#Obviously two people can have similar opinions that are still distinct from each other and communicated differently

[gaywatch]

re: "it's already been said so no one will care about anything I have to say about it.": as your follower, i'm following your platforms, not whoever all else. we're not privy to all of the takes you're seeing, and most of us don't care to be privy— your thoughts and interpretations are what i'm here to see. a take you've seen before is often still new to us. and aside from that, while seeing a new or interesting interpretation is fun and all, so is seeing your thought processes lead you down a trail well-traveled. your tread is still visible among the other footprints. your touch and perspective can make an old path seem novel.

On good days I say exactly that to myself and can go about as normal, but sometimes the old, annoying voices try to tell me otherwise. One of my goals for next year is to get better at the therapy approach--recognizing the lie and consciously correcting it. I'm pretty good at it about other unhelpful thought patterns but I didn't realize until recently how often that one in particular likes to pop up.

Revisiting this message will help me clarify when I need to, thank you anon. <333

[trifectum]

“LIAVOSSO’S GALACTIC JOURNAL! - entry 2: the Lybadora”

Entry two - still very rudimentary- but maybe she’ll get there in the end. Passion takes work!

“So - second entry! I’ve been working on my technique- got some tips from a ProtoDemon on Earth (I had the notes he gave me over tea tagged onto the end of the latest pages)

I’m ready for round two! Turns out, I can specify whether or not I want text highlighted - and they won’t directly write what I wrote! Check it out! PLANTS ARE JUST EXTREMELY LAZY ANIMALS! I can do other stuff too, like this, this, and this - but I’ll save those for a rainy day. For now - let’s get on with it!

The Lybadora

These big, red, handsy people are my second choice for this journal for good reason - they're easy to get undressed, and easy to make a quick sketch of. After such a miserable experience with the Mantisi, I needed a simple set of subjects to actually have a conversation with and enjoy the company of. That and a bonus of having all the most difficult to talk formally about out of the way for the rest of the entries.

Biology

While Lybadora are actually pretty genetically similar to humans, what with their generally humanoid silhouette and organs, there are a few differences. Obviously, four arms, no external nose, three fingers, and spiky hair are some, but the height difference also tends to be a little wide. I’ve heard of humans and Lybadora being attracted to and marrying each other before, so I guess the hormonal similarities are quite distinct. That or the Lybadora’ll spend a night with anything that works, and so will the majority of humans. Either way, they are prone to their ‘emotions’.

Speaking of which - I did have to ‘human proof’ them a little. For example, the male sitting in a chair is my problem solving for that ‘bag’ situation. As you may have guessed - human and Lybadora sex organs are similar too. To all us non-humans that’s fine (who cares, right?), but most of humanity tends to be outwardly prudish, and really enjoys censoring anything that even implies a recognisable sex organ. So I’m just gonna respect that for the sake of staying off the watchlist of the Curator.

History

I don’t think I elaborated this enough the first time - but this is for my evaluation of encounters I’ve had with the allotted species. I guess I can also mention a bit of general history here and there - but I’m not a trained historian, so fair warning. Generally me and Lybadora are rather well separated. In terms of aggressive situations, nothing much is exchanged that wouldn’t have been if it were any other species. At most, their natural tendency to challenge worthy opponents is a tad bit informal. No one really knows why they’ve learned to challenge people to combat - just that it had to be some kind of adapted ritual from an era where such a thing had more weight. They are traditionally a hedonistic society, which does sort of fuel some opinions they tend to have of beings like me: being almost entirely unique is a ‘pull’ to most of the more adventurous ones. But that’s almost atypical really, Lybadora are famously forward.

Opinion

The Lybadora are decent people. It’s not too difficult to talk to one, and their personal ideals aren’t typically malicious. I guess they can be very off putting to an idle human observer - but an active conversation is always a little off from the sidelines. They… did sort of make me wonder about my advertising though; couldn’t exactly pay them with money if they were extremely hopeful of a ‘different equity’. Eh - we’re all consenting adults - it’s just a matter of specifying that I pay in Qwarts alone next time. OH and of course Kria is off with the Blade on the safest section of the allotted planet during my figure-sketching sessions.

Summary

If you like the kinds of party loving, fight loving, loving loving people you rarely see being themselves out in the wild - you like Lybadora. They’re a cuddly alternative to trying to befriend a wallkeeper in the docks of the Hell Facility, and can sniff out a good time from a mile away. Just keep an eye on them if you suspect anything more.

Hey! That’s it - much better this time, aye? Make sure to ask your questions wherever the questions are asked! Until next time!”

[ap-sadistics]

Can I ramble ? Imma ramble don't answer if u don't want to lol

About the last poll, where u asked if we think a character stays the same or not depending on what/where they've been stuffed.

I do think a character can be the same depending on the interpretation and the past you give them, and depending on the pov of the person who's writing the script/story. I'd say it's like having two person that got through the same kinda past, or having the same ability, but ending up with two entirely different personalities.

Like HIP kinda ? Where you'll have like two extreme of people having it BUT there's not just extremely calm or extremely agitated it can actually be really anything because of how each person is different .

Now how is this relevant ? Well it all depends on who's adapting it, what they saw most often (it has very much an influence on the writing I think) and how they might interpret the character. As long as they stay true to the "core", that they stay recognizable, and so that the character feels the same, then it should be no problem at all.

I'd say the only good example is Aisha from the Winx. I really don't like the remake but I do think Aisha was the only one I could recognize during S1 (didn't watch S2 and I won't). She was still sportive, kind of cynical (idk if that's the right word but u get my point) and helping others despite that.

(Or ur interpretation of the character can end up like Velma, so y'know)

Idk if what I just said is obvious, but yeah. Still the same as long as you can feel the character

They're a fighter ? Make them stay a fighter. Doesn't matter if in one interpretation you make them scared of everything as long as you can feel and at some point see they're ready to fight back if it's for friends or family.

Something like that

you see i get why people think and vote "same" on my poll. because technically both answers are correct simultaneously.

but you see. i actually disagree. i voted different. and also btw the question wasnt about "depending on where", it was regardless of where.

i have a strong opinion that the different iterations of characters are different they are made by anyone other than the original creator.

i like rambled about it at length several months ago to a friend here

but heres a copy paste of an excerpt from that ramble

ive believe... that the moment an interpretation of character exists concretely in the world, a new version of that character is created and is inherently a separate guy. because once the person takes that character theyre imparting their own self into that character because their perception of that character will always be different from that of the originals creators... even if you tried your hardest to be the most faithful that you can be to the source can you truly confidently say that your vision of the character is the same as the creators? when you are obviously a separate and different person from them?

i believe the moment you put it down on paper (paper is metaphorical considering its all digital here) you gain some amount of ownership to that specific instance of that character. you created that version of that character. so even if you were intending that character to be similar to the original and they Are similar to them in every regard.... you brought that into being. you may not own that character but in some way. you Do. you see people use possessives for different versions of characters right? like my [insert character] or stan lee's peter parker and im blanking on what examples i can use. but people make a distinction between versions dont they?

like bbc sherlock vs doyle's sherlock vs dgs sherlock

all the same character........ technically. but also. unmistakably different.

tho theres cases where its more muddy tho and its less clear cut. but i go at length about the different cases in the linked post.

[celepeace]

A monster-taming game recommendation list for fans of Pokemon

Whether you're a pokemon fanatic obsessed with all things pokemon past and present, or a veteran fan disillusioned with GameFreak's recent adoption of monetary philosophies and strategies reminiscent of other major game publishers, or looking for a monster-taming fix as you await new Pokemon content...

I'm compiling here a post of little-known games in the genre that Pokemon fans are likely to enjoy!

Under readmore cause long, but some of these games really don’t get the attention they deserve, so if you have the time, please read!

(I am also likely to keep updating and editing this post)

First up is Temtem!

Temtem is a game made by and for Pokemon fans, from the spanish indie developer Crema. Temtem is currently in early access on Steam and PS5, and is likely to remain in early access until sometime late next year. Full launch will include a Nintendo Switch release, too. Despite this, it has plenty of content to explore before full release. The developers are active, release new content on a semi-regular basis, and are responsive to the community as a whole and individuals if you happen to come across a bug you want to report.

Temtem boasts a wide variety of monsters to collect and train. It takes place in the Airborne Archipelago, a system of floating islands that orbit their star, the Pansun. The monsters inhabiting the archipelago are called Temtem, or tem(s), for short.

As far as game mechanics go, it has many similarities to Pokemon, but also many important distinctions. The biggest one, in my opinion, is that the element of chance has been removed from battle entirely. Moves cannot miss, have the same power constantly, and status afflictions have an obviously displayed countdown to when they will wear off (for instance, sleep lasts as long as it says it will last. Not 2-4 turns). PP does not exist, either. Your tems can battle for as long as their HP holds out. In place of PP, a new system called Stamina exists. Stamina is an individual stat, like HP and Attack. Each move costs a certain amount of stamina. If you go over the amount of stamina your tem has, the deficit is detracted from your health instead, and that tem cannot move next turn. Stamina passively regenerates a certain amount each turn, and items and moves exist that can heal stamina. All battles are also double-battles, you and your opponent will typically have two tems on the field at a time. This is just a few of the differences Temtem has from Pokemon, but they're some of the biggest ones.

Temtem is also a massively multiplayer game. You complete the storyline independently (or with a friend through co-op!), but in the overworld you can see other, real players moving around and interacting with the world. There is also public and area-specific chat you can talk to other players through. Despite this, all multiplayer functions are (currently) completely optional. You do not need to interact with others to complete the game.

Overall, Temtem is suitable for the Pokemon fan who is looking for a more challenging experience. Temtem is not a walk in the park you can blaze through with a single super-strong monster. For one, individual tem strength is more well-balanced than it is in Pokemon. There are very few (if any!) completely useless tems. Even some unevolved tems have their niche in the competitive scene! Aside from that, enemy tamers are scaled quite high, and you typically cannot beat them just from the exp you get from other enemy tamers. You have to do some wild-encounter grinding if you want to progress.

Temtem is a very fun game and I've already gotten over 100 hours out of it, despite only 3/5-ish of the planned content being released!

However, I do feel obligated to warn any prospective players of one thing: the current endgame is quite inaccessible. After you complete what is currently implemented of the main storyline, there is still quite a lot left to explore and do, but much of it is locked behind putting a lot of hours into the game. You kind of have to get perfect temtem to do the current PVE (and this is also somewhat true for the PVP too). By perfect I mean you have to breed a good tem and then train it to get the preferable EVs (called TVs in temtem). This takes... well, for a whole team... tens of hours. Of boring grinding. Some people enjoy it! But I don't. Regardless, the game was still worth buying because the non-endgame content is expansive and fun.

So overall, pros & cons:

Pros

Battle system is more friendly towards a competitive scene

Cute monsters

Lots of gay characters, also you can choose pronouns (including they/them) independently from body type and voice

Less difference between the objectively bad tems and good tems than there is in Pokemon

Lots of stuff to do even in early access

Most conversations with dialog choices have the option to be a complete ass for no reason other than it’s fun

Having less type variety in your team is less punishing than in Pokemon due to the synergy system and types overall having less weaknesses and resistances

At least one major character is nonbinary

Cons

Falls prey to the issue of MMOs having in-game economies that are only accessible to diehard no-life players

Related to the above point, cosmetics are prohibitively expensive

Endgame CURRENTLY is inaccessible to most players unless you buy good monsters from other players or spend tens of hours making your own. However I must add that the grind is great if you like that kind of thing and is quite easy and painless to do while watching a show or something.

Here is their Steam page and here is their official website.

Next is Monster Hunter: Stories!

This is a spinoff game of the Monster Hunter franchise released for the 3DS in 2018. If you're anything like me, and you've played the core Monster Hunter games, you've often thought "Man, I wish I could befriend and ride these cool dragon creatures instead of killing or maiming them!"

Well now you can! In Stories, as I will be calling it, you play as a rider rather than a hunter. Riders steal monster eggs from wild nests to raise them among humans as companions and guardians. And yes, egg stealing is a whole mechanic in of itself in this game.

This game works pretty differently from most monster-collecting games. You do battle (usually) against one or two wild monsters using your own, except you fight alongside your monsters too. With swords and stuff. There's armor and weapons you can smelt to make yourself stronger. Type match-ups also kind of don't exist in this game? Except they do? But not in a way you'd expect?

The vast majority of attacking moves you and your monster use fall into categories reminiscent of rock-paper-scissors. Moves can be categorized as power, speed, or technical. Speed beats power, technical beats speed, and power beats technical. The matchup of your move vs your opponent's determines how a turn will go down. If one move beats the other in matchup, then the winner's move will get to go and the loser doesn't get to do anything. If you tie, you both get hit, but for reduced damage. There's also abilities and basic attacks, with abilities basically being the same as pokemon moves, and basic attacks just being "I hit you for normal damage within this category". Also, you don't control what your monster does all the time in battle. You can tell it to use abilities, but what kind basic attacks it carries out is determined by its species' preference. Velicidrome, for instance, prefers speed attacks, but Yian Garuga prefers technical. Stamina also exists in this game in a very similar manner to Temtem.

Overall this game carries over a lot of mechanics Monster Hunter fans will find familiar (how items and statuses work for instance). You don't have to have played a core Monster Hunter game to enjoy Stories though! It's fine and is easy to understand as a stand-alone.

The story has some likable characters and is rather long (it was actually adapted into an anime!), for those of you who enjoy a good story.

I'd really recommend this one especially. If it sounds fun to you and you can drop $30, just do it. I bought it on a whim and I got a few weeks' worth of playing almost nonstop out of it, and I didn't even get to do everything! (I got distracted by Hades, oops)

Stories is also getting a sequel later next year on the nintendo switch! How exciting!

And yes, you do ride the monsters.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Large variety of cool monsters to befriend and raise

Pretty lengthy story

Every tamable monster is also rideable

Deceptively simple combat mechanics, easy to be okay at, hard to master

Incorporates some mechanics from early turn-based party rpgs like Final Fantasy for a nice twist on the monster collecting genre

Cons

Many monsters are objectively outclassed by other ones, making what can be in an actually good team more limited than you’d expect

3DS graphics inherently means the game looks like it was made 7 years before its time

Here is the Monster Hunter Stories official 3DS product page.

And here is Monster Sanctuary!

Monster sanctuary is a game that just had its 1.0 launch- meaning it was in early access and no longer is! Although the devs say they still plan to implement a few more things into the game in future updates. It is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4.

Monster sanctuary is a metroidvania twist on the typical monster collecting game, meaning it is also a sidescrolling platformer in which you use abilities you gain throughout the game to explore the world around you. The abilities in this case are the monsters you get! Every monster has an ability that helps you traverse the sanctuary.

Speaking of the sanctuary, the game is set in one. The monster sanctuary is a magically shielded area, cut off from the rest of the world, created by an order of monster keepers, people who befriend and protect the mystical monsters inhabiting the world. Humankind encroached too far on the natural habitat of monsters and were hostile to the native wildlife, so the keepers created an area of varied environments to safely protect and preserve the remaining monsters of the world.

Unlike many other monster collecting games, this game only has 5 types: fire, water, earth, air, and neutral. However, the types themselves do not possess resistances and weaknesses. Instead, each monster has its own assigned weaknesses and resistances. And yes, this can include things like debuffs, physical vs special attacks, and the typical elemental types.

All battles are also 3 vs 3! And unlike in pokemon, where you can only hit the enemies nearest, all monsters have the ability to hit any opponent they want. Turns also work a little differently in that speed doesn't exist, you just use 1 move per monster in your turn and then it goes to your opponent's turn. Your monsters hit in whatever order you want them to.

There is also a quite important combo system in this game, where every hit builds a damage multiplier for the next. Moves often hit multiple times per turn. Healing and buffing actions also build this combo counter. So what monsters you have move in what order really counts!

But the main mechanical difference between this and other games in the genre is how it handles levels and skills. Instead of learning a set move at a certain level, this game incorporates a skill tree, and you get to allocate points into different skills as you grow stronger. And jeez, these skill trees are really extensive. Monster sanctuary is a theorycrafter's dream. Each monster has a unique, specially tailored skill tree, making every monster truly able to have its own niche. You can make use of whatever monster you want if you just put thought into it!

And like Temtem, this game is not made to be beatable by children. I'm sure a child could beat it, but it's not made to be inherently child-friendly like pokemon. It's honestly quite difficult.

On top of that, you are actively encouraged to not just be scraping by each battle. Your performance in battle is rated by an automated system that scores your usage of various mechanics like buffs and debuffs applied, type matchups, and effective usage of combos. The rating system directly influences the rewards you get from each battle, including your likelihood of obtaining an egg from one of the wild monsters you battled (no, you don't catch wild monsters in this game, you get eggs and hatch them). If you're not paying attention to how the game works and making good, effective use of your monsters, you'll have a hard time expanding your team!

The music is also really good, it's made by nature to be able to play over and over and not get old as you explore each area, and the composer(s) really did a good job with this. Some area songs, namely the beach one, I especially enjoy, so much so I've actually played it in the background while I do work.

This is a game I would really recommend. If I made it sound intimidating, it is by no means unbeatable, you're just gonna have to put some thought into how you play. At no point did I actually feel frustrated or like something was impossible. When I hit a wall, I was able to recognize what I did wrong and how I could improve, or I could at least realize something wasn't working and experiment until I found a solution. It's challenging in a genuinely fun, rewarding way.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Extremely in-depth combat system

I genuinely don’t know if there’s an objectively bad monster in this game

Evolution exists but is completely optional, as even un-evolved monsters can be great

Entire soundtrack is full of bangers

Large and diverse variety of monsters to tame

Cons

Story is a little lackluster, but passable

That’s the only con I can think of

Here’s a link to their Steam page and the game’s website.

A kind of unorthodox recommendation is the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series!

Likelihood is that everyone reading this has heard of this series already, but just in case anyone hasn't, I thought I'd include it! I would categorize this as a hybrid between the mystery dungeon genre and the monster collecting genre, because you recruit pokemon as you play and can use those pokemon on your team!

If you're unaware, the mystery dungeon genre is a small subset of dungeon crawler games where you progress through randomly generated levels called mystery dungeons. Throughout the dungeons, there will be enemies to fight and items to collect. The challenge of these games is mostly due to the stamina aspect of them, in that you have to manage your resources as you progress through the level. If you go all out in each fight, you will inevitably lose quite quickly. You have to learn to win against enemies while balancing your use of items and PP, so you have enough for the next fight, and the fight after that.

Pokemon mystery dungeon in particular is famous for its stories, the likes of which isn't seen often in Pokemon games. They are hugely story-driven games and are notable for the emotional depth they possess. It's pretty normal for the average player to cry at least once in the span of the game. There's lots of memes about that specifically.

This entry in my list is also unique for being a series. So, which one should you play first? It actually doesn't matter! Each storyline is entirely self-contained and requires no knowledge of prior entries. The quality of each entry varies and is a point of contention among fans. I say you should play all of them, because they all have their merits (though some more than others.... coughgatestoinfinitycough). They're mostly distinct for the generation of Pokemon they take place in. Rescue team is gen 3, Explorers is gen 4, Gates to Infinity is gen 5, Super Mystery Dungeon is gen 6, and Rescue Team DX is a remake of a gen 3 game but has the mechanics and moves of a gen 8 game.

My only real caution is that you play Explorers of Sky, not Darkness or Time. Sky is basically a combination of the two games with added items and content. It's an objective upgrade over its predecessors, and I honestly wouldn't waste money on the other two. 

I’m not going to include a pros and cons list for the PMD series because I’m incredibly biased and it wouldn’t be an honest review.

Next is Monster Crown!

Monster Crown is a monster collecting game that seems to take heavy inspiration from early-gen Pokemon games in particular. It is currently in early access on Steam and is not expensive. I learned about it through the developers of Monster Sanctuary, when they recommended it on their official Discord.

The game has lots of charm and interesting creature designs, and an entirely new take on monster typings as well. Instead of monster types being based off of natural elements like fire, water, electricity, etc. Monster Crown uses typings that seem to be influenced by the personalities of the monsters. For instance, Brutal, Relentless, and Will are all monster types!

It also captures a lot of the charm many of us look fondly upon in early GameBoy-era games. The music is mostly chiptune, with some more modern backing instruments at times, and the visuals are very reminiscent of games like Pokemon Crystal in particular. Monster Crown is definitely the monster collecting game for fans of the 8-bit era!

The thing that stands out the most to me about this game is the breeding system. Instead of one parent monster passing down its species to its offspring, you can create true hybrids in this game.

However, it is very early access. I would consider the current build as an alpha, not even a beta yet! So temper your expectations here. I have not encountered any major bugs, but visual glitches here and there are quite common. The game also could definitely use some polish and streamlining, and is quite limited in content currently. But the dev(s) seem quite active, so I fully expect these kinks to be worked out in time!

The reviews are rather positive, especially for being in early access. I'm all for expanding the monster collecting genre, so if you're looking to expand your horizons in that sense, I would recommend you at least give this one a look! I personally had quite a bit of fun playing Monster Crown and am going to keep an eye out for updates.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Charming artstyle, appealing monster designs

Faithful callback to a bygone era of gaming

Controls are fairly simple and easy to get the hang of (and are completely customizable!)

Cool breeding and hybridization mechanics

There's a starter for each monster type!

You can choose your pronouns, including they/them!

Cons

Inherent nature of being very early access means can be clunky and unpolished at times

Also not much content as of right now, see above

User interface could use some redesign in places

Here’s their Steam page and the official website!

Here’s an oldie but a goodie, Azure Dreams!

This is one I actually haven’t played, mostly because it’s really old and therefore only practically accessible if you play it on an emulator, unless you're one of those old game collectors. Azure Dreams was developed by Konami and released for the PS1 in 1997. My impression of it was that it either didn’t sell well or only took off in Japan, because it’s actually really hard to find any comprehensive information about it on the internet.

Azure Dreams is a monster collecting - dating sim hybrid. You can build relationships with various characters and can pursue some of them romantically, although that isn’t the main draw of the game. There is also a stripped-down version that exists for the GameBoy Color, which forgoes the dating portion of the game entirely.

Azure Dreams is kind of like a mystery dungeon game in that you progress through a randomly generated, ever-changing tower using the help of the familiars you have accrued throughout your adventure. Similarly to Monster Hunter: Stories, you yourself also take part in the fighting alongside your monsters. Each time you enter the tower, your character’s level is lowered to 1, but your familiars keep their experience. Thus, progression is made through strengthening your monsters. To obtain monsters, you collect their eggs, just like in Monster Sanctuary (which, turns out, was at least partially inspired by this game!)

Due to this game being very old and on the PS1, the visuals leave a lot to be desired... but if you can get past that, Azure Dreams has lots of replayability and customization to how you play the game. To this day, it appears it has a somewhat active speedrunning community!

If you don’t mind the effort of using an emulator, and like old games, Azure Dreams just might be that timesink you were looking for in quarantine.

Honorable mentions:

Pokemon Insurgence (or any Pokemon fangame/ROMhack, really!) is a Pokemon fangame that introduces Delta Pokemon, which are really cool type-swapped versions of existing Pokemon. It’s sufficiently challenging and has a lot of variety in what you can catch in the wild, so you can pretty much add whatever you want to your team! The story is quite good, and the main campaign is multiple times longer than a typical Pokemon game’s campaign. Download it here!

ARK: Survival Evolved is NOT a monster collecting game BUT you do get to tame and fight alongside a lot of really cool extinct species, including but not limited to the dinosaurs we all know and love. This game is genuinely fun as hell, especially with friends, but I must warn you: never play on official servers. I highly recommend singleplayer, playing on a casual private server, or making your own server. Here’s the Steam page.

[noobsomeexagerjunk]

"MAKE THE SERVER BETTER. This is what I need to do."

An Analysis on Ranboo's Philosophy and Vision for the Dream SMP

One of the most consistent traits about Ranboo is his inconsistency, especially in his beliefs and choices, all influenced within the moment.

Now I was thinking back to when Ranboo had that explicit desire for a "happy family" when it became clear to us that he and Dream seem to share similar goals and desires for the server. It's been a few months since that stream, and Ranboo's gone through some changes as a character. Through experimentation, he relearns and rediscovers himself, most of it away from us particles. He now has the experience to choose people more discriminatingly, having a gauge on who still believes and/or benefits from his optimism and those who don't.

With a better grasp on his more persuasive and ambitious self, as well as a slightly stronger spine, I am going to attempt to make sense of what Ranboo's opinions most likely must be by now, having been in the server for half a year now.

1. "You have to think for yourself sometimes."

(from Ranboo’s first conversation with Slimecicle, 06/18/2021)

So you know how Ranboo is an anarchist, or at least identifies as such, at least within the context of the Anarchist Syndicate, right?

One of the most significant things we must pay attention to is Ranboo's anarchist tendencies. Based on his general experiences but particularly his conversation with Slime and his initiation to the Syndicate, Ranboo cares heavily about personal autonomy and the right to self-expression and self-preservation. His aversion to factional sides was initially derived from the existing factions he was exposed to being unfair and demanding of its members, as reflected in his experiences in New L'Manburg.

It's upon further inspection that these sympathies constitute his concerns over People. It's why he fights for and sides with People in general, as a concept and principle.

2. "Why can’t I have friends on opposite sides?!"

(from Ranboo’s Pre-Doomsday speech after the Community House confrontation, 01/05/2021)

Something Ranboo also believes in is the idea that everyone is valuable and capable of many things unique to themselves. Therefore, he recognizes and gives (as much as he could muster) care to Peoples' needs, concerns, and beliefs, most especially when he is demanded of it by whoever asks of him. He values loyalty toward friendships and relationships in their base form, as opposed to causes. (Especially relationships made from and because of causes.)

Another reason why Ranboo despises factional sides, especially the ones he was a part of, is that these sides' own beliefs and principles believe themselves to be above the other and vice versa. Ranboo's ability to recognize two (if not more) sides of an argument leads him to value both sides to such an extent that he believes one is not above the other. To him, People—individuals with inherent value and free will—are more than the causes—whose necessity changes over time and can only be a solution to specific, changing problems—they believe in.

3. "When the leader gets corrupted, then...we'll see what happens."

(from Ranboo's monologue after speaking with Ghostbur on the topic of killing Dream, 03/15/2021)

Something of particular fascination is Ranboo's dislike for leaders as a concept, a belief shared only by Technoblade and the rest of the Anarchist Syndicate. For them, and Ranboo, leaders are at the end of the day People. They are infallible and capable of making wrong choices. The very concept of a leader, too, suggests superiority in the ability and the dependence on only the causes of that leader, chosen or not. To them, no one should be above or below anybody. A leader creates that distinction.

An ideal SMP for Ranboo is one without leaders, where one's choices and manner of living, as dictated by their beliefs, is not above one or the other. In comparison, many characters who have expressed their visions of an ideal Dream SMP all have a leader in them!

We have Dream, who wants a server that fits his specific vision and needs and desires, a server that serves him, with his and only his vision of an ideal SMP—one where he has total control over all of the server. A less extreme version of this is held by the de-facto head of the neutral Badlands, BadBoyHalo.

Characters like Quackity, Schlatt, and Jack Manifold all believe in the concept of adherence and obedience to order and law as means to get something done. It also makes sense why these three also have a history of being quite literally Presidents of countries, whether corrupt like Manburg, discarded like Manifoldland, or ambitious like Las Nevadas.

There are also other leaders like Wilbur, Eret, and Tubbo, who have a partiality to order and leadership. The difference with them is that they believe in relative leeway in priority towards the ruled-over people. They believe in an SMP wherein a leader and their people share a mutual obligation towards each other's benefit and progress. Whether a cause that can help should be involved may be of consideration too, because as far as I know, these three mastered each of the 3 facets of the Greek art of persuasion:

Wilbur, in particular, is a heavy advocator of the use of cause in leadership, hence his use of speech to give rise to emotions, aka pathos.

Tubbo leans towards common sense and reason, having a tendency to use logos.

Eret is partial to a more general sense of righteousness, therefore basing many of his actions on the character of the people around him and having a strong focus on their and their subjects' own ethos.

4. "Who am I?" "I am somebody who stops conflict."

(from page 12 of Ranboo's current memory book)

Despite these differing ideas on what is good for the SMP, the one thing everyone has in common is that they all want a server where peace, to their standard and contentment, is achieved.

For Ranboo, this means no Conflict.

Bear in mind that he admits in his pre-Doomsday speech that Conflict can never be truly eradicated, acknowledging that personal conflicts between individual persons are still bound to happen.

Though, as stated in his various monologues in regards to killing Dream (particularly when he was grieving Tommy and after talking with Ghostbur) the Conflict he desires to get rid of is the big, overarching kind.

These are Conflicts that disrupt the happiness of, if not all, significant numbers of People. Conflicts that perpetuate a cycle of unnecessary violence, conflicts that escalate from the pettiest of disputes, conflicts rooted in a refusal of a person/faction/cause to simply coexist with everyone else.

This is Ranboo's major goal in reference to the whole of the server. This is a major motivation for all of his decisions and actions too.

5. “It should be all of us working together.”

(from page 14 of Ranboo’s first memory book)

When Ranboo explicitly repeated wanting "one big happy family," words that came out of Dream's own mouth, he's describing his vision of an ideal Dream SMP. It can be argued that he and Dream have the same goals, right?

Well, obviously, not quite.

Dream and Ranboo have very different visions for the server, the common thing being their determination to get everyone to cooperate with their vision no matter what. We see the vague and ominous actions of Ranboo while Enderwalking, how much bolder and aggressive he can get. He's seemingly more dedicated to this goal that way.

Based on the previous points, Ranboo's vision of a better Dream SMP is one where everyone exists as they are, freely and without division, where no one is above or below the other, and that they can put their dedications to causes aside for care and love for each other. People regardless of skill or situation just living together peacefully! where the Conflict is not big enough to harm but big enough to constitute what it means to be alive! No one's telling the other how to live because they understand and respect each other's choices and differences!

With how he approaches the fulfillment of this ideal, I dare say he does indeed fight for something, and it's the cause of all causes.

But what about those other people who aren't so compromising? Well, I wager those are the people Ranboo ought to snap against. Ranboo's ideal SMP is rooted in coexistence, therefore it demands compromise and tolerance. Funny just how many people on the server fight for causes that refuse to give that.

Ranboo definitely knows he can't achieve the server he wants alone, and knowing everyone else, he knows getting everyone to get along will be much harder in execution.

[liquidstar]

the other day i reblogged a post abt the 7 deadly sins and mentioned in the tags that there actually used to be 9 and a couple people asked about the “forgotten” deadly sins so im taking this chance to make a post abt it, but im not an expert in christian studies nor have i ever even been catholic, i pretty much just know this stuff because of oc research i did, but here’s the gist of it:

acedia (apathy) and vainglory (vanity) are the two forgotten sins, in 590AD pope gregory decided that they were not needed and combined them with sloth and pride respectively. there is certainly overlap but i decided i disagree with greg and that there is a legitimate distinction to be made between sloth & apathy and pride & vanity 

sloth and apathy often come together, though they don’t necessary have to. sloth means not doing anything, apathy means not caring about anything. while not caring about things also leads to neglecting your duties, and is also sloth by extent, it also means melancholy. unhappiness, being completely devoid of joy, dejected and depressed. now, obviously i’m not saying depression is a sin (outside of fiction i don’t really hold the 7 deadly sins to much regard anyway), but you have to keep in mind this comes from the catholic church before the 500′s, to them it was a sin to be unhappy in god’s world. apathy meant ungratefulness to god, because it was an insult that you could be apathetic to the world that he had created for you. it may bleed into becoming slothful but many sins bleed into each other and there are still distinctions, even if its just semantics. 

however i believe that vanity and pride are completely different from each other, despite seeming similar on the surface. vanity is caring about your perception above all else, while pride is having a high image of yourself. you can be vain and not think much of yourself but still care about the way that other people perceive you. If anything I think vanity comes from a lack of pride, a low self-image that makes one desire to seek validation through the perception of others. truly arrogant people would only think their own opinion matters, because pride means thinking of yourself as above god. vanity is about unjustified boasting, proclaiming that you’re above god regardless of your personal opinion of yourself. could that co-exist with pride too? of course, especially if a person starts believing in their own hype.

so those are the two forgotten deadly sins and how they differ from the sins that they were absorbed into. again part of this might be conjecture on my part because im not that versed in this kind of stuff outside of light research, but i still trust that youll all use this information to make fullmetal alchemist ocs. have fun

[kindahoping4forever]

It kinda feels like they were so frustrated about the time in between the first single and CALM being released, that that’s why they’re going about it so differently this time. ~ Rema

With a new label in play and the pandemic having changed how we consume music, it's so hard to guess what the approach is. None of their albums have really been a one to one comparison, they've all been made under such different circumstances, with 5SOS5 and YB being the most similar to me since they're really the only two albums they were able to take their time to create.

CALM is such a complex case it needs to go under a cut lmao

They weren't as open about CALM's process as they had been with previous albums so we never had a distinct timeline of its development beyond the knowledge they started recording in January 2019 and by the time they were doing WDYL promo in March, Ashton was telling people the album was finished while being open about the fact that they were currently unsigned.

Once they signed to Interscope and released Easier in May, they started answering release date questions with vague "we'll see how this single does first" teases, which I always took to imply that if Easier (or later, Teeth) had been a smash hit the way YB was, whatever incarnation of the album that was ready at that point would've been released off the strength of the single. (Whether or not that would've been the same CALM that was ultimately released in 2020 or a different incarnation, we really don't know!)

And I know it's an unpopular opinion but I think this move was a smart strategy, though it's hard to see it that way since we know how things ended up. At that point they were not only trying to build a brand but they needed to get their single success to translate to album success, which is a tough thing to do in a case like theirs, when the songs are more known than the artist.

Early on they mentioned wanting to release multiple songs before the album but the output deadzone between Teeth's August 2019 release and No Shame's February 2020 release has always led me to believe that either contractually or logistically, the WWJ tour interfered with the plan and that's how we ended up with the crush of No Shame/Old Me/CALM all being released within 6 weeks of each other. (Wildflower was in there too but I think that got fast-tracked bc the beginnings of the pandemic was obviously pulling focus from even the most dedicated fans' minds.)

Like I mentioned, 5SOS5 is very reminiscent of YB both in the length of time it's taken to make it and the apparent trial and error process (it's been said they went thru multiple sounds before landing where they did and some of the songs on the album -WWYLM and WIJ- are actually from that earlier incarnation) but what sets this new album apart is how many evolutions it's appeared to go thru. (I hope they speak to this as the release approaches!) With CALM over three years old to them at this point, I can't imagine how ready they must be to focus on new material and I imagine if 2021 had gone a bit differently (going thru 2 management teams and having to find another new label) they could've rallied and released something last year.

Looking to YB for comparison, even with the measured approach to the album, the final stage was a whirlwind, with them releasing WYB in late February but still in the mixing process in March, amidst single promo and rehearsals/departure for the 5SOS3 tour (only for the album to not release until June). And while I do still think the idea of touring both CALM and 5SOS5 together makes the most sense (notice the shift in messaging from 'No Shame Tour' to '2022 Tour'), I'm not sure how realistic it is to expect them to promote a single, an album and rehearse for a tour in just over 2 months. YB shows it can be done, but would they want to? Or do they hold it until they can devote their full attention to promo? Which... wouldn't be until late summer, between tour legs ��👀

@whentherosesbl00m

[bayleavesfromthevine]

Some thoughts about the different teaching styles in JJK

Well. There’s only two that we really know so far: Gojo’s and Utahime’s. And I think the differences in their teaching styles are really interesting. 

Gojo is a very hands-off teacher for the most part. Yeah, he taught Yuuji from the ground-up, but only because he had no other choice - and even then he didn’t do the best job (more on that later). Megumi had to specifically ask to train with him, the implications being that Gojo does not regularly train with his students. Lastly, as far as I remember, Gojo has never even spoken directly to Nobara (outside of when they first met and he called her over to their group). Please correct me if I’m wrong, but he’s only spoken to her when he was referring to the trio as a whole, which is an issue I won’t get into here. Needless to say, he’s not much of a present mentor in his students’ lives.  For all I know, Gojo might be lazy when it comes to his job - I don’t get the sense that he’s all that enthusiastic about the instructional aspect of teaching as much as he likes the final result. Basically, as he’s stated before, he wants strong allies. He wants a jujutsu society in which he is not the only pillar holding it together. He also wants his students to be strong enough to help him change jujutsu sorcery from the bottom-up. Ergo, him entrusting his students to trainings and missions without his guidance seems to be a “tough love” type of approach: they’ll grow when they reach their breaking points, but that will only occur when he’s not around. As such, Yuuji, Nobara, and Megumi are strong on their own. Like Gojo himself.   (Also, he’s only the instructor of the first-years, soooo? Who are the second- and third-year instructors? Ah, whatever. That’s not the point of this post smh.)

Utahime, on the other hand, is very different. She actually trains with her students. She teaches them, guides them, and clearly has a personal relationship with each of them, which I picked up on in just the brief interactions we saw in the exchange event. (When Mai and Miwa were talking about Maki during their break in Miwa’s flashback?? And then they... went back to their training session with their instructor??? .... Guys... Gojo could NEVER.) As a result, the Kyoto students are far superior at working as a team (well, sans Todo lol, but he’s a special case) and they have a better understanding of each others’ techniques, which, of course, we also saw in the exchange event. (Yes, yes. I know Yuuji and Nobara are a powerful duo, but that is an anomaly and seems to have formed from their chemistry and talents, not Gojo’s influence.) There’s also a stronger sense of “family” amongst the Kyoto students that must have been due to Utahime’s influence. (Not to say that the Tokyo students don’t have a similar vibe to them, but it’s just not as prominent imo.)  I can’t help but notice that Utahime focuses on her students supporting each other and working together presumably because of her own experiences. This is only a theory, but, while we don’t know her cursed technique yet, it seems likely that she requires time and support from others in order to use her abilities in battle. It would make sense for her to instruct and nurture her students to be able to support and function with a variety of techniques as a unit - including those that aren’t as convenient to use (Mai’s ability comes to mind here).   I think it’s fair to say that Utahime wants roughly the same thing as Gojo: to build up strong sorcerers that will one day take charge of their society and build a better future. However, the big difference between the two, in my opinions, is that Utahime seems to acknowledge the distinction between herself and her students - she knows she is a mentor whose job is to nurture them into full-fledged sorcerers. There will always be that teacher/student or adult/child aspect of her relationships with them, even, presumably, after they graduate and become legitimate, adult allies. She’s a normal teacher like that (I assume).  Obviously, I think Gojo knows that his relationship with his students is the same deal. However, I can’t help but feel like his actions and words bely that fact. He said he wants allies, and he treats his students as such. I think you can see this the most in his relationship with Megumi. As many people have acutely pointed out, Gojo is all about treating children and teenagers with respect for their agency and allows them to make their own choices. This is a beautiful thing and I love that about his character, but it does add an interesting layer to his teaching style. Mainly: he views his students as equals from the get-go, despite the fact that they are relying on him to guide them. Now, I’m not saying that he shouldn’t treat them as equals - he should because they are, especially when they’re putting their lives on the line and are more likely to die than he is in any given situation - but the student/teacher relationship is an important one for those on the student end of things. When Gojo doesn’t uphold his end of the bargain, certain things are lost and left up to the students to figure out for themselves. (Prime example: Yuuji’s divergent fist. Gojo knew it wouldn’t work long term, or against special grades, yet still said nothing, forcing Yuuji to learn the hard way. Had Nanami and Todo not been there to say something / do Gojo’s damn job for him, Yuuji’s growth might have been stunted or, worst case, he would have been killed.)  (Utahime never would have let it get to that point, but we’re not here to slander Gojo lol) So anyway, my point is: Gojo wants his students to be strong enough to not have to rely on others, believing that jujutsu sorcery is an individual’s game.  Utahime also wants her students to be strong, but she also acknowledges the value in relying on others so that no one person (or small group of people) is responsible for holding up the entire jujutsu world.  And I just think that’s neat.  

[acerace]

tumblr user buildmartenjoyer did you hear dream's latest build mart rant made it onto reddit

I did hear! I read the transcript earlier as well to see more than just the random screenshots people like to vague lmao

Obviously I, Tumblr user buildmartenjoyer, quite like Build Mart! I think it gets a somewhat underserved amount of hate that has little to do with the game itself. That does not mean I think it is a perfect game. If multiple people have multiple complaints over multiple events about a specific game, then yeah there's probably an issue somewhere! Doesn't mean the game is bad and irredeemable and awful and needs to be removed or even retired.

Also whoops I rambled! Below the cut for general musings on Dream's recent Build Mart comments. This is not cc!Dream critical or neg, btw, most of my rambling is me considering his points from the pov of someone who really loves Build Mart and enjoys watching it. 

Man I wanna pick the green man's brain on MCC so bad like!! I don't think Build Mart is a bad game- in fact I think it's like A Tier- and I disagree with a lot of what Dream says about mcc in general, but he also makes good points! Like he's right- if you play 100 games of Build Mart of, let's say, orange 17 and cyan 17, orange is going to win 100/100 games, whereas with games like Sky Battle or Parkour Tag, for example, there's going to be more of a split, because the games have "pop off" potential as he says. See Grian being #1 individual in Sky Battle in 17 with one (1) tnt and good survival points. Personally, I think this is a fair point because part of the fun and charm of MCC is that it isn't set in stone and you don't know who the winner's going to be half way through the event like with twitch rivals or mcm.

In that specific post, Dream's main issue he describes is him struggling with memory and knowing what blocks he needs. Fair enough! The game stresses communication and memorization more than any other skill, and struggling with those is going to hurt your performance and how much fun you have. But imo there are in game strategies you could implement to help. And obviously I say all this as someone who has never Played BM/MCC in general so grain of salt lol.

If he's good at placing blocks but not collecting them, then have the team split into pairs- two builders taking a build each and two runners working with a builder each. Dream stays at the build and tells his runner what blocks to bring him, then Dream can build while the runner goes to work on the 3rd build, for example. Then maybe rush gold builds? Like if the issue is physically getting the blocks, then work with your team to get someone else to do it. For the first set of builds when no one has blocks, have one builder get wood and the other stone, while the runners work on the specific blocks for their pair's build, maybe, so no one's sitting around waiting. Like I feel like there's options, you know?

I also think that most of the problems with Build Mart comes from the fact it's the only "building" game. If you like pvp you can vote for Sky Battle or Battle Box or Survival Games, all of which are pvp games that test differing skills and have distinct strategies- you don't need to bridge in SG, for example. But if you want a building game you have BM and only BM, and it's barely a building game at that. Adding another option- I like the battle box inspired idea- would lessen BM's dominance, because non pvp teams almost always want BM and want it late, giving another option will shake up the meta here and expose the underlying issues with BM.

Also I feel like the thing people get most pressed about is when Dream brings up Grian? I think it's usually a fine comparison because they have very different preferred games and play styles while having similar amounts of experience, and Grian is the largest of the non dsmp streamers. Grian is one of the best Build Mart players and hates Parkour Warrior and says he won't play if it comes back; Dream was one of the best Parkour Warrior players and hates Build Mart and says he won't play if he knows it's going to be played. The difference comes up in specific contexts- when Dream said Grian could hate pkw but he can't say anything about bm because people get mad at him, for example, that was meh to me because yeah you have a point about how people attack you over everything but did you have to pick the one person who had an actual panic attack playing the game? In this specific post, Grian has indeed killed Dream in pvp before, but it's never been 1v1 when both are prepared for it and at full health lol. The closest you get to that is the original Dreamslayer moment in MCC9, but even then Dream was healing from a previous fight and Grian got the drop on him. Dream will kill Grian 99/100 times.

Dream was being pretty sarcastic with his comments on not needing to communicate in BM, and yeah Pete was being quiet but that's because he was listening to what Grian was saying lol. With Grian's BM strategy, the CEO is loud and in charge and constantly talking, the builders only speak up when they need something or have a gold build, and the floater is constantly talking to the CEO. Dream saying Pete wasn't talking much is true, because he was one of the silent roles! But he was still communicating- if he hadn't told Grian about the gold build or asked what was behind the duck build or told Grian to get more glass then they wouldn't have done as well. I also think it's interesting he chose Pete's pov to watch, because it seems to me he's looking at BM strategies and trying to find some that'll work for him? He can't be CEO or floater because those both rely on knowing what blocks everyone needs, so him watching one of the builders makes sense to me.

Most of my issues with how people (Dream included) talk about BM is when they're flat out wrong or subjective lol. Build Mart is not a slow game, you're just watching someone who doesn't know what they're doing. It's not a boring game, you're just watching a team that gives up before the game even starts. I feel the same intense excitement and stress about BM as I do about SG and SoT! Watching Grian play is intense and exciting and edge of the seat! People have a lot of misconceptions about BM, which I rambled about in the tags of this post here, which I still stand by. The tl;dr of my thoughts on what makes a good Build Mart player is that Grian is not good at BM because he's a good builder- he makes mistakes constantly in BM- but rather because he can communicate with his team so effectively it doesn't matter if he spends 30 seconds looking for a crafting recipe or collecting the wrong block.

So there are my thoughts anon! I’m not sure what you were expecting, because I like both Grian and Dream and think they both make very good points about MCC and game design in general (considering they both have experience running mc servers lol) and they tend to have very different opinions and experiences, so comparing them is interesting to me! I don’t necessarily agree with Dream’s points about MCC in general (the only people whose views I tend to wholesale support are H and Pete lmao) but Dream is allowed to dislike a game based on his personal opinions and feelings and he is allowed to rant about it in his own merch discord. Doesn’t mean he’s wrong or right, or that you have to agree or disagree. 

[doshmanziari]

Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth

A curious fact about the Metroidvania genre, if you will permit it to in fact be a genre, is that, despite the influences accorded to Symphony of the Night on the Castlevania side of things, very nearly none of the games cast as such -- and by now there are hundreds -- have been interested in consciously modeling their look on SotN. Depending on what portions you’re examining, the 2018 release Timespinner might be one such rare example; although, to my eyes, it most often resembles an imaginary title released near the end of the Super Nintendo’s lifespan: certain rendering techniques and palettes are there, but the overall effect has a sort of glossy compression and grotesque meandering which I would sooner associate with Hagane. That I’m making this observation is not meant to be a critique of the genre. It could, however, be developed into a general critique of the sort of pixel art which has tended to make its way into finished works since the boom of “indie” productions. One could quite rightly say that the majority of this material pulls from a needlessly small pool of titles released on the NES and SNES, with the more obviously labor-intensive stuff often appearing to derive from (or at least have the most similarities to) the Amiga’s heavy-hitters and the adjacent demo scene.

Anyway, my intent with laying these things out is to draw attention to Team Ladybug’s 2021 release, Record of Lodoss War ~Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth~, which, besides achieving a quality of visuals full of skilled rigor yet appearing effortless, is probably the closest anyone has gotten to SotN’s style since its release -- including the handheld titles produced by Koji Igarashi. Each of Team Ladybug’s prior games, like Pharaoh Rebirth and Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue, has demonstrated a similar excellence; but I think it was only upon Touhou Luna Nights where one could sometimes get a simultaneous sense of potential proximity to Castlevania and a slight move away from the smooth and cutely organized precedent set (and mostly still occupied) by Cave Story. With Deedlit, most people will, I assume, first seize on Deedlit’s sprite for a comparison, since it is blatantly based on Alucard’s. I would also note the abundance of particulate effects. The environments are the most significant, though. While a degree of flatness and sharp outlining has been maintained, the impression of depth and dimension to the surroundings -- both their details and the recessing of layers -- has greatly increased. This balance reaches back not only to Symphony of the Night but also to its canonical precedent, Rondo of Blood, which had a persistent, punchy aesthetic of sharply measured out tiles set against a number of stark backdrops with zones of pure black. SotN itself had sections illustrating this: examine, for example, the Marble Gallery’s lowest room.

The first screenshot above is one good condensation of the elements I tend to associate with Symphony of the Night’s places. For a broad point of comparison here, I might refer to the Colosseum or Olrox’s Quarters; for a specific one, maybe the Outer Wall’s leftmost vertical room with a hung figure. Here are a few of the elements which come to mind: 1) a definite shapeliness to each room, achieved by a contrast between the floors/walls/ceilings and the backdrops; 2) a careful partitioning of the background details, organized according to the foreground arrangement(s); 3) strong shadows alongside the walls and ceilings; 4) angled railings and staircases with visibly serrated contours; 5) borders’ screen-hugging extremities being much darker than the rest. In enumerating these elements, I’m not saying that they are always present no matter where you look in SotN (the fifth item, for instance, isn’t that common from area to area; yet, when it is present, it is notable), but rather that their appearance here and there creates a stylistic continuity which we can, in a way, reverse engineer as a guiding aesthetic.

The second and third screenshots I’ve included for how visibly they delight in the room-shape. For the second, it approximates a W shape, its middle an ogee arch with lips dividing shaft from dome. Note the inclusion of unnecessary but equally delightful structural anomalies: the two outward-thrusting platforms held up by colonettes and topped off by trussed posts. For the third, note the cavetto-like underside to the projection beside Deedlit, which creates a kind of minor shelter; and the way that the arched ceiling to the right has a supple continuity -- the border’s line moves straight down and then curvaceously bends to the right. This quality, although brought out by the inverted castle (and bypassed in what is now a boring and bored tradition of dismissing a “lazy” and “inconvenient” quantitative supplement), is not specific to Symphony of the Night. I’ve mentioned it because the level design of these games is, in my opinion, at its best when it is, to an extent, formally inexplicable, prone to yielding to miniature architectonic fantasies and wordlessly evocative therein. Deedlit makes it especially distinct through its “silver-lined” surfaces and darkly receding cutaways.

I really don’t have much else to write here at the moment and would prefer to leave it to other people, perhaps those familiar with the terminology for pixel art, to do a better job of explaining this and that visual similarity. I just wanted to jot down some loose thoughts and hope that it might kick-start similar and more developed comparative considerations for readers.

[salamoonder]

alright so i was talking about this the other day in the groupchat and i cannot get over how good for each other caleb and beau are?? like there’s something...i don’t know there is something absolutely next level about empire siblings. like. okay. (under a cut bc this got so FUCKING long, what the fuck. also i talk about essek for a bit and how i think he will change their relationship.)

i’ve said it a million times but i think beau had the best possible reaction to caleb’s backstory reveal. she didn’t discount it; she didn’t treat it like nothing. she basically went “that’s fucked up, man, but you can and will do better” which i think is exactly what he needed to hear. caleb has this tendency to wallow in guilt and when you wallow in guilt it’s very easy to fall into a trap of inaction or only wanting to focus on things that will make that guilt quiet down (i.e., working on the very dangerous and perhaps impossible task of going back in time to save his parents. it’s kind of like people who are intent on doing relief work in far off countries where “real” poverty exists but who don’t wanna help the homeless people living in their own city.) beau pushes him to take his focus off the guilt quieting plans and put his focus on things that will actually be doing good for the sake of doing good. i think that’s sometimes a very difficult distinction to make and tbh beau has a very good grasp on it.

i also think this plays into part of the reason caleb still hasn’t told jester (or cad?) like okay number one, he’s scared. number two, i literally don’t think he can handle the easy forgiveness he would get from them (especially jester) and i think it would send him into a spiral of “no you don’t get it i did a bad bad thing i’m a terrible person” that might be hard to pull out of. and beau is extremely critical in general. she sees a thing she doesn’t like, you don’t have to wonder about it. “well that’s fucked up” are going to be the first words out of her mouth. caleb doesn’t have to worry about her misunderstanding the heaviness of what he’s done the way i suspect he does with the others. beau is never going to diminish how bad he feels about doing a thing; all she’s going to do is say “okay, and what are you gonna do about it?” which is THE BEST. THING. action is the best thing for depressed people oh my god. anyway.

honestly like. ok my favorite thing about beau is that despite the social awkwardness/prickliness she is genuinely *really good at people*. she understands people. i literally still cannot get over how good she is at handling caleb’s panic attacks. i think a lot of people’s first instinct w handling panic attacks is to smother, or, worse, to get just as worked up as the person panicking trying to calm them down. beau is very detached, calm, and levelheaded. she provides physical comfort/stimulus, water, and someone to talk to, and she waits. ( @thedarklordsnicklefritz pointed out recently that she’d be a very good nurse.)

now, caleb to beau: he so clearly, so obviously values her opinions and what she has to say. for all that he is “the smart one”--for all that the wheels in his head are constantly turning and for all that he has a plan for everything--he sits quietly and listens to her whenever she has something to say. he asks her about herself. he wants to know her plans and her goals. not only does he treat her like an adult with agency and ambition and ideas worth hearing, he treats her as a colleage. as a fellow scholar. and i think that beau was sorely lacking that kind of respect, especially under zeenoth. i think it’s something that she craves. even when they are at each other’s throats, he doesn’t interrupt her arguments. he listens till she’s done, and then he speaks. even if he’s growling at her through clenched teeth. he still gives her that respect.

another thing about caleb is that he mirrors the kind of love that beau shows him right back at her. leaving molly’s grave? the shit in kamordah? hand on her shoulder. here is frumpkin. here is frumpkin again. and again. and again--here is some quiet show of support, some small comfort. nothing to embarrass her or cause undue awkwardness. just, there, always. they are each other’s constants and i will literally never be over this oh my god--

okay another thing is, and this is going to be a bit touchy and i might word wrong so please be patient with me and ask questions if you have them, there is something to be said about the friendship of two people who are fundamentally romantically and sexually incompatible. like there’s a reason why “gay best friend” is a trope and there is some not great stuff surrounding it. but i also think that there is a kind of value in a friendship where you never have to worry about romantic or sexual shit coming up. there’s a certain security there, a kind of...safety. there is a safety in "i have no interest in your sex life." there is a safety in beau being a lesbian. both of them have some real baggage/struggles surrounding relationships, and this is not to say that they will never have a meaningful or secure or safe romantic/sexual relationship again. it’s just that there are unique problems that both of those will bring to them--unique problems that i think may bring them each a unique beauty and growth in working through--but nevertheless, unique problems that neither of them have to worry about with each other. their friendship is safe from that.

alright, now onto essek: i am really worried/intrigued for what he will mean for their friendship when they get back to xhorhas and have to deal with him. i think they both see him very differently, and i can’t see them getting through...*waves hand* “punishment” and whatever that means, without another blowup fight and serious hurt feelings.

i think caleb quite clearly sees himself in essek; i don’t think i need to lay that comparison out for anyone, honestly the whole 97 speech sums it up pretty well. what i would like to say is i think caleb has found hope in essek, for essek, in a way that i don’t quite think he’s managed to do for himself yet. like he’s gotten a lot better, but i think a symptom of getting better is that you see your flaws more clearly, and i think that’s very much happening to him right now. i think he sees himself as the same (or possibly even worse), regardless of how far he’s come. (see “i am ruined” to fjord.) i think essek is a mirror for him in which he sees himself more clearly without even realizing that that’s what he’s doing. he sees a selfish person who has done selfish things and hurt people in the process. and he also sees someone with a conscience and empathy who is extremely capable of doing real good. he sees someone with potential. someone with kindness in his soul. someone who could take his guilt and turn it into action, maybe to soothe some of that guilt the way caleb started, and maybe to eventually leave that behind, and do good for the sake of doing good. he sees someone in pain who is in need of support and a friend like beau to nudge him in the right direction.

and beau sees someone who has done selfish things for selfish reasons and does not show nearly enough remorse for it. she sees someone who has caused death and pain out of carelessness and pride and misplaced judgement. she sees someone who values his own gains over the lives of others and justifies that to make himself feel better, and i think that’s exactly the kind of authority figure that beau hates most. she sees someone who better fucking prove that this remorse is real or so help me god i’ll show you what remorse is.

and i think caleb (unfortunately like so much of this fandom with various characters) has latched onto essek as this mirror of himself, and i think at this point any judgement that beau passes on essek will reflect unfortunately on caleb. and the worst part is, beau isn’t going to see that. she wasn’t there for the razor speech. i think to her it’s obvious what she thinks of caleb: he’s a person who’s done some fucked up shit, sure, but he is someone who cares deeply about getting better and has proven himself to be a kind, unwavering person over and over again. he’s more than alright in her book. whereas essek hasn’t really done anything to win him anywhere near the same kind of rapport with her. clearly, in her mind, they are different. why should they be otherwise?

but caleb is going to hear any criticism and, i think, just apply it straight on to himself. i think he thinks that he and essek are so similar that any cut towards essek is a cut towards him. i think he is going to be deeply hurt, i think it’s going to feel like a betrayal--like a revocation of the trust that beau has in him--and i think beau is going to have no idea.

[jaskierrrrrr]

As someone who hasn't read the books nor played the games, I personally thought the second season was quite good (especially in comparison to the first one). So now I looked up the reactions on tumblr and some peoply are massively unhappy with it, if not bitter to the core. I get that some points aren't held consistent (e. g. Kaer Morhen being hard to access) and some aspects deserved more focus (e. g. Jaskier's emotional state) but isn't it normal that tv adaptions are never going to cover everyone's expectations? Everyone familiar with the universe beforehand is going to have explicit ideas of what they want to see, and it's never going to be that way. I think Henry Cavill summarised it quite well in a short interview bit discussing a similar issue.

Basically, I don't really know what to do now. Stay away from the negative reactions to simply keep enjoying something that makes me happy bc its just a tv show after all? Read more into the criticism and possibly get into an even worse mood because of those (but simultaneously feel less like a fake fan?). Read the books to gather my own impressions? Maybe you or others have a good idea how to handle this inner conflict.

(also i love ur blog, thanks and bye)

Hey this is a really great ask and a very important question. Obviously spoilers for the Witcher series 2 below.

I think several factors are involved in the particularly strong reactions to S2.

1. Many fans (like myself) had not read the books before S1, and even those that had would probably agree that S1 did a pretty good job of matching the books.

2. We had a LONG wait before S2, where many people had the chance to read the books if they hadn't already done so. But because we'd been given these (new) versions of the characters, we spent two years producing and consuming mainly fan produced media (incredible fan fiction, amazing art, spectacular GIFs etc)

3.Blood of Elves seems (in my opinion) like one of the harder books to adapt for the screen. The Last Wish lent itself to the 8 episode system quite nicely, where each episode felt distinct, whereas S2 needed to tell a more cohesive narrative rather than one off adventures.

So I think people's expectations were definitely higher for S2 than S1. And as you rightly say, any adaptation will never please 100% of the audience. And I can completely understand why some fans are disappointed! And people are allowed to be! But some people not liking S2 does not make S2 objectively "bad," in the same way liking something does not make it "good."

Having different opinions is what makes us human. And just as I wouldn't make you feel bad about liking coconut because I hate it, the fans who are expressing dislike for S2 are not doing so in order to say "anyone who likes it is WRONG," they're doing it because they're expressing their thoughts and opinions. And you have as much right to not engage with those opinions as others do to express them in the first place.

At the end of the day, a TV show is fundamentally designed to entertain. And if you do so, you do not have to feel guilty about enjoying it! Personally I'm interested in hearing all the different opinions (although I do think there is some excessive negativity, and anyone sending hate to the actors/ creators can kindly piss off), but you are under no obligation to do so, particularly if reading it is making you feel sad or upset.

Maybe think what would happen if you did engage with the criticism? If you did engage with it, would anything about the show change? Obviously not, so if the only outcome is that you won’t be happy, then there is absolutely no need to!

And I do think the strong reactions will die down after a while. It's inevitable that people's initial reactions are going to be WTF (be it positive or negative). But I made this blog about a month after S1 dropped, and the amount of incredible fan creations I still go back to is astounding. Regardless of opinion, this fandom is one of the most creative and passionate I've ever had the pleasure of being in, but I do tailor my experience so I can get the most enjoyment out of it for myself. (For example, I don't really enjoy NSFW content, so I just block the tag! ) And at the end of the day, enjoyment is the most important part!

[dahlia-coccinea]

@astrangechoiceoffavourites Sorry, this post is super long (my fault lol) - but still I want to respond because you bring up a lot of good points.

I do agree with you that Catherine shows some naivety in her marriage, but I’ve always wondered why critics never try to explain why her feelings are seemingly all over the place at this point. She directly contradicts herself at times. I’ve always been interested in how she always frames things in a really strange way. I’ve mentioned a few instances of this before, but for example, how she misquotes Isabella saying “I love him more than ever you loved Edgar, and he might love me, if you would let him!” to get around talking about her feelings towards Edgar. In the case of comparing Edgar’s jealously to how she feels about Isabella’s beauty is kind of the same situation I think. She doesn’t actually associate it with Edgar’s worry about her feelings towards Heathcliff but makes it an issue of coveting goods, status, and superficiality. She said “I gave a few sentences of commendation to Heathcliff” and associates his “melting into tears” with her talking about Heathcliff’s newfound status and how he “was now worthy of anyone’s regard, and it would honour the first gentleman in the country to be his friend.” I’ve always thought her emotions are really dammed up at this point and ultimately explode after her argument with Heathcliff and Edgar.

I think this can be linked with her original insistence that Heathcliff will never know how much she loves him since she cannot marry him. Which is understandable since she knows his character -  she may worry about what Heathcliff would do. When he leaves her at the Linton’s he says “if Catherine had wished to return, I intended shattering their great glass panes to a million of fragments, unless they let her out,” but when he see she’s happy, “I left her, as merry as she could be.” Very similarly he tells Nelly years later “I wish you had sincerity enough to tell me whether Catherine would suffer greatly from his (Edgar’s) loss: the fear that she would restrains me.” How would Heathcliff react if she told him that she loved him more? I think it shows also their love and jealously does sort of function in the same way for both of them. Heathcliff says:

And there you see the distinction between our feelings: had he (Edgar) been in my place, and I in his, though I hated him with a hatred that turned my life to gall, I never would have raised a hand against him. You may look incredulous, if you please! I never would have banished him from her society as long as she desired his. The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his heart out, and drunk his blood! 

Which is similar to her (supposed) ability to accept his marriage to Isabella - though I still don’t think she saw Isabella as a real rival, and she still does show fear of being replaced when she confronts him about his feelings towards her, and suggests that after her death he’ll one day say: “I loved her long ago, and was wretched to lose her; but it is past. I’ve loved many others since.”

I think perhaps because she’s the one caught between two men and perhaps because of their gender, some tend to look at similar ideas expressed between them and yet believe they have totally different kinds of love for each other. 

I have mentioned before that in my opinion she does love Edgar, and his affection towards her, so I do think it does hurt her that he isn’t paying attention to her after her breakdown and even worsens it by still bringing up Heathcliff. I just don’t think that it is the source of the breakdown. 

“I think this naivety can be intentional. I think Cathy is capable of forgetting or ignoring stuff that aren’t convenient to her or are traumatic to her. For example she immediately forgets about the content of the “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now” speech when she fears that Heathcliff had run away because of it.”

I think it is this exactly! As I mentioned she sidesteps so much during the time that Heathcliff comes back. I think Emily, probably totally unintentionally, wrote such a good character that shows the affects of childhood trauma - her gaps in memory and simultaneous aversion to, and yet creating of, drama is very realistic.

About her death being “unattractive from both a feminist perspective and a moralistic perspective” - I don’t think she does kill herself outright, but I don’t know what other way, regardless of interpretation, that it isn’t at its most simplistic form, her “dying from lost love” or something like that? I think it is more than a broken heart though, she’s been suffering from mental heath problems for years now and while she initially tries to starve herself it does seem that it is childbirth during her weakened state that kills her. Even taken at the most metaphysical level she still dies in part because of Heathcliff’s return and the proceeding drama, it’s just Heathcliff is also a fill-in for nature/freedom. I think if people want to complain that it shows she’s just a “typical weak female” or some nonsense then they need to equally criticize Heathcliff for dying over his broken heart as well. Which again is too simplistic a view of both of their deaths, but I get why people perceive it that way. Anyway I don’t really care if people have a problem with this with her character. Judging why someone would lose the will to live or want to kill themselves is so toxic tbh. And love isn’t nothing - literally some dogs will stop eating if their companion dies, its completely natural to suffer from the loss of people you love.

About Catherine’s ghost, (if it is real) I do like the theory that Heathcliff’s obsession with revenge is what blocks Catherine’s ghost out, or is what makes him unable to focus enough on it to really perceive it. I still don’t think he does soften to Edgar, but as we somewhat discussed the other day it is his feelings towards Hareton that gives him humanity. She is not his “reward” but the novel could be making it a moral when it shows that he cannot be at peace until he lays down his revenge (obviously he doesn’t entirely but he does give up on continuing it). Not that I really agree with it but there is another interpretation that says because of Emily’s belief in universal salvation, Heathcliff (and everyone else) is essentially is essentially in purgatory paying for their sins on earth and there is no punishment in the afterlife. Or Charlotte did say Heathcliff is “unredeemed; never once swerving in his arrow-straight course to perdition.” So there are options lol. 

[awed-frog]

Do you think maybe banning that stuff from AO3 could be a good thing?

I don’t know. I don’t like censorship, and I think it’s very hard to know which stuff one should censor in the first place. I do wish some people would not share what they share, that’s for sure. I think maybe there should be a system that recognizes how long you’ve had a page open - sometimes people will open a fic with weird tags in a kind of Dead Dove moment then close it, but the result is that some truly upsetting works have a very high number of hits, which pushes them at the top of any search. And I also think that stuff that’s just porn shouldn’t be in the same place as other stuff. I know the distinction is problematic, but again - writers should be more honest about what they’re writing. A lot of things you find on AO3 are one-chapter PWPs or ‘one kink per chapter’ fics, and imo those don’t belong in the same category as a long fic with two explicit sex scenes in it. And also: maybe some tags should show up only if you’re specifically looking for them. Like, if a fic is tagged ‘castration’, then it only shows up in your search if you’re typing in “enemies-to-lovers, castration” so that if you type “enemies-to-lovers” you don’t get pretty weird porn you never asked for. 

Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I think people often underestimate the damages porn can do, and while movies are worse for lots of reasons (chief among them, the presence of real human performers who’re often abused on screen, or whose work is shown and sold without their permission), fiction is not great either. It can still normalize stuff that shouldn’t be normalized, and desensitize us to stuff we should find unusual, unacceptable or shocking. 

And while fanfiction is not the whole problem here (published books are doing what they can to close the gap), I think it is still part of the problem. 

(Anyway: I say porn, but there is a lot of other stuff that’s harder to catch but a lot more dangerous - mostly the way some ‘romances’ are written.)

Most of all, I wish that people would stop spreading these ideas:

1) It’s okay because it’s not real. Yeah, no. Fiction matters, it shapes how we see the world and how we respond to it. Obviously this is more complicated than *sees Se7en, becomes serial killer*, but fiction is central in our life as humans and that should not be taken lightly.

2) It’s okay because trauma. As far as I know, there is zero research into who writes and reads the most extreme stuff out there, and even if those were all trauma survivors working through their stuff and not, say, people who get off on child porn or whatever else, there is still no reason to put that stuff out there.

3) It’s okay because Nabokov. A sex scene in a book (or long fic) is very different from a PWP, or a story built around porn. I’m not a prude, and I don’t think all porn is necessarily bad, but comparing some of the filth that’s out there to the Decameron is a bit much.

4) It’s okay because libraries. This is what irritates me the most. Libraries don’t keep everything, and they don’t keep everything for a reason. If you ask for white supremacy propaganda, for instance, you’re likely not to find anything unless it’s a university library, in which case it will be a heavily annotated edition and not simply a random ‘Jews are bad’ pamphlet. And another thing: a librarian won’t say, ‘Since you enjoyed If This Is A Man, try Mein Kampf.’ People recognize the two works are different even if they can both be tagged as ‘history, memoir, WW2, holocaust’. AO3 doesn’t do this (and as far as I understand it, it’s a deliberate choice). If you enjoy Coffeeshop AUs, it will happily offer you a fic that’s 90% about bestiality set in a Starbucks. And I know the argument - readers should search better - but the thing is, 1) I won’t necessarily know what I don’t want to read and 2) some stuff is just tagged the same when it comes to the main tags, but obviously it doesn’t mean the two stories are similar in any way.

5) It’s okay because free speech. Well: free speech has limits. We regulate some of it, as there are laws against hate speech, genocide deniers, Neo-Nazis, threats, bullying, harassment, and a lot of other things. So free speech doesn’t mean you get to regurgitate whatever bs into the world.

6) Children are old enough to protect themselves. Literally no, they are not. Any sane person should recognize a child is not an adult and that there are certain choices about his life he shouldn’t get to make (for instance, you wouldn’t allow a child of 12 to join the army no matter how much he begged you). Now the internet has become a central tool for education and lots of stuff of everyday life, it’s absurd that we ask children to do the right thing and that’s it. I mean, you wouldn’t have a bakery near a school sell meth by the croissants and then be like ‘It’s labelled as meth! I asked this kid if he truly wanted it and he said yes, it’s not my job as a random adult to decide stuff for him!’. Like - what the fuck? In a way, yes, it is your job. Children are raised by the entire community. We should do what we can to make sure they have more good choices than bad, and in my opinion that includes not having stuff that’s objectively awful freely available and sitting right next the cuddly and fluffy stuff.

(A stupid example from real life: this school I taught at had a convenience store next to it, and some kids would sneak in there during breaks to buy energy drinks. While that’s legal, and it was also allowed for them to leave the school grounds, energy drinks still have a lot of caffeine and are not healthy for 13-yo kids. After this happened regularly with the same kids for about a month, the owner refused to sell them anymore of the stuff and went to talk to the teachers instead. The school started a whole project - on the one hand, they had kids doing science experiments and learning why energy drinks are bad, and on the other, they offered support and free breakfast to anyone who needed it - and specifically to those who normally skipped a meal because their families had to leave for work very early - and the gorging on energy drinks and chips at 10am stopped.) 

I don’t know. I’m very conflicted about this. I wrote fanfiction and though my style is pretty consistent, I know my own stuff has issues. There are days I reconsider even having it out there, tbh, especially when I got yelled out for forgetting to tag something or I see a particularly callously libertarian pro-AO3 post, but rn I don’t have the time or energy to make a decision about that. 

I just wish we would all think of each other a bit more, that’s all.

[valkyrieelysia18]

RWBY Rewrite: The Relics

Hello there everyone! I’m back with another post on my Rewrite series that hopefully will delight you.

Admittedly, this might be an odd topic after my last post. Well, that one was pretty big and I wanted something a bit smaller to tackle. I had thought about getting into the White Fang next, but that post is going to be a dozy and then I thought of the Relics. And I thought “Sure, that’ll work.”

The Relics, in my opinion, were handled poorly in the show. Items that can grant great power and when collected something amazing/terrible have been done before and done well (which is honestly true a lot of stuff in RWBY). In RWBY, we didn’t know the Relics existed until over halfway through Volume 4, reduced the Maidens to essentially gate keys in Volume 5, and even at the end of Volume 6 we only know what the lamp can do on its own. I mean come on, Dragon Ball took one episode to explain its titular item (granted they were a lot more simple, but still)! So we’re going to tackle these things.

Now before we get into the individual items, let’s address some things that about the Items as a whole.

The first thing to note about the Relics in this Rewrite is that gathering the four together won’t summon the Gods back to Remnant. The Brothers in this Rewrite are much more distant figures, preferring to observe their creations rather than directly interfering. 

So then, why does Salem want to collect them? The full reason will be in her and Ozpin’s backstory post, but to put it simply Salem has a more personal history with the Relics here and wishes to get them back. She views that leaving them in the hands of mortals will just lead to them abusing the items, causing more pain and suffering for the world. Not an entirely baseless viewpoint as we’ll get into soon enough.

The next thing to note is that before the Relics were under the care of the Academies and Ozpin’s group, each was possessed by a former Royal Family. Vale had Choice, Mistral had Knowledge, Vacuo had Destruction, and Mantle had Creation. Granted as time passed and certain things were failed to be passed on, by the time of the Great War only the Crown of Choice’s abilities were known and even then only to a select few.

Each Relic will have a have a spirit that will be involved with the item’s power. I’m not sure whether it was said in RWBY after I left that each Relic had a spirit or whether Jinn was an exception, but I’m going to roll with the first one. Also, each Spirit technically doesn’t have a biological sex, they choose how they want to look.

Also, only the Lamp will have the blue glow. The other Relics will associated with the color of their kingdom: the Staff having a White crystal, the Sword having an Orange gleaming blade, and a Green jewel in the center of the Crown. They can still have the gold, but this will make them more distinct from each other.

Finally, they are NOT the major Grimm magnets as presented in the original show. While they do give off a sort of a signature that Grimm can recognize, it’s a faint one. It would attract Grimm attention if it stayed out for too long in the wild or Grimm would be looking for it in an area if Salem directed them personally to it.

All right, now let’s get down to business!

Knowledge: Jinn

The Lamp of Knowledge is the only Relic we’ve gotten to know it’s full abilities as well as meet its spirit. Even then, I think that three questions every a hundred years is maybe a little too limited for something that is a power of the gods. So, I’m changing it.

Instead of granting three questions within a certain time frame, I like the idea of giving anyone who uses the lamp the ability to ask Jinn one question of the past and present. Everyone is entitled to knowledge after all and they should determine how they want to use it. I know, I kind of stole the idea from the scepter from the direct to video Aladdin King of Thieves, but I think it’s a good setup. It’s powerful, but it still has limitations. This will contrast with its opposite the Crown, which will be more exclusive and deal with the future.

Then there’s Jinn and am I the only who thought her design was lazy? I mean we get it, she’s a genie, but there’s nothing interesting or unique in her design. Pretty sure comparisons to Aladdin’s Genie and Magi’s Paimon have been made. I’d leave her redesign to someone who is fully capable of putting a new spin on it, but I would like the idea of her not having a consistent wardrobe. Maybe have her wear a top that was similar to something found in Central Mistral while wearing a hairpiece you would identify being at home in Eastern Mistral. Not only would this symbolize how multicultural Mistral is, but also how history is made of many different parts.

Now Jinn herself wouldn’t be that different of a character from canon. She would still be a rather pleasant, teasing spirit who is quite thrilled to finally be out of the Vault again. Amongst the Relic spirits, she’s probably the one who has the least regard for mortals, but that’s partly because of what people usually use her for. Most people would ask about power, riches, dark secrets; it got kind of boring and predictable for Jinn and it was less pleasant when they would get mad at her for telling them truths they didn’t want to hear. Let’s just say a few rulers of Mistral that used her Relic didn’t use it very wisely.

Jinn’s favorite type of petitioner would be someone like Oobleck: someone who would ask her about some part of history that doesn’t have much known about it and she doesn’t get to talk about nearly as much as she’d like to so she actually goes into more detail than necessary. She’d also respect someone who probably knows the answer she’s going to give them is not one they want to hear, but is resolved to face the truth whatever it is.

Creation: Eve/Ev

The Staff of Creation is a bit interesting in that works better for some than others. It uses what a person pictures in their mind to bring what they want to reality, within reason. So it really works best with someone very creative and has a clear vision of what they want to do. It can’t create something that’s alive (like a dog) or that had been living (like someone who has passed on). Also, the more detailed and involved an item is, the longer it will take for the Staff to recharge. For example, the little crystals (which are basically a crystallized form of the staff’s power) Ironwood has been creating as an alternative energy source would take a couple of hours to a day depending on how many were created at a time. Whereas a huge detailed palace would take decades to over a century, longer than it would have taken them to build in real time.

Eve is the Spirit of Creation and would have a rather androgynous appearance. I was also thinking that the Spirit could be called Eve or Ev depending on who’s addressing them. Their main color would be white, but their appearance would resemble that of artist. Perhaps having smudges of charcoal on their face or a splattering of color on an apron. I think it would be really ironic that the kingdom that banned the arts at one point would have a Spirit that is quintessentially an artist, heck Eve might have locked up during that time and forgotten about until after the war was over. Again, I’d leave the design to someone who is much better suited for it.

Now in this Rewrite, the Staff is no longer in the Vault because Ironwood took it out. He reasoned that having a powerful tool that could be used to in the fight against of Salem would be wasted simply being left in the Vault. Needless to say, Eve doesn’t like the way Ironwood is using them. It’s clear the power is just a means to an end to him, something he can use to make Atlas more secure. There is no love or passion for what he’s creating and he treats them with no courtesy or respect, not listening at all when they try to talk to him. When Watts eventually comes to retrieve the Staff, Eve is basically “Oh thank the Brothers! I could care less about your plans, just get me out of here!” It’s sort of a summary of what partly causes Ironwood’s fall: the inability to get that people aren’t purely logical beings that will do what they are told for the greater good, but emotional irrational people who will snap when pushed too far.

The best person Eve could work with is someone who specializes in the visual arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, etc. Someone who has a very clear vision and obviously very passionate about the things they want to create. Eve would also enjoy someone who is perfectly okay if they don’t get their creation exactly right on the first try  and is more than willing to take Eve’s advice/criticism. 

Destruction: Adamou

The Sword of Destruction is perhaps the easiest Relic to understand and use. Using the sword will increase your physical abilities and the sword can send out waves of power that can devastate a group of foes or alter the environment. However, using it takes quite a bit of energy. Best case scenario will involve a week of recovery. Worst case scenario you expend years of your life. Even the King of Vale with all his power, lost two or three years he should have had to live on that Final Battle of the Great War. This cost was so great to the old Vacuo Monarchs (and given that most of their past was peaceful) that it was hidden away and forgotten about until the Great War happened and the last King of Vale rediscovered it.

I’m still little unsure of how I would like Adamou, the Spirit of Destruction, to look like. The closest example that comes to mind is something like Nemesis from Fire Emblem Three Houses: a large older battle scarred man with light armor. Once again, I’m a writer and not a character designer so if anyone has ideas I’d be willing to see them. That being said, his name is actually a West Africa variation of the name Adam, putting him in contrast to Eve. Anyone who has a passing understanding of the Old Testament should probably understand what I’m doing here.

Adamou, despite his outward and intimidating appearance, is actually a pretty easy going spirit. He’s also somewhat disappointed in how he doesn’t get used as much compared to his brethren, but he does understand why and has great respect for the old rulers of Vacuo for doing what they did. He enjoys a good fight, but he also enjoys competitions of all kinds whether physical or mental. You could talk him into a little kiddie board game and he’d go at with as much glee as slaying a hoard of Grimm. As the Spirit of Destruction, he knows better than anyone that life is finite and it’s best to live and fight to the fullest until your time comes.

Adamou would gravitate to people like Yang or Pyrrha: those who enjoy combat and wish to live their life to the fullest. Those who’s spirits burn bright even if it means they burn out quicker. That said, he also respects those who fight to protect those they love and things they believe in (to an extent, he’s not fond of fanatics who would give their lives away without a second thought for something obviously sketchy).

Choice: Caesar

Whereas the Lamp reveals the past and present, the Crown of Choice is focused on the future. Those who wear it have the ability to see the possible outcomes of any choice they face. As such you can see what the cost and consequences of your options. That being said, it’s not a hundred percent as the future is always in motion and there’s no telling how other people’s actions and choices may affect what you decide. Still, the predictions do tend to be very accurate. There’s also the possibility that wielder may obsess over said choices or may become dependent on the Crown, but that has happened very rarely since Caesar usually stops their wielders before they go too far in this.  

The thing about the Crown is that unlike the Lamp, it can only be used by one person. When its user dies, the Crown is free to be taken up by another and once it has bonded to someone they are bound for life. Now the Crown can be lent to another person, but every wielder can only do so once in their lifetime and those who borrow it can only use it for three days. On the fourth day, the crown will tighten around the person’s head, giving great pain and hallucinations, and will only stop if that person takes it off at which they can no longer use it. 

Seeing the obvious issues of such a powerful item potentially falling into the wrong hands, the first King of Vale came to an agreement with the Spirit Caesar to set up a trap/test to anyone who would try to claim the Crown. The Crown would be placed in a special chamber when not in use with a multitude of different crowns and circlets in the room. It’s up to the person to choose the right crown with no outside input. Get it wrong and the crown will turn to ash and that person is forever barred from taking the Crown. The twist? The true crown’s appearance in the trial is in fact not a crown, but a wreath of laurels (which can be seen on Beacon’s symbol). And if you’re thinking this sounds quite a bit like the scenario from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, that’s cause it is as its kind of the sort of trial you’d find in a fable or fairy tale. It would take either a very thoughtful and self aware person to pass the trial as well as one not greedy. It’s also made a little more complicated as the Crown looks slightly different for each of it’s wielders, which will be noticed in an earlier scene with our group of heroes in a hall of portraits of the past monarchs of the Vale. Because that is what determined who would succeed to the throne of Vale.

And yes, we will learn a lot more on this when I do the King of Vale Rewrite Post.

As a result of the nature of Crown, Caesar is the spirit that is the most close to mortals as they build a strong personal relationship with their users. As part of this, when a new wielder is chosen, Caesar will take upon the appearance of their predecessor to guide the new one. I’m still a little torn over whether Caesar should appear as the old wielder when they first took up the Crown, in the peak of that person’s life, or how they looked when they died. 

Caesar, for the most part, acts as a sort of advisor to their wielder. That can come off as them acting very parental which given how often the Crown would pass from parent to child is quite fitting. They will give advice when asked for, but in general will advise against using the Crown’s power if its a situation their user can more than handle on their own. They are very much the type of person who would advocate that “It’s the journey, not the destination” and is more than willing to let their wielder fail if it meant they could learn something from it. That said, they do get very attached and is probably the only Spirit that would openly speak positively about Salem due to her history with them and also has issues with Ozpin. They and Jinn will be the ones to eventually give the more specific details to group about Ozpin and Salem’s history after they got the general outline elsewhere.

Caesar has worked with many different types of people, but the main thing they each had in common is that they were the type of people who were always concerned with the consequences of their actions for those around them and the kingdom of Vale as a whole. They generally work best with someone who is humble and empathetic. However, they generally don’t like someone if they put a singular goal above everything else without consideration of all the consequences (again, issues with Ozpin).

Well, that turned out longer than I was expecting it too. I guess I just got into the creative juices. Anyway, I think I’ll do a different post before coming back to do Cinder. And just as a reminder people, I dropped this show at the end of Volume 6 so don’t bring up anything after that to me in a comment.

See you soon!

[sanstropfremir]

Hiii, first of all I really wanted to thank you for giving such a detailed analysis on each topic. I'm not a dancer but I love watching choreographies and people who analyze the idol's dance styles so I really appreciate your comments. If that's not a bother, I'd really like to ask your opinion on Kang Daniel? You mentioned him once when you talked about the similarities between Paranoia's style and Taemin's (which is kind of the reason I got into his work since I love concepts like paranoia and criminal) so I wanted to hear more about your thoughts on him if you're confortable with it? Have a good day!

aww anon this is so sweet, thank you!!

i can never quite parse my opinions on kang daniel, honestly. truly i think it's just personal preference that i don't find him that compelling to watch, because i love his discography; waves unironically slaps and i was really going thru it when antidote dropped so i spent like three days listening to it on repeat. his mvs are in general very well designed and produced, and his company has the money to pull off doing high concept work like paranoia and antidote. he's a fine dancer and there's nothing really that objectionable about his choreos.

if i really dig into it, i think there's two reasons i don't really connect with him as a performer. the first is that i have trouble discerning a personal style in his dancing. this isn't a condemnation of him in specific, because this is really common with idols. in order to develop a personal movement style you have to both spend a lot of time dancing AND you have to be curious and dedicated to learning how a broad range of different dance styles form their movements. a kpop idol just doesn't have the time for that, especially on a regular basis, because there are a lot of other elements to their job. there are idols that have spent this time though, obviously, and that's why they stand out: people with distinct personal styles like taemin, rain, kai, chungha, and people with more subtle ones like boa, ten, hwanwoong. there's plenty of 'good'* dancers that i personally don't find as compelling to watch because they haven't developed as strong of a style; which are including but not limited too: yugyeom, yunho (atz), seulgi, shownu, wonho, 85% of the studio choom aotm dancers, etc. this is not me disparaging idol dancers either, it just happens to be more common among them because they don't have as much time dedicated to the task. and the same issue exists for professional dancers (and pretty much every type of artist) as well; if you really want to stand out, you need to bring something unique and signature to you to the table. and i don't really see this consistently in kang daniel's performances. paranoia is his best comeback because it's the one that he manages to make the deepest thematic connections to, which i think is owed to it being very personally rooted to him. i'm fairly certain he has quite severe anxiety and/or a panic disorder, and i know from personal experience that it can often be difficult to make convincing connections with work when you're also fighting with your brain.

the second reason is that i don't think his choreos connect to his concepts as well as they could. this is also not an exclusive problem to him, a lot of groups have this same isssue, but there's a safe zone between 'totally unrelated why are they dancing like this' and 'way too literal' and i think he could just use a better choreographer. especially if he wants to do more high concept stuff like paranoia. even though antidote (the song) hit something for me, antidote (the perfomances) ended up being a bit lackluster when compared to the thematic consistency of its predecessor. overall i think he's got a lot of promise and he's only been solo for two years at this point, so he's got a lot of space to grow still.

* the quotation marks are there not because i don't believe these idols are good dancers, but because this is the pool of generally agreed upon good/main dancer idols.