'm angry but I'm not a fucking monster, you know (analysis).

My Roman Empire (the Roman Empire) (joke).

Blaming the Roman Empire, subversion and responsibility (analysis).

History and the Weaponization of Trauma in post-colonial narratives (analysis).

From sea to shiny sea, Abya Yala will be free (joke????/analysis).

Part 1: Israel is not a colonizer state, comparison to Liberia and the origin of the word “Palestina” (analysis).

Part 2: Jews and Palestinians are both indigenous to the southern Levant, and they're both fucking assholes (analysis).

Part 3: A day will come when we can recognizes that we’re all Arabs, but it is not this day. Also – the ridicules obsession with the foundation of Israel being in ’48 and the fact that new nations and cultures are always being created, even in recent history (yes, the Palestinians are one of those) (analysis).

The correct comparison in right there, you might want to use it (analysis).

IYCSTTKUFLFMTWBG (If You Could Stop Trying To Kill Us For Like Five Minutes, That Would Be Great) (joke?...)

Israel. Is. Not. A. Fucking. Colonizer. State. Guess who is though??!?!?!?! (joke/analysis).

The trauma of Oct. 7th and the fact that I no longer trust any of you fuckers (analysis).

Existing as a Jew on this platform is fucking hell (analysis).

... and very lonely as well (analysis).

Archaeological terminology and academia’s allergy to “Israel” (analysis).

No, Jesus wasn’t a Palestinian. Just say you hate Jews for fuck’s sake! (analysis).

אבל מה אם ישו כן היה חי היום...? (בדיחה)

Israel didn't exist in Biblical times??? Are you on fucking crack?! (analysis).

Ahhh, yes. Palestine. The historic home of every nation in the world (except Jews). Sure. Also, apparently they're appropriating the fucking Natufians now. (analysis).

Jews aren’t white 1 (analysis).

Jews aren’t white 2 (analysis).

Jewish IS an ethnicity, for fucking fuck fuck fucker's sake (analysis).

THAT'S NOT WHAT ETHNICITY MEANS (analysis).

Antisemitism and Hollywood (The Nanny, The Golden Girls, Seinfeld and Friends) (analysis).

Jewish people's physical appearance and antisemitism (analysis).

Calling it antisemitism isn't working anymore, just call it what it is - racism (analysis).

אנחנו חייבים לדבר על חוסר היעילות של הפגנות (ניתוח).

להיות ישראלים בחו"ל (בדיחה).

History and Social Issues:

King Menashe of Judea is awesome actually (analysis).

Native American cities and ethnocentrism (analysis).

Ancient Egyptians were (not) black (analysis).

The erasure of Hatshepsut isn’t what you think (analysis).

No, Hatshepsut didn’t wear a fake beard (analysis).

No, the Santorini volcano did not cause the Egyptian plagues (cause there were no plagues!) (analysis).

Elizabeth II, Rameses II and longevity of reign (joke).

Anubis-themed furry pornography (yes, really) (analysis).

The reality of the field of archaeology is a little more nuanced than calling them “grave robbers” (analysis).

No, Europe isn’t keeping historical artifacts “safe” in museums from the barbarians who can’t take care of them (analysis).

The danger of the “erasing queerness from history” tumblr narrative (analysis / didn’t contribute to this one, but it's important for other purposes and for easy access).

The danger of the “erasing queerness from history” tumblr narrative continues, Egyptian tombs electric boogaloo (analysis).

Cultural appropriation is rarely what you think it is (analysis).

You’re calling it “cultural appropriation”, but you’re just advocating for segregation (analysis).

Bend it like Beckham and the internet’s inability to understand the complexity of history and ethnicity (analysis).

Western Leftists be like: “well maybe you should have been born in a more MORAL country, like mine =)” (analysis).

The problem with “educate yourself” mentality (analysis).

Influencers and “educate yourself” bullshit (analysis).

Shutting up about social issues you know nothing about is an option, you should try it (analysis).

Real people aren’t representation (analysis).

Not everyone knows their sexual/gender identity, and that’s just as important to represent in media (analysis).

The concept of consent and haunted houses (analysis/joke).

If your multi-dating, talk to your fucking partners (analysis).

Male birth control (analysis).

Covid and being on the same boat (joke/analysis).

A Covid joke because I’m hilarious and underappreciated (joke).

Professionals criticizing their profession's image in cinema (joke).

The trolley Problem is not about fault! (joke/analysis).

And now it's a murder trolley (analysis).

Police and “bad apples” (joke/analysis).

No, you don’t have a right over other people’s labor and creations (analysis).

Dupes are fucking evil and so are you (joke/analysis).

Stop insulting YA books (analysis).

Online bookish community's obsession with finding problems in the online bookish community (analysis).

Social media cyclical criticism of authors (joke/analysis).

Special editions are for fighting Amazon actually (analysis/joke).

Stop saying "Amazon is losing money on Kindle books". You're playing into their hands (analysis).

Bezos, the man who has everything except a heart (joke).

There’s nothing wrong with nepotism, you guys just don’t understand how professions work (analysis).

[dontplaywithityoullbreakit]

Read-alikes for Dune by Frank Herbert…

The massive popularity of the Dune movie series has put the books by Frank Herbert in high demand. If you haven’t been able to get hold of a copy, or you’ve already read the series and are looking for more books like it here are some you may like: 

The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester

A protagonist with psionic powers navigating an interplanetary war. Warring clans and the honing of one's body. 

Hyperion - Dan Simmons

A story of the interconnectivity of many galactic empires. A story of pilgrimage and spiritual philosophy explored.

Red Star - Alexander Bogdanov

A more realist approach to the dreaming up of ‘worlds that could be’ and how humans will adapt and build. This sci-fi forerunner is an early inspiration to so many narratives that came after. Governmental struggle and political philosophy abound.

A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine

Diplomatic intrigue and navigating political conquest. An adventure through a deep and well-crafted galactic empire. 

Foundation - Isaac Asimov 

As Dune tells a story of warring empires, Asimov writes of a galactic empire in decline, alluding to the fall of the roman empire. The protagonist battles the looming possibility of a dark age.

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

If the dystopian control of those in power and battling between hierarchies of Dune were of interest to you, Huxley’s Brave New World is a predecessor and must read. 

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin

Le Guin crafts a tale of a galactic empire through the lens of anthropology and feminist theory similar to the exploration of gender dynamics found in Dune. The world building has a great depth like Dune, and there is a similar focus on ecology and the ‘what ifs’ around environmental sci-fi.

[kyndaris]

An Introspective Lull in the Pursuit of Love

I have often found that it is quite easy for me to fall into new routines. Take this blog, for example. In the past, it would contain impressions of the games I'd played and finished, along with the occasional anecdotes I'd come up with that had been on my mind. As I started to date, many of my posts soon changed to revolve around my attempts to find love. But despite going at it for nigh on two years, I haven't felt closer to cracking the mystery that is romance even as I've flooded my weekly entries about my adventures.

As my love life dwindles though, I've been scrambling to find something fun and lighthearted to share with the dear readers I've accrued on my blog. Not that there's many.

Still, at least I now have the opportunity to opine about the state of the world or properly allow my errant thoughts some breathing room.

Of course, if you've read the title of this blog, you'll know that in this instance, my thoughts haven't strayed too far from the familiar.

Since I've started chronicling the dates I've gone on, it has come as no surprise that I don't regard myself as straight. There have been many a time wherein I've asserted that I sit somewhere on the asexual spectrum. But recent revelations on who I might be attracted to has had me scrambling on what it means to be in a relationship and the sacrifices one needs to make.

Although I've opened my preferences for all genders on Hinge, I've found it extremely hard to date or chat with people from unique backgrounds. Invariably, most of the people that tend to like my profile or who I actually respond are cisgender heterosexual men. Probably because they're the ones most active on the dating apps. And while conversations can start off strong, it almost always seems to fail. Whether it's because they're a bad texter and I find it hard to continue a conversation or they just stop responding altogether.

The only person I've kept up a steady communication with is Dikottir. And in fact, we might be venturing out to VIVID Sydney for a fifth date (at time of writing, VIVID has only just begun). But while this may seem promising, it comes with the caveat that we've technically met in person since August 2023, with our initial chat on Hinge back in July of that same year.

If ever there was a relationship that was the epitome of a slow burn, this would be it.

Perhaps it comes from the fact both of us have our own individual lives and interests. Or maybe neither of us know how to navigate the quagmire encapsulating relationships.

I know I certainly don't lead a very riveting life that requires constant chronicling/ updating to a third party I barely even know. Heck, not even my own mother asks me how my day has gone even after absconding to China and leaving me to care for my grandmother (although, if I'm being honest, there's not much to say on a daily basis anyways. I wake up, I work, I cook and then I go to bed after playing some video games).

Besides, it's not like I consider Dikottir my Roman Empire. There are just so many other things to preoccupy me: books, video games, shows, road trip planning...

To be fair, Dikottir has been nothing but a gentleman. But after years of having romance novels and films harp about a 'spark' or the 'chemistry' between two people, the word I'd use to describe my 'relationship' with Dikottir would be torpid. At best.

Still, I persist. Wondering if this 'thing' between us will ever work out. Although, if I was being truly honest with myself, I think it'll just end up being a friendship.

Hinge, and many other dating apps, simply aren't very conducive for me in building up a connection. Constant interactions in a shared environment or a neutral setting are some of the best places for me to slowly build up the foundation to a strong friendship.

And yet, there have been people I've met that I've felt an odd compulsive pull where I want to learn more about them. Alas, it's only happened with women. As I've detailed before in an earlier post, there have been women I've been drawn to, believing we could be the best of friends. Is that love? Or is it the makings of a crush?

I wish I knew. I wish there was a definitive definition of what it means to fall in love with someone so I could tick off the symptoms and diagnose myself with it instead of having people tell me: "you'll know it when it happens to you."

A part of me does want to believe this is me like-liking someone but discussions with Sorrengail, a fellow ace, has described these instances of obsession as a 'squish.' And, in almost all instances, my swift and sudden obsessive curiosity does fade.

But it is in those rare moments that I do wonder if there might be something more beyond the platonic.

These last few days, I've posited the theory to myself that maybe I'm questioning these 'squishes' as something more because my mind has been focused on trying to build relationships and finding a romantic partner. But the more I do, the more I fear what might become of an actual committed relationship.

How much of myself will I need to compromise? Will it have all been a waste of time if nothing eventuates? How do I know if someone likes me or not? What are the 'signals' that I should be looking out for?

I think for most people the start of a relationship is always fraught with a mixture of emotions: the desire to make a good impression and the fear the other person might not like the 'real' you. Especially if you immediately lean into the chaos gremlin dwelling inside the human exoskeleton.

It's certainly something I've thought about because even as a neurotypical person, I've often found myself portraying a heightened version of myself to different social circles. For example, I know I can't go into a deep dive about Kingdom Hearts lore at work because no-one else would appreciate the collision of Disney and Japanese role-playing games. And I don't talk about the books I read to many of my non-reader friends.

While these aren't exactly separate personas, these images of me that I project are tailored to the audience I'm with.

Yes, they are all me but they are me in different situations.

And there aren't many social circles where I feel comfortable enough to unleash the nose-booping, terrible picture-taking chaos gremlin menace that I really am on the inside. At least, I'm not comfortable with showing off that side of me.

Although, yes, there are people at work who know I'm a big massive nerd. And who are a little frightened of my ability to memorise addresses.

I also have a tendency of phrasing things terribly. So, there might be a subset of people I know who fear for their lives (looking at you Chinchilla) even though I wouldn't hurt a fly (that's a lie. I kill a lot of insects).

Jokes aside, I'm also worried I've entered this race for all the wrong reasons. Love isn't something to be pursued. You can't force it. It either comes naturally or it doesn't. But maybe, too, I need to stop being oh so cautious and just jump in with both feet if I do feel something.

As Ellie Chu, from the film The Half of It put it: love isn't patient and kind and humble. Love is messy and horrible and selfish and bold. It's not finding your perfect half. It's the trying and the reaching and failing. Love is being willing to ruin your good painting for the chance at a great one."

Maybe that's what I need to do. Instead of comparing and contrasting Hinge profiles to see who might be a good fit and letting my executive functioning do most of the work, I should lean into my instincts. Instead of fearing that a relationship won't work out, I need to fight in the trenches for it.

And whether or not love will hit me over the head with a hammer or sneak up on me like an assassin, I need to be open to it.

Easier said than done!

But hey, that's life, isn't it?

[a-canceled-stamp]

10, 14, 21 for your most recent ask game!

Hi!! Thank you for the ask! 🥰

10. Top three favorite fic tropes.

OOOoH ok. hm.

This is literally impossible since my favorite tropes vary depending on the category (romance vs gen), and I love all of 'em equally. I've rewritten this like 10 times now and I'm sure I'm gonna have different opinions tomorrow, but here is the list!

Angst with a Happy Ending. I don't know what it is about these fics, but I love them, especially cause you can technically fit many of my fav tags into this trope. Misunderstandings, found family, protective sibling (insert name here), you name it. It's the holy grail of tropes.

Redemption. Listen. Character A being a jerk to Character B, but then risking their life to save Character B? Expressing their regret both through their actions and words? Character A terrified that even the tiniest missteps will ruin the delicate foundation of their friendship? Makes me weep. 'Tis my Roman empire (when it's done well asjkdhskjd)

Mutual pining. The awkwardness. The longing. The knowledge that they both care about each other but are too afraid to admit it (either to each other or themselves). It just. This trope has ✨everything✨. Makes me feral.

14. Write and share the first sentence of a new fic. Just that.

Tim is used to falling. The feeling of his stomach rising to his throat, the surge of adrenaline shooting through his bloodstream – it never gets old. Falling through a portal, however, is something very, very different.

^^ the first few sentences from something I'm working on :3

21. Can you accurately predict how long your fics are going to be? If you can, what's your secret?

lmao NOPE. I always go into it thinking "oh this is gonna be a short 2k-word fic, nothing too complicated 😇" but then it just grows and grows until posting day arrives and I'm staring in terror at this 10k-word monstrosity. It's like that one pizza-cutting meme but it's me with the word count lmao

Thank you again so much for the ask! 🥰

(Ask game can be found here! Answered questions are in the tags)

[galaxyofhair]

Early Medieval LOTR

To follow up my previous post about having more works of fantasy that take their cues from the Early Medieval era: LOTR is the big one for me. So much of what Tolkien poured into LOTR were myths, legends, and motifs that were very specific to not only the Vikings, but Early Medieval Europe in general(and well beyond).

Going through “Ring Legends of Tolkien” by David Day, he goes over the many different stories that had a direct influence on LOTR. Some of the best known examples are Beowulf, and Arthurian Legend, both of which contributed to motifs such as the slaying of great monsters, the folly and destruction of evil kings, and the acquisition of holy/special swords.

The Volsunga Saga and the Nibelungenlied both deal with the slaying of dragons, and with the motif of cursed treasure--and I forget if its just one of them or both of them but they specifically deal with a cursed ring that is the figurehead of a larger cursed fortune and is ultimately the tool of everyone’s downfall.

This also isn’t new news---Even the films had a pretty good grasp on the Early Medieval influences on Tolkien's work and brought that out in their depiction of Rohan; Rohan’s seat of government in Edoras is essentially a viking longhouse situated on top of a large stone foundation. The Rohirrim themselves are dressed in armor that is either directly inspired by northern armor, or at least decorated in Nordic designs and knots. Even their swords are reminiscent of older Celtic and Viking swords.

But then Two Towers ends, and when we get into Return of The King we find ourselves in Gondor---and we return to that more Late Medieval inspired, standard fantasy setting we’re used to seeing.

((Side note, I can’t tell you how disappointed I was that ROP had the Númenóreans wearing scale mail but actually it’s scale molding into plate armor. What a tease.))

A popular interpretation of LOTR is that it’s an analogy for WWII, but (and I am putting aside Tolkien’s disdain for analogy) I have really come to view LOTR as being largely applicable to the political concerns and structures of the Early Medieval era:

The Shire isn’t England, it’s that all of Arnor is England, but split into many smaller states after [the romans] left some centuries earlier. Rohan could be roughly those of as Denmark, or Scandinavia in general---and Gondor is roughly analogous to the Holy Roman Empire or Frankia (Where Aragorn would be Charlemagne’s heir). It’s not a perfect analogy, but then it didn’t have to be either---the theme that’s being brought across here that didn’t end up being well communicated in the films is that the world of LOTR is a world in recovery. Previously, Arnor and Gondor had been a single kingdom, and at one time a much larger kingdom. This empire was smashed apart over time by various wars and issue with corruption, and as a result Arnor no longer exists, and Gondor has no king---and this applies pretty neatly to the conditions of the early medieval period, depending on which side of the Age of The Vikings you’re on:

The Western Empire was destroyed in 476, and western Europe had to be slowly rebuilt by the dozens and dozens of petty kingdoms that rose up in it’s wake. Charlemagne was the first in a long time to build an empire in western europe---although his empire also split and quickly fell into disrepair, so you could think of Aragorn as Charlemagne himself, or think of Elendil as Charlemagne and Aragorn as heir to the throne etc etc.

All of this to say: I wish I could see a version of LOTR than takes more heavily from these early medieval roots. A version that leaves out the plate armor, the late medieval weaponry, and embraces a visual world that more keenly fits the themes of the text. It would be a world that tells it’s own story visually: One of past prosperity turned to modern scarcity. But also, one that isn’t afraid to really let loose with some of the more viking/anglo-saxon/carolingian aspects of the story really shine through as a key aspect of the world and not just the icing on top.

Idk, it’s a long and stupid ask---there are many other influences on LOTR, including stuff that in non-European (which I realize I focused on here). It’s a big part of: I want to see more fantasy that takes advantage of different eras of technology and culture. Seeing LOTR sort of artificially transposed to a different era because we can’t seem to wrap our heads around any fantasy that doesn’t include big stupid plate armor and two-handed swords just feels like a tragic waste to me.

[augustus-rok]

I'm gonna drop some art nerd shit in here as a person who took a art history class and then hyper focused, but I've always though the Renaissance Jesus "is God" stuff"that still feeds a lot into modern day Christianity came explicitly from the really early days of the Roman Empire where they protected their actually illegal shrines and altars by depicting Sol Invictus sun god as Jesus and vice versa(Halo imagery btws). Like they converted new believers/followers with this iconography. And they did similar stuff to Mary but that is its own art history plunge. Like that iconography was very much pitted against the mission of recruit the common people to the religion where Jesus is by its foundations a mortal everyday carpenter's boy who is son of God. In fact for a really hot minute the really bread winner of conversion was Mary and her role more than Jesus.

Also what followed all of this oppressed religion time was the byzantines, also theres a couple centuries where Northern Europe does its own thing in its art in relations to Christianity that's neat. So enjoy my brain barf because I just finished finals and this is a productive rant?

Anyways here sources that are really good reads:

do you guys think jesus, the son of a carpenter, smelt the wood of the cross & temporarily thought of home

[lebonah]

Foundation is my new Roman Empire

[moochilatv]

Ben Lukas Boysen presents: Fama

In Germany the electronic is very powerful

Ben Lukas Boysen’s upcoming album Alta Ripa, announced today for a November 29th release date via Erased Tapes, signifies a seismic shift in the producer's artistic journey. It revisits the foundational impulses of his youth, shaped amidst the serene beauty of rural Germany—a bucolic backdrop where his creative palette flourished. However, it was his move to Berlin in the early 2000s that electrified his sound, infusing it with the city’s pulsating energy and diverse cultural influences. 

Order and stream it: https://idol-io.ffm.to/AltaRipa

Artwork: Studio Torsten Posselt @studio_t_p Photo: Fiona Garden @fionagarden Master: Zino Mikorey @zinomikoreymastering

Alta Ripa captures this transformative experience, blending the introspective melodies of his rural beginnings with the bold, experimental tones born from Berlin’s vibrant electronic music scene.

His last two albums involved working closely with other musicians, including cellist Anne Müller, flugelhorn player Steffen Zimmer, and drummer Achim Färber. However, inspired in part by a recent return to live performance, Alta Ripa sees Boysen circling back to his passion for pure computer music. As he explains:

“After nearly 20 years in Berlin, I’ve had plenty exchanges and encounters with wonderful artists, that made me reflect on my work. But this little town Altrip with its distant memories, that I in some ways have never really left, kept moving to the front of my mind and encouraged me to take everything that I’ve learned "back home” so to speak. I wanted to artistically return to the place that formed and inspired me before life got too complicated, and tap back into that world with today's experiences. Somehow going back and starting from scratch at the same time, to write an album that is simultaneously my oldest and newest record.”

For Boysen, the return to his youthful musical language marks a major turning point in his career. It represents a departure from his roots in classical music – his mother was an opera singer and his father an actor with an appreciation for Wagner, Arvo Pärt, Keith Jarrett, and Stockhausen. Although these are still important influences, Alta Ripa encapsulates a new, exploratory interplay between Boysen’s careful craft and his ability to let go of some of the process.

The album’s title comes from the original Roman name of the town that Boysen grew up in, Altrip, where he lived until his early twenties. This formative period is central to the ideas behind this album, from Boysen’s parental ‘schooling’ in classical music through to his sonic journeys through drum and bass, Aphex Twin, and Autechre — all of which changed his idea of what music could be. The extreme energy of tracks like ‘Acperience 1’ by Hardfloor, ‘Tracks & Fragment’ by Cari Lekebusch, ‘Focus2 Implan’ by Jiri.Ceiver, and ‘Low On Ice’ by Alec Empire are also pivotal influences.

For Boysen, this time of his musical development also involved knocking down the pillars that he previously thought had carried his world. A key moment for Boysen was being given a precious (pre-internet) club cassette at school that featured artists like Source Direct, Photek and Goldie. Excited by this new discovery, he introduced his father to the song ‘Dred Bass’ by Dead Dred. After the song finished, Boysen Sr. turned off the tape and proclaimed it was “the end of all music”. This heated exchange sparked a new, and more mature dialogue between the two that involved them sharing and discussing music on a regular basis.

Boysen’s classical and jazz music upbringing might not be easily noticeable from the electronic palette that he uses. But it can be found in its bones; the structure of the tracks and their dynamic shifts. On Alta Ripa, he intentionally embraces a spirit of controlled chaos, churning out sonic ideas to see what sticks. While this isn’t a straight-up Jackson Pollock approach, his use of modular analogue synths means he is forced to let go of some of his responsibility for the end result because each pattern created is distinctive and unique every time. With the help of this modular setup, he’s learned how to create the foundations for new ideas to blossom, somehow both nostalgic and new at once.

One of Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategy cards contains the phrase “gardening, not architecture”, and the trajectory of Boysen’s creative path reflects this metaphor. In much of his previous work he followed a sort of Brutalist architect’s approach; here, he was fully responsible for the tracks’ austere structures and planned them with deliberate care. But by sacrificing some of that control on Alta Ripa, he sets the right conditions for a dark and unpredictable, organic growth. It’s a push forward into a new world.

Upcoming Tour / supporting Kiasmos:

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