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lulullia · 1 year

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Lyphuriaa Progress Report #1

Well, it's been a long while since my last post, because since then I've been in input – or learning – mode and spent my days absorbing information on my favorite topic: storytelling.

Before that, I was really creatively blocked, unable to do anything but stare at the screen trying to get my body to f-ing move and start drawing, writing, or coding – with little success. And so, in the process of searching for stuff to consume and kill time with, I remembered a favorite, huge resource I had already started reading but needed to finish, and that's how I ended up switching to input mode.

Lesson learnt: sometimes, if you're blocked and taking breaks doesn't help, it may just be because you're trying to output when you're really in need of input. That can take the form of inspiration (like browsing Pinterest or going back to a favorite book/movie/game…) but also actual education (like an online course or book, articles and videos on the topic, etc).

And sure enough, as I was expanding my knowledge on storytelling, I couldn't help but go and apply that to my current projects. I'll summarize the progress made on Lyphuriaa (or more like massive problem-fixing), and also share the two amazing resources I've been binging at the end, if you're making stories too!

Bird's eye view on the plot

For the longest time, Lyphuriaa was mostly in my head, and the plot was nothing more than "Lulu's life". That's because I started imagining it when I was a kid, and so it was never properly structured the way a story ought to be. Almost exactly a year ago, I realized the problem and started fixing it, cutting the boring parts, beginning the story at a more exciting point, changing up variables…

The result was already something that felt way more like I'd enjoy reading it myself, more mature and cohesive, but it still very broken structurally. It's only these past few weeks/months that I really started digging deeper and fix the core.

The core being, of course, the three basic components of a story – the Story Goal, the Protagonist (person pursuing the goal), and the Antagonist (person in opposition to the goal being achieved). Yeah, Lyphuriaa was that broken. Let's see how exactly, and then show the current fix.

The problems

The story goal was super fuzzy. I knew it was something along the lines of "taking back Lyphuriaa to rebuild it" but NONE of the characters, or events actually worked towards it. I also had no idea on the actual steps to fulfill it. Something fuzzy like "board airship or ship, fly/sail to the place, remove any stupid goons tryna stop you, plant flag, done! then epilogue showing the place rebuilt!" Plus, I didn't have enough details on the situation on Lyphuriaa (the place), like Why did it get abandoned if its people were literally genocided to take over the land? What's the situation outside Lyphuriaa – do the winners still have their eyes on it, don't care about it anymore, still claim ownership of the land? What about other countries? etc, etc.

The protagonists – Lulu and Vlad – are completely fleshed out as characters, but the problem was within their personal goals and motivations. If I just let them do whatever they wanted, they'd go live on a boat and sail the world, not "take back Lyphuriaa to rebuild it". I just struggled immensely to tie them to the "goal" somehow. That's part of the reason why none of the plot points worked towards the goal – the main characters don't even care about it. At some point I even considered the fact that maybe, they're not meant to tell this story, and that I should change either the goal or the protagonists.

That antagonists, well, they were almost non-existent. They're the least developed element. I just knew there was one group trying to get Lulu to use her unique power to open portals so that they could invade (a plotline that's now scrapped, because I figured a threat coming from inside the world is more interesting than one coming from outside, plus, I want Lulu to be special because of what she does, not what she's born with). And another group, the ones instigating the Lyphurian war, who don't want Lyphuriaa to be rebuilt again. And that's all I knew about the people who are supposed to bring as much conflict to the story as possible. Needless to say, they really did nothing throughout the story, it's as if they only woke up at the end when the cast finally set foot on Lyphuriaa, or something.

The glaring, glaring problem that took me a lot of time to spot, is the absolute lack of conflict. I had a 2k words outline of the story, but it was just about Lulu, Vlad and a few others going on about their life, smoothly. Then there were a few events that really had nothing to do with that, aka the "main plot".

Nothing is connected

I literally have a line saying, "somehow they find her father". Like, is it something that happens randomly (in which case it's lazy), or is it unimportant enough that we don't even need to show how it happens (in which case why keep it at all?), or it's supposed to be part of the plot (in which case why have the protagonists never even show a sign of wanting to do that)…?

"Somehow" is a red flag practically all of the time in storytelling, as it breaks consistency and believability. I know that in the outline, I wrote "somehow" as a shorthand for "this needs to happen and I have no idea how to connect it so I'm leaving it to you, future self :D" but even so it's a symptom of a larger problem underneath.

Literally the last bullet point of the whole outline: "I almost forgot that the story isn't Vladleen but Lyphuriaa. So I guess here be adventures to take back Lyphuriaa! yay!"

Random fluff adding dead weight

Another easier to fix problem was scenes or entire plotlines that were completely unnecessary to the story. As I said Lyphuriaa exists since my childhood and so, there were a lot of random stuff I added because I thought it was cool and I had no idea how to make a properly structured story, but that I never questioned when overhauling it. It's only when I realized that nothing is set in stone until I say so, and that I'm not bound by these boundaries just because they've been here a long time, sometimes even since the very beginning, that I started cutting stuff and, most importantly, change key parts to make them infinitely more interesting.

The scrapped plotline. The stuff about a virus, and Lyphurians having a special purpose, is scrapped too. Cutting such a huge part of the story led to literally no consequences, and felt so relieving.

Playing around with key variables

For example, I was under the assumption that Vlad can only come in later in the story and not the beginning, and that the Liance between him and Lulu can only happen waaay later when they start having feelings for each other. But one day I had this idea: what if we start the story at the point of their meeting, and have them be lianced right then and there, maybe even against their will?

And that's how one of the key moments in Lyphuriaa was born, bringing a ton of conflict and interesting situations and characterization with it to the table that could never have happened otherwise. Now both protagonists are on-screen right away (especially since Vlad is the most interesting out of the two at first), the Liance functions like a character arc for both of them because it's a problem they have to overcome, that results in a much more interesting relationship than just lovers, and is also an interesting concept to explore right off the bat that can play a part in hooking the reader, and on and on. All of that just from changing two variables.

Yeah, I write a lot in my notes. It's helpful to order my thoughts in the present, and leave a trace of the past for when I find it again in the future.

The fixes

This is getting very long, I wonder if you'd prefer if I split posts like these in parts…

The story goal – thanks to some adjustments and lots of inspirations from the resources below, I could finally find a goal that is similar to what I had in mind, but also agrees with the protagonists and antagonists. Even though I'm presenting this as three bullet points, the truth is, it's all interconnected and should be worked on as a whole, not just one at a time. So, now the main goal of Lyphuriaa is, "to (re)build a place where all Lyphurians can call home". It's not only clearer, but also more personal, and ties in perfectly with the theme of the story (finding the people you belong with – whose side you can call home).

The protagonists now have proper motivations and goals that align with the story goal! They became tied to it way more naturally, plus it connects with the theme again and provides conflict: Lulu is a Lyphurian, and because of her species' defining traits simply cannot feel like she belongs amongst Vampires and other people. Even better, she doesn't feel safe. Lyphurian blood is a luxury for Vampires, their horns valued products, and their glowing skin scare people away (especially since most people aren't aware of the existence of Lyphurians; they may be ghosts for all they know). And thus, coupled to something else that is spoilers, she sees Vlad as the perfect opportunity to stand up for her people and make a place where they can feel at home, together (Vlad has money and means). And what better place for this if not their original homeland? (The only issue still left is to tie Vlad into this as well, I already have an idea for this that also ties into the theme of finding home that needs tweaking, but it's spoilers too so I'll leave it at that.)

The antagonists… are still the least developed, but at least now I'm clear on who are the antagonizing groups, and what's their goal so I can build what they'll do on top of that. I still need to go closer and build them as individuals and give them a personal stake. What's certain is that I want them to be smart and unpredictable, playing an intense game of "who is actually one step ahead the other?" with the protagonists. They are active, just as active as their enemy. There are also a couple other surprise major characters that don't fit in either category, but will stir trouble in trying to achieve their own personal goals – aka pushing the story forward.

You can see the difference, now the story is packed with conflict and potential for conflict everywhere. It's starting to take the shape of one intense ride! There are a ton of little tweaks that improve the story overall, here's a few…

Everything is interconnected

Sharp contrast to how it was before, now every event serves a purpose in either the main plot or in major subplots (I took the time to clearly lay out the different plotlines, that's what the very first image is about; each "row" is one plotline). Not only that, but each character has a link to the main plot, or at least thematic relevance.

The side-character I'm most excited about is Ava, Lulu's bestie. It's through her that a lot of Vladleen's relationship is brought out, because these two mostly don't need to actually talk, they can just send brain signals. Ava is the kind of person who has no filter, can't read the room, but can easily spot subtle differences around her. Kinda hard to explain, but she does a good job of getting Vladleen to show themselves to the reader. Plus, she's gonna be the center of a very big choice (aka conflict) both Vlad and Lulu will have to make, you could say the ultimate choice that will show who they truly are, what they care about more than anything else (and thus ties into the theme as well).

Little preview of this energetic and fun character~

More playing around with variables

As I was reading up on the resources mentioned before, key points of the story kept getting challenged. Long-lost heir to a throne as a plot twist? Check. Heir characterized only by their blood? Check. Mentor who comes take said heir and push them forward themselves instead of letting her walk by herself? Check. Protagonists only acting after antagonist strikes, and never before? Check. Mentor keeping key info secret for no reason? Check.

That's a lot of hidden clichés I was aware of but thought I had added enough uniqueness to them, and I'm glad the articles made me see them in their true form and their bad consequences. So I took all of those and more and switched variables around.

The most important change was a set of tweaks to Lulu and her "heritage". She not only isn't a good fit to be a ruler, but also doesn't want to rule (remember when I said the MCs didn't care about the goal?). I didn't have any specific reason as to why her bloodline was special and why it had to be the ruling one. All of this made her into something I really didn't like: a person defined by what she was born with, not by her actions. She would have never been on this path if she didn't have this blood and powers. I don't know if you can see it but, it all feels like her actions are determined by her blood; she would have always made the same choices even if circumstances were different; she doesn't have free will. And when you know that protagonists' most important role is to make choices… Well.

So the first thing I did was dig into the bloodline's origin, which made me realize that if that's how it originated, then there should be more than one family with the same special characteristics, not just one. Just this change implies so much: the bloodline alone doesn't give you a right to the throne anymore, and Lulu can just rally her people and lead them to the goal, and step down then; Lulu is no longer the only one who can unseal Lyphuriaa, if there are other families, and thus her decision to do so anyway comes from inside her and not outside; imagine the amount of exciting stuff (aka conflict) that can happen with having other bloodline members around!!! and so much more.

Lulu getting back her agency to do what she wants is the highlight, though. I remember reading/watching a pretty long manga/anime (won't say the name to not spoil) where at the end it's revealed that everything that happened, only happened because a higher entity kept resetting time until they got the course of events that they wanted to see. It truly made the whole thing meaningless, just like "it was all a dream!" endings, it means the characters never earned anything by themselves, they're just puppets; I want to avoid that at all cost.

As much as I'd like to keep writing, I think I've covered the most important parts; this is long enough as it is.

Zeroth draft

Alright, I'm done talking about the plot changes, here's something more concrete: I think I'll participate in Camp NaNo this july to get a "zeroth draft" started.

Basically, that's a draft before the first draft. It's not meant to be the first stage of the final product, but something more meta before it. I have no pressure to make it make sense; I just write with what I currently have and improvise to fill in the gaps. What I actually write can range from detailed description of the action, to one-line scenes such as "here they fight". A barebones text that I can then use to make the actual first draft, later.

This is all because, for the longest time I thought I was a planner, but it turns out I may actually be a pantser, discovering the story as I write it. So I want to put that theory to the test and write like a pantser during Camp NaNo. I really, really want to write this story.

Here's a link to my NaNoWriMo profile, where I set myself a goal of 20k words for this month. I have no idea whether it's big or small, we'll see. (feel free to add me if you write too.)

This post took me a whole day to write, but I had fun summarizing these past months' progress. I also really want to try out animating a scene, and coding a prototype with it, but I'll make a post about that when I have something to show.

If you made it this far, I thank you sincerely. I know that people who enjoy long-form content aren't extinct, but it's getting harder to find them. Reblogging and sharing helps, but a simple like can let me know it's reaching some people at least c:

Storytelling resources

Two big resources that pack a ton of valuable advice and storytelling principles.

Limyaael literary rants – about 400 individual essays, mostly geared towards fantasy. Helped me improve my story in so many ways, and I'm still halfway through it. Start from the beginning, everything is useful.

Filmento – an absolutely incredible channel, each of his videos feel like a university-level lecture on storytelling and sometimes cinematography. The video is separated into clear points, always taking example from a movie, so you can see it in action, and it's super engaging and funny to boot. Most of the stuff applies to stories in general, don't let the word "movie" scare you! See his "Film Perfection" and "Anatomy of a Failure" playlists especially.

Taking notes is a must, if I had read/watched through all of these without taking notes it'd have been a monumental waste of time since I'd have forgotten all of it. Also, it's not enough to take them, if you can't find them later, be it tomorrow or in a year (looking at you, people who take notes in Youtube comments).

My Obsidian vault has close to 1,000 individual notes, and in 99% of the time I can find any note I need in less than 5s, even if I don't remember the note's title, because I have so many different ways to search for it. So find yourself a tool that helps you use your notes, not just create and forget them.

After only a few days of reading/watching, when I came back to my story's beginning that I previously thought was perfectly fine, I could 1) immediately spot problems and 2) immediately know how to fix them. Literally, I'm tempted to say that's all you need to learn storytelling in-depth.

Enjoy!

#lulullia #progress report #lyphuriaa #storytelling #storytelling techniques #writing resources #camp nano 2023 #camp nano july 2023 #writing

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mariacallous · 1 year

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In Ukraine’s Kherson region, thousands of homes were flooded after the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant’s dam was destroyed on June 6. Journalists from Ukrainska Pravda travelled to the center of the region to speak with local residents to learn more about the scale of the devastation.

On June 7, the Dnipro river, where the dam was located, reached its highest levels on record — the water had risen over five meters (around 16 feet). That same day, Ihor Syrota, the CEO of Ukrhydroenergo, Ukraine’s largest hydropower company, reported that water levels had reached their peak.

In Kherson, the districts of Korabel and Dniprovskyi were the hardest hit, where floodwaters have even reached the third floor of some residential buildings. On the Ukrainian-controlled right bank of the Dnipro river, the flooding is so severe that it’s only possible to access some low-lying areas such as Korabel by boat.

By the morning of June 8, two thousand people had been evacuated from Kherson, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson region’s military administration. Around 1,500 people were evacuated from the Korabel district alone.

In order to get around the city, the State Emergency Service’s employees use all-terrain vehicles, police officers and river service employees use motorboats, and volunteers get around on dinghies. While they all offer to evacuate local residents, not everyone agrees to leave — some prefer to remain on the upper floors of their homes for the time being.

One local resident who didn’t immediately agree to be evacuated is Maryna Havrylova, a senior citizen. She told Ukrainska Pravda that the floodwaters started to approach her home, located not far from the Dnipro river, on the evening of June 6. By the next morning, the water was already flowing into her entrance. “That’s when I realized I could become an eternal prisoner,” she said.

Flooded areas of Kherson. June 8, 2023.

Stas Kozliuk / EPA / Scanpix / LETA

Aleksey Filippov / AFP / Scanpix / LETA

At first, Havrylova refused to be evacuated. From her third floor balcony, she shouted down to rescue workers that she was worried about leaving her 10 cats behind. She only agreed to be evacuated once rescuers promised they’d bring animal carriers for her cats.

“The main thing is for my pets to be safe. I just recently rescued two kittens. They might get lost here,” said Havrylova. Ukrainska Pravda reports that many local residents were evacuated with their pets and that several hundred animals had passed through one evacuation center.

Oleh and Serhii, two residents of Kherson, have been actively assisting the evacuation effort. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, they both transported people along the Dnipro river. Now, they use their boats to reach islands in the “gray zone,” an area between the two sides’ positions, which until recently was under Russian control.

Oleh tells Ukrainska Pravda that the Russian military didn’t provide assistance to civilians affected by the Kakhovka dam disaster. “Yesterday, Russians were only evacuating their own people. They had command and observation posts on the islands, but abandoned ordinary people stuck in their dachas,” he said.

On June 7, Oleh and Serhii helped evacuate 16 people from the flooded Potemkin Island. “There’s water everywhere. It’s a desert made of water — only treetops and roofs are visible. Now, where you’d used to find a yard, your boat propellers are touching [the yard’s] grapevines instead,” explains Oleh.

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ranboo-lorekeeper · 3 years

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Dream SMP - Oct. 21 2021

DreamSMP but I can actually teleport using magic fruit

HE’S BACK OH MY GOD i can finally summarize CURRENT dsmp instead of stuff from months ago this feels so weird. stuff from streams that arent ranboo’s main stream will be summarized in a separate post today, i have to separate them to get at least SOMETHING out on time

-he logs on for the first time in almost exactly two months -looks around his basement, comments on it being nostalgic -shows that he got chorus fruit and a chorus flower as well as a piece of end stone, which means he can teleport now -foolish forgot to leave vc. ranboo scares him -chat asks to see michael. ranboo turns off the music and says “who?” before bursting out laughing and saying he had to do it at least once -suggests netherite mining or “working on the end city” before immediately correcting himself, saying he hadn’t been in this character for a while -decides to take a tour of the server so him and the particles could see what had been going on while they were gone

-”that’s how i got this chorus fruit. i gambled with god and i WON.” talks about the events of tubbo’s stream a bit including losing his pants several times -looks at l’manhole with shaders on -[looking at tommy’s therapy office] “WHEN WAS THIS MADE? i’ve watched the streams-” -says the bee n’ boo is never getting finished (he is kidding) -goes to snowchester. takes one iron ingot out of tubbo’s chest. leaves for las nevadas. heads back when chat gets sad -michael visit! confirms again that he’s been canonically visiting michael off camera and says he will strangle anyone who calls him a bad dad

-meets up with foolish in las nevadas to see the sus room -”this is supposed to be top secret so do your memory thing after” -foolish -he recreated among us. that’s what he’s been doing for the bunker -streamer is sus. he vented. does this mean c!ranboo knows what among us is -teleports a few times (w/ chorus fruit) in front of foolish, messes around with it a bit -”i still have my dignity” he says while playing on a minecraft roleplay server in the middle of a recreation of among us -foolish shows him more of las nevadas -ranboo’s been thinking about if he could control chorus fruit teleportation with blocks -he says he’s been building “tolerance to various substances” during the time he was offline -foolish shows him another massive build, says he needs a double chest of obsidian to finish it

-ranboo needs food that isnt chorus fruit, they head over to the potato patch -they start planting potatoes back where the beet farm was so there can be more food on the server -they spend a while trying to jump off the top of that big tree next to the prime path without dying and messing around with the boat glitch -”what gems are in your crown?” “...i have no idea.”

-they head over to the prison to mess around with chorus fruit and see if ranboo can get inside -he ends up in a large open space out of bounds of the prison (still sealed in with mining fatigue) and uses half his chorus fruit trying to get out -foolish shows ranboo the tunnel he’d dug into the prison -leaves foolish, goes back to see michael again. ends stream in his room

#ranboo lore summaries #ranboo #dream smp #god that feels good to type

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screaming-apple · 3 years

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A LAWYER SHARED HER THOUGHTS ON ZHANG ZHEHAN’S CASE

[Translation - This is translated from a Vietnamese translation so some parts might not be 100% correct. I have tried my best to keep the writer's voice and her story true.]

Note: In Italics and round brackets: My notes

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Without even noticing it, I am now 40 years old. When I was a child, I had a lot of siblings, which was why my parents sent me to live with my grandmother. Ever since she was criticized/insulted, she had become more cautious and hesitant in judging others. However, her influential relative who wanted to fight for inheritance still intruded on her house and verbally harassed her. I was an elementary student then, hiding in a corner in fear. We won the lawsuit, but our relationship with this relative was long gone as well. Ever since, I have planted a dream of being a lawyer in the future. I had hoped that through my own effort, I would be able to use the weapon of the laws to protect those who are framed for something they have not done.

In my adulthood, I followed my dream of becoming a lawyer and participated in juridical work. Fortunately, the city in which I live is a city with explicit rules of laws so the saddest civil dispute I have ever witnessed was the case of the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s divorce, and their unwanted child with the heart disease being left at the court. The worst criminal case that I have ever witnessed was a sexual assault on a minor, and in the end, the culprit was sentenced to death. I have always believed that this society is controlled by the laws, an agreeable, fair and righteous society that I trusted with my heart. Until the 13th of August this year.

On that day, I was still working happily, living a peaceful life. In the afternoon, I suddenly saw an apology letter from ZZH on Baidu, saying that he lacked knowledge, ashamed of having gone to a wedding… Afterwards, I saw People’s Daily say it was about the nation’s justice; CCTV news talking about how it has touched the scar of history and has upset the national heart and soul. What was the situation? Was it even real? Was he not the one playing the role of Zhou Zishu?

Impossible. I paid attention to his Baidu news. Digging up the picture that he had mentioned online, the title of which was “Sharing a picture”, and the time of posting was 17:29 (5:29 pm) on 26th March 2018. So, this happened almost three years ago, and this picture of him going on a cherry blossoms-viewing trip in Japan. “I think cherry blossoms are so beautiful. I have taken pictures and shared them with my friends.” How has this been turned into going to the Yasukuni shrine to worship?

The next day, I downloaded Weibo and followed his Weibo account. Everything was getting more and more complicated. There was a piece of information online saying that when he sang the revolutionary song “Red Boat”, and everyone else was having a little red flag in their hands, while he was not. For this, CCTV cut out all of his scenes during broadcasting. I only thought, that was the truth. What was so wrong about holding a small red flag? This thing one could not even do, they must not have been patriotic. Afterwards, I heard somewhere else saying that it was “Singing A Folk Song To Celebrate The Party” instead. So I went to find the original video by myself. Ahhhhhh. In the original video, many of the main singers did not hold these small red flags. I looked at it with wide eyes - was this not a miscarriage of justice?

On the third day, it was impossible to find him on Baidu and on Weibo. All of his videos, music and dramas were taken off the shelf. His name could also not be spelt in a simple way. It was like this person was never on this Earth. All of the sudden, I felt terrified. My hands started to tremble, my voice started to quiver, and my body started to shake as well.

Not correct. This could not be true. This was not the society made up from rules of law in my mind! On the Internet, people covering the earth and sky, pulling the wool over others’ eyes, calling him a country traitor, “pro-Japan”. I went on Weibo to look for and pay attention to all of the super topics with the name XXX. I went into each and everyone to see, why did they all lie low? What did this mean? You were not allowed to talk? Now that ZZH has been banned, all of his information wiped out, his fans have been asked to keep silent. Where did I have to go to get informed about what had happened? Many netizens have dubbed him a traitor. When was a real-life experience transferred onto the Internet? However, all of the people involved and witnesses have been muted, with their history erased, so how could this case be handled? Could one just be judged and condemned like this?

I have thought about it a thousand times but still got no answer. So I had to ask my kindhearted husband and my two brothers about his situation, but they one by one gave my lessons on politics, teaching me about the Yasukuni shrine, saying that he had gone there to worship, and whatever about this being a political affair, assuming that I had been brainwashed. My colleagues also advised me not to get involved. Which was why, I could only pay attention to this secretly, not daring to say anything, to ask anyone, for the fear of being dubbed as unloyal to the nation, for the fear of losing my job.

Slowly, some people have been clarifying that the Yasukuni shrine had been hidden as a scenic spot, and the year 2018 was a time for the international friendship between China and Japan. Too many Chinese and Korean people were travelling to Japan. Those who travelled to Japan also wanted to go in the season of the cherry blossoms (from March to May).

A post said that he was in Japan on Independence Day while talking about his country. I looked at his post at 18:30 (6:30 pm) on Independence Day: “The homeland’s birthday. On Independence Day, I’m not going anywhere, only appreciating the warmth of my country. Happy birthday, I love you, China.” One of his fans saw him at Shanghai airport and posted on Weibo at 18:41 (6:41 pm): “Arriving in Shanghai. Glad to see you on the first day of the holiday.” At 20:16 (8:16 pm), ZZH posted on Weibo: “Through rains and storms, finally returning to China.” Was that post on Weibo, on Independence Day not uploaded when he had been back at the Shanghai airport? Does it really take only 10 minutes to fly from Japan to Shanghai? Then I understood, he was misjudged and wrongly condemned.

Therefore, I continued to collect pieces of his past.

Turns out, as an actor, when the (Chinese) team went against the Korean team in the show Dream Team, to bring victory to China, he had ignored six or seven stitches on his forehead brought to him by the match and continued to stay, just because he could still play, just because he wanted the Chinese team to win.

Turns out he had ridden a bicycle to Tibet in 30 days. He had encountered mudslides on his way, had worn the large size of rain boots, had let other cyclists that he did not know through these dangerous paths safely and helped bring their bicycles, by himself, through areas with mudslide and falling rocks.

Turns out, he had donated 1 million yuans to Zhengzhou, Henan in a flood disaster. Turns out his knee had been injured during training. But he was not hesitant to film before healing properly. There were glass slags on the ground and he had kneeled down without hesitation, but it had affected his healing progress. In the end, he had to go through surgery so there was only 20% of knee meniscus left.

Turns out, he had played Zheng Zhi in “The Bravest (LieHuo Yingxiong)”, in the scene where he carried the water gun to save his teammate, the water gun was too heavy, even a grown man would have needed three to four people to fight alongside, but he was determined that he did not need a stand-in but choosing to hold a high-pressure water gun of 100 kilograms by himself.

After his knee had just gone through surgery and had not healed, he insisted on coming to live with the firefight team to experience the life of a firefighter before filming and had been trained for almost a month. When shooting the scene of an explosion, after the director had yelled “cut”, he started to throw up, everything puked out was black, and he continued to throw up for a whole week. Because when filming the fire from a 360-degree angle, there was no oxygen in the centre of it. Such good acting when he had worked so hard and put in much effort for the filming.

Turns out he was that strong. The knee injury was slow to heal, he could not train hard anymore, after having had to let go of his favourite sport which was basketball, he did not complain about his misfortune, but went on getting used to it with a positive attitude.

Turns out he has always told his fans to learn how to spread love, be kind, and be helpful in life. Turns out he has always tried his best to complete his works in these ten years, stayed dedicated to what he loves, and lived to the fullest in every stage of his life.

That’s why he was so brave to be in Dream Team and to help the Chinese team alongside other teammates win. That’s how he could become the MVP (Most Valuable Player) while being a replacement for an original player when playing in the Super Penguin Basketball Tournament. After knowing he would not be able to continue playing basketball, he started learning to play golf following his friends’ advice. Only half a year later, he achieved a hole-in-one.

He has always treated people with love and honesty, has always worked hard, dedicatedly, and progressively.

Such a good kid!

A person who loves his country and life, bringing positive energy to everyone, now getting verbally harassed as a Han Jian (China’s traitor)/pro-Japan.

The misleading netizens have not only taken away his beloved job but also stripped him of his right to live like a normal person. With this huge label of being a country traitor, who can peacefully live with it and overcome it?

Thinking about this, I cried. I cried to the point of feeling the pain and frustration.

Finally, there was a source that explained everything; finally, there was someone who stood up for him, showing me that this world is not completely dark like this.

Afterwards, I started to speak up and send out the explanations on his behalf, hoping that many people would understand the truth of this issue and understand the real him.

Until one day, a neutral and suitable article was posted on the Learning Power platform, and I burst out in tears. I felt like my perseverance had been right. Who knew that only after two to three hours, I was unable to find that article again. The reason was that too many people reported it. Suddenly, I felt like I had been pushed into a bottomless pit. Turns out, the strength of kindhearted people ultimately could not measure up to that of those who were corrupted and wicked at heart.

So pitiful. Too pitiful.

But on my way to clearing his name, I had still been stubborn, until I saw the names of Gua Si, Hua Jian, Yu Yu, Lin Xia Jia (these names have been translated into Vietnamese on the OG translation so these should only be taken as suggestions), another Weibo account whose name I didn’t know, all becoming a series of numbers (being deleted). I was shocked, once again! Because I knew behind each of these series of numbers was a brave warrior of justice. I believed that all of these people had overcome layers and layers of resistance and worked hard to erase the hatred towards ZZH. In fact, many of these people were similar to me, and were not ZZH’s fans. We only wanted to clear ZZH’s name, and maybe even when he’s able to come back, we would not pay attention to him anymore. These people might have not had anyone around to support them, understand them, or even oppose them. Maybe they could not even take care of their families, jobs, and lives, and for this, they might lose much hair, their eyes might get weaker, day and night thinking, unable to stay at home! They might even lose their jobs and their working partners. These people were exhausted, physically and mentally, but they still requested a new account, continuing to clarify things up, continuing to fight hard.

Today, even if the vindicating progress is not as tumultuous as before, I believe that everyone hasn’t given up, much less gone away. Just because of the kindness and the justice in my heart.

Finally, I just want to say that Weibo was where I got to know about ZZH, and I’m grateful for that! But Weibo is also the place that has made me suffer the most. Because I have seen all the evil forces in reality moving to the online world while holding sharp and huge machetes to harm and kill people everywhere. They are even bolder here than when they are in the real world. They can even find more hiding places here that are more plentiful and convenient than in the real world.

Even though the old sayings are true, 人善被人欺 (Rén shàn bèi rén qī - Good people are often looked down on). But kind people are more determined than those who are wicked.

Therefore, no matter how rough this path would be, no matter how weak I can be, I still decide to do my modest part to, with everyone, use swords and knives to cut down those unfounded rumours, helping him get out of them. When he’s back, he can walk on his open path, no need to fear for new obstacles to come his way. Just so a Chinese person who is patriotic, honest and kind with a warm heart can return. Just so a good person would not be wronged, and bad people would not go unpunished! Even more so that the nation’s network would be cleaner, so that in the future there would be no victim of cyber violence like him!!

If the Internet is an inseparable fate, then let us fight in the battle of the innocent and return to the youth a world of kindness, without filthy and deformable words, leaving behind only purity, comfort, and compassion.

---

Author: 小草成参天大树

Reup account: 絮言51

Vietnamese translation: Nhà nhỏ yêu thương Tiểu Triết (Little house loving Xiao Zhe)

Pic from the translation source.

The link to the list of my translations:

#zhang zhehan #zzh #813 #word of honor #woh #shan he ling #shl

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itsmoonpeaches · 4 years

Text

Raya and the Last Dragon: The Importance of Water in Southeast Asia

Disclaimer: The following is from the perspective of a Filipino SEA. Please feel free to add or edit from other perspectives. There are *spoilers* below.

Though Raya and the Last Dragon has its flaws, what it did well, it did really well. Out of every cultural reference that I spotted in this film, the one that stood out the most was the portrayal of water.

In the end credits song, Lead the Way, originally sung in English by Jhené Aiko, there is one lyric that stands out as a nod to this culture of water:

There's an energy in the water There is magic deep in our heart There's a legacy that we honor When we bring the light to the dark Whatever brings us together Can nevеr tear us apart We becomе stronger than ever

There are beautiful views of bodies of water in the movie, and scenes that deliberately look over them. But, it’s much more than that.

The geography of SEA is already so rooted with water. The lands that make up the region are either located on a peninsula and cut through with rivers, or made up of hundreds of islands in the middle of the ocean.

So, let’s talk about water in SEA and in this movie. Below is an in-depth analysis of the cultural significance of water whether it is rain, rivers, oceans, or mythological aspects alluded to in the film.

Nagas and other myths

Let’s start with mythology because this is the basis of much of Raya and the Last Dragon. I want to first point out that this is not an opinion post, so I will not be touching much on my opinions on how the dragons looked like. (TLDR: Disney could’ve done better.)

So many myths in SEA are connected to water besides the dragons, but let’s focus on those.

I did mention briefly about naga and water dragons in my long analysis post on the final international trailer. However, I will go in a little deeper here.

Naga The dragons in this movie are based on the SEA version of a dragon. More specifically a sea serpent or a water serpent. They don’t breathe fire. In fact, they have nothing to do with fire. Their powers all influence water (and sometimes create earthquakes). Their powers include typical influence over water, creating rain, causing winds, and shape-shifting. They are incredibly powerful and revered. Sometimes they are even seen as deities like the Bakunawa in the Philippines. In RATLD, these nagas have a long horn at the front most prominent in Thai and Laotian versions of nagas. They are scaly and might have a kind of crown on their head, or gold jewelry around them. In most portions of SEA, nagas don’t have legs. It looks like the dragons here were partially inspired by an East Asian dragon or maybe the Vietnamese dragon. Other depictions can have them with multiple heads. Nagas also appear in South Asian culture. Here’s a quote from my initial long analysis post to add to this:

Naga are so important within SEA cultures that we have multiple places (and a river) named after them all over SEA and particularly a few times in the Philippines.

What I can tell you is mostly the Philippine version, but a naga is a serpentine creature that lives deep in the ocean, and are often associated with water. Sometimes they are depicted as having the upper half of a woman.

...

In the southern islands of the Philippines, depictions of naga are seen carved throughout buildings, particularly on roofs. A typical dance movement where you keep your hands curved and your fingers bent toward yourself is called “naga hands” and is supposed to be reminiscent of a naga’s graceful claws.

Bakunawa Just to highlight why nagas are so revered, I’m going further into the myth of Bakunawa. Specifically, the Bakunawa story comes from around the Visayas and Bicol regions of the Philippines which is south of the main island of Luzon. Bakunawa is said to be a giant sea dragon with a mouth as large as a lake. It lives deep in the ocean and has influence over the sea and earthquakes, in the depths of the underworld. There are a few versions of the story including that the Bakunawa is a naga that was enthralled by the beauty of the 7 moons and ate them until there was only 1 left. In some versions the god Bathala stopped Bakunawa from devouring the last moon. In other versions, the people down below made loud noises with pots and pans to scare Bakunawa from eating it. There are also another version in which the Bakunawa was once a beautiful goddess. It is also known as a man-eater in other tales. There are similar versions of a giant serpent or dragon-like bird causing eclipses (whether lunar or solar) in other parts of the Philippines.

Rain

I can’t tell you how important rain is in SEA. It’s not that it never rains, but that it rains a lot. Much of SEA is rainforests, which is an attribute that contributes so the rich biodiversity.

In RATLD, rain is depicted as a positive event...because it is. Raya and her friends are shown happy and laughing when Sisu makes rain. Sure, rain can be bad. Too much of it comes with typhoons and floods, but rain means a lot more than the bad things.

But enough rain means that the rivers aren’t dried out. Take the desert region of Kumandra for example. Raya goes there to the end of a dried up river. At the end when the dragons all come back, rain falls and the river is alive again. The people in that region can prosper again.

Rain symbolizes new life Now, this story I’m about to tell you is completely from oral tradition and was passed down to me by a culture bearer from from the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. This person said that when they were young, they did not have to worry about buying food because it was always available around them. If it rained, that was a good thing because it meant that the next day when the grass was damp, there would be mushrooms sprouting that they could pick. (There is an umbrella dance coming from this region that depicts mushrooms popping up after a storm.) If it was windy from the rain, it meant that there were fruit that would shake out of the trees. Rain also means food will grow. Staples like rice need a lot of water. Rice paddies need to be to be constantly flooded so that they can grow, and water means food whether it is in the form of rain, rivers, or the ocean. It means fresh drinking water and abundance.

Nagas and rain Remember how above I said that nagas can influence rainfall? Well, Sisu does just that in this movie. She says that one of her siblings originally had this power, and Sisu gained it because she came into contact with a piece of the dragon gem. This adds to the positivity of rain because nagas are already so revered because of the magic they can do in the movie (and in mythology), that the people that witness it are in absolute awe.

Rivers

Besides the ocean, rivers are the heart of SEA. From the Mekong River that runs through 5 SEA countries including Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, to the UNESCO site of the underground river in Palawan, Philippines...rivers are just part of the lay of the land.

They are shown to be all of those things in RATLD. There are streams and tributaries that flow into mountains and underground where the dragon gem was originally hidden in Heart. Additionally, there is the incredibly long river that separates the land in the shape of a dragon that flows through all the regions of Kumandra, reminiscent of the Mekong. Rivers are so important that there is even a region in the Philippines called Pampanga that is named after the Tagalog translation of the word “river” seen in the first part of the region’s name, “pampang.” They are the people of the river.

There are whole fishing villages throughout SEA that are built on a river. In fact, there’s one in RATLD.

Rivers are a source of many things, including food and drinking water. When there is a flood during wet season, the land will be full of silt, making the land prime for planting.

I don’t have to tell you how important a water dragon is at this point, but the fact that the movie chose to have that be the shape of the river is significant because nagas live in rivers too.

Transportation This should be a no-brainer, but in case you forgot, rivers mean boats. Boats mean people will want to get around and trade. And, boat culture is so important in SEA. There are all kinds of boats in the region from the huge deep-water kind, to the fishing boats, to thin canoe-like ones, to coracles. You can see them especially showcased in the river town in Tail in Kumandra.

Oceans

Honestly, there wasn’t much about the sea in RATLD, but it’s important to note because nagas in and of themselves have origins in the ocean as well.

The sea is another very important core of SEA culture. Its waters are more unforgiving than rivers, and more unpredictable. Magical, mythological sea creatures tend to be more violent here, and will only be kind to those who are kind first.

In island nations like the Philippines and Indonesia, the people rely on the ocean for so many things. Especially if they live right on the water, some can be fantastic swimmers and can dive and fish for their own food. The ocean is respected, and it is feared.

Though there is no explicit ocean in RATLD, there are elements from port cities and towns that exist including the deep-water boats. In the movie and in SEA, seafood is important.

There’s a scene where Raya and Sisu meet Boun and he offers them shrimp congee. Shrimp is a popular food in SEA, and can be seen in many dishes besides congee or any rice-based dishes.

In the river town, we also see elements of passing fish baskets through the water after a day of fishing, and eating and buying fresh foods to cook later in a water-side market.

Irrigation

It’s pretty obvious that water is needed for irrigation, but just think about how earlier I pointed out how deeply water is utilized. Much of the food in SEA needs water to survive, a lot more than in landlocked countries.

Rice terraces Remember rice? It needs a heck ton of irrigation in order to survive. This means a lot of rain and a lot of soil cultivating. If you take a look at the rice terraces that surround Fang, and even the picture of more overgrown terraces next to the river in the transportation section of this analysis, you can see that rice paddies are supposed to be flooded. Rice terraces are all over Asia, but there are so many of them in SEA that are ancient and still work including the Tagalalang rice terraces in Bali, Indonesia and the Banaue rice terraces in Banaue, Philippines. Honestly I could talk about the importance of rice and water for ages. Sure, rice is a staple in all of Asia, not just in SEA, but in East Asia as well. However, I would argue that it is even more of a staple in SEA. Sure, there are noodle dishes, and bread, but rice is so ridiculously important that in the Philippines, it’s not considered a real meal if there is no rice. There is even a word for food eaten with rice, “ulam.” In fact, in the entire movie, I don’t think I can recall one eating scene in which the characters are not also eating rice with their food. Unless of course, it’s just a snack like fruit. (Maybe there was a stew only scene?) There is a scene towards the beginning of the movie when Raya asks Namaari, “Stew or rice?” when asking which she would prefer. Namaari never answers the question, but she says that it is her first time eating rice in a while. Though it’s never explicitly said, it could be implied that it is because they did not have as much rainwater for irrigation at the time.

Protection

I’ve talked about rivers and the ocean, but I haven’t talked about water as a barrier. Though water as a barrier isn’t an infallible one, it is still important to note.

Protecting from intruders SEA is separated by water. It is also a region that had wars within their own countries in pre-colonial times, and of course, when they were colonized. (Though shout out to Thailand for being lucky in that regard. It remains the only country in SEA not colonized by Europeans.) There were wars between chiefs in the Philippines, and often they had to traverse the ocean or cross bodies of waters to get to the lands they needed to fight on. It ended up becoming a process with a lot of planning. Though SEAs are people of the water, they obviously can’t breathe under it. Nagas here are also important because in RATLD they are seen as powerful, respected protectors. And of course, they are borne of the water.

If you take a look at the picture above, it shows that part of the movie when the water starts disappearing because Sisu disappears. As the last water dragon, her connection to the water was keeping the land alive. With Sisu gone, so was the water, and therefore the protection for the people. The Druun spirit came in with no more hindrances because there was no water to stop them.

The power of the water and the magical energy of the water dragon really showcased itself here.

Interconnectedness

SEA used to be an interconnected region that traded with each other. Of course, not that SEA countries don’t trade now, but it isn’t at the same level as before. The borders now were created after centuries of colonialization.

Water is what connected all the countries of SEA.

Just take a look at the map of SEA above (in red). There is no other region of the world that’s quite like this, except maybe Oceania and around the Mediterranean. It’s relatively easy for these countries and people to trade and share cultures and traditions with one another. Manila, Philippines and the Tondo region was once one of the most frequented ports in SEA. Trade was done with China, India, Africa, and the Middle East. The same kind of trade occurred in other SEA countries as well.

Because of the history of trade over water that is rich in its pre-colonial past, SEA shares many similar cultural aspects and even similar words in languages. Though of course, though there are similarities, there are a lot of differences as well. SEA is not a monolith.

If you want to think of it this way...that Korea, China, and Japan share so many things with each other including having a history of being able to share Chinese characters (the different names including hanzi, kanji, hanja), but that each country and culture is very different...that is what SEA is too.

This aspect of interconnectedness, yet with differences is emulated in RATLD. In the lore for Kumandra, the movie notes that all the regions were once one, but were separated after something broke them (that something being the malice of the Druun spirit). Yet, if they worked together they could become Kumandra once again.

It is shown in RATLD that the best way to make the spicy stew that is pops up multiple times, is to add all the spices and ingredients from all the regions of the land that was once Kumandra. This showcases that just like SEA, Kumandra was once a land of incredible interconnected communication and trade.

Kumandra wasn’t colonized, but it was separated by 500 years of land. The people didn’t use the water the same way. SEA was colonized (and actually, 500 years to the date on March 15, 1521 to March 15, 2021—the Philippines was “discovered” by the Spaniards so I wonder if that was a conscious choice on Disney’s part), and broken apart. I’m sure that without European colonialization, SEA could’ve been one huge interconnected country. Or bigger countries with different dialects.

Spirituality

Lastly, let’s talk about the spirituality of water. In RATLD, there are no other spirits besides the Druun which is made of discord and malice created from human malcontent. Yet, the Druun cannot go near water. I don’t know the exact reason for why it can’t or if it was inspired by a piece of mythology from an SEA country, but that is significant. (If you do know the reasoning behind this, please feel free to add onto this.)

SEA is full to the brim with myths and legends of nature spirits. From spirits that live in trees, to spirits that live in the water. And yes, they are spirits. They can be spirits of ancestors too. The way Chief Benja pours a bowl of water on Raya’s head as beads of it float into the air...it is a great touch to highlight the energy that water just inherently has in any SEA tradition.

Though it’s probably a little reaching to point this out, the fact that Sisu was said to be washed to the end of a river is so interesting when Raya is looking for her. This is because in some SEA myths the river takes your spirit to the underworld. Raya finds Sisu at the end of a river and she is made of stone, her spirit stolen until her power is unleashed again with the dragon gem.

Floating flowers Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the movie and as it relates to water is the fact that the animators made a conscious choice to show so much imagery of characters making flowers float upon water. And of course, to use floating flowers as decoration. Characters like Raya, Boun, and Sisu float flowers that look like orchids or jasmine flowers to remember their lost loved ones. The choice of flowers is significant too. These are flowers that are native to SEA. There are flowers everywhere and that is so pretty and so accurate. To have them used as decoration floating in pools is also so nice too, because it is something that is done in households and not just in a palace. You can float a gardenia flower in a bowl of water to make the scent spread in a room, and it makes the flower last longer.

End

I’m sure there is a lot more I missed or things I got wrong. If you see anything you want to add or fix, please feel free to write it in any future reblogs!

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skywalkerstyles · 3 years

Text

Skald(Bakugou x Reader)

Part one:

Warnings: werewolf Bakugou, arranged marriage, Viking Bakugou, slightly out of character Bakugou, A/B/O verse, soulmate verse, love triangles

Summary: an alliance is made between the werewolves and humans. That’s all I can say for now

“She’s mad and she’s magic. There’s no lie in her fire.” -Charles Bukowski

“Every single part, is who you’re meant to be, and you were meant for me, and you’re everything I need.” -Skylar Grey

Y/N kicked Asger hard, sending her sparring partner to the ground. She smirked, righting herself and sheathing her sword once more.

“‘S good Your highness. You get better every day.” She basked in the praise. It felt good to be acknowledged as more than just the Chieftain's daughter. She was a warrior, just like her brothers and sisters. “Next time though,” he barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. “Plant your feet. Never let the enemy give you a surprise.” He reached down, helping her back up.

“Thank you Asger. It means a lot that you’re willing to spar with me.” Not many of their clan would. She was.....she was the Chieftain's daughter. If she got hurt heads would inevitably roll. He smiled, nudging her gently.

“Don’t tell your father I was rough with you and we’re good eh?” She laughed. He pulled out his drinking horn, taking a drink of mead before handing it to her. She drank from it gratefully.

“Y/N!” She rolled her eyes, hearing the loud bark of her father. Chief Hagen was a huge man. 6’7, dark hair braided down his back and shaved down the sides, a burly beard and rosy nose. He was intimidating beyond words and Asger quickly turned on his heel after snatching his gourd back.

“faðir(father)” she reached for him as he wrapped an arm around her and hugged her tightly to him, kissing the top of her head.

“barnið mitt(my child). Was Asger rough with you?” He asked. Y/N shook her head.

“No. He just told me to make sure my feet are planted and sparred me a bit.” Hagen nodded, eyes following Asger’s retreating form. He sighed, looking back at his daughter with a smile.

“Your mother and I have something we would like to discuss with you. Will you come home?” She nodded, following behind her father.

Their home was the largest in the village. A big stone building with wooden posts and a solid foundation. Oydis, Y/N’s mother, was outside, shelling green beans with her grandmother. Nana Rhigda smiled at her as they approached.

“Nana.” Y/N said, stopping to kiss the older woman on the cheek. Her skin was withered and cold beneath her lips.

“Sweet girl,” her mother said, garnering her attention away from her grandmother. “We need to speak with you privately”. Oydis held out her hand, gripping her daughter firmly as the three of them walked into their home.

Katsuki was shifting back into human form when his father came to collect him. The boy was pulling his trousers up his legs when he turned and saw him, Chieftain of their clan, walking towards him. Katsuki paused his movements, set on edge by the look on his father’s face.

“Good hunt Katsuki?” he asked. Katsuki nodded.

“Three deer. ‘Spose itll be good for winter once the women dry the meat out.” He had caught two of them. He loved the thrill of the chase, attacking something, wrestling it to the ground and tearing it apart with his fangs. The power was intoxicating.

“That’s good...care to go for a walk?” this surprised Katsuki further. He was never asked to go on walks with his father unless the conversation was serious and needed to be away from prying eyes. Katsuki followed him down the stony path towards the ocean, where the long boats sat on shore, gazing out at the horizon.

“Is everything alright?” he asked. His father nodded.

“The pack is doing very well. We’re thriving actually. But you know as well as I do that, that can change in a moment.” He snapped his fingers. “‘S why alliances are so important. Especially for Werepeople. We aren’t human. And humans can be fickle things. They let fear run their heart and they hate anything they don’t understand.” they stopped infront of one of the boats, His turned to look at him fully. “‘S why I’ve made an alliance with the Helvig Clan...you’re to marry their eldest daughter, Y/N, within a fortnight.” Katsuki’s heart nearly burst out of his chest, he looked at his father with wide eyes.

“W...What?”

“No….I...I’m not ready to marry.” Y/N said, shaking her head. Oydis put her arm around her daughter, rubbing her thumb against Y/N’s shoulder to try and calm her. Her father stood in front of her, face stern and unchanging.

“It’s already been decided.” Hagen said. “It….Its our life on the line sweetheart. Or family. Our tribe. This alliance is a powerful one. With Werepeople on our side we can be unstoppable.” Y/N shook her head, tears falling down her face.

“I don’t...I don’t want to marry someone I don’t love.” Hagen swallowed hard. He loved all of his children, and if there was another way, he would take it over his daughter’s tears in a heartbeat. “You will meet Katsuki tonight at dinner.”

Hana waited by their tree. It was a little after the time they had set to meet and she worried. Katsuki was never late. Not when it came to meeting, their secret moments when they could be alone together.

She was picking petals off a flower when she heard his familiar footfalls, turning to launch herself into his arms. He caught her and held her tightly, pressing soft kisses to the skin of her neck.

“Hello my love.” he whispered. His heart was breaking but he kept up his composure. It was Hana he wanted to marry, to be with. But those dreams had been shattered with one conversation.

“Katsu?” she whispered, pulling back from him, she kissed his cheeks, as he rested his forehead against hers. She smelled heavenly. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re going to hate me.” he mumbled. She shook her head.

“Never darling. What’s wrong?” He took her in, studied her dark hair, the bright blue eyes, soft pink lips. What other woman could compare to her. The girl he had loved for three years now.

“I’m to be married.” Hana felt as though someone had struck her hard across the face.

“W..What?”

“An alliance. I’m to be married within a fortnight.” Now Hana couldn’t stop her own tears. Katsuki held her close.

“I love you.” she cried into his shoulder. He nodded, swallowing thickly.

“I know.”

Y/N was nervous. She had never been interested in anyone and no one had ever fancied her before. But her mother and grandmother bathed her, washed her hair and placed perfume on her body. They put a crown of white lilies in her hair and a maroon satin dress on her. Oydis placed her hand on her daughter’s rosy cheek.

“You look beautiful my girl. Absolutely stunning.” Hagen stuck his head into the room, mouth parting slightly when he saw his eldest daughter. Gone was the tomboy he adored, now stood before him a young maiden, ready to be married off. It broke his heart a little.

“They,” he cleared his throat. “They’re here. Is the meal prepped?” Hagen couldn’t look at his daughter. He would cry and he couldn’t do that.

“Everything is ready son,” Rhagid said, waving him away. “Bring them in and we will bring her out.”

It was a smaller village than their own, but it looked quite cozy. Katsuki walked stiffly beside his father, as His father led him to the largest of the long houses. Before knocking He turned to Katsuki.

“I know this is hard for you son….but with time comes love. If you don’t love her now you will. It did for me and your mother.” Katsuki looked at him in shock.

“You...you and mom were-”

“Arranged? Yes. And I was a horrible husband in the beginning….” he ran a hand through his hair. “I loved another before her you see? And I kept going back to her. I didn’t….I refused to see how it hurt your mother. Until the day she threatened me with divorce. We managed to work things out, and I fell for her madly. But in the beginning I never gave her a chance.” he placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, looking him in the eyes. “All I’m asking is, give her a chance. You’re a good man. Be a better man than I was to your mumma.”

Hagen opened the door to his home widely and warmly, smiling at the fellow Chief and nodding in respect. He looked at the boy that would be marrying his daughter. He was about 5’7, blonde spikey hair, and brilliant red eyes. He nodded at Hagen who did the same in return before welcoming them in.

“Smile darling. It’s not the end of the world.” Oydis said softly to her daughter. Hagen shouted from the main area, bidding them to come. The women stood, the older two exiting first and then, the girl to be married.

Katsuki’s breath came out sharp and short when his eyes met his bride’s for the first time. She was a beauty, beyond anything he could have imagined her being But there was something else, something warm that he had never felt with Hana. This woman’s scent called to him, it was of honey and brown sugar, of lilies and roses. It was intoxicating.

“May I present my daughter? Y/N.” Hagen took his daughter’s hand, bringing her forward. Katsuki felt his father’s hand on his back, pushing him forward as well. Hagen reached out, holding his hand out for Katsuki, who took it blindly, he was still gazing at his wife to be. When Hagen placed their hands together, warmth shot up Katsuki’s arm, causing him to shiver. Y/N’s eyes went wide and her breath stuttered, she was most likely feeling the same thing he was. When she finally looked him in the eye he nodded, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Hello.”

Dinner was an event. The men were rowdy. Y/N’s brothers talking and laughing loudly with Katsuki and his father. Katsuki liked to boast and brag. That was the first thing she noticed about him. He bragged about his victories and hunts, pridefully puffing out his chest. Hagen seemed to get along well with Katsuki’s father and that eased Y/N’s fears a little. Her father would never give her to someone who could hurt her. He loved his girl too much and she was the only daughter.

Katsuki sat close to her but didn’t speak much to her, and when she tried to engage him, he cast her off, rolling his eyes. But with one stern look from his father he stopped, swallowing hard as he looked down at her.

“After dinner, we can go for a ride. I mean….if you’re not chicken shit?” Werewolves courted in a different way than humans, usually going for hunts and runs together to bond. But a werewolf had never been mated to a human before, so Katsuki was a little lost. But if she would trust him enough to go for a ride, maybe things could be good. If they could not be lovers, they could be allies.

Y/N smiled, nodding her head. “Will you shift?” she asked. Katsuki snorted, taking her hand in his.

“Of course. It’s the only way you’d be able to keep up.” she narrowed her eyes slightly, challenging him a bit.

“Don’t underestimate me.” he laughed again, placing an awkward kiss to her cheek. This surprises even him, he hadn’t meant to be so forward. But he didnt mind her. She was kind and could keep up with his banter. So she had that going for her.

“I would never.” the two of them stood, unnoticed by the dinning party, who were telling stories and passing around the drinking gourd. Katsuki led her outside and they walked the small path towards the woods. Once shrouded in darkness he let go of her hands, taking a few steps back away from her.

“Look away. Don’t want you to see.” Y/N turned, squeezing her eyes shut as she began to hear the snap and crack of bone, Katsuki’s grunts and growls becoming more and more animalistic as the snapping increased. And then there was silence.

Y/N felt breath, hot and heavy on the back of her neck and then something wet nudging her.

Katsuki was worried that seeing him in wolf form would frighten her. But she gazed at him curiously, studying him. He wished he could speak to her, but she would’t hear him. She wasn’t a wolf, there was no link there.

“You are….magnificent.” she whispered. He was huge, with shaggy yellow fur, his red eyes glowing as he watched her. She reached out, hesitating just as she was about to touch him, Katsuki bowed his head, grumbling lowly when she scratched behind his ears. She made him feel dizzy, lightheaded.

“Be a better man than me.” Katsuki decided he would. He would treat his little wife with respect at least. He would do the best he could.

#bnha imagines #bnha scenarios #my hero academy fanfiction #my hero fanfic #my hero imagines #my hero x reader #bakugou comfort #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katuski x reader #bakugou x reader

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equalseleventhirds · 3 years

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fdsjflsk hello i have had the magnus archives and the web specifically on my mind AGAIN and this is only tangentially related to the convo last night BUT

a lot of ppl have shown up on my & other ppl's posts abt 'wow manipulation and spiders? why??' going 'well but there are spider tricksters in mythology'

and like... yeah, ok, there are. but are there that many, compared to other animal tricksters, and spider not-tricksters? enough to justify the exclusivity of spiders to the one entity??

so i. made a list, as i do. (you can't judge me for this you should know by now i make lists at the SLIGHTEST provocation) actually i made TWO lists, one of spiders in mythology & how they line up with tma's entities, and one of tricksters in mythology. (i knew some of these already but i also got a lot of them off of wikipedia. also tried to avoid detailing the uh. worse aspects of mythologies. we all know abt it but that isn't the point here.)

(we are ignoring for now my theory that the web's actually shit at manipulation and mostly just does control, and considering any spider that does manipulation OR control to be web-aligned)

spiders in mythology (and how they align w/ tma's various entities, if they even do):

anansi: okay i'll give you this one! yeah he is the trickster spider! yeah he lies & manipulates! he's not really uhhhh evil in any way or would inspire ppl to generate fear for the entities to shape themselves to, but ok yeah i'll give you that one as web!

arachne: she literally just wove tapestries? got into a competition with athena and wove a tapestry detailing the infidelities of the gods. like, if anything she is eye, going around revealing truths and stuff.

uttu: mostly seems to be about creation? weaving & plants. hid herself in her web, which isn't manipulation at all, it's just hiding. not rly entity aligned at all, at worst she's probably a victim of like, the hunt? maybe?

iktomi: another trickster! p much the same boat as anansi, where he's not particularly evil, but we'll let him be web.

spider grandmother: she just is helpful!! she creates & guides & protects! no entities.

ai apaec: creator & leader god again. only sometimes a spider.

djieien: just a very strong spider who hid its heart so it couldn't be killed? like, if anything, end.

great goddess of teotihuacan: associated with spiders, maybe not a spider herself? doesn't seem to be much known abt her, but potentially underworld, darkness, earth, creation, lots of things. no mention of manipulation or control.

nareau: another creation god. i guess he does do some arguably flesh-aligned stuff in that creation, but like, so do a lot of other creation myths.

areop-enap: again creation! hmm what a pattern emerges. doesn't seem particularly aligned with any entities.

tsuchigumo: ok i can give you web here i guess? bcos it does trick ppl, even if that tricking also kind of slides into spiral/stranger territory. and hunt territory obvs it literally is there to consume prey. also can give you evil here.

jorogumo: can also be web! there is lying & shapeshifting here, like the tsuchigumo, but slightly less pure evil? there's like, a couple of neutral depictions, but also evil ones. anyway. web.

gamba: not on wikipedia but wikipedia only talks abt the filipino story of the spider who wanted to marry the fly, NOT gamba, and i LOVE gamba. anyway she just created things. got too into her work and turned into a spider. idk what entity is 'fear of being a workaholic' but it's not the web. maybe lonely, since she neglected her family relationships abt it?

conrad of constance: not a spider himself, but drank out of a cup with a spider in it, showing that the cup was not poisoned even tho ppl thought spiders were poisonous. i don't... i don't think this is an entity. hey jonny maybe take some hints here, spiders are not that bad--

robert of bruce: my dude saw a v persistent spider and was inspired! it's chill it's cool! spiders helped scotland gain independence one time! wow no wonder fucking smirke hated them--

pan twardowski: again not a spider himself, but he lives on the moon and a spider hangs out with him and brings him news. a friendly spider! pan twardowski himself can be lonely ig, maybe the spider is eye, but like, a friendly eye.

vedic philosophy: now this is not technically mythology but i thought it was interesting, in this one a spider's web hides the true reality from ppl. could be argued as web but seems pretty much spiral to me? but like, a not v evil spiral, just like. neutral? it's fine.

overall... majority creation gods, actually. very few even evil depictions? wow jonny, rude.

anyway, list of animals (besides spiders) shown as tricksters in mythology:

humans! majority humans!! also like. specifically clowns several times? like, specifically clowns.

just kinda non-animal spirits/beings/whatever? sometimes vaguely humanoid.

rabbits & hares

foxes

coyotes

wolves

g...goats? sort of?? half a goat, anyway, thank you pan.

cats

ravens

mouse-deer! look up mouse-deer you will LOVE them.

monkeys

raccoons

also raccoon dogs

snakes

horses

praying mantises

tortoises

lizards

also a bunch of tricksters who shapeshift into like, a multitude of animals, but given that those are not their primary or even main secondary forms i guess we will not go into those (mostly that would just. take so much time omg.)

i didn't do a full tally, but foxes especially show up a TON, and rabbits or hares quite a bit, so either of those could've been the fear-god of manipulation. if like, we're relying on the 'there are stories about spider tricksters' thing (which we are not, in fact, i think jonny just picked a Cool Literary Symbol and did not think abt the worldbuilding implications so much)

EDIT bcos ppl keep misunderstanding: i don't think tricksters are the main source of the fear of manipulation. i don't even think tricksters should be considered a reasonable source for the web's manifestations. BUT people kept bringing them up when i had issues with the web's spider exclusivity (when both spiders and manipulation SHOULD have multiple metaphors and not be exclusive to each other) and that is why i made this list, thank you.

(also i'm aware there are ways to justify spiders meaning control sometimes. given the worldbuilding of tma, i don't think there's a way to justify them meaning control always. but that's a different post.)

#fdskjlfs hello good morning i'm making lists again #but ppl bring this up SO MUCH and like... it's not as relevant as they seem to think?#like STATISTICALLY spiders should not have wound up where they are in the tma fear pantheon #but oh well

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wolfieyoungblood · 4 years

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𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 | 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬𝐢

pairing: stiles stilinski x fem!reader

trope: best friends to lovers

summary: when stiles finds out how much you miss fireflies in beacon hills’ preserve, he takes you out on a surprise boat trip and quite literally lights up your world

word count: 3k

song: please and thank you by wildcat! wildcat!

a/n: hey guys, waddup, here’s my first fic on this blog. i’ve actually already posted this as a peter parker one shot on my main blog, but since i originally wrote this for stiles, i thought i might as well post the original on here:) enjoy!

* * *

Slamming the car door shut, you let your back fall against the Jeep while you hugged yourself tightly. Your gaze flitted across your surroundings as Stiles snatched the keys from the ignition and grabbed his backpack. He had refused to weigh you in on its content, keeping it just like the whole point of this spontaneous expedition a big mystery.

The fact that you could be snuggling in the warmth of your bed right now, made you groan and you had to resist the urge to bang your head against the nearest tree. Stiles, on the other hand, didn’t seem to share the same sentiment at all as he stopped at your side with a big grin plastered on his face.

“Stop smiling so devilishly,” you grunted, and he looked at you offended.

“How was that a devilish smile?” His arms fell to his side.

“It’s the glimmer in your eyes.” You deadpanned. “Like you’re about to meet with Satan for Sunday brunch or something.”

He rolled his eyes at your words, dangling the gloves he brought for you in front of your yearning eyes before stuffing them into his jacket with a smirk and walking off. He ignored your cry and kept his gaze at the small path leading into the woods. When you fell into step with him, you walked next to each other in silence, letting the leaves underneath your shoes have a conversation of their own. Your thoughts wandered, and you pondered once more why you were even here.

It was only 7 P.M. but considering it was late autumn, it wouldn’t take long until your bodies would be swallowed by the blanket of the evening. The awareness that tonight was a full moon didn’t necessarily calm your nerves either. Images of fangs and claws took form in front of your eyes, and you quickly shook off those terrifying notions.

Realizing that you had spent some time in silence now, your eyes darted to Stiles. Just like you, he had been in deep thoughts as his face was pulled into a slight frown. But when you were about to reach out, his scattered moles caught your attention, prompting your gaze to travel over each of them with captivation. Aware of your boring eyes on his face, the boy looked up and caught your gaze with a cocked brow. You quickly strapped a meek smile to your face to cover up your flustered state, which he luckily returned without any teasing comments.

Finally, the trees around you became more familiar and scarcer in number and soon you had arrived at the destination of the night.

A wide lake stretched out before you, reaching into the woods for miles. As predicted, there was no one around, leaving you to turn to Stiles with a quizzical look only to realize that his eyes were already settled on you. His lips curved into a smirk, and he let out a short chuckle, fog fleeing his lips for a second.

Before you could say anything, he grabbed your elbow and pulled you down to the dock. The white wood led you out to the glimmering water. Your eyes danced across the sight in front of you in awe, taking in the orange leaves as they framed the lake like a golden portal.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” You heard Stiles say behind you, and you could only find it in your to nod.

“Doesn’t matter how many times I’ve already been here…”, Stiles continued and you glanced over to where he was crouching and fiddling with a rope attached to the dock.

“It just never gets old,” you finished for him, glimpsing his way with a warm look on your face.

“Exactly.” He smiled and stepped to your side to wrap his arm around your shoulders.

He held the rope in the other hand and gestured to the fisher boat as it appeared to wait for you both in serenity. Bowing his head slightly, he gave you a dopey grin. “Ladies first.”

Shooting him a look, you settled into the boat and picked up the paddle. Glancing up at the boy, his feet were still planted at the same spot while his gaze was far off. You threw a glance over your shoulder to catch what he was staring at, but when you couldn’t see anything suspicious, you turned back around. “Did you send me in first to see if there were any water monsters?” His eyes snapped to you, and you could see the confusion edged on his face until he registered your words.

“You caught me, huh,” Stiles joked and jumped off the dock to land in the boat with a thud, making it whip wildly while your eyes grew wide from the motion. “I always force my friends to partake in human sacrifices,” he added with a wink before bopping your nose. Using the paddle to slap his side, he yelped in surprise and you shot a glare his way.

“No more jokes about dark and traumatizing events that actually happened in real life, remember? At least not for a week.” You shrugged before adding with a serious tone, “And on that note, if you plan on pushing me into the water again, I will perform a handmade vasectomy on your balls.”

Menace dripped off your words, but Stiles being Stiles, he only raised his eyebrows at you before pursing his lips.

“Sounds to me like you’re just offering me a handjob.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “And I would be an idiot to deny that, right?” He let his tongue run over his lip before cocking his head to the side. Scoffing at him, he stared back at you with the slightest hint of a smirk.

You blinked before throwing the paddle in the air to catch it with your hands positioned differently. Lancing it forward, the blade was now situated between Stiles’ thighs—pointing merely inches away at his junk.

Smiling sweetly, you mirrored his tilted head and asked with a stoic voice, “Still want that handjob, Stilinski?”

He gulped thickly. “How about a rain check?”

You didn’t move for a moment before reluctantly lowering the blade and casting it into the water.

“Brutal.” You heard him mutter before mirroring your action.

In light conversation, the two of you paddled toward the middle of the lake. Midway, you had handed Stiles your paddle to let him take over while you leaned back on your elbows to enjoy the view.

View meaning Stiles.

When you had reached the middle, he dropped the paddles and mirrored you, also leaning back and staring up at the cloudless sky. It was getting darker, and no birds nor planes were flying by. At that moment, it truly felt like Stiles and you were the only beings on this planet. You let your eyes flutter shut and took a moment to let your senses be flooded with the sounds of the vast forest. A small smile perched on your lips as you remembered the first time the boy across you had brought you this very location.

You had just moved to Beacon Hill and were ecstatic to find such a large and relatively solitary expanse to take refuge in. But you were even more psyched about the fact that your next-door neighbor and new friend was also into the quiet purity and sense of tranquility that nature offered. This corner of the preserve had easily become your guys’ little untouched hideaway.

Years passed and he had quickly become your favorite person. All it took for him to get you out here tonight was a soft knock on your window as you were sprawled out on your bed and conquering the mass of homework for the week. You were determined to stay, but one look at his puppy eyes and you were already sitting in his passenger seat while he was passionately going on about his newest topic of research. Sometimes it freaked you out how he had you right in the palm of his hands. He could ask you to conquer the world with him, and you wouldn’t even hesitate.

But at what cost came this willingness to do any possible thing for the painfully oblivious guy that you called your best friend?

Desperate to know the answer, you lowered your gaze to look at Stiles, only to find much to your exasperation that he had already been staring at you with matched curiosity.

“What?” You whispered amused.

He opened his mouth only to clamp it shut again. His hands were clasping and releasing the wood bench he was sitting on, and it made you cast your gaze downward. You ran your hand along the cool wood surface, your fingers delicately dipping into the grooves carved in the past, your lips twitching upwards as you realized they made up a smiley face.

You didn’t notice how Stiles’ eyes were fixated on you, watching your fingers dance along the wood while your lips were slightly parted. Then, you snapped your eyes to him, catching his gaze with widened eyes before falling to your knees and pushing his mystery bag aside to search for something on the side of the boat’s interior.

You noticed his frantic gaze and enlightened briefly. “Do you remember how we carved something into the side of this thing a while ago?” Your fingertips glided over the wood blindly as it was now too dark to make out anything.

Staring at you with confusion, he soon realized what you were talking about and snatched up his bag. Rummaging through it, he let out a victorious “Aha!” when he found what he was looking for.

“Y/N, take this,” Stiles ordered, and you looked up just in time to catch the end of a fairy lights string. Ignoring your confused stare, he moved swiftly around the narrow boat and grabbed the box of batteries.

“Since when do you own fairy lights?” You asked baffled before changing your question to the bigger obscurity at hand, “Do you always carry fairy lights with you?”

He snorted, but when he grasped that you were serious, he shot you a deadpan look. “Oh, no worries. I just do freelance kidnapping.”

You narrowed your eyes at his sarcasm, but he kept going. “I hold my victims hostage with fairy lights while I sing them Christmas carols. You know, personal preference. For me, at least.”

Ignoring your eye roll, he put the batteries in the box and flicked the switch. Instantly, the boat lit up. Yellow fairy lights illuminated your surroundings and the dancing reflections on the water surface deprived you of any signs of annoyance.

“Yesterday, you mentioned how much it sucked that fireflies were no longer around to this season, so I bring you…” He trailed off and gesticulated wildly. “Fireflies straight from your garage!”

You let out a light laugh, grinning broadly at the boy as he gave you a proud but dazzling smile. Since he was too busy admiring the glimmer dancing in your eyes, he didn’t even notice that you were staring at each other a bit longer than necessary but when he did, he quickly averted his gaze and plopped to his knees. Flashing you a cheeky smile, you felt his breath fan over your face before he snapped his head to the side and imitated your movements from earlier—fingers dancing over the interior of the boat. You followed suit and searched the wood as well. Now that you could see, it didn’t take you long until you found what you were looking for.

Stiles had found it at the same time as you, reaching out for the carved letters and tracing the heart shape that encircled them in trance. Your fingertips moved along the line, shaping the letter “S” while Stiles did the same, trailing the letter on the left—your initial. Meeting in the middle to outline the plus sign, your fingers brushed and queasiness bloomed in your stomach. You chastely smiled at Stiles.

Dipping his head for a second, he stared at his lap before looking back up. With a more confident look in his eyes, he took your hand in his, and you felt your breath hitch. He sat down with crossed legs and began to fiddle with your fingers, letting them dangle onto his warm palm.

“I still remember the night we did that,” He said tenderly and nodded toward the carved initials. “Freshmen year. You were sad about not having a date to the winter ball, so we ditched and I took you out here.” His voice was soft, and you couldn’t help but hang onto every word that crossed his lips.

“My dad even made me wear that stupid suit.” He chuckled. “The sleeves were too long so I had to scrunch them up and you kept making terrible jokes about how I looked like I was the outcast of a mafia gang.”

A smile sprung to your lips at the memory. “Those weren’t jokes, by the way. You did look like the lost duckling of a mob gang,” you teased, and he gave you a pointed look before cracking a smile.

It was silent for a moment before he hesitantly settled your intertwined hands on his lap. His gaze held so much warmth and comfort that it rendered you speechless. All of a sudden, you felt something cold touch your wrist. Glancing down, you made out the shape of a bracelet that Stiles had slipped on. Gaping at it, your eyes flitted back and forth between your wrist and his anxious stare. He gnawed on his bottom lip while fidgeting with his hands. “Do you like it?” He spluttered, cheeks glowing a faint shade of pink.

You twisted your wrist carefully to admire the thin gold chain with its dangling charms. It kept slipping up and down since it still had to be adjusted, but you loved everything about it.

At the sight of a Batman charm, you let out a laugh, filling the quietness with a melody that Stiles couldn’t get enough of. The boy dropped his hand from his neck and heaved a sigh of relief. “I love it.” You pouted and attacked him with a wild hug, not caring that you almost flipped over the whole boat.

He didn’t hug you back at first, overwhelmed with the scent of your perfume, but then you felt him wrap his arms around your waist just as tightly. “Thank God.” He muttered into your hair and you giggled.

Pulling away with a grin, you let your arms drop to your side, feeling immediately how the bracelet slid from your wrist and dropped to the ground, prompting you both to bend down at the same time.

Both being dangerously clumsy, you bumped your foreheads and both let out a yelp. “Sorry, head-butting was not part of the gift,” Stiles cursed under his breath while rubbing his head.

You waved him off, intending to make a joke about concussions being great Christmas gifts, but instead, you froze. There were only paltry inches left between his nose and yours, and you could have easily counted each and every one of his lashes if you wanted to. Awkwardly aware of how close you two were, he flashed you a nervous smile.

“What’chu doing?” He said lightheartedly and you had to laugh.

“Living the dream,” you whispered while your eyes flickered to his lips.

“Yeah?” His tongue ran over his bottom lip. “Feels like it, doesn’t it?”

He gulped before leaning forward, lips hovering over yours.

“Your face is very close to mine,” Stiles observed, gaze flitting to your lips and back to your amused eyes. Slowly, his eyes fluttered shut and he leaned in. Lips brushing yours when he whispered. “And your lips are very soft.”

“Chapstick,” you replied mindlessly, enjoying his nervous chattering.

“The honey one?” His voice was barely audible.

You hummed while your fingers fiddled with the collar of his shirt.

“I like honey.”

Halting your movements, you opened your eyes and cocked a brow.

“Stilinski, stop talking and kiss me already.”

The corner of Stiles’ mouth curved into a broad grin as he cupped your cheek and finally brought you in for a passionate lip-lock. Your chest sparked with adoration as you slowly ran your fingers through his hair. He tugged you closer, one hand resting on your cheek while the other ran down your back and settled on the small of your back. Using it to press you closer to his chest, he leaned in further, not getting enough of your lips molding together. They moved in perfect synch. So much even that everything felt undoubtedly right and you forgot that you were on a boat.

Instead, you drowned yourself in Stiles’ touch. His touch was warm, igniting a trail of sparkles on your body and encasing both of your lips in a smile. You were the first to pull back, but your eyes remained closed. You were breathing heavily and just as you decided to take a peek, you found Stiles also fluttering his eyes open.

He beamed at you dopily, and you couldn’t help but steal another brief kiss.

And another.

And when you had leaned back for good, he couldn’t help but press yet another kiss at the corner of your lips. Shuffling backward, he propped himself against the wood bench of the boat and let your back lean against his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around your frame and you sunk further into his embrace.

Taking your wrist in his hand, he slipped the bracelet back on and adjusted the clasp before intertwining your hands together.

“Stiles?” You asked softly after a second of him tenderly pressing soft kisses on your knuckles.

“Yeah?” His voice was hoarse, and you tilted your head upward to meet his affectionate gaze.

“Stop breaking into my garage, you weirdo.”

* * *

aaaaaaand the end:) i hope you guys liked this one! it’s kind of a lot of fluff but welp. i write for the hopeless romantics so it’s fine lol if you want to get tagged in any of my future writing, just send me an ask! wishing you all a sweet day. stay hydrated x

masterlist

#stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski x reader #stiles stilinski x y/n #stiles stilinski fic #stiles stilinski fanfiction #stiles stilinski one shot #stiles stilinski fluff

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steve0discusses · 3 years

Text

Yugioh S5 Ep 19: Yugi and the Only Neck Accessory He Didn’t Really Want to Wear

Been busy! Hopefully stuff will open up soon as I’m taking a hiatus on a different quarantine project and will be finishing painting the entire roof of my car this week? One can hope. Sanding the rust off the whole top of a car takes a long time it turns out?

Also, fun Yugioh fact, I recently painted a book cover for an author who is older so she’s never seen the show, and she looked at my tumblr, saw my Duke Devlin fanart and was like “That’s him. That’s my main character. OMG. You captured him perfectly!” and I was like “Ma’am that is Duke Devlin, hence the single dice earring on his lobes there, but we can work with this.” and now a spiritual Duke Devlin is on the cover of a Wuxia-style fantasy trilogy on the Vella. Had to give him a top knot and delete the eyeliner for Wuxia reasons but uh, that’s just Duke.

So long story short, fanart can get you work, don’t even worry about posting that stuff online because most people don’t even know it’s fanart anyway and older ladies freakin love it.

Back in Yugioh, the team was doing their best to navigate a map through the woods and they do about as well as they normally do.

And inside Tristan lifted up the floorboards and was like “I found the only way out, this is it, this is the only way.”

And they ended up in something that has a color scheme I would actually associate with a jungle. Finally. We have finally left California (in order to go to another Hell.)

Youknow, when we went to California, we visited Hell, and when we went to India, we also took a stop at the nearest death destination. There’s just so much death on this show and sometimes I forget because there’s been a ghost in our party for so freakin long it’s been normalized.

(read more death imagery under the cut)

Joey freaks out at a flock of crows and reveals in this episode something I never realized about him before.

Like I’m not always the perfect observer as I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I love that this is canon for probably only this episode, but I will never forget it for the entirety of this series.

You go on hating birds, Joey.

Bro was like “Maybe it’s a deep cut about Mai Valentine because she’s a harpy lady” but eh...pretty sure we spent like an entire season of Joey telling us that Mai was a good experience? Would be incredibly funny if immediately after all of S4, Joey was like “You know what? Screw Mai, guys.”

So my thoughts...it’s probably just a literal bird experience. Like I had a friend who hated deer because once she went to a petting zoo, got some pellets to feed the deer, but her finger was sticking up, so when the deer came over to nibble on some pellets her finger went up it’s nose by accident. She was so disgusted by this event that was entirely her fault, that she brought up how much she hated deer basically whenever we saw one.

So like...maybe Joey fed a bird wrong at a petting zoo. I can see him getting bit by a parrot because he was too Joey Wheeler.

But now that we’re in a graveyard neighborhood, Pharaoh decides to hop out because there’s a lot of ghosts here and he needs to practice socializing with his peers.

So that’s just a Yugioh monster doing the ostrich dance, right? Like this is a meme from like 2010 but on Yugioh in 2003(4?)

Good to see the Ostrich dance here in the land before Vine.

So they pull out their Pokemon to do some antics, Tea looked like she was about to do something useful, and Yami does a yump across time and space to get her as far away from playing (not)cards as quickly as possible and y’all...sure was a position these animators animated.

Holy crap.

And I was going off about that scene last season where they woke up in the same bed like...

...have these two been together this entire time? Like together together?

They’re like...way more comfortable than you’d figure they’d be considering Yugi nearly passes out every time he gets a hug. But Yami just like....How long has this been going on? As long as Joey’s fear of birds?

Like obviously this show would never cover what the hell Yugi may be thinking about this overreaching move here, because we’re gonna gloss right over that, and just run away up a flight of stairs. No one mentions this ever again. Which is mind blowing for an anime to do. I think in most anime I watch, the kids would be like “ahh ahhhh I bumped into a booooob!” like it does for I want to say every other episode of My Hero Academia. But in Yugioh, they saw that low hanging fruit and they were like “we expect a higher level of maturity out of our audience. Now here’s a fleet of ostrich dancing tree monsters with faces for crotches.”

They decided to sprint up this flight of stairs, and it enough of a slope to deter the monsters who are only unbalanced weird legs.

I want us to take a moment and admire this background painting. I can’t unsee the rocks that are all the same size, just piled on top of eachother. Did Alexander the Great just plop rocks here--or was the mountain made up of tons of similarly shaped boulders?

Like there’s a lot of nice bg’s in this arc, don’t get me wrong, but this one...I’m just trying to wrap my head around the logic of it.

At the top, they meet a pantheon, that is immediately blocked by this wall, because if this arc had a tagline, it’s “Yugi gets inconvenienced every 4 seconds.”

Bro was like “Clearly they would have pushed it over if Tea wasn’t slacking off” and like...she is actually. Look at her. Only used one hand? Slacker.

Joey was disappointed he couldn’t push over a massive wall, and the team decided not to analyze how much Joey Wheeler thinks of his own strength and instead fixate on these statues.

Usually in anthro characters they kinda look birdlike but act human. But what about an anthro that’s just a bird? Like human torso, but can turn his head 180 degrees? Yugioh made me ask this question.

And then Joey was like “wait, there may be a solution that isn’t just to use brute strength!”

Youknow it is a bummer that Kaiba couldn’t witness Joey own a dragon while he himself only has a robot jet dragon. Although, the jet is probably faster, stronger and overall...better than this baby dragon. It would have been great for Kaiba to witness Joey under-utilize this dragon and forget he has it for like huge swatches of the episode.

And then Grandpa pulled some body horror out of nowhere.

Wow.

I mean that is really gross.

I guess Grandpa can’t use Blue eyes, because Kaiba ripped it up, Grandpa can’t use Exodia because Weevil tossed it off a boat, and grandpa can’t use the card that’s just a building because...it’s a building.

So instead Grandpa has a bunch of meat and bones that look like something out of Doom. It’s probably from a more obscure Konami property, but I forget which.

I’ve seen Tristan hold back Joey in this hold, first time it’s been Tea.

So much shipping in this episode, it’s wild.

It’s also wild how low my standards are for what could possibly be shipping when it comes to Yugioh because of how freakin tepid all of these characters are, which as I’ve brought up before, I really don’t mind.

So Yugi decides that because Grandpa was folding his arms like one monster and it made a gem light up or something, to just do the video game thing and use the giant ass statues as clues.

Why was this arc not a video game? Like parts of it really feel like it was meant to be.

So Yugi falls down a hole, where the walls cave in like it’s that dumpster in Star Wars but like...it barely phases him.

Also...Yugi might be able to see in the dark. It’s never been brought up but like...the more I think about it...has Yugi ever struggled to see without the lights on?

After Joey disappoints everyone, he confronts death.

And Pharaoh and Yugi decide to solve the puzzle of “how do I get out of this trap dungeon room” which, honestly, is probably what they’re doing every time they hang out in the brain pyramid.

So they summon their mascot monster, and surprisingly the show decided its ability to fly cannot help them out here.

Kuriboh manages to become enough of a doormat to push Yami up to the stone and they end up in a set of weird cuts that ended in this?

Like seriously it was like flashes of light and then they were just...up here like this.

Hey like...

Alexander the Great, my man...

Were you planning to put that stone in the middle of a exhaust vent hoping someone would touch it? Because there’s no way anyone would rationally have done that. You would need to fly to do it. This is the world’s worst DM.

Like Yugioh pulls a lot of fantasy nonsense but this arc is a lot more like a “it’s a kid’s show, just go with it.” arc than most of them. It’s not a bad vibe, necessarily, it’s just not the vibe I’m used to.

So once I witnessed maybe the most boring conversation I’ve ever witnessed about corn (this was on a twitch stream, by the way, a guy was playing an interesting game, and then a guest came on and started talking about corn and plants for 2 hours) and they would not shut up about how all taxonomy is wrong because there are no such thing as trees and how all animals are labelled incorrectly, and then they started comparing it to like all sorts of mushrooms and phytoplankton as you would if you clearly got a little bit high before dumping your corn knowledge on a twitch stream.

Anyway, after that bizarre experience I suffered so I could learn how to play an obscure video game, I think I can safely say, that while I know everyone here thinks a bird can’t be a dog. If you’re a high biologist: a bird is absolutely a dog. Apparently you can just do that if you’re the most boring biologist alive and no one will argue with you because to do that would involve talking to you. We’ll just say a bird is a dog and no one can fight me or I will talk about the corn book that this guest on this twitch chat was thinking about renting from the library about the different types of corn mutations inherent in freakin Indiana. Therefore, Joey’s fear of birds and dogs is same.

So they use Dark Magician to save them from the statues, and Yugi busts into the pantheon again because they got to open this casket before a time limit that I kind of forgot about, tbh.

And inside the casket, is...this thing!

(enjoy this line on the bottom of the image I don’t feel like fixing it)

And you may say to yourself...it looks like it’s just floating in mid-air, that’s silly, and so I want to introduce you to the next panel where you can see that it is...quite literally...just floating in the air like a video game.

and it just slurps itself onto Yugi before he can be like “nonono.”

Wasn’t there some horror movie where you were stuck in some sort of body brace that slowly tortures you (was that Saw?) This has that vibes. Like man that looks uncomfortable to wear over a jacket and two belts and a collar that is another belt.

That and I...I gotta appreciate that Yugi popped his collar while wearing body armor and chunky necklace. What 00′s fashion appreciation right there.

Bit like...this isn’t breathable, right? Like Yugi’s gonna finally take this thing off and his jacket will just be completely soaked in sweat?

Anyway, that’s it for this post, next week we’ll see if Yugi can walk through a doorway in that thing.

Also, I can’t bring up the ostrich dance without sharing the vines of my generation

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#Yugioh #YGO #yu gi oh #photo recap #episode recap #S5 #Ep19 #Yugi Muto #Joey Wheeler #Joey's fear of birds I've never heard about until this episode #Tea Gardner #Grandpa Muto #Tristan Taylor #Baby Dragon #This weird ass tranformer that Yugi is wearing.

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incorrectlumityquotes · 4 years

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FULL REVIEWS: “Covention”

I didn’t think I’d have a harder time doing these reviews on my days off than on a workday, but errands and all that. I had no expectations going into this episode at the time since “covention” is a fake made up word. But I heard Amity was going to be in it, so I got excited. The spice of life returns. It’s been a hot minute. Let’s see how the episode holds up.

The episode starts with one of my favorite cold openings. Super funny and gives a good shot at those books that have that pretentious flowery language. Seriously who says “thou” and “hast” anymore. Lame. Luz tossing King into the portal right when it closes was my favorite bit. Was Eda really going to go to the human world just for that?

Also I didn’t notice until someone pointed it out but I guess they’re using Azura and Hecate as some kinda parallel to Luz and Amity. Hope Amity doesn’t find out that she’s not the Azura character. Does that mean that Eda is that old ass lady and King is that little fox dog thing? That’s not cool, man. Be nice.

So much can be read into it, but that’s for another blog post for another time.

And of course, dumb-dumb me had to wait until the word was said out loud to realize that it was a play on the words “coven” and “convention.” So basically it’s a con episode. Cov episode? Whatever. Big brain hurt.

Relationships are a give and take and sometimes you gotta give in. Sorry, Eda.

I don’t know about you guys, but I never really had a lot of fun going to cons. The only part I really liked was meeting my favorite voice actors and watching indie wrestling. All the food, merch, and art was always overpriced and from shows I don’t watch. I don’t join video game tournaments because those people take the games way too seriously. Plus the area that I live in isn’t known for being big on nerd culture so the cons are never that impressive. I met Steve Blum last time and went to one and you can only go down from there so I don’t think I’ll be going to another one any time soon.

I caught this first time I saw it on TV. Luz and Willow arm in arm. Maybe in another life I would be shipping Luz & Willow. Maybe maybe. Also, Skara in the background. I think her design is really cute. Maybe she’ll get an episode in season two. Maybe maybe.

More lore and more worldbuilding which people really seemed to want and we got it. Eda explains that while covens seem like cool groups to belong to, they also strip you of all the other kind of magic you can do. Why? My theory was (and is) that about fifty years ago a bunch of religious and political hustlers got together and tried to figure out a way to control people. Really keep them in line. They knew that people were basically stupid and would believe anything you told them, so they announced that this one guy could talk to the titan that the Isles were based of off. This one guys says that only he could talk to the titan and hear what the titan was saying and that only he could do all kinds of magic. Everyone else is doing it wrong and only he’s doing it right. With no proof or evidence, but trust him he’s on the level. The Boiling Isles was just doing fine before him, but now all of a sudden, we’re all doing it wrong. Let that be a lesson to you, kids. If anyone tells you anything like that, it’s bullshit.

Also the nine covens. Why nine? Why not group the bard and illusionary covens together into the music video coven? Why does potions get its own coven? How much school do you really have to take to learn to mix shit together and stir? Wouldn’t the plant magic coven know something about using plants to make potions? Why does the construction coven get it’s own coven? Couldn’t you use any kind of magic to build things? Is the construction coven the blue collar coven? Beast keeping gets it’s own coven? Like the bitch at the plant coven needs to switch covens to be told to feed her dog? My theory, the nine covens was really a marketing decision. Ten sounds too official. They knew that if it was too neat and tidy, they’d know something was up. Would they though? I don’t think so.

Any group that has their own stormtroopers is automatically evil. Even more proof that the coven system is bullshit.

“Distraction spell!”

This moment made me laugh so damn hard. The crap that Eda pulls is one of the highlights of the show for me.

Luz and Eda go check out The Emperor’s Coven panel in the main hall, and we’re introduced to another major character. Enter Lilith, Eda’s older sister. And I swear to you guys, I was so confused this entire time on who was the older and who was the younger sister until the season finale. Seriously, I kept getting mixed messages. I mean, I know now but give me a break here.

I think Lilith is a good character and a great foil to Eda. The fun part is that since they are sisters, Eda knows exactly how to push her buttons and drag Lilith down to her level. It’s always fun to see a stoic character break.

My finger points.

Amity shows up which automatically makes this episode better. Luz properly introduces herself and we get more back-and-forth. Amity being a real bitch here is more to mislead us for the last act of the episode, but when I first saw it I thought it was more confirmation that Amity was going to be the Draco Malfoy-clone of the series. Glad I was wrong.

We get more of Luz trying to make life play out like her favorite stories and challenges Amity to a witch’s duel. A thing she read in Azura that she has no clue whether or not is a thing in The Boiling Isles. There’s an equal chance that Amity could have just shaken her head and be like, “The fuck is a witch’s duel? That sounds like something you just made up.”

Also Amity should have caught that Azura reference from the start, but then that kinda would have spoiled Lost in Language, huh?

Again, Luz needs to learn that life does not play out like it does in her favorite stories. Challenging your rival to a duel is cool on paper but a big “Yeah no” IRL. Especially since she knows no real offensive spells, no defensive spells, is a weak nerd who has probably never been in a real fight in her life and has no fighting spirit. Trust me guys I learned the hard way. Life is not a shonen anime. You can’t settle anything by fighting.

I love mentor/mentee stories especially when they have a rival mentor/mentee pair. Too bad Dana has already said that Amity and Lilith were not close at all. It was more a relationship of convenience. But then again that would help witch whole foil angle. Lilith and Amity just use each other to get ahead while Eda and Luz do actually build a familial bond.

The duel goes...exactly the way I thought it would. Honestly. The cheating, the whole fight just breaking down, even Lilith and Eda doing an actual witch’s fight. Totally saw it coming. What I didn’t see coming was the bad ass animation they used for the Lilith/Eda fight and...

The Amity scene. The big reveal that Amity is not a Draco Malfoy clone (I only saw the first four movies). She’s just a girl who thinks people should follow the rules, hates cheaters and is under a lot of pressure to succeed. Only someone as empathic as Luz and try to keep building that bridge and try to make things right with Amity, but that’s a whole other episode.

And the episode ends with another great lesson I really like. “Will I ever be a true witch?” “I don’t know. What’s a true witch?” There are always expectations and pressure put upon you to be a true something. Others will want you to conform into a label for one reason or another. But all those expectations and labels are just illusions. It reminds me of a Bruce Lee quote. When an interviewer asked Bruce if he considers himself Chinese or American, he answers that he considers himself, “a human being.”

Labels can be fun because it makes it easier for the brain to organize things, but when people put too much stock into these labels problems arise. Think of labels as a boat to get you across the river. Once you cross the river you leave the boat behind. You don’t carry the boat with you. That’s just dumb.

“Witch please”

FINAL SCORE: 5 - Loved it.

Hot take, Amity makes every episode better. More funny jokes, more worldbuilding, more Amity and hints at the main villain of the show. Lilith was a great addition and the episode hints at the main plot. Probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a con. And speaking of more Amity...

#the owl house #my works #full review #full reviews

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tyrantisterror · 3 years

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I did a four part series of trivia posts when ATOM Volume 1: Tyrantis Walks Among Us! came out, and that was pretty fun! You can see that set of trivia posts here if you’d like. I thought it’d be fun to do another now that ATOM Volume 2: Tyrantis Roams the Earth! is out - just one this time, because a lot of the trivia I talked about with Volume 1 still applies.

I’m gonna divide this into two sections: non-spoiler trivia, for things that really don’t give a lot of plot points away, and spoiler trivia, for things that DO give away major plot points. I recommend not reading the spoiler trivia until after you’ve read Tyrantis Roams the Earth!, for obvious reasons, and will put the spoiler trivia under a cut.

Ok, let’s go!

- So if you read ATOM Volume 1, you probably noticed that the book is split not only into chapters, but “episodes,” which consist of four chapters a piece. It’s kind of a nod to how the series owes a great deal of its DNA to various monster of the week shows, with Godzilla: the Series and The Godzilla Power Hour being obvious influences. It also allowed me to pepper in some illustrations and cheesy b-movie style titles into each volume.

- The first “episode” of Volume 2, Tyrantis in Tokyo, pays explicit homage to the giant monster movies of Japan, perhaps even moreso than the chapters that came before it. Given how much Japanese media influenced ATOM - from tokusatsu like the Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman franchises to anime like Digimon and Evangelion (hell, the title of this episode itself is a tip of the hat to Tenchi Muyo by way of one of its spinoffs) - it kind of felt obligatory that Tyrantis visit Japan and pay his respects.

- Tyrantis in Tokyo also fits in a tribute to another staple of Atomic Age pop culture: Rock and Roll.

- Kutulusca, the giant cephalopod that appears in Tyrantis in Tokyo, is one of the oldest kaiju in this series, dating back to the first iteration of Tyrantis’s story that I put to paper back in 2001 or so. It’s changed a lot since then, but its fight with Tyrantis goes more or less the way it originally did.

- Old Meg, the giant placoderm/shark, and Nastadyne, the bipedal beetle, both owe their existence directly to Deviantart’s Godzilla fandom. Old Meg originated as a dunkleosteus monster I submitted to a “create a Godzilla kaiju” contest held by Matt Frank, while Nastadyne is based on a Megalon redesign I made during the “redesign all the Godzilla kaiju” phase of DA’s kaiju fandom.

- The second episode, Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace, gets dark as we visit the USSR, which had enough REAL horror with atomic power in its history to make creature features seem a bit defanged by comparison. It’s probably the episode with the strongest horror elements - ATOM’s always been influenced by Resident Evil, and this is probably where that influence shows the most strongly.

- It also features the first fully robotic mecha in the series, the mighty Herakoschei! Its name is a combination of “Heracles” and “Koschei the Deathless,” with the former part being added by its Russian creators to make it seem a bit more international as they offer it to the U.N. in hopes of gaining aid for a very extreme kaiju problem they’ve developed.

- Most of Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace takes place in the Siberian Monster Zone. Its name is a reference to the Lawless Monster Zone in Ultraman, which is such a cool fucking name I wish that I wish I could go back in time and steal it.

- The next episode, Tyrantis’s Revenge, is... full of spoilers, so we’ll move on for now.

- The penultimate episode, Tyrantis vs. the Martian Monsters, is a love letter to MANY different sci-fi stories that involve life on Mars, though the most prominent of them is of course The War of The Worlds (one of my top 3 favorite books) and its various adaptations. From its tentacles sapient martians, the tripodal leader of the titular monsters whose name includes the word “ulla” which is uttered by said sapient martians, the plant monster made of red vines, the cylinder-shaped spacecraft the Martian monsters are sent to earth on, the copper-skinned stingray-esque flying martian who shoots lasers from its tail, and the fact that every chapter title in this episode is a quote from the book, the H.G. Wells influence is STRONG.

- The final episode, Invasion from Beyond!, is shamelessly inspired by Destroy All Monsters, although there’s a dash of “To Serve Men,” Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, and The Day the Earth Stood Still mixed in as well. It’s also sort of a tribute to my first “published” bit of a kaiju fiction - a rewrite of Destroy All Monsters that included EVERY Godzilla monster that had appeared at the time, which my middle school self wrote back in 2002 or so for Kaiju Headquarters, a kaiju fansite I’m not sure exists anymore. Invasion from Beyond! is just as ambitious (but hopefully better executed) as my DAM Remake, with dozens upon dozens of different kaiju duking it out, earthlings vs. aliens.

- There were three different documents I made to outline the final battle of Invasion from Beyond! It’s the largest episode of the series so far and more than half of it is that fucking fight. My inner child is pleased, though, so hopefully you will be too.

Ok, that’s all I can share without spoilers. READER BEWARE WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW THE CUT!

JUST MAKING SURE you know that SPOILERS will follow from here on out. Read at your own peril! YOU WERE WARNED!

(I’m gonna start with lighter ones just in case you scrolled too far and want to turn back)

- There’s a number of explicit Spielberg homages in ATOM Volume 2, from a “we need a bigger boat” joke during a chase with a giant shark to the fact that Invasion from Beyond! opens with a group of people flying to an island of monsters to review whether or not it should get more funding.

- When Tyrantis appears in the first chapter, I snuck in modified lyrics of The Godzilla Power Hour’s theme song. “Up from the depths”... “several stories high”... “breathing fire”... “its head in the sky”... Tyrantis! Tyrantis! Tyrantis!

- The two rock bands in Tyrantis in Tokyo have real life inspirations ala Gwen Valentine, albeit a bit more muddled than hers. The Cashews are inspired by The Peanuts (see what I did there), while The Thunder Lizards are a mix of The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper. I wanted The Thunder Lizards to be more akin to the myth of a famous rock and roll band than the reality - less the real Beatles and more the Yellow Submarine cartoon version of them.

- The song The Thunder Lizards write for Tyrantis was written to fit the tune of “The Godzilla March” from Godzilla vs. Gigan, though ideally if someone made an actual song of it it would be its own song. I got the idea from Over the Garden Wall, which used the Christmas song “O Holy Night” as a a starting point for “Come Wayward Souls.”

- Perry Martin, UNNO reporter and peer of Henry Robertson, is a nod to Raymond Burr, with his name being a combination of two of Burr’s most famous roles: Perry Mason, and Steve Martin from Godzilla King of the Monsters (1956).

- Dr. Rinko Tsuburaya is a few homages in one. Her name comes from Rinko Kikuchi (who played Mako Mori in Pacific Rim), while her last name is obviously in homage of Eiji Tsuburaya. Her being the daughter of an esteemed scientist is inspired by Emiko Yamane from the original Gojira.

- Nastadyne’s Burning Justice mode is named after a similar super mode from various Transformers cartoons, though it’s more directly inspired by the Shining/Burning Finger super move from G Gundam.

- Martians sending kaiju to different planets via shooting them out of cannons (with or without cylinder spaceships around them) is another War of the Worlds shoutout. So is martians living on Venus after their homeworld was made uninhabitable, actually.

- Kurokame’s vocalizations are described as wails in explicit homage to Gamera. His name can be translated as either “black tortoise” (a reference to the mythical guardian beast Genbu, which can also be construed as a Gamera reference thanks to Gamera: Advent of Irys implying Gamera and Genbu are one and the same) or a portmanteau of the Japanese words for crocodile and turtle - “crocturtle.”

- Burodon’s name is just a mangling of “burrow down.” It also sounds vaguely like Baragon, who Burodon is loosely inspired by. AND, since Burodon is sort of a knockoff/modified Baragon, that kinda makes him a reference to various monsters in Ultraman!

- The final battle of Tyrantis in Tokyo is sort of a hybrid of the finales of Ghidorah the 3 Headed Monster and Destroy All Monsters.

- The Japanese kaiju teaching Tyrantis the art of throwing rocks at your enemies is both a joke on the prominence of rock throwing in Japanese kaiju fights AND the tired trope of an American hero learning secret martial arts from a Japanese mentor ala Batman, Iron Fist, etc. In this case, the secret martial art is throwing rocks at people.

- When introduced to Herakoschei and its pilot, we are told that the strain of piloting this early mecha is so intense that many pilots have died in the process, with the current one passing out on more than few occasions. This is of course a Pacific Rim homage - sadly, no one invents drifting.

- Herakoschei’s design is a loose homage to Robby the Robot and Cherno Alpha, because big boxy robots are cool.

- The Writhing Flesh and ESPECIALLY Pathogen are both hugely influenced by Resident Evil and The Thing. Giant body horror piles of raw flesh, tendrils, mismatched mouths and limbs may be a bit outside the main era of monster design ATOM homages, but they fit the themes and bring a nice contrast.

- I came up with Pathogen long before Corona but MAN it definitely feels different in 2021 to have a giant monster whose name is a synonym for disease driving other creatures crazy in a quarantine zone than it did when I plotted out the story in 2016.

- The chapter title “Hello, Old Foes” is a riff on “Goodbye, Old Friend”

- Minerva, the kaiju-fied clone of Dr. Lerna, is meant to be an homage to Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, which is a genuinely good giant monster flick. I am sure many of you will also believe I included her because I’m a pervert whose into tall women, but you’d be wrong! I included the seven foot tall Russian mecha pilot Ludmilla Portnova because I’m a pervert whose into tall women. Minerva’s inclusion was just coincidental, I swear!

- Since Promythigor is a play on the archetypal ape kaiju to contrast Tyrantis as a play on the archetypal fire-breathing reptile kaiju, their fight has a lot of nods to King Kong movies. Promythigor attempts the famous jaw-snap maneuver of Kong (with less success), J.C. Clark paraphrases the “brute force vs. a thinking animal” line from the King Kong vs. Godzilla American cut, and Tyrantis slides down a mountain to knock Promythigor off his feet in a reversal of Kong doing the same in King Kong vs. Godzilla.

- Tyrantis sliding down a mountain on his tail doubles as a Godzilla vs. Megalon homage.

- Though Promythigor is the archetypal Ape and Tyrantis the archetypal Fire-Breathing Reptile, I think it’s fun to note that in some ways, Promythigor is the Godzilla equivalent in their matchup, and Tyrantis the Kong. Promythigor has a slight size advantage, was scarred by humans performing unethical weapons technology, and is associated with violent explosions. Tyrantis is a good-at-heart prehistoric beast who humanized in part by his unlikely friendship with a human woman.

- Of course, in the context of the famous quote from the American cut of King Kong vs. Godzilla, they remain in their archetypal lanes. Promythigor is the more intelligent of the two (though not necessarily wiser), and Tyrantis is in many ways a brute reptile. Their battle is a rebuttal of sorts to the assertion that Kong is the “better” animal because he is closer to human. Promythigor’s near human creativity and emotions don’t make him the kinder/more benevolent monster, but instead fuel a very self-centered and destructive attitude that makes him the far more dangerous threat. On the other hand, Tyrantis, who is less intelligent, limited in communication with others by his reptilian mindset and instincts, and simple in his thoughts and desires, is nonetheless a sweet creature that is easily dealt with when others consider his animal needs and mindset. There’s a quote from Hellboy I love that probably sums up all of my writing thus far: “To be other than human does not mean the same as being less,” and that’s what the matchup between these two in particular tries to illustrate: the “less” human Tyrantis is nonetheless more benign than the “more” human Promythigor.

- Kraydi the psychic lizard began life as a soft sculpture I made of the Canyon Krayt Dragon from The Wildlife of Star Wars. The sculpture didn’t look much like the illustration, but I liked how it came out, and so I made it an original monster named Kraydi (see what I did there). Figuring out an explanation for that name in ATOM’s world was possibly the most difficult kaiju naming task in the series, but it worked out in the end.

- Kraydi and Promythigor having psychic powers is a result of my time on Godzilla fan forums in my middle school years. Most of the forums had OC kaiju battle tournaments, and SO many of those kaiju had a wide array of beam weapons and psychic powers just to win the tournaments by beam-spamming and mind controlling their foes into oblivion. There’s a special kind of rage you get when your original creation is beaten by “Fire Godzilla” because he has a genius level intellect and the power of unstoppable telekinesis. Kraydi began as (and still is I suppose) my attempt to do a psychic kaiju well, while Promythigor’s villainy being tied to psychic powers being forced on him is sort of my passive aggressive commentary on people foisting powers on a monster without any real thematic reason for them.

- Henry Robertson and Dr. Praetorius chewing out the laziness of people giving kaiju completely unaltered names of mythic beasts will probably be seen as a jab at the Monsterverse and/or the numerous writers in the kaiju OC scene who do the same, but it’s ACTUALLY a jab at my past self, who had DOZENS of kaiju whose names were just Greek mythological figures verbatim. There are dozens of kaiju named Hydra, Scylla, Charybdis, Chimera, etc., past me, try to make the names stand out! Oh wait you did. I mean, don’t pat yourself on the back too much, you still went with “Mothmanud” as a canon name and never came up with something better, but, like, good on ya for trying I guess.

- Dr. Praetorius takes his name from the evil mad scientis in Bride of Frankenstein, who basically has all the wicked traits that Universal’s Frankenstein downplayed in their take on Dr. Frankenstein. Ironically, ATOM’s Dr. Praetorius is a bit less evil than his fellow mad scientists in ATOM. I really like how his character turned out, he surprised me.

- Isaac Rossum, the pilot of the USA mecha Atomoton, is named for Isaac Aasimov, whose robot stories are to robot fiction what Lord of the Rings is to high fantasy. His last name is a reference to Rossum’s Universal Robots, which is where the word “robot” came from.

- The unfortunate pilots of MechaTyrantis in ATOM Volumes 1 and 2 are all nods to Jurassic Park. John Ludlow = John Hammond and Peter Ludlow, Ian Grant = Ian Malcolm and Alan Grant, Dennis Dodgson = Dennis Nedry and Lewis Dodgson.

- A good way to pitch Invasion from Beyond! would be “what if the staff and monsters were able to fight back when the Kilaaks tried to take over Monsterland?”

- Ok, here’s a fun joke that no one will get but me because it requires a very specific chain of logic based on some obscure and loosely connected nerd bullshit. There’s a rocker in ATOM’s universe named Sebastian Haff, right? One of his songs, “Darling Let’s Shimmy,” is referenced right before a mothmanud larva emerges from the ground in both ATOM Vol. 1 and 2. Ok, so, in the Bubba Hotep, an aging Elvis impersonator named Sebastian Haff claims he is actually the real Elvis Presley, having changed places with the real Sebastian Haff as a sort of Prince and the Pauper deal that went wrong. Got that? Ok, so, in UFO folklore, a common joke is the theory that Elvis didn’t die, but was rather abducted by aliens (or he actually WAS an alien the whole time - the whole “Elvis didn’t die, he just went home” joke in Men in Black is a good example of this). Ok? Ok. So, in ATOM’s universe, we can surmise that their equivalent of Elvis, whose name is Sebastian Haff, WAS abducted by aliens, and that his song “Darling Let’s Shimmy” is subconsciously influenced by his repressed memories from his time aboard the Beyonder spaceships, which is why it accidentally awoke a Mothmanud larva in Volume 1. There’s a lot of bullshit jokes I put into ATOM, but this is perhaps the bullshittiest of them all.

- One of the most common bits of feedback on ATOM Volume 1 I got was “I kept waiting for something to eat Brick Rockwell, he’s such an asshole.” And I had to smile and go, “Oh, yeah, guess he never got his, huh?” the whole time without letting on that he was going to die here all along!

- Dr. Lerna and Brick Rockwell’s nature as foils to each other is probably most apparent in Invasion from Beyond!, where both are given fairly similar situations - a nonhuman approaches them with a solution to a global crisis - and react to it very differently. I worry that some people may think they both made the same choice and got different results, and that that’s hypocrisy on my part, but I hope I wrote it so you can see how their choices and situations actually differ in key ways, and why their decisions, while similar on the surface, are ultimately very different, and thus result in almost opposite outcomes.

- So, when I planned out this book in 2016, I swear I didn’t know about the Orca from 2019′s Godzilla King of the Monsters. Having the plot hang around Dr. Lerna deciding whether or not to use a sonic device to rouse all the kaiju to save the earth was not INTENDED to be a Monsterverse reference - it came about from me looking at Pathfinder’s take on kaiju, who are all explicitly influenceable by music, and thinking, “Oh, wow, music and songs DO have a major connection with kaiju in a lot of media, I should do something with that.” Whem KOTM came out a few days after Volume 1 came out I realized I was kinda fucked here, because the comparison was definitely going to be made, but I’d also set this all up already and you can’t just change suddenly to avoid looking like a copy cat and make a good story, so... I dunno, I leaned into it a bit, but it is what it is.

- While most people will probably think they’re a reference to the Reptoids of UFO folklore, the Reptodites are more inspired by the Dinosapien of speculative evolution fame and, even morso, by the Reptites from Chrono Trigger. Me wanting to avoid the “lizard people control the government” conspiracy theory trope is one of the main reasons why Reptodites have this non-interference clause with humanity.

- Lieutenant Gray is a bunch of different humanoid aliens rolled into one - a little Hopskinville goblin, a little classic gray, a little this one weird alien with five-fingered zygodactyl hands, etc.

- There’s some Beyonder Mecha in this volume that are basically kaiju-fied versions of the Flatwoods Monster. The species that built them ALSO engineered the Mothmanuds, because connecting Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster is fun!

- Pleprah is, obviously, a one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater.

- Tyrantis’s brush with death, in addition to being so very anime, was inspired by my dad outlining how mythic heroes often have to travel to the underworld/land of the dead before they can finish their journey. It’s one of the plot points that I’ve had planned for this series since middle school.

- I’m sure some will view it as hackneyed and corny, but as a person who’s battled with depression for decades, having Tyrantis’s choice to live be the big heroic turn of the finale was very important to me. Tyrantis incorporates elements of a lot of imaginary friends I made as a kid, and in many ways he’s kind of the face of my more positive side in my head. He’s been telling me to choose to live for a while, and while maybe to an outsider it may seem hackneyed, it’s just... very Tyrantis. He chooses life and kindness in the face of pain and struggle. That’s Tyrantis.

- Tyrantis’s powered up form is called “Hyper Mode,” which is another Gundam reference. Originally it was a lot gaudier and involved him turning gold like a fuckin’ Super Saiyan. I opted for something a little more toned down here.

- Also, speaking of KOTM references, I decided to make Hyper Mode Tyrantis’s final duel with Pathogen be a sort of foil to Burning Godzilla’s final bout with Ghidorah in KOTM. Instead of ravaging the city, Hyper Tyrantis’s pulse of energy rejuvenates his fallen allies, and as a result he is “crowned” not out of fear for his supremacy in the wake of killing a powerful enemy, but in gratitude for his kindness. See? Leaning into it!

- And now I can finally reveal that Yamaneon is ATOM’s equivalent of The Monolith Monsters - that is, a kaiju that is also a mineral. I took the “strange continuously growing rock” thing in a very different direction, though, as unlike The Monolith Monsters, Yamaneon is actually alive.

- At various points in the pre-writing process, either Promythigor, MechaTyrantis, or both were going to die fighting Pathogen. I ultimately decided to let them both live, with MechaTyrantis even getting his flesh and blood body back, because I think it’s more interesting and thematically consistent that way. They get a chance to heal their wounds by changing their ways.

- The Great Beyonder and Dorazor both almost didn’t make the cut, as I felt they didn’t have the same pull as villains that Pathogen, Promythigor, and MechaTyrantis did. But then I thought that could actually be the gag - build them up as the final boss, only to have Pathogen take their crown. I want to explore post-face turn Dorazor a bit more, though. We’ll have to see about that in a later volume.

- Volumes 1 and 2 make up what I call “The Ballad of Tyrantis Arc” for ATOM. I call it that because Tyrantis’s storyline in these two volumes was patterend after Chivalric ballads like Yvain the Knight of the Lion. Tyrantis, a heroic warrior who is kind but dumb of ass, learns of strange goings on outside his home and investigates. During his journey into the unknown he falls in love with a powerful woman, whose favor he tries to win. Through happenstance he is separated from his love and, distraught, wanders around fighting various foes to prove his worth, before finally returning to his love a better hero. Invasion from Beyond! could even be seen as a sort of Morte d’Artur, with Tyrantis and a bunch of other kaiju heroes (including Nastadyne and Kemlasulla, who are built up as Hero Kaiju of Another Story) take part in a huge battle that threatens their idealic kingdom (of monsters).

- Volume 2 isn’t the end of ATOM, but it’s designed to work as an ending if you want to tap out here. As a reader I feel a definitive ending is important, but as a writer I’m always tempted to revisit my beloved characters, so I feel giving closure while leaving a few doors open for possible future adventures is a good compromise between these positions. There will be more ATOM stories, some (but not all!) following Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna, but if you want to know that Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna get an ending and the resolution to their arcs such a thing promises, here you go. An ending, if not THE END.

#The Atomic Time of Monsters #A.T.O.M. Trivia

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xbaebsae · 4 years

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Changes and Deleted Content Part 2 - Far Cry 5: Features and Missions

This is a small passion project series of posts where I share some insight of what’s hidden in the game(s) files, but also some general observations. The main focus will be on character changes or deletions with a few words about functions and deprecated missions.

What will not be touched upon are a lot of the things the Resistance Mod on PC restores, namely deleted store weapons and clothes, weather systems and general gameplay related things like skinning animations. I also won’t go into audio files and their content, as @lulu2992 is already working on an amazing series for FC5 that summarizes them per character.

This part will be significantly shorter Edit from post finishing-Angy: This post turned out really damn long despite only discussing some scrapped or changed features and a couple of deprecated mission strings. I still hope you find this as interesting to read as I found writing and investigating it :)

1. Changed and Scrapped Features

1.1 Guns/Fangs for Hire

Just for reference, the release version of the game has 9 unique GFH/FFH available + 3 slots for random specialists you can hire throughout the world.

Among the game’s UI textures for tutorials is this image, showing an earlier version of the GFH screen.

What this indicates is that the planned amount for active GFHs you can have was originally 4; or the top row could function as some sort of favorites tab. We will probably never know for certain.

Interestingly though, this version has slots for 20 GFHs in total, 18 either filled a character icon or a locked symbol, suggesting the originally planned unique GFH count was 18.

Considering almost every NPC in-game has spawn-able archetypes with battle audio fully in place it is possible that we were supposed to be able to recruit more of them. I will return to the matter of recruitment shortly.

Another thing I’d like to open up for consideration is that there may have been plans for (ex-)cultist GFHs or at least areas where they act friendly towards the deputy. Reason for this assumption is the fact that cultists have recorded lines for when you meet them (spawn them), aim weapons at them (the taunts GFH and friendlies do too), along with idle lines when you use mods to spawn them as friendly followers. The game has no purpose for most of these lines, as you never walk into peaceful cultists outside of the intro. In the intro you have no weapons to aim at anyone, making it impossible to trigger these lines.

You may argue they were recorded for the arcade, but the Seeds are also featured in it and have none of those. However, they may also be a leftover from scrapped missions that would feature cultists that don’t shoot you on sight.

Additionally to that early menu screenshot, I have also found an old reddit thread discussing the game’s Uplay page near release because of the following image:

Unfortunately I was not able to find this particular page myself anymore, and knowing how short lived everything is nowadays, it might be lost in time forever. The commenters discuss that the three additional slots here refer to potential DLC characters, but we don’t get to use any of the DLC companions in the main game (nor do the DLCs share the main game’s art direction). So, this might be another indicator for additionally planned GFH/FFH we never got to see.

One of these was likely the Eagle FFH called ‘’Freedom’’ (Character/Unique/FFH_Eagle_Freedom), which was partially restored through mods on PC as its loaders and everything are still present. It is unknown why this was scrapped.

It also appears that there once were inventory (purchaseable?) items for almost each GFH (Boomer and Jess have none), as these placeholder icons exist inside the game’s ui\icons\inventory folder:

Possible functions: Quest items you needed to obtain to recruit them (implying changed missions); Gift items (for potential level up?)

Now to return to the matter of recruitment: Deprecated mission strings suggest that originally you had to hire unique GFHs similarly to random ones; and that was part of quest lines. These lines appear in ‘oasisstrings’, the game’s main language file(s):

HIRE Jess RECRUIT Adelaide Drubman ADD Adelaide to your squad

In light of the old GFH screen I actually looked up the definition of ‘Squad’, and on wikipedia it is listed that a Squad is a team of 5+ members, further strengthening the theory that originally you could have 4 active GFH (plus the Deputy they’d be 5, therefore a squad).

1.2 In-game Wiki menu

Some of the previous Far Cry titles have a sort of wiki menu that features short bios of characters, explanations of locations, resources and weaponry. New Dawn sort of brought part of this back with the ‘Survival Guide’ (accessible from the pause menu), but 5 does not have this at all. However, in the ui files there are still texture leftovers, implying this feature was planned and it had sections for Animals, Base Jumps, Characters, Destructible Structures, Fish, Locations, Parking Spots (Garages), Plants and Treasure Hunts. The following image shows the ‘undiscovered’ symbols arranged in that order.

Again, no text entries along with a lot of duplicate and unfinished images imply this was scrapped early.

You can view the additional images (minus characters, because they will be handled in the next posts) here.

2. Abandoned Missions

This section will focus on mission strings that still exist in ‘oasisstrings’. For the sake of readability I removed the style code the game uses and the line numbers. You can easily find them by searching part of the text in the files or website listed in References. Please keep in mind that only the mission titles themselves are 100% like that in the files, any assumption as to what they might have been used for is purely speculative, but I attempt to always provide a reasonable explanation with evidence for the theories presented. Also I am not perfect, so it is possible I missed something in-game. In that case please do correct me!

2.1. Investigation Type objectives

There is a set of objectives listed that imply a different setup for Willis Huntley’s mission. It introduces the objectives PHOTOGRAPH, TAG, LISTEN and INTERROGATE:

PHOTOGRAPH potential property PHOTOGRAPH an animal slaughter TAG the target PHOTOGRAPH the target LISTEN to the conversation INTERROGATE the target PHOTOGRAPH cult signs and rituals: BRING the photos back to Willis

The release build mission has you tail someone and steal a VHS tape. None of the above objectives appear. It’s interesting to see that at one point there were mechanics in consideration that included intel gathering.

2.2. Quest centered around Melvin

The only Melvin I could find in relation to Far Cry 5 is Nadine Abercrombie’s grandfather. Melvin Abercrombie joined the cult. It isn’t assured that these objectives refer to him, but if they do it’d mean a potential mission where you speak to a lower ranked cultist.

Please Note that mission strings are not always in correct order.

TALK to Melvin LOOT Melvin's corpse REACH Melvin's house WAIT for Melvin to arrive GO MEET Melvin

2.3. The ‘Redeemer’ Objectives

At some point there was a quest-line revolving around something called the ‘Redeemer’ in Holland Valley. I could not find out what this thing really was supposed to be, but it sounds like it was either a boat or a submarine (???). In this line it appears that the garage in Fall’s End had actual relevance.

FIND a similar engine BRING engine to Mary's garage TALK to Mary's assistant TOW Redeemer Back the Garage (this typo is also in the file) SUBMERGE the Redeemer FLIP the Redeemer upside down GET IN the Tow Truck PUT the Redeemer on the Flat Bed

What this also implies is the inclusion of tow trucks and that there was a ‘Mary’s assistant’ character.

2.4. A few seperate Entries before we focus on plot relevant ones

In light of the afore mentioned wiki menues there is also an objective type that goes very well with its character section:

DISCOVER this character.

This could be attached to unknown entries in the character list.

There also is an unused objective called:

FIND the cow in the field

Which at first glance made me believe it was related to the mission at Cattle co., but it is not used there or anywhere else. I suppose we will never find out what was so special about this mysterious cow.

TAKE Joseph's writings

is also an interesting entry, as it is not related to the mission where you burn his book. This is again an unused string with unknown original purpose.

2.5. Mary May and John Seed

There are two particularly interesting unused mission objectives in relation to these two characters.

For one, it looks like originally we were supposed to rescue Mary May from John’s ranch:

RESCUE Mary May From John Seed's Ranch

This could either be a replacement for saving her in Fall’s End or it is a mission that appeared later on in which John possibly captured her. It gets more possible applications with the next one, though.

FIND John and Mary May's secrets

Now, this one caught my attention immediately, because there are two big things that come to mind in terms of possible application. It could refer back to the novel Absolution in which Mary May gets captured and tattooed by John, heavily implying that part of the plot that made it to the novel was originally intended to be shown in the game (we will get back to this in the character episode when talking about Holly).

Additionally, keeping the previous objective in mind, it could also imply that Mary has been converted during her capture (or her capture was planned) and played a different role in the story overall. Of course, all of this is only speculation as we will probably never know, but the objective specifically says ‘John AND Mary May’s secrets’, refering to shared secrets, not just one of Mary herself (which would fit more into the tattoo theory).

If you have ever even considered the possibility that Ubisoft might have cut a lot of stuff from the Whitetail region of the game, the rest of this Mission section should finally prove this to you. I’d like to make clear here that this is unbiased. I have tried to dig up deleted content equally in all regions but it just turns out that this is the one they really went wild with. There is nothing that stands out in terms of deleted or changed missions in the Henbane area and the Holland Valley content is mostly not that plot relevant minus the last examples just mentioned.

2.6. Eli and the Wolf’s Den

In the final version of the game we are told that Eli is an important character, but he is not very active in any way. Where Mary May assists you on the way to John’s Ranch and Tracey and the others at the prison fight by your side in defense missions, Eli will stay at the Wolf’s Den and have you run his errands for him. Just like the other mentioned characters he has full fight capabilities though. His AI is capable of using that bow, despite him never leaving the bunker.

As it turns out, he used to be a far more active character and there were multiple ways you could encounter him for the first time. For reference: In the game as it is now you will only meet him when he and his people rescue the deputy after Jacob’s first trial. You cannot enter the Wolf’s Den prior to this point.

Inside the game’s animations folders are these three subfolders including the respective files (JJ and Key03 is how Eli is often referred to in the files, I will get back to this in the character post):

This means there were three ways that you would encounter Eli: Inside a cabin, through being captured in a net or by being released by Perkins. This was most likely Doc Perkins, giving her a bit more significance in the game.

The main cutscene files for these are not present anymore, only the animations remain so I could not find out where the exact locations for these were supposed to be at. I however, loaded these animations into a game cutscene so we get to look at them anyway. I have chosen Jacob’s death cutscene for the simple reason that there’s only the player + 1 NPC, it is daytime and there’s no intrusive DOF blurring everything. The video below shows all of them.

Keep in mind that only the player animation matters in the first two! Ignore the rest. The third one features Doc Perkins and has her animation applied to her. As you can see it is very very unfinished, but it shows that she possibly unties the deputy or opens an animal cage, then drives away in a car.

youtube

This unused mission string supports the theory of these different ways further, as it implies that you met him somewhere and he would guide you to the den:

FOLLOW Eli into the Wolf's Den

There are several other objectives that suggest a more active Eli, who might have accompanied you on some missions:

WAIT for Eli to arrive GO with Eli GO inside the Wolf's Den

2.7. Jacob and the Veteran Center

Before swan diving down a very deep rabbit hole, let’s address this unused mission string first:

TALK to Deputy Pratt

Sounds very unspectacular and like something you would do at some point, but this is never an objective in the game. The intended function will forever remain unknown most likely, but possibilities are vast, especially with the upcoming abandoned objectives.

There are hints at an alternate useage of Jacob’s bunker (specifically called bunker here and not armory). Mission strings are:

FIND a way out of Jacob's Bunker LEAVE Jacob's Bunker

Again, on first sight you’d think these are just what’s there in-game. But they aren’t. During the final mission it goes from RESCUE Deputy Pratt straight to ESCAPE Jacob’s Armory. There is no indicator that you’d need to find a way out. The objectives above hint that it was similar to John’s and Faith’s bunker initially, where you had to do a few more things before escaping.

An observation derived from the game’s subtitle file is that at one point there might have been a differentiation between ‘Armory’ and ‘Bunker’ as, most likely, a random NPC says "I don't know where Jacob's bunker is. I'm not sure anybody does, but it's out there somewhere." The armory is (other than John’s and Faith’s bunkers) directly next to a main road, next to McKinley Dam. It is quite impossible to miss. Therefore this statement, along with the inconsistent switch between calling it ‘armory’, ‘bunker’ or ‘gate’, could mean there was originally a different bunker and the armory really functioned as such.

Before moving on to more mission strings, there is one more subtitle entry worth mentioning: "When you tried to arrest Joseph, Jacob got wind of it and things got real crazy here in the Whitetail Mountains." It heavily implies that at some point, Joseph’s family might not have been intended to be present during the opening, and they instead found out about the arrest afterwards. As far fetched as it sounds at first, it does check out with the inactivity and absence of the three heralds after you cuff Joseph (and in case you ever wondered what the three of them are doing while you guide Joseph outside, they de-spawn and are gone as soon as you turn around).

But enough about that and let’s get back to more missions we never got to see.

For instance there is:

GO TO the Veteran's Center

Which, as most of you know, is impossible during the game because you get repositioned everytime you attempt to go close. This string implies a different kind of mission at some point.

HUNT Jacob

No, this also does not appear in the game. The final mission goes from DESTROY Wolf Beacons to KILL Jacob Seed. Possibility in combination with the previous entry is that you were supposed to follow him back to the Veteran Center and that’s where the final fight would be. It could also imply a different kind of trial.

Small observation because we are talking about the final fight: The Prima Games’ guide (based on a pre-release build of the game, it will be featured more prominently in the next post) depicts Jacob at the bottom of the mountain during this encounter. WIth a lot of perseverance I’m sure you can somehow manage to replicate this in-game. But it is interesting regardless that they chose this image. It might imply that at some point he was not positioned on top of the hill, and instead closer to the area he finally dies in.

Before we move on, here are a few other interesting unused strings:

TRAIN TRAIN yourself INTERACT with Jacob for finishing takedown TALK to Jacob

They imply a different way to end the fight along with the possibility to talk to Jacob at some point (unrelated to each other mind you). I have no clue in what kind of scenario you were supposed to talk to him. The only explanation I have is that trials were possibly supposed to be different at some point and maybe they had more intentions to explore the whole brainwashed aspect of it to the point you casually took strolls around St Francis. Now before you say I just made that up, I implore you to wait till after the next part to call me out on it, because there are reasons I offer that possibility up for discussion here.

TRAIN and TRAIN yourself might not be linked to this region at all. But it is interesting to have these sort of objectives as they form the ‘Train, Hunt, Kill, Sacrifice’ part of the region’s theme, when you refer back to other mission strings: TRAIN (yourself), HUNT Jacob, KILL Jacob Seed.

Now to get to the main part. If you ever used mods on PC that let you access the Veteran Center, you will have noticed that the AI acts very strange. Your assigned GFH might wander around, aim at nothing or even attack civillians. Cultists inside the area will not always attack you, while civillians will do. This is most likely why the developers were so quick to patch out the tricks to access the region without mods.

I have seen multiple speculations circling around, but the one that always struck me as the most plausible one is that there was some kind of mission after Pratt rescues you from the cage. It is a very discontinuous cutscene, in which you transition from the cage directly to the top floor of the Veteran Center, implying there were no problems for Pratt and the Deputy to get there, despite having to cross the entire guarded frontyard and going through multiple building floors to get to the office. So, naturally I wasted some time of my life trying to dig up stuff that proves this theory right and I...well I did find something.

Important note so you understand what’s going on here: It is very common in games to load objects underneath the map (outside of sight of the player) to assure they are properly loaded in when they are needed. I have seen posts circulating around which depicted Pratt underneath the building, suggesting they eventually had an area planned there. The more likely case is that Pratt was loaded there for later use in a cutscene.

Why am I saying that? Well, this following screenshot was taken underneath the map during the cutscene where Pratt rescues the deputy and it transitions to the top of the building. I have changed the time to daytime for a bit better visibility.

What you see here is an entirely unused set of either cutscene or gameplay elements. A truck, Jacob (who’s absent in the cutscene we see), Pratt, a random NPC, a bag, a small table (unseen in cutscene), a single door (unseen in cutscene), a double door and 3 small pieces of paper (only two are in cutscene). I have kept watch on these assets for the entirety of the cutscene and none of them were moved into place. Meaning that all of these were here to be used in either a different cutscene or even a gameplay segment.

It brings me back to the mission theory, where there was a potential stealth segment between leaving the cage and entering the office. Maybe there was an alternate cutscene for the case where you’d be caught and the one we see in the game is the one after successfully sneaking up there? We will never know for certain again but it is one possible explanation as to why these assets even still exist. It would also check out with the TALK to Deputy Pratt mission string, as you maybe had to speak to him after reaching a certain area.

Here are also some additional screenshots of the room in front of the office:

It was modelled and filled with a few detail props we never get to see much of.

Another potential mission, which would explain the broken AI behavior better, is the already mentioned theory that they might have planned to do more with the whole brainwashing aspect. Cultists inside the Vet Center area do not shoot and are allied, while civillians act hostile, implying while the player is there they are considered to be allied to cultists. TALK to Deputy Pratt, TALK to Jacob or TRAIN (yourself) could have taken place during this also. Something that could support this theory is also this unused timelapse marking days passing:

youtube

3. The Game’s Title and Closing Words

Internally the game is often called ‘fc zeta’, ‘zeta’ or ‘fcz’. So *sigh* of course I tried to find a deeper meaning behind it all and came to the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet ‘Zeta’. If you count Far Cry: Primal as a real standalone title, Far Cry 5 is the sixth Far Cry release. But because the Greek were special snowflakes or something, the sixth letter actually has the value of 7. So Zeta is actually 7 despite being the sixth. If you count Blood Dragon as a Far Cry release it’d mean FC5 is the 7th release. However, these theories exclude all the expansions and stuff for earlier Far Cry games.

Another indicator that Zeta might have been more than just a number, is this texture used as a decal on some clothing materials:

I have not found someone in-game who has this anywhere, and they might just disable the transparency and use it only for the American flag. But still, why would they make such a decal texture in the first place? Maybe very early name of the cult or resistance group?

Before closing this incredibly long essay, here is an old, unused version of the logo found in the files :)

Phew, we finally reached the end. If you made it all the way down here: CONGRATULATIONS you just read a long af essay! Again, i’d like to remind you that a lot of what you’ve read is pure speculation. I tried to prove my arguments as best as I could with evidence that I provided but only Ubisoft knows what really happened. And they are unlikely to tell us.

The next post will focus on the expansive character list and I may split it into parts because there is a lot to say and show about some characters.

I hope you have a nice day and thank you for reading ♥

_______________________________________________________

References:

text.farcry.info (website where you can look through Oasisstrings yourself!) languages\english\oasisstrings.oasis.bin languages\english\oasisstrings_subtitles.oasis.bin animations\narrative\cin_key03_q01_b00_meet_jj_cabin animations\narrative\cin_key03_q01_b00_meet_jj_net animations\narrative\cin_key03_q01_b00_meet_jj_release domino\user\fcz_proto_ld domino\user\zeta_dlcm ui\resources\textures\04_menu\tooltips ui\resources\textures\06_icons\inventory ui\resources\textures\05_hud\tutorials\_images __Unknown\XBT\AE800D066AB2E84A.xbt __Unknown\XBT\FD080AA2BBABE691.xbt Zeta on Wikipedia (english) Squad on Wikipedia (english) Prima Games guide (2018, collector’s edition, print and digital) reddit.com/r/farcry/comments/89nsf1/so_theres_3_missing_guns_for_hire_here_maybe_3/ __Unknown\BIK\C6AB10EDBC81E933.bik

#far cry 5 #gameinfo #obligatory longessay tag #if you ever wondered how much of a nerd i am #look at these essays #and know that i enjoyed writing and capturing footage of every second of this

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sandu-zidian · 4 years

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Hello! I doubt many people are gonna read this, but I decided to finally post on here about my Star Wars planet! I wanted to create a planet that was based off of Asian culture, specifically, Chinese culture. Star Wars does a lot of things right, but I don’t think diversity in world-building is one of them. I’m not an expert and I’m pulling off of my own experiences as much as I am research. I posted about it on Insta a while ago, but lowkey Tumblr is much more suited for very, very long posts. So, get ready for a lot, and I mean a lot of info under the line!

General Info:

Area: Mid-Rim

Size: mid-size

Population: 2 billion

Geography: One large continent surrounded by water, with croppings of islands on the coasts. Mountainous in the northern and western regions of the mainland, with plains spread across the rest.

Climate: temperate, slightly humid. But northern mountain ranges get very cold.

Capital: Zhongjing, resided in the middle of the continent, next to a large river that cuts through the city from north to south. Is surrounded by plains (though you can see the northern mountains on a good day)

Geography:

Northern Mountains:

The northern mountains of Nassora’s large continent spans the whole northern side. Climate is quite cold, spending much of the year around and below zero degrees. Original settlers in this area stuck to the mountain base and the ocean.

The main interest of this area is the fishing and lumber industry. Large forests span the surrounding areas and mountains. As sea villages, fishing was also the main source of food, making it an obvious trading item. With the abundance of wood, making homes and boats was easy. Hunters also venture into the forests, killing elk and bears for meat and fur. Traditional clothing of this area is layered with dense fur and thick hide.

Flora: large pine trees, grass and wildflowers during the short summer season. May see some winter fruit, but not much.

Fauna: large bears (white and brown fur), elks, hares, owls, small rodents, white tiger (found between the Western and Northern mountains)

Western Mountains:

The western mountains are hot and humid, similar to a jungle climate. A river, the XiJiang (西江), flows through the mountains, hugging the base, flowing from north to south. With large areas of marshy land, Nassorans found a specific type of grain that thrives in this climate: rice. Many Nassorans in the western area planted rice and used water buffalos to help work the fields. Other plants bore fruit, which grow in flatter areas in groves. The subtropical climate of this area also makes it a perfect place to grow spices. Salt mines are also abundant within the mountains. Food in this area consists of spicy food to help combat the heat. Another common plant found is bamboo, which is useful for making paper.

A large river runs parallel to the mountain, separating the cities close to the mountain from the mainland. Bridges will be built later, but this forced villages and cities to be pushed closer to the mountain, where hot weather gets trapped between the mountains and the river. This causes a large layer of fog to fall over many cities.

Flora: rice, fruit, large trees with vines, spices, bamboo

Fauna: monkeys, large birds, cranes, water buffalos, monkeys, tiger

Plains:

The large plains spread from the center of the continent to the south and east. By far the largest area on the continent, the climate here is mild and temperate compared to the west. But humidity and heat increase as you travel further south. Two rivers occupy the plains: Gui He (龟河), the winding river that branches out, one headed for the Capital and one headed into the plains, and Yu He (玉河), which is further north. Small lakes also crop up in this area, making for good sources of water outside the river.

Because of the flat area, early Nassorans in this region were nomadic, using domesticated horses to herd cattle. Eventually, they settled down as they discovered farming. Nassorans grew vegetables, fruit, and grain. Other plants grown are cotton and indigo down in the southern plains. Hills pop up every so often in the mostly flat area, and small pockets of woods can be found closer to the east. Outside of farming areas, tall grass spans the area, and gives a very idyllic landscape. Pockets of sugar cane can also be found near the lakes in this region.

Flora: fruit trees, grain, cotton, smaller trees, tall grass, sugar cane

Fauna: horses, cattle, chickens, small birds, rodent animals

History:

Pre-Space Travel:

Nassorans were groups of nomadic settlers spread across the continent. Plain residers herded cattle on domesticated horses, and used the large areas of flat land to build farms, harvesting grain and eventually cotton. Were the first to settle into villages. Groups living in the northern mountains moved around a lot more, eventually moving south as the colder climate became harder to reside. Some stay in the north near the ocean. Groups living in the western mountain ranges found a wet, temperate climate, perfect for growing rice and spices.

After a couple hundred years, trade was established between these three areas, and eventually, a governing body formed to connect the trade routes and eventually, the people. A man named Huangwei (皇位) crusaded across the continent, uniting the people under one flag, and established a monarchy under his family. Later, he is coveted as the ‘messiah’ of the Nassorans, for his reign brought prosperity to the land. They say he opened the Spirit World and connected it to the Mortal World.

After almost 1000 years, a group of space travelers found Nassora. Intrigued by the majority-water planet, this group of sentients descended onto Nassora. The Nassorans, fascinated yet terrified, welcomed these foreigners. Many wondered if they were immortals. But after seeing a couple die of disease, the rumor died quickly. With the introduction of intricate technology, Nassorans quickly adapted to the new opening of the planet to space.

Post-Space Travel:

After the introduction of space travel, many changes quickly opened up.

Rapid advancement in technology: as foreigners came, Nassorans quickly picked up new theories and inventions which were disseminated across the continent. Fishing, which was very important in the north, became much easier. Agriculture became much more efficient. With the new influx of information, more and more Nassorans began to develop mathematical and scientific skills to do their own research. Many even went off-world to learn from other planets. Over time, the imperial capital of Nassora, Zhongjing (中京) will develop into the technological center of Nassora, surrounded by agriculture.

Increased trade: With new planets discovering Nassora, trade between them increased significantly. To keep up with this, Nassora had to quickly adapt their agricultural industry to keep up with demand. Farms grew, more workers were needed. Eventually, Nassora found itself as an impressive agricultural planet.

Dissemination of Nassoran religion and clothing: Nassorans were one of the first Jedi. With many of their people supposedly “Blessed” with these powerful gifts, Force-Sensitives were incredibly dear to Nassorans. When rumors of a new religious group surrounding FS began to pop up, many were interested to meet others similar to them. With them, they brought ancient religious texts (as many FS were monks living in HuangDi’s temple, thanking him for their gifts) and their style of clothing. While the Jedi today are very different to Nassorans in regards to religion, the foundation of the Jedi philosophy was Nassoran, and their clothing is still reminiscent of traditional Nassoran clothing.

Increased planetary involvement: Nassora’s relationships with other planets led to the increasing need for Nassora’s involvement with other planets in order to ensure they benefit. However, this also went vice versa. Other planets began to encroach into Nassoran life, as one of the few large agricultural planets in the region. Superior weapons and power meant Nassora could do little without invoking outright physical conflict, or even war.

Increased diversity and conflict: with the influx of new species onto the planet, many Nassorans were wary. But most people were curious and excited for such a development. However, with their lack of intellectual prowess and seemingly strange lifestyle, many off-worlders were condescending and outright discriminatory, holding their superior technology as a sign of their superiority over the Nassorans. They treated the Nassorans as lesser, and this led to many conflicts between individuals, and eventually the governments.

As tensions between Nassora and other nearby planets rose from the treatment of Nassoran people and political tensions, a woman called Meng Xiao Gen began to plan a revolt. After a year of planning, the group Shadow Hand, which was made of a large number of Nassorans, launched a continent wide attack against the off-worlders, essentially driving them off the planet. The government, while not involved in the planning, did little to stop it. With no connection to the group, other planetary governments could do nothing against them without seeming the aggravator.

After this event, Nassora closed its borders to all off-worlders that were not traders. Even then, traders were confined to a few cities, unable to leave their assigned room/house. Nassorans were allowed to leave, but could not bring back a foreigner. Most Nassorans at this point didn’t want to leave, and were content to be almost isolated. Unless for trade or family reasons, no Off-Worlders were allowed onto the planet. The Jedi, who were closely tied to Nassoran’s religious temples, were also driven off. Most FS from this time on are taught within the temples or by private tutors, if their family was wealthy enough.

After a couple of centuries of isolation, Nassorans became even more wary of off-worlders. The amount of animosity towards anyone that did not look or dress or talk like Nassorans were at an all time high. As the Republic’s power grew and Nassora’s prowess waned, the government found it was high time to reconnect with the greater galaxy in hopes of rekindling planetary relations. Now much more technologically advanced, the worry was less about being seen as lesser, and more about Nassoran people’s ire and xenophobia.

Era of the Republic:

Nassora officially joined the Republic 245 BBY, one of the most recent additions to the Republic. In a couple of years, the planet opened its borders, to the wariness of the people. Slowly, entering and leaving the planet began to increase, as more came for job opportunities and tourism, for the elusive agricultural planet was a mere shadow to many. In the Senate, Nassora has one Senator, dominated by the wealthy and noble Yan family, who are very closely tied to planetary politics as well.

Nassora’s political stance was to keep the Republic as far from their planetary politics as possible. They disliked laws that forced Nassora to be more involved than it already was. They were also at odds with the banking clan, as they tried to integrate themselves into the galactic banking system, only to find themselves blocked at seemingly all avenues. From a galactic view, Nassora was still a developing planet, despite their technological advancements from limited connections to the rest of the galaxy.

When Nassora first opened up and the first off-worlder tourists came passing through, misunderstandings plus the tense climate around letting off-worlder into Nassora led to some violent first couple of months. Off-worlders and Nassorans alike were attacked, and protests began against letting off-worlders into their shops and their towns. Many Nassorans announced their fear of history repeating itself. Slogans like “Never Again” and “Leave us Be” became popularly used. Eventually, the government was forced to step in to quell the protests. After five months of tension, politicians like the Yan family pleaded for the people to be understanding, showing their support of opening borders by publicly mingling with off-worlders. Protests stopped, but tension lasted for another year or two.

Nassora, being a largely agricultural system, was sought after for trade opportunities. However, the government was still cautious of trusting new planets that wanted to trade with them. After opening their borders, their textile industry boomed. The quality of their cloth from well grown cotton and the mix of technology meant that many wealthy elites craved new quality clothing. However, the importance of clothing in Nassoran culture made it very hard for anyone to get their hands on it. Many wealthy planets tried very hard to make pleasing deals for it. Nassora won’t be so easily persuaded however, and is a constant battle.

After opening up, the Jedi Order began to resurface in Nassora. Many came on pilgrimages, to see where the foundations of the Jedi religion came from. Some came to seek out new initiates, only to be rebuffed most of the time. There are a handful of times when the Jedi came with a diplomat in order to settle trade disputes. Overall, the Jedi, while open to Nassora, found that the people were just as wary of them as they were everybody else. With each new generation of Nassorans, the xenophobic nature began to dispel as young children became used to seeing off-worlders.

In the years leading up to the Clone Wars, the Nassoran government saw an increasing number of cases of corruption within the Republic. One such instance was the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY. Nassorans were horrified at the encroachment of the Trade Federation into Naboo, and the Republic’s lack of help. Nassorans applauded Nabooians’ strength, as they fought off the invaders themselves. Increasing instances of such encroachment and no help from the Republic led to increasing bitterness and hatred to the Republic. In 22 BBY, Senator Yan Ruwei pulled Nassora out of the Republic alongside the CIS, though became an independent system rather than join. The Nassoran people were tired of such galactic politics, and were glad to begin looking inwards once more.

Era of the Empire:

In 19 BBY, the Republic dies, and the Empire rises. With a direct connection to the Jedi, the Empire seeked to control what information about the now dead religious group was known. But Nassora was not under Republic or Imperial jurisdiction. So, after establishing power over the Senate and current Republic planets, the Empire began its crusade over independent systems. Planets such as Mandalore and Lasan were under heavy attack, and Nassora made its way onto that list. In 17 BBY, the Empire began it’s invasion. The Invasion of Nassora lasted 2 years, ending when the capital was taken. Much of Nassora’s beautiful plains and farms were razed in the fighting. In the next years, as the Empire established firm control, Nassorans got to rebuilding.

Under Imperial control, the Empire usurped the monarchy, placing a governor and Moff to keep the government under their control. The former senator was brought back, under a very tight leash. In order to try and destroy everything tied to the Jedi, the Empire also began razing Shenist Temples. Many monks and locals tried to protect them, but were unsuccessful. After the slaughter of a group of Huangdi Blessed children, receiving Blessed tattoos became forbidden. Their five large festivals also ceased, leaving a generation of Nassorans uneducated to a large part of their heritage and culture.

Nassorans became increasingly angry and bitter under Imperial rule. Rebellion ranged from small inconveniences towards Imperial troops and officers to outright fighting. A small rebel cell began growing in the years after Invasion. But because of their small size, they were limited in scope of their attacks. Many Nassorans were also against hurting their own planet and people more, for fear that the Spirits would become angrier than they already were. Despite the struggles, the rebel cell stayed strong against Imperial power. Some Nassorans chose to join the larger Rebellion at hand or travelled to Lothal or Mandalore. Others chose to help both the local rebel cell and larger alliance by providing supplies and local help whenever they could. The government also began preparing for war, and attacked after the Liberation of Lothal.

War lasted for years. When the Emperor died, Imperial forces began falling apart. In a couple of months, Nassora finally drove off the last Imperials from their planet. In celebration, the people immediately began rebuilding their temples, and started giving facial tattoos to the children who were never given the honor. Many of these children were now adults, age 18, who were born right before and during the Invasion of Nassora. Senator Talira returned from her place in the Alliance to help restore Nassora to its former glory. Eventually, she’ll become the PM. Nassora will not join the New Republic. However, they will have fairly good relations with the governing body, who leave them to their own devices for the most part.

Culture

Language:

Nassora’s standard language is called Nassu, using the common written language and plain dialect. All three regions, before unifying, had their own dialect. Trade made it so that all three dialects had similar grammar usage. Close trading connections also forced writing to be standardized very early on, even though dialect stayed mutually unintelligible.

The foundation of the language is from a set of pictograms, which associate a pictorial with a morpheme. Ideograms are characters in which the pictorial describes abstract ideas. The most common form of logograms in the language is the radical-phonetic compounds, in which the first part of the character indicates meaning and the latter half indicates pronunciation. This latter half allowed Nassu to grow it’s vocabulary significantly. The rebus-principle is also incredibly important to the development of Nassu. (i’m not a linguist, especially not one for a barely explored set of languages). Despite Nassu being used by all citizens, as it is the standard, usage of dialect is still very prominent between locals. The further you get from the capital and the plains, the more you will hear dialect being spoken.

After the first opening of Nassora, basic became a common language as well, and continued to have minor influence even during its isolation given the need to keep up governmental and trade relations. Basic became even more common after joining the Republic, as more off-worlders began entering the system and even staying, though Nassu is still much more common, enough that many off-worlders learn the language to ease their stay.

Nassorans take much pride in their culinary diversity. The different regions have different food staples that dominate their eating habits. However, some habits are common across the whole planet. Food is a sign of love and work ethics. Every family will always meet for at least one meal, usually lunch or dinner. This communal eating habit fosters both familial and friendly connections. During large celebrations and festivals, communities will come together for large potlucks where communal food reserves are redistributed among the community. During the four large festivals, the Royal family will redistribute part of the government surplus as a sign of goodwill and generosity. This will pass from hand to hand: Emperor to Princes to Ministries to communities to families. Because of this tradition of communal eating, lots of effort goes into preparing meals that sometimes take the whole family to do so. It is a time of bonding and a time of rigorous work, and therefore exemplifies many of the values Nassorans believe in.

Cuisine:

Cuisine varies by region. In the North, seafoods are staples in their diet. It is common to find lots of stews and sometimes rice noodles, which did not appear in northern cuisine until after trade was established with the rest of the planet. Root vegetables are also quite common. In the West, the humid climate fosters heavy use of spice as a way to alleviate heat in the body. Grains are especially prominent with rice, beans, and seeds playing a major part in the food’s taste and texture. In the South, abundance of large open fields means the growth of vegetables and other plants. Meats are also prominent, as some semblance of semi-nomadic life still features in cuisine. Bread is a particularly unique feature of Southern style food, as grains are mulled into flour. Congee also features heavily with the abundance of grains.

Art/Architecture:

Art features heavily in Nassoran society, marking temples and prominent government buildings. Basic understanding of Nassoran art is very simple: artists and musicians focus heavily on nature, emphasizing peace, harmony, and balance. Ink paintings are a common focus, as the unpredictability of the medium allows the artist to focus less on replicating what they see and replicate what they feel. Religious artwork is much more detailed, focused on depicting deities and spirits in grandiose ways. Statues and sculptures of spiritual figures dominate temples.

Ethnic instruments used by Nassorans are always handmade. Luthiers focus on the intricate beauty of each instrument as creators of balance and harmony. Oftentimes, luthiers focus on spiritual understandings of balance to help create the best instruments possible. While other instruments and musical styles have entered Nassoran culture, traditional instruments, acting as spiritual items in many ways, are not to be tampered with.

Old architecture in Nassora is heavily reliant on timberwork. Wooden posts and beams are used to hold up roofs, with walls separating rooms. Architectural features are the emphasis on symmetry, use of open enclosed spaces (courtyards), and horizontal emphasis (spread horizontally vs growth vertically). Unlike more Western houses, Nassoran homes feature large compounds. Buildings facing the door are the most important, with the side buildings being less important, and buildings facing away from the large doors as the least important. Guardian statues are also common, and can range from the Shangshen to personal spirits. Most buildings feature tile roofs, though the yellow tiles are reserved for Imperial buildings built for the Emperor. Imperial buildings also feature many roof details that signify the Emperor’s spiritual and political legitimacy. Religious temples follow similar features, with side buildings set as living quarters and the shrines for deities and spirits in the center of the building. Offerings are often scattered around the floor, and mats are set in place for prayers and meditation.

Race/Ethnicity:

Nassorans are a near-human species. Most are unsure where the Nassorans came from, as they evolved so similarly to humans, and yet had no connection to them during most of their development.

Despite the common understanding of biological differences between the millions of species in the galaxy, Nassorans group all of them as off-worlders/foreigners, guaididui (怪敌对). The first off-worlders were hostile in their confrontations, and Nassorans, with inferior technology, were unfortunately treated quite unfairly. In response, Nassorans developed a deep distrust of foreigners that carried into their isolationist period. When they opened themselves up and joined the Republic, Nassorans were quite upset about this. They believed that doing so would be asking for off-worlders to exploit them again. Fortunately, that was not the case. In the 200 years after opening up, increase of tourism and flow of people in and out of Nassora meant that the understanding of other species changed rapidly, especially by young Nassorans who travelled and studied in other planets during this time period. By the time the Clone Wars hit, Nassoran’s xenophobia had already broken down significantly. Nassora was often sympathetic to the CIS and independent worlds, respecting the strive for independence and control over what happens to the people of these planets. Leaving the Republic was a sign of returning to the planet’s people versus the whims of other planets.

When the Empire took over Nassora, interrelations with other species in the rebel alliance pushed Nassora to break down their racial understanding even further. Friendships and relationships formed out of working side-by-side. During this period, Nassoran’s marriage norm also began shifting as interspecies relationships became more common. Families began accepting species into Nassoran culture rather than just coexisting with them in separate bubbles.

Economy:

An agricultural based system with a budding technology system, Nassora is a very good place for investors to get involved with new tech businesses. However, most of Nassora’s trade is taken up by food supplies from grain to fruit to vegetables and non-perishables. Nassora became a hotspot for relief supplies during the Clone Wars for both sides, especially for CIS planets.

Although Nassora has large farms run by some corporations, Nassora’s deep connection with nature through their religion means lots of regulations are set in place to check corporations. Because of this, Nassora relies more on horticulture and family farming surplus. Alongside these regulations, horticulture is still very prominent in smaller communities, who sell their surplus to companies or the government to sustain themselves. It is not uncommon to see large farms next to small horticulture fields.

The largest industry in Nassora by far is textiles. With large areas of plains and very good climate, it is very easy to grow cotton to make string and cloth, alongside the abundance of indigo and dyes in the region. Much of the textile production is family-based and oftentimes the family also work as tailors and have close relations with cotton farmers. There are some textile factories, but stringent regulations means it is much harder to profit lucratively. Production of Nassora’s high quality cloth means that selling it to other planets is very lucrative. In most places, only the wealthy can afford the high price Nassoran cloth is set at.

The intersection of textiles and technology has led to many interesting experiments. Researchers have been able to successfully blend cloth and technology together to create clothing strong enough to protect the wearer from immediate harm of a knife or one blaster shot, though this type of clothing can’t withstand extreme force. The creation of cloth that can create shields have also been in the works. Most prototypes feature the cloth as a set of fans that when put together, can activate a small shield to protect the user. However, such technology is kept very tight-lipped, especially around off-worlders.

Government and Politics:

In the early ages, Nassora was a monarchy/empire. The Emperor held most of the power, distributed among the princes. Some power was allocated to the Court and Ministries, but all worked under and took orders from the Emperor.

Royal Family- it was common, even encouraged, for the Emperor to take on concubines on top of his Empress. The inner palace, run by the Empress, housed all the concubines and consorts (higher level concubines) and ran the inner workings of the Palace.

Princes that were of age would have palaces in the Capital, though most resided outside, taking on roles of governors of far reaching territories. Only the Crown Prince would reside in the Capital, taking over smaller responsibilities in Court. The good use of having princes take on governmental roles was to minimize any political fights for the throne, though even this didn’t stop tumultuous political periods between princes fighting for the throne.

The heir of the throne is not decided by birth. Instead, it is based on the merits of the prince, and the will of the Emperor. Whoever the Emperor thought would be the best fit for the throne would thereby be the Crown Prince. This style of lineage allowed for infighting to be much more common, as ambitious princes fight for the Emperor’s favor, pushing to be the best. During these early years, princes, like the feudal age, held small armies to help protect their area of governing.

Court and Ministry- the court is made of Ministers who commence everyday to debate over new laws and judicial cases. The Ministers involved in Court are usually high ranking in their respective Ministries with seniority. The process for gaining a Minister position is extensive. Candidates are highly educated, and usually come from wealthy families. After extensive background checks on their political affiliations and any criminal offenses, they then take an entrance test. If they pass the entrance test, they then meet for interviews. Finally, a candidate is chosen. The court will usually debate laws and regulations that pass either from the Emperor, Ministries, or a Minister. On some days, large cases that need the court to preside over will take place, though these are few and far between.

The Ministries are organizations that work under the Emperor. They have specific tasks and goals to fulfill. Examples are: Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Religion, etc. They will often work independently or conversely with each other. These Ministries regulate whatever it is the Emperor has tasked them with. Ministry of Justice will deal with criminals; Ministry of trade with domestic and interplanetary trade, Ministry of Religion coordinating with monks and shamans. (they’re basically agencies)

Other groups-

The Royal Guard is the group of elite soldiers that protect the Palace and Emperor. They work within the bounds of the Palace grounds, though will often work with Capital Patrol and even other areas if they are called upon. The leader is often a Commander or General.

The Capital Patrols are controlled by a General. They police within the Capital boundaries and are supposed to be neutral in any political fights. They serve the Emperor and the people. Over time, the Capital Patrols and Royal Guard will consolidate under the Ministry of Defense.

After the Revolt of Shadow Hand, the leader Meng Xiao Gen, takes on the role of Prime Minister, a new government official created in order for the government to reconcile and appease the people, showing that they are hearing their cries and will make changes. Under her rule, Nassora flourishes.

Over time, the position of Prime Minister and the courts and Ministries began gaining power, and the Emperor’s control waned. After a very turbulent time where two princes fought for the throne as their father died, the Prime Minister at the time instigated massive restructuring of Nassora’s government. The courts became a legislative body, and the Prime Minister gained immense power. Elections were set into place, and a constitution was written. This is known as the Great Restruction. The day the constitution was ratified became a planetary holiday.

When Nassora joined the Republic, the government once again shifted, though significantly smaller this time. Nassora decided to only send one senator, who is chosen by the Prime Minister and Emperor. The role becomes insignificant after they leave, but makes a revival when the Empire takes over.

During Imperial reign, the Empire established a governor, which took the role of the Prime Minister. The current PM had little power, and left office after his term was over. No re-election was called, and the Imperial governor took over the Nassoran government. The senator role had little power, as it was seen as mostly a figurehead position. It was a lazy show of compromise, even though in the heart of the Empire, Coruscant, the senator has little power.

Nassorans, in general, are very nationalistic. They dislike any planetary intervention from outside such as the Republic and the Empire. Even as a member of the Republic, Nassora pushed for less Republic intervention into planetary affairs. Their ire for outside forces spreads to their interactions with other systems. Nassora is a staunch defender for independent planets and is willing to lend hands for groups that wish to take more control over the policies of their own planets.

Kinship and Family:

Nassorans follow a bilineal descent line and focus heavily on the extended family. In most cases, Nassoran families live either within the same roof, or in the near vicinity. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews are common figures in a person’s life, and Nassorans will find that their support system to be quite extensive within the family. Because Nassorans follow a bilineal, descent of both the mother and father pass through their children. Last names of the married couple are not exchanged for one or the other, and the child takes the last name of the parent who has the higher prestige or class status. Mixed children (where one parent is an offworlder) will always take the name of their Nassoran parent, although this fluctuates depending on where the family is settled and how closely tied they are to Nassoran culture.

The notion of ‘blood’ ancestry is not necessarily biological either. Oftentimes, close families are seen as part of the extended family. Family friends virtually adopt each other into their system of kinship. It is not uncommon for families to adopt a recent orphan of a family friend. In this instance, the distinction between the adopted and biological child are virtually nonexistent.

Within the nuclear family, wife and husband both hold significant roles in order to keep the household functioning. This more egalitarian system meant that gender roles, stereotypes, and ideology were much less pervasive in a person’s identity. Other identifiers like class status and Blessed status feature more prominently than a person’s gender.

As a system, kinship is one of the most important social groups one is a part of. In many ways, kinship dominates a person’s social life. Large family gatherings and dinners are common. Festivities and holidays together are mostly with family. While friends are an important part of a person’s life, family is by far the most dominant feature. Because of this, the family is often involved with marriage. Families spend much time nagging and helping members find proper partners to build a life with. For the most part, same-sex marriage was easily integrated, as the understanding of gender in Nassora is much more fluid and not a prominent identifier for the people.

What is most contested in the realm of kinship is the importance of children and marrying off-worlders. The large feature of family means that legacy and continuing the descent line is invaluable to the family. Passing down traditions and one’s gifts is part of the process of life. To not want children, adopted or through labor, seems impossible. Miscegenation (in this case, to off-worlders) is also harshly stigmatized. Nassora’s history with off-worlders created a common belief that off-worlders are untrustworthy and will abuse you. After opening up and joining the Republic, Nassora’s stigma and miscegenation continuously comes into conflict with changing ideals of the youth as mingling with off-worlders becomes more and more common. The era of the Empire forced Nassorans to face growing intersections with other species, forcing marriage norms to change alongside changing understandings of race.

Gender and Sexuality:

Nassoran understanding of both gender and sexuality are quite fluid, unlike the rigid binaries seen in many other planets. Bilineal descent and fluid division of labor meant that gender roles were not emphasized. In turn, understanding of gender has a lack of gender norms and therefore, lack of gender ideologies. It isn’t uncommon to see women and men owning land, depending on prestige (emphasis on age and Blessing). Because gender norms are lacking, the emergence of gender fluidity was accepted very easily. Unlike in other cultures, gender doesn’t play a significant role in a person’s status, nor does it play a significant role in someone’s identity. In Nassu, gender identifiers describe a person as either ‘female leaning’ (ten), ‘male leaning’ (tan), and ‘neutral leaning’ (zong). Because of the fluidity of gender, sexuality is also very fluid. Words identifying someone’s sexual preferences do not exist in Nassu, meaning that partners of any gender are acceptable.

Sexuality is also not defined in Nassoran culture. While it is understood that females have the reproductive system, adoption as another form of creating a family means that pregnancy is not emphasized as much. Polygamy and polyandry were common when horticulture was the dominant way of life (contained mostly in the Southern Plains), as sharing land among a community was more common. Marriages were the most common way to secure ties to land. To this day, communities still practice polyamory and the government recognizes it as a legitimate form of marriage.

Religion:

The religion that the vast majority of Nassorans follow is called 栓神教 (shuangshenjiao), or shenism in Basic. Nassoran’s religious beliefs are intrinsic and powerful, and play a significant role in how Nassorans connect with the world.

Nassora’s religious beliefs are very based around this fundamental idea: the universe is a dynamic cycle of energy between two imposing realms; the spirit world and the mortal world. The movement of energy/qi creates the dynamic flow of life and death from one realm to the other. Equilibrium between these two realms is ideal for prosperous lives and a healthy world.

Spirits and Immortals- A Look at the Mythology of Shenism

Shenism creationist story is similar to many other religions as a creation from chaos type. For eternity, the universe was filled with Chaos, a mere abyss. The four Shangshen, who lived within the Chaos, gained enough power to harness the Chaos into energy, forming it into the two realms that are vaguely denoted as the “sky” and the “earth”, though these descriptions are not necessarily accurate. The Mortal World, or the “earth”, and the Spirit World, or the “sky”, began a back and forth ebb and flow as the chaotic energy embeds itself into the foundations of both realms. Mythology predicts the eventual breakdown of qi back into chaos as balance is lost, before being harnessed again. This cyclical cycle of chaos and cosmos is unique to Shenism.

Shenism mythology uses Spirits (神) and Immortals (仙) as dieties. The jobs of the Spirits are to maintain proper flow of energy (qi) through the two realms. Immortals are former humans that gave up their mortality to help the Spirits work efficiently. While the two types of dieties seem very similar, Immortals differ from Spirits by controlling the complex weavings of qi within man-made society. Spirits focus on the natural world instead.

The story that follows the Creation story is of Huangwei (皇位), the first Immortal. At birth, Huangwei had immense powers to manipulate his surroundings. At age 24, he set on a quest of enlightenment and self-actualization. On his journey, he united all parts of the world, and at the end of his journey, ascended to immortality as he connected to the spirit worlds. He opened a large bridge between the Mortal and Spirit Worlds, bringing a time of peace and prosperity.

As an Immortal, Huangwei became Huangdi, and is one of the most important figures in Shenism mythology. Huangdi is the tie between the two realms and grants mortals supernatural powers that mirror his to help guide Spirits. Oftentimes, Blessed under Huangdi are often recruited as shamans, working as Spirit guides during festivals and important religious ceremonies.

The four main Spirits (Shangshen 上神) that guide the movement of energy are as follows:

Dragon Spirit (龙神): In power during the Spring, the Dragon harkens the beginning of the year with growth and a clean slate. Unlike dragons in other religions, the Nassoran Dragon is deeply tied to water and its vital part to the cycle of life. During its height of power, the Dragon blesses the land, starting the cycle of growth physically shown with the rising temperature and blooming flowers. The dormant energy of the turtle goes from ice to water. The Dragon’s temple is in the East, right next to the coast.

The Dragon also begins blessing children with strength and flexibility. Children blessed and confirmed by the Dragon’s largest temple are known to be very malleable to hard situations, and are often strong warriors.

Phoenix Spirit(凤凰神): The Phoenix follows the Dragon, moving into summer. Unlike the dragon, the Phoenix is represented by fire and energy. The Phoenix continues the flow of energy as crops begin growing. The energy must be in constant motion in order for the proper flow of light, dark, and rain to produce the best crops. The Phoenix’s temple is in the north, nestled in a small cropping of mountains to the west of the ___ River.

Blessed children of the Phoenix Spirit are known to be graceful and clever. They often take on more creative jobs. Blessed of the Phoenix Spirit are the most likely to be found in multiple realms of jobs, as their defining traits are malleable for many fields.

White Tiger Spirit (白老虎神): The White Tiger brings harvest season. During this time, the fiery energy begins to settle as the temperature cools. The energy flow goes into an ebb, as the White Tiger begins to regulate it after the Phoenix. During this time, families and groups come together to celebrate the good harvest, or pray for a better harvest the next year. Oftentimes, the White Tiger is seen as the ‘judgement spirit’, as a bad harvest signifies that the spirits are angry, and are punishing the mortals. The White Tiger Temple is in the west, deep in the Wang mountains (王山).

Children blessed by the White Tiger are known to be passionate and morally inclined. Most of these blessed children become public servants or work on bettering the lives of other people, though some who are more academically inclined go into research and university work.

Tortoise Spirit (乌龟神): The end of the harvest season brings winter. The Tortoise Spirit brings the energy to a dormant state, where it allows the world to settle down and recuperate. The winter season is a time of stillness and retreat. The Tortoise Spirit Temple resides in the southernmost tip of the continent

Children Blessed by the Tortoise Spirit are known to be level headed and determined. They can be stubborn at times, or be stalwart figureheads to help support people around them. Tortoise Blessed either enter very stable jobs or enter very fluid jobs, where they act as the center.

There are plenty of other spirits, but they all are minor compared to these four. These spirits are called xiaoshen (小神). Other spirits work with the Four shangshen during their height of power alongside Immortals. These spirits are also seen as animals, and have smaller shrines connected to the larger shangshen temples. Individual families may also have altars for these xiaoshen as personal spirits that watch over their household and family members. The concept of malevolent spirits does not exist within Shenism. Spirits have duties to push and pull the energy that binds the universe together. As a core understanding, balance must also mean that both good and bad exist. Spirits that bring famine and war, while bring bad events, must be treated with respect in order to keep the universe in balance. Mistreatment could lead to malformation of the spirit and may cause more harm than good.

Beliefs, Values, and Real Life Repercussions-

A core understanding of Nassoran religion is balance. There must be balance within all aspects of life: between duty and personal ambitions, family and individual desires, selfish and selfless. The best and most well-rounded people are those who can balance all aspects of their life and live within the middle. To Nassorans, unbalance in one aspect of life should be noted and rectified. Unfortunately, the first off-worlders were lacking in balance, and refused to change. To this day, Nassorans still look down on off-worlders as unbalanced and therefore lesser. Understanding of off-worlders shifted to be more complex over time, but the sentiment stands the test of time.

Daily prayer is not common in Shenism. Nassorans practice Shenism through their actions and thoughts. The Blessings of the Spirits are everywhere, and therefore everything should be cherished from the smallest ant to the most important of people and objects. However, it is common to see small altars within a familial compound for a family spirit that protects the family from harm. Nassorans will pray when life-changing events happen, such as marriage or birth, and during the Season Festivals.

The four Shangshen enter and exit the Mortal realm at the end of a season. For each changing of Spirit, Nassorans celebrate the work the previous spirit has done and hope for the next Spirit’s prosperity to begin. The names of each festival are as follows: Spring’s End (春尾节), Summer’s End (夏尾节), Autumn’s End (秋尾节), and Winter’s End (冬尾节). All four Temples will be open for prayers, and on sunset of Season’s End, the four temples will simultaneously ring their temple bells, opening their realm to the Spirits. In the Huangdi temple, disciples will begin the Ritual of Bridges in order to facilitate easy change of hands. It lasts from sunset to dusk, when the full moon appears.

Festivities start the week before the public Ritual, filled with food and family. If a family is unable to travel to the four large temples for prayer, they will usually congregate at a local temple or within their own homes. During the ritual, families meditate, hoping to connect with the spirits as they pass by.

Special delicacies are eaten specifically for certain festivals. Winter’s End: sticky rice, congee, warm chicken broth. Spring’s End: fruit deserts, rice balls, chicken’s feet. Summer’s End: sesame treats, spicy noodles, sugar hair. Autumn’s End: apple cider, cake pastry (aka moon cakes), bamboo wrapped rice.

A major part of Nassoran religion is the connection between mortal and spirits. Blessed children are Nassorans blessed by the Shangshen, lending them a unique connection to the world that shapes their personality. The Blessed are designated by their tattoos. While designs are up to families and the Blessed child, the color of the tattoos are fixed. Yellow for the Dragon. Red for the Phoenix. White for the White Tiger. Black for the Tortoise. The only other people with Blessed tattoos are those blessed by the Huangdi. These children have black and white tattoos, and are the only ones whose tattoos also show up on their bodies like the hands and feet, signifying their unique connection to the Qi.

Though Blessed face lots of opportunities, it can become limiting, as not all Blessed fit into these personality boxes organized by spirit. However, Blessed also have a unique position in society, where they are usually held to a higher standard and are thought of more highly in general, even though they only make up a small portion of the population (37%). This created a unique set of prestige within Nassoran culture. Status is often determined by whether or not one is Blessed, even if merits also play a significant role in gaining prestige as well.

Shenism plays a significant part in establishing the foundations of the Jedi Religion. Much of the basic principles of the Jedi such as the Force and Balance can be traced back to Shenism. Use of the Force has ties to Shenist Monks following Huangdi, who would use their deep connection to Qi (or the Force) for rituals. Even the lightsaber can be traced back to Nassoran weapons, though the significance of the lightsaber and kyber crystal are different. Although the Jedi Religion has changed significantly since Nassora isolated itself, the two religions are still deeply entwined together. Within the 200 years that Nassora was in Republic jurisdiction, Jedi re-established relations with Shenism, encouraging pilgrimages to Shenist temples for younglings as a way to educate them on the beginnings of Jedi religions. This tie with the Jedi meant that it wasn’t uncommon for Jedi consulars to oversee any diplomatic work between Nassora and other planets.

Unfortunately, when the Clone Wars began, relations between Shenists and Jedi began to fray as the Jedi became generals in a war. Shenists berated the group for turning their back on the spiritual, warning of their lack of balance within the qi/Force. Nassora’s secession from the Republic didn’t help the situation. By the time the Clone Wars was coming to an end, Nassorans lost much of their respect and trust of the Jedi.

If you have gotten to the very end, wow. Thank you for taking the time to read this very lengthy post!

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