#THEIA Spectrum

[dead-man-walking245]

Little collage I made!! I’ll probably add more to it later but I like how it looks for now

[nonbinarynerdbot]

So I did a thing and wrote a Penumbra fic. Basically I’ve had season 2 brain rot and couldn’t stop thinking about how the THEIAs work and how they would leave an effect even after they were gone. I’m working on one for the psychological effects but I cranked out a chronic illness hurt/comfort fic for the physical effects.

I wasn’t gonna make a post about it but @seth-silver-ink beta’d for me and asked me to so 🤪🤪🤪

[petri-nutritional]

Try the Theia Spectrum today!

[hellpupp]

if i could convince all my friends, loved ones, and acquaintances to listen to One(1) piece of media that was formative for me, it would be Juno Steel and the Monster's Reflection parts 1-3.

it won't hit as hard without the context of the series up until that point, but it's still such a profound exploration of generational trauma, cycles of abuse, PTSD, and the ways we can understand the ones who hurt us as being complex individuals with a rich interior life. it even touches on how our memories are reshaped (sometimes even completely overwritten or erased) by the trauma we associate with them.

it forces us to grapple with the fact that most abusers aren't 2D cartoon villains who hurt others Because They're Evil- they usually had reasons for their behavior, but it does NOT try to say the existence of an explanation for their behavior absolves them of responsibility for it, nor does it try to say you have to forgive them.

i once saw someone tear the episodes to shreds bc they "humanized an abuser" and i've never seen someone look so directly at the point of a story & somehow completely miss it.

i've listened to the entire 3 part story probably 6 or more times, at least, and it's deeply emotionally impactful every time. it's been hugely cathartic.

anyway, if reading this makes you want to give the episodes a listen, here's a link:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

PLEASE take the time to read over the content warnings.

if you'd like a very brief summary of the most important previous plot points the episodes touch on, so that you have a better understanding of the circumstances, check below the cut:

early in the series, the titular character, Juno Steel, reveals that he had an identical twin brother (named Benzaiten) who died many years ago.

juno almost never brings up his mother, but it's clear that they had a VERY bad relationship. it's implied early on that she may have tried to kill juno, once, & that she was somehow involved in benten's death. juno also blames himself for ben's death.

juno struggles with severe depression, low self-worth, and persistent passive suicidal ideation. he tends to self-sabotage his relationships, and attaches most of his self-worth to his ability to stop crime & Catch The Bad Guys. the likely reasons for this are revealed here.

in a previous season, in order to keep it out of the hands of a dangerous criminal, juno took an experimental drug which caused him to grow an organ that an extinct alien race once used to communicate telepathically. he overtaxes the organ, causing it to rupture inside of his body. because it had attached to his optical nerve, the rupture also destroyed his eye.

juno's main employer in this arc, ramses o'flaherty, "generously" supplied him with a highly advanced, experimental prototype cybernetic eye, called the "Theia Spectrum." it comes with an AI which can help juno do all sorts of neat stuff- he later finds out it also allows ramses to see whatever he sees, and to override juno's nervous system if he does something ramses doesn't want him to.

the eye can't be removed through conventional surgical methods, due to the fact that it's become closely entwined with his own nervous system. in the previous episode, juno has finished a job for a different employer (buddy aurinko), in exchange for being taken to a clinic that supposedly has methods to remove this kind of prosthetic safely. the first episode of Monster's Reflection opens on juno's arrival to the secret clinic, alongside the escort buddy has sent with him ("big guy")

[monsterdramahub]

🌈The Artifacts of Theia🌈

The following are a set of powerful objects whose ownership has been in contention for millennia. It is said that uniting them will cause a great "unification". They're passed around the factions throughout the story, so the faction listed to possess them is more of a "has them the majority of the time". Explained are also the appearances of the artifacts and their special power. All objects are capable of switching from their default color into a spectrum of light, and all objects may cause the corruption of the body and mind on contact: the traits listed are what distinguishes them from each other.

⚪The Echo Crystals

The Echo Crystals are many, scattered throughout Theia and take the form of small, unpigmented, irregular fractals. They're said to be shards of the following seven objects. They grant the ability to view visions of the past, usually relating to the past of the one holding the crystal. Echo Crystals can also be charged by another object to gain its powers, but this is temporary and they will require frequent recharging. They aren't all owned by any single faction and each has a few in their possession.

🔴The Pearl

The feared Pearl takes the form of a large red globular mass, cracked and appearing tentatively held in one piece. Viewing the Pearl causes one to enter a blind state of fury and near invulnerability, making those affected into ideal berserkers and terrors of the battlefield. The Pearl is wielded by the Gourmand of Ore Horde.

🟠The Eye

The coveted Eye is square in shape with inner rings of varying orange hues vaguely resembling an iris and pupil. It may be used in a manner similar to a crystal ball, it's gaze able to be directed anywhere and spy upon many things at once if the proper rituals are completed. The Eye is used by the executives of Topaz Corp to monitor their citizens.

🟡The Rose

The draining Rose appears as a small gilded sphere with spiraling inlays making it resemble the pedals of a flower. It has the ability to sap the magical powers of anything and everything, no matter how powerful, within it's range of influence. It is kept by Queen Ari of Rosegold Kingdom.

🟢The Shroud

The mysterious Shroud is a teardrop-shaped, finely spun cloak with a texture similar to velvet and is a deep green in color. Prolonged exposure causes the body to break down and fuse to anything it comes into contact with, taking on the attributes of whatever is absorbed until all sense of self is lost. The Shroud is being researched in Emerald Commune by Regina, Jelly and (outsider to Emerald) Spines.

🔵The Crown

The renowned Crown takes the appearance of a tiara with a single tall spire of brilliant blue stone. The Crown bolsters the natural and magical abilities of whoever is wearing it, making them significantly stronger than anyone within range. Sapphire Regency's privateer, Joei, uses the Crown for their missions.

🟣The Mask

The despised Mask looks like a royal purple half-mask, diamond in shape, broad at the top and pointed at the cheekbone, with a similarly diamond-shaped eye hole. The Mask is capable of making its wearer mimic any and all powers volleyed against them. It is owned by Trash of Amethyst Empire.

💗The Heart

The beloved Heart is a smooth pale pink stone in the shape of a love-heart, similar in size to a real human heart. It may sway the emotions of all within its influence to whatever the wielder pleases. It is held by the twin dragon of the sky. It is held by Altar of Topaz Corp for everyone's own good.

[2flyingfoxes]

OH OH OH HUNGER GAMES AU SO GOOD.... okay cus now all im thinking about is juno losing his eye in the arena and going through that whole trauma and then getting the theia spectrum as a gift from a mysterious sponsor... a gift that seems like its meant to help protect him but really only serves to perpetuate the cycle of exploitation, whose purpose is really to tell an engaging story,while yes, keeping him alive, but also manipulating him and denying him autonomy in this already just like. terrible situation. ramses o'flarety as a purportedly revolutionary politician whose strategies are just as exploitative as the system he claims to want to destroy, manipulating a scared, vulnerable teenager into becoming a symbol for revolution. if thats not where youre going with this thats fine im sure whatever it is is great thats just where my head is at <3 youve made my brain all tingly with ur beautiful words and etc

Hell yeah! It's what fanworks are all about, making you think about possibilities and connections and engaging in the story in the new way. It's such a compelling idea!

It's not really the place I'm going, but hell, that's a good one! I keep Ramses in mind while writing this fic, but he's not going to be a major character in those Games. I plan writing a few more stories in this AU, so rest assured, there is a place for the eye stuff and reckoning with Ramses. And I hope when I finally get to it, it will be as satisfying as your concept!

I'm so happy my words have made you speculate about what could happen next 🩷 thank you!

[littleliongirl16]

Humanized design for the Theia from Penumbra Podcast, anyone? (I'm trying to humanize like, the ai specifically so there are elements of her design based on the theia spectrum and the souls)

[somebeetledude]

GET THEM A THEIA SPECTRUM ‼️‼️‼️‼️🙏🙏🙏🙏😭😭😭😭🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣

juno motherfucking steel wouldn’t have missed that shot

[lucky-numberme]

WIP b/c I can't stop thinking about New Town after today's episode. Where did all the extra people come from? How is the THEIA involved? What's about to go horribly wrong with Diamond?

(EDIT: final version is here )

[misstrashchan]

Theia Spectrum: Unexpected item in bagging area.

Juno: It's not unexpected, you digital fuck. You literally just told me what it is. It's right there on the screen. I did the wavy-wave, you did the bleepy-bleep; up until the point where you decided to have an electronic stroke, things were going exactly according to plan. What you mean is that you haven't been programmed right. Don't go putting this on me, like I've somehow gone out of my way to surprise you. I've got places to be, man. I can't be playing hide-the-actual-salami with the Terminator's younger, shittier cousin.

Oh, and now you've sent for backup. Well done. Now I have to deal with a human person who thinks I'm either an imbecile or a thief for not being able to work what's effectively a bathroom scale with delusions of grandeur for the fourth time.

[gncbutpi]

"....the Theia Spectrum is now online"

observation 1: oo new discord add emoji button

observation 2: kinda... kinda looks like a cyborg with an optical replacement

observation 3: ......it's juno steel

[geisterzeit-art]

Give up

...control to the THEIA Spectrum. Temporarily. :)

[pippalovestunabrick]

Me: slips on ice and only manages to keep my balance because of my boots

My intrusive TPP thoughts: Where the leggy fails, the sole intercedes.

[enjoy-yourselves]

[spicy2verde]

this doesn't have anything to do with the new ep but this is what my hc of THEIA kind of looks like

[aspacenerd]

scanning for intruders