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mirielwebster · 2 years ago

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What better way to get started than with Fire Emblem's favourite word, dastard, which appears in just about every game, be it officially or unofficially translated? This shot in particular is from the new (fan)translation of FE4, but it was present in the older one as well. Fans often seem to assume it's just a butchering of "bastard" (for ratings reasons) without realising that it is a real word with a real meaning.

( "Implore" is also a possible candidate, and perhaps also "adore" and "undercut" as well if you want to be thorough. )

An Emblematic starting word, indeed!

Fire Emblem's relationship with pejoratives is an interesting one, and while dastard is definitively a distinct word from bastard, I do think there is a relationship between the use of old-timey insults and the need or desire to keep things "Nintendo-friendly." It was rare to see even a damn in the first localized games, and part of the way localization circumvented this was to have the characters use epithets that sounded... well, medieval. Hence your craven!s and your cur!s and, if you're feeling extra spicy, your craven cur!s. I'm actually hard-pressed to recall a usage of dastard in at least FE7 (which was fond of blackheart in similar circumstances); maybe the ESRB thought it was a little too close to the B-word for comfort.

Of course, as the series settled comfortably into a consistent "T for Teen" rating, sensibilities surrounding language loosened up. Awakening was the first game to see characters swearing on a fairly regular basis— up to and including bastard with a B! Yet we still see dastard often enough in modern FE games, which should put to rest the notion that it's merely a euphemism for a more offensive term. They're used differently, and that boils down to both meaning and tone.

(This is where I was initially going to expound on bastard, but just as that section of the post was getting to be too long, an angel of mercy sent an Ask for that very word. So stay tuned, all you beautiful bastards.)

Kidnapping is, of course, Dastardry 101.

So, what exactly does it mean to be a dastard? Merriam-Webster gives two definitions: 1) “coward,” and 2) “a person who acts treacherously or underhandedly.”

While people do seem to assume dastard as it appears in FE is a willful typo, I’d wager most of you have actually heard its adjectival form: dastardly! Yes, that’s an adjective, not an adverb, despite the -ly ending— same with words like friendly and unsightly.

If the context hasn’t made it clear by now, these words are practically synonymous with villainy. But we’re not just talking any old villain: the key word in the above definitions is underhanded. Dastard carries the sense of cowardice with it because it’s associated with backstabbing, behind-the-scenes scheming, sneak attacks, and just generally dirty tactics. Arguably the most famous “dastard!” in Fire Emblem is directed toward Arvis in Genealogy of the Holy War, and it’s patently well-deserved. And even though Chagall in the asker’s provided screenshot might be projecting juuust a little bit, he actually does well to give us some context clues, as he accuses Eldigan of getting close to his father in order to get one over on Chagall— which, if it were true, would certainly qualify as underhanded. Not as underhanded as murdering your peace-loving king and father, maybe, but who’s to say.

So while modern audiences will sooner associate this word with being a villain than with merely being a coward, it’s important to note that not every villain is a dastard. Your big, strong, honest warlord types— Walhart, for instance— are generally not going to be very dastardly. Neither are your force-of-evil gods and monsters… after all, who needs trickery and deception when you can turn your foes to stone, incinerate them with your breath, or simply eat them? And while yes, dastard and bastard are different words, one commonality you might have noticed is how male-gendered they both are in practice. Nothing whatsoever is stopping a woman from being a dastard, but it’s unlikely she’ll ever be called one.

As for the other words:

Implore basically means beg, though it implies a little more dignity. Rather than falling to your knees, folding your hands, and crying a lot, you need a more strategic and sophisticated approach when imploring. Eldigan’s completely sincere in his desire to put a stop to Chagall’s warmongering, but he doesn’t lower himself upon asking.

Adore means love, especially in a worshipful or fawning way. While it can still be used in an earnest way, it's just as often tinged with condescension, implying disdain for the adorer, the adoree, or both. I’m not sure when adorable came to be synonymous with cute, but I think there’s an intentional hyperbole in that usage that became lost as it became common. Chagall may likewise be hyperbolizing, intent as he is upon framing Eldigan as… well, a manipulative dastard. Having already learned his true feelings toward his father, what's meant to communicate sympathy for the king to Eldigan rings hollow and ironic to the audience.

Undercut as used here means the same as undermine, which is to weaken or make useless via subtle or covert means. It’s all very underhanded… or shall we say, dastardly. Undercut does have more of an association with direct competition or rivalry, though, which gives the sense that part of this may be personal to Chagall.

Well, I think that covers everything! Tune in next time, when we discuss dastard’s edgier, PG-13 cousin. Oh yes, I was serious.

#fire embem #vocabulary #dastard #insults #noun #fe4 #genealogy of the holy war #chagall #eldigan #corrin #fates #fe14 #conquest #implore #adore #undercut #verb

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northstories · 2 years ago

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Chaos Controlled:

For all my fics find me on Archive of Our Own

Twt: @ northsstories (no minors)

My message inbox is always open for drabble requests bc I love chaos 🤟

🐿️Jilix 🐥

Reverent

Rated: E

One-shot University AU

Jisung thinks Felix is very, very pretty and can't stop looking at him. Felix might be into that.

Words: 16,713

Completed: ✅

Naturally

Rated: E

Multi Chapter Canon Compliant

They're in love your honor, they're just being idiots about it

Words: 32,692

Completed: ✅

Status Quo

Rated: T

Social Media University AU

Jisung is truly hopeless, hope you're into that

(because Felix sure is)

Completed: ❌

Praying At Your Altar

(if you know what I mean)

Rated: E

Sweet, Christian, innocent Jisung vs. filthy minded Felix hunting him like prey

Part 1 of Be Gay - Do Crimes (works as standalone)

Words: 17,579

Completed: ✅

I Dare You (To Be Mine)

Rated: E

University AU

Jilix vs. Alcohol and Party Games, this can only go well, right? Right?

Words: 32,805

Completed: ✅

🐰Minchan🐺

Cheesy

Rated: E

University AU: Bang Chan using the cheesiest lines to whittle away at Minho's sanity and resolve. We all know Chan is a total dad, he deserves a proper dad-joke fic.

Words: 37,826

Completed: ✅

Little Birdie Flies So Far

Rated: E

Dead dove: do not eat. Victorian era, Murder mansion, serial killers AU.

The manor stands proudly within the vast expanse of its estates. Well-kept gardens, neatly kept grounds, lavish furnishings, exquisite architecture. The gem of the town.

But behind its walls, an evil lurks. Invisible to the eyes of the people, hidden away.

Completed: ❌

🐺Chanlix🐥

Freesia

Rated: M

Police AU, Hybrid AU

Chan is a detective with an impossible case. In a desperate attempt to crack it, he ends up taking in the hybrid Felix in the hopes that he can provide any leads.

Part 1 of The Language of Flowers

Words: 49, 204

Completed: ✅

🐰Minsung🐿️

Dandelions

Rated: E

Set in Freesia Universe

Minho is a cop and a control freak

Jisung is a hermit producer with anxiety

Part 2 of The Language of Flowers

Completed: ❌

blushes, butterflies and heart flutters and shit...

Rated: T

One-shot University AU

Just dumb best friends doing best friend stuff... Platonically, I think?

Words: 14, 076

Completed: ✅

🦊Jeongsung🐿️

Sweet & Spicy

Rated: E

Omegaverse AU, Strangers to Lovers

Jeongin is generally good at minding his own business. But when he sees a scared omega pushed up against the wall of a nightclub, facing three looming alphas, his moral compass decides that he should do something. The problem is that said omega turns out be the cutest fucking thing Jeongin has ever seen in his life. Even if he is drunk off his ass.

Words: 42,983

Completed: ✅

It's Only Fair

Rated: E

University AU, Practice fic.

POV: You hate the education program you're in, but your parents pressured you to apply for it when all you wanna do is skateboard. Then, when you get in, you get stuck with a hardass prof who makes you do stupid weekly tests, meaning you actually have to read the course material. This one nerd in your class is always sitting alone so he should be fairly easy to manipulate into helping you though. What you didn't account for was the fact that he wants to do a knowledge for knowledge kinda deal.

Yeah, Jeongin is fucked.

Completed: ❌

🦊JeongSungLix🐿️🐥

Domming 101

Domming 102

Rated: E

Canon compliant. M/M/M. Polyamory. Practice fic.

Words: 21,725 + 9,091

Completed: ✅

🦊JeongLix🐥

Tell Me I'm Pretty (Sweet Words On Your Tongue)

Rated: E

Canon Compliant, first times, queer platonic relationship.

“Step out! Hello, we are Stay Kids, and we are here today with Teen Vogue! And today we're gonna try out the Compliment Battle.” This is Jeongin's worst nightmare.

Words: 9,401

Completed: ✅

🐰Minhyang 🦊

Moved By You

Rated: E

Alternate Universe - Non-Famous.

Jeongin is shy and clumsy — this he knows. Which begs the question; Why the heck does he think signing up for a dance class is a good idea? Well, aside from the fact that Hyunjin's gorgeous dance teacher Minho said he should. And the fact that he's drunk off his ass while staring at the sign-up sheet. Perhaps he should? Hell, he can do this, right? He can impress Minho. Right?

Words: 14,587

Completed: ✅

🐺 Chansung🐿️

Under Your Skin

Rated: E

Alternate Universe - Non-Famous. Childhood friends to lovers.

Jisung lets himself be touched. Kissed. Girls, guys, doesn’t matter. He feels like he knows everything about the world. It doesn’t mean shit. Because they’re not him. They’re not Bang Chan. How pathetic, to fall in love after a single smile. Jisung doesn’t even try to get over it.

Words: 34,284

Completed: ✅

🐶 Seungyang🦊

Et Ensomt Tjern (A Lonely Pond)

Rated: E

Viking AU. Mythical Beings & Creatures. Norwegian Mythology & Folklore.

Seungmin has never held much stock in wanderer’s tales or myths, but when he constantly finds himself feeling watched after moving to a cottage in the deep forest, it’s hard not to at least consider it. Especially when he swears he keeps seeing the shadowed silhouette of what looks like a man with a fox tail swinging behind him.

Perhaps he's just gone mad?

Completed: ❌

🐶Seungsung🐿️

Objectively, Of Course.

with @anautumncarol

Rated: T

Alternate Universe - Non-Famous. Strangers to lovers.

In which Seungmin is willing to admit that his dorm-mate isn't super bad-looking, and not not kinda cute, even if he is annoying as hell. Objectively, of course, because Seungmin is nothing if not a level-headed scholar.

Words: 7,851

Completed: ✅

🐷🐰 3RACHA 🐺🐿️

What Makes It So Special

Rated: E

Inspired by art.

Canon Compliant. Established poly relationship.

Jisung is staring. These late night working sessions are prone to get the best of him. It's late, he hasn't slept for a while, hasn't left this room in hours, it's hot… Hot enough that Chan at one point forgoes his shirt. Hot enough that Changbin's thigh feels like a space heater pressed against Jisung’s own where they're slumped on Chan’s bed, leaning against the headboard. He doesn't stand a chance, really.

Words: 7,043

Completed: ✅

Between Us

Rated: E

Alternate Universe - Non-Famous. Hybrids. Omegaverse.

Chan's tail keeps wagging and wagging, looking at Jisung with wide, astonished eyes. Changbin nudges him with his elbow. "Dude, control that thing, would you?" "I dunno what’s happening." "Hi Bin! So, this is the boyfriend Chan, huh?"

Words: 18,618

Completed: ✅

🐶🐰 2minjeongchan 🦊🐺

Right Under My Nose

with @amiandthechaos. Inspired by art.

Rated: E

Alternate Universe - Non-Famous. Hybrids. Omegaverse.

Dog-hybrids are weird, Minho has always thought so, but somehow he has ended up living with three of them. Three omegas to boot. Maybe it's because he's a cat-hybrid himself that he doesn’t really get their deal; The tail-wagging, and the sniffing, and the sleeping in a big pile, but he’s somehow made his peace with it. That is until all three of them collectively decide to start sniffing him, like he is the most interesting thing on the planet despite the fact that he is most likely just an unpresented beta.

Words: 34,103

Completed: ✅

🐺🐰🐷🐰🥟 Drabbles 🐿️🐥🐶🦊

Six Minutes 'till Midnight

🐿️/

Rated: T

Canon compliant, fluff, birthday traditions, soulmate au

Words: 1,153

Would You Be So Kind, As To Fall In Love With Me?

🐰/🐺

There's something so oddly juxtaposing about Minho patting his head, Chan thinks. Minho makes him feel so many things.

Words: 849

Yeah, Kinda.

🦊/🐿️

Jisung purses his lips, leans in with his eyebrows raised, eyes gleaming mischief. "Kiss me."

God, he's so relentless. He just won't quit, will he? Has no respect for the fact that if Jeongin kisses him once, he might never be able to stop. Stupid. Jeongin kisses his own fingers, then presses them to the back of Jisung's hand, mutters "There," then raises his phone back up to keep scrolling.

Words: 2,136

Taking Turns

🦊x everyone

Rated: T

bebepieuvre once said that "if Jeongin's hyungs aren't taking turns kissing him then 😡 😤 😠"

I agree. Big-time.

Words: 2,254

#skz fanfic #jilix fanfic #minchan fanfic #minsung fanfic #chanlix fanfic #northwrites #jeongsung fanfic #jeongsunglix fanfic #chansung fanfic #seungsung fanfic #jeonglix fanfic #skz ot8 fanfic #3racha fanfic

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eclipse89 · 2 years ago

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how deep space objects look to us, vs what they actually look like

i wanted to make a post showing some very famous and well known DSOs (deep space objects), but with real 1:1 comparisons of how most people are able to see them (with the naked eye, or maybe basic equipment like binoculars) vs the object in its full glory, with all parts of it visible.

starting off with:

The Orion Nebula

this is how the orion nebula looks, in the sky:

it's the center "star" of orion's sword, the vertical asterism (small pattern of stars within a constellation) below orion's belt

now, here's that nebula (just the nebula, the middle "star", zoomed in) in reality:

pretty drastic change, huh? all of these will be, and that's the point; there's so much out there, even in the brightest and most well known objects, that we're just not capable of seeing by eye.

but just because we can't see it, doesn't mean *it's not there*

now onto another prominent winter asterism:

The Pleiades

this is another common once, you've all probably heard of or seen the seven sisters before

and if not, now you have:

now this is a zoomed in shot of them, to the naked eye they look more like a cohesive cluster. this is more how they'd look through binoculars

they're seven bright and close together stars in Taurus, that have a faint blue color to them.

here's how they *actually* look:

*yea*

this isn't artistic embellishment, or any kind of digital manipulation; everything in this photo is real, as in it all exists in reality. it was most likely *enhanced*, so you can see it better, but to enhance something that thing still has to exist.

this holds true for all of the images i'm showing here.

now to skip over to a nice hallmark of the summer

Scorpius/Rho Ophiuchi

to clarify, scorpius is the larger constellation; rho ophiuchi is the asterism within it.

here's two views of those respectively:

the first is another naked eye shot, that's what you'd see under a fairly dark sky by eye. the second is a zoomed in shot, more akin to a view through binoculars

now here's a mid-wide shot of rho:

quite colorful, isn't it?

for our last comparison, let's go over to arguably the most famous of all:

Andromeda Galaxy

andromeda is a deceptively large object, roughly 6 full moons in length (how it looks in the sky, not literal size lol). but it's also very faint.

it's visible to the naked eye, as a blurry star:

you can just barely start to see the galaxy shape, with faint lines going out on both sides.

and finally, here's andromeda in its entirety:

as before, there's so much there that we aren't seeing.

now that we're finished here, i should note 2 things:

firstly, the naked eye depictions are estimates, depending on your local light pollution things may look brighter or fainter.

secondly, the naked eye depictions are my images; the other images are all free-for-use from places like VLT/ESO, Wikipedia and Hubble/ESA

links to those websites below, highly recommend checking them out!

https://www.hq.eso.org/public/images/

https://esahubble.org/images/

#astronomy #astrophotography #space #night sky #stars #nebula #galaxy #astrophotography thoughts #astronomy thoughts

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sibillascribbles08 · 1 year ago

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Tag back from @thelamebat And it's about Alba (predicted)

Since there's writing below imma go ahead and do some more tags. Rules are here! @plastilina-bana tell us some stuff about Soldadara! @danasn0wc4t Who's the OC you came up with most recently?

I can't say I have any deep details on Alba as he was built to be a side character, but I can share a few facts and maybe a brief drabble.

But first

Alba does have the ability to shrink and grow inorganic objects so they're easier for them to handle (this has limitations on how far they can go) but in some cases they just leave them as they are since they got used to managing it.

Despite their tiny and fresh face, they're well over a century old.

Lawyers in the Hidden City don't function quite the same as they do on the surface. That is to say, while lawyers for humans have designated tasks (copyright, prosecutor, defense, etc), Hidden City lawyers do literally everything, the difference however is that they only work with a small number of clients at a time.

Alba has been doing this for a long time and is fairly well known as being one of the best (which is why it was a shock at the time that they took on a mutant client (more on that below))

If you've read VHHB and saw how they talked to Varii, yes they have beef, but mostly because Alba has beef with almost any cop in the long run.

It may be obvious but their design is based on a Honduran White Bat!

And here have a drabble below the cut !

"Look, I know it's a long shot." The giant wasp pulled out a handful of property listings. "Every other lawyer has slammed the door in my face and I know you have a reputation to uphold but I'm not about to just give up."

"Slow down." Alba huffed, not even glancing at the pages just yet. "Just what are you asking for that they all find so troublesome? Surely a deed can't be that hard to get hold of."

"It's not the deed it's..." Her antenna drooped. "Because I'm a mutant."

Ah. That did complicate matters, by a huge magnitude in fact. The laws didn't account for mutants and while Alba thought it shouldn't matter, some folks would use those loopholes to their advantage.

"But," she continued when they didn't respond. "I'm aware of the risks. And I'm willing to pay extra for the trouble." She pulled a wooden box out of her bag and opened it.

Alba squeaked, almost falling over when they saw the amount of coins inside of it. "Wh-what? Miss where did you get all of that?"

"I earned it, before you ask if I stole it."

"That wasn't what I--"

"You don't have to keep me as a client for long. I just need the property and the business license and I can--"

"Miss!" Alba screeched, putting their tiny wings up. Finally she went silent. The bat padded to the end of their desk, which did nothing to fix their difference in height, but they'd be damned if they were going to fly right now. "There's no need for all the begging. You're here because you need a lawyer, correct?"

One of her antenna went sideways. "Well, yes, but I'm sure someone of your reputation likely has a whole wait list and--"

"Psh, wait lists, no no no I don't bother with things like that." Alba scurried across their desk again to find the right forms. "Either I will accept a new client or I won't. If someone doesn't ask me on time then they're out of luck." They tugged the sheet of paper free and carried it over. "Here, new clients fill this one out to start. Then we'll worry about the paperwork for the deeds and such."

"What?" Her antenna both shot up. "You... you're accepting? That easily?"

"You know how I got my reputation?" They grinned at her and pointed with one of their tiny paws. "Because I don't shy away from a challenge. And consider you're in here asking one of the most famous lawyers in the city to represent you after countless rejections, I'm guessing you don't either."

"Well, not in most cases." Her fingers tapped at the top of the wooden box. "But I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"Are you kidding?" Alba adjusted their glasses. "If my clients didn't cause trouble from time to time I simply wouldn't have a job. Now let's get these forms done. Speaking of, I never got your name."

"Ah, my apologies." She put the box away and grabbed a pen off the desk. "My name is Holly Blue."

#scribs speaks #sibillasocs #vhhb #rottmnt oc #they're little guy

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the-storytellers-seer · 1 year ago

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Rewrite Chapter for the Tag

Thank you for the tag @mareenavee!

Okay, here's a blurb from my rewrite of 'Heirs of the Prophecy'. None of this is final. Heck, as I was looking for a portion of the new stuff to post, I found and corrected some awkward wordings.

Excerpt from 'Heirs of the Prophecy' Chapter Three: Consequences

Sarea chanced a bite of porridge, grimaced, and swallowed the bite down as quickly as she could when the flavor of lukewarm congealed meat broth and grains hit her tongue.

She held a hand over her mouth, willing herself not to gag under the knowing gaze of Teldryn. “Oh yes, I should have warned you, their porridge is a meat-based abomination.”

He plucked the bowl from her fingers and emptied it into the fire before pulling out a loaf of bread that had been wrapped in wax-dipped cloth. It was crumbly and dotted with what looked like yellowish spots amongst the densely pocked center. He broke off a portion and handed it to her. “Geldis’ famous travel bread. Not sure how he manages to make ash yam taste good, but I’m not going to complain. It lasts for ages and doesn’t crack teeth."

True enough, the bread was surprisingly soft although grainy. The yam even made it ever-so slightly sweet. She took a deep draught of ale to wash it down and felt marginally better. “Oh, I think I’ve figured out where I was yesterday.”

“Where?”

“I’m fairly certain it was Hermaeus Mora’s realm of Apocrypha.”

Teldryn’s smile vanished. “A Daedric Prince?”

She nodded. “The Prince of Knowledge I believe. He has seven Black Books, they contain great knowledge and they're also portals to his realm. A realm with all the knowledge in the world. Think of it, Teldryn! All the knowledge about what it means to be dragonborn. Knowledge that might even…” she trailed off, unwilling to give those thoughts a voice. They were too raw. Too hopeful. She was so tired of tears.

Teldryn leaned forward. “Sarea, Oblivion and Daedric Princes are…never good.”

“I know, they’re dangerous, but they’re not all evil. Azura isn’t considered evil.”

Teldryn shifted uncomfortably and she saw his jaw clench. “The Princes work to their own ends. We’re nothing but playthings to them.” He nearly growled. “If they’re speaking it’s half-truths…at best.”

“But what about mortals who become their champions? I’ve read of the boons they’re granted.”

His hand shot out and grabbed her knee roughly, dragging all her attention toward him as he leaned close enough for her to feel his breath on her cheeks. “They don’t have champions, they have slaves. I knew someone once who—promise me. Promise me you won’t dabble in that.”

“But what if that’s how we need to stop Miraak?” she argued.

He moved even closer, invading all her space until there was nothing between them but a breath. “I don’t care. I won’t…I can’t…we’ll find another way. Promise me you won’t seek to become a Daedric Prince’s champion.”

Sarea gnawed on her lower lip. “I…”

Her mind whirled for a way she could reassure Teldryn and still gain the precious knowledge to save her family. She didn’t want to lie to him. “We’ll find another way.” She repeated.

But if there wasn’t another way, she’d do whatever needed to be done for the chance to see her parents again.

Teldryn moved away, seeming to accept her words although the tension in the air remained. Sarea stood. “I…uhh…have questions for Frea.”

****

Alright, I tag...well whoever wants to do this! Open invite! It's fun!

#tes v skyrim #elder scrolls #teldryn sero #heirsoftheprophecy #ao3 fanfic #did i do this right?

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synonymroll648 · 2 years ago

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I mean. if you're willing to share....then yes I am all ears on that sokeefitz angst fic...just saying *eyes*. I put this in a separate ask to give you a space to talk about it, but only if you want! Also no clue what I would want if I was sick, it's genuinely been so long I don't. I don't know what my sick safe foods are? life is so so so hard for people with strong immune systems i'm suffering so much /s

also hi hope you're feeling better! or that if you're still sick that it packs its bags and kicks its own ass to the curb soon <3

i'll answer the other stuff in the og chain; this one's juuuuust gonna be the sokeefitz angst fic lol.

basically: au (that's technically canon compliant, esp since the series isn't over? idk man don't ask) where like the shadowflux echoes in (fanon) fitz's knee, the echoes in his heart end up developing into a chronic condition. but the heart echoes are a significantly bigger threat to his health, like in canon (we don't ever see him get wiped out from the pain in his knee, but we do see him get wiped out from his heart echoes going haywire. there's examples throughout flashback of what i'm talking about). a year or two after canon ends (i'm approximating fitz'll be 18 or 19), livvy and elwin sit him down and tell him that from what they can see, they doubt he'll be able to live past 100.

they tell him that they'll do everything they can to make that statement false, but it falls on ringing ears.

from there, the premise would mainly be exploring how fitz would learn to manage his emotions to keep his heart echoes in check as best as he can - particularly anxiety and anger - plus him learning to accept that he's gone from having a shot at being a famous ancient to bring pride to the vacker family, to an elf that's become the closest to mortality that one can get. and ableism in the lost cities too, because i think realizing that a lot of the people he looked up to when he was younger valued him less as a disabled person would be a good motivator to break away from the golden boy mold and become who he actually wants to be, whoever that is.

and then there's also learning to accept almost-mortality through sophie's unique perspective on it, and helping her accept almost-immortality. slowburn exes to lovers on that front, through the power of - as keefe dubbed it in the books - cognate rawr. i'm also thinking this would be set in level 7 for fitz, so he could be roommates w/ keefe and have an '(unofficial) ex (childhood) best friends to lovers' arc.

sokeefe would be established already in this, but have a conversation fairly early on the fic where they're like 'ummm so i actually haven't moved on from fitz and it's freaking me out-' 'omg SAME' and then help each other figure out they're bi and polyam (that would be a side plot of its own, because, like. you can't do that in one scene lmao). and then once they'd reached that conclusion they'd be like 'hey so you wanna see if we can flirt our way into getting fitz to join our relationship?' 'worth a shot, sounds better than endless pining'.

ofc fitz is super dense though so he doesn't see keefe's advances as flirting until the obliviousness starts getting ridiculous, and he makes up ten million platonic excuses for sophie's actions because we broke up, there's no way she still sees me like that anymore - not when she has keefe the way she does. because as an aro i would do that in his situation and i have decided he's aro-spec <3 but they all get it together eventually. and get a cottage somewhere and fitz gets to be a baker and they just. have their happily ever after.

uuuuuuuuntil fitz is on the cusp of turning 100 and dies. because i'm evil. and i want to explore how much worse keefe's oh my god please don't leave me please please please i'd do anything to make you stay complex would get if he lost a lover and the situation was out of his control. and how much it would differ from sophie's acceptance. and how sophie's acceptance could turn into world-crushing anger and stuff after she stops feeling the need to stay strong for keefe.

and then maybe how much worse the whole please don't leave me alone please i'll do ANYTHING ANYTHING ANYTHING JUST STAY STAY STAY would get if sophie died centuries after fitz from some mission and keefe was truly on his own. just after he started feeling solid about having her in his life for a long time after the present. if i'm feeling particularly cruel by the end.

(there's a lot of scenes that made go OWOWOWOW that my brain conjured up, but. those stay in my brain until i write them. no spoilers :) also ik i'd need to do a lot of research on heart conditions to make fitz's arc more accurate to real life because even if shannon doesn't care about medical accuracy, i do lol.)

#tw death #tw major character death #ask to tag #it's 3:30am #my ear hurts :( for reasons unbeknownst to me :((#ask #bookwyrminspiraton #sokeefitz #if some of these concepts seem like i've talked about them before that's because i have #because the idea i have for a sokeefitz fix it fic is huge and now very cruel depending on what route i take when writing it #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #fitz vacker #sophie foster #keefe sencen #disabled aro-spec fitz vacker my BELOVED. that is all

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lincolnchristie · 1 year ago

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Welcome to Serenissima

Before we dive into the fateful event that will shape the characters in the novel, let's learn a little bit about the world in which Matthias and his various headaches - I mean, friends and acquaintances - live.

Serenissima - The Floating City

Welcome to the floating city-state of Serenissima. Located just off the coast of Ejalbenoh to the north (and Tefritn beyond that), Faitne to the northeast and Iite to the southeast, Serenissima occupies a prime strategic position.

With the waters of the sea surrounding it, Serenissima has maintained a strict hold on its independence and serves as a cultural crossroads. A trade center, a haven for artists, and overflowing with universities, Serenissima's power far outweighs its small size.

While filled with boundary-pushing scholars and artists from all walks of life, Serenissima is also very religious, worshiping the gods in the annual twelve-day Masquerade where the citizens adopt masks. Originally a way to mimic the faceless, unknowable, genderless gods, the masks have since evolved into works of art, statements of identity, and colorful costumes.

The citizens believe Serenissima's ability to float in one place on the water is a generous and unusually large gift from the gods, and with no other theory to explain the phenomenon, it is the widely accepted hypothesis. Their devotion to the gods is their way of maintaining the gods' favor so that the city will never sink beneath the waves.

With limited space, buildings tend to be many stories high, with each story either housing one large apartment or several smaller apartments. Restaurants are often on these upper floors as well to take advantage of the view. People tend to live on top of each other, but that's how the citizens like it. Serenissima is not the place to live if you don't like chaos, the nightlife, or people.

(Matthias dislikes all three. Someone help him.)

With a fairly temperate climate, Serenissima is a popular vacation spot, although opinions on tourists vary. They're vital to the economy, but others dislike them and prefer the city to focus on fostering artistry and the university culture. Then again, the university students aren't exactly known for their decorum, either.

Like the surrounding countries, Serenissima is run by a monarchy, although it is in a precarious position with only one heir remaining, Cassandra di Adriel. With Ejalbenoh and Tefritn at war, Serenissima's neutrality and independence are more at risk than ever.

Instead of streets, Serenissima has canals. There is a tradition of city orphans being named after the canals, such as the Sapphire Canal in the art district and the Festival Canal that makes up the city's parade route for festivals. Other important routes include the Grand Canal, which is the main waterway, and the King's and Queen's Canals which lead to the imperial palace, and the Prisoner's Canal which leads past the jail.

Temples to the gods are found all over, but since the gods are believed to reside in the ocean's depths and in the stars, tributes and prayers are placed on floating lanterns cast into the water or tied to Phoenix Feathers (fireworks) and shot into the sky to make your hopes and dreams known.

Finally, Serenissima also prides itself on being provocative in fashion. While other countries can be a bit more buttoned up when it comes to sex and to clothing, Serenissima citizens see no reason to stand on modesty. Outfits are often adapted from other countries' fashions and given a more daring twist such as a high leg slit. This is done regardless of gender.

But possibly the most famous part of the city-state are its living gondolas...

The Dragons

No one knows how the dragons of Serenissima came to be, only that they've been around for as long as anyone can remember. So long as Serenissima has existed, so have its water-bound dragons.

Dragons can breathe underwater, moving through it sinuously from side to side like snakes. They can also manipulate the water around them. This allows them to break up chunks of ice, push objects out of their way, and so on.

While dragons can fish for themselves, their diet must be supplemented with gemstones, and so a symbiotic relationship has developed between the dragons and the people. Dragons live in 'stables' owned by businesses or the rich, who keep them fed on a steady diet of gemstones in exchange for ferrying people through the city.

The dragons are beloved by the people and well-treated. They're also very intelligent. No dragon stays in a 'stable' unless it wants to, and so the stable keepers are careful to always treat the dragons well and spoil them if necessary. Dragons will have preferred gemstones, usually pearls, but will usually eat any gemstone offered.

Sporting spectacular furry manes and long snouts with webbed feet, and scales all over their body, dragons are various shades of blue, green, and purple. Some are multicolored or have black and white on them as well creating patterns similar to those found on fish. Only the males have manes, and the bigger the mane the more impressive the male is considered by the females. However, dragons can change gender at will, signified by growing or shedding a mane. They have cat eyes, going into slits in the light and then pupils expanding to see better in the dark. Dragons have icy breath if they choose and can also store up water to unleash in a torrent, should they feel offended or endangered.

Dragons are capable of communication, and do so by humming and wordless singing. Dragon riders who partner with the dragons learn to communicate back at them in their own hums and notes, but will also communicate using sign language. Dragon riders and dragons pair for life, and the 'language' the two speak to each other is often highly personalized.

While the dragons are a major draw to Serenissima for some, other visitors can be disconcerted by them. Some dragons can grow to be twenty feet long, since they grow throughout their entire lives.

While the dragons are not 'owned' and can leave at any time, it is understandably expensive to buy gemstones to house dragons, and so having many dragons in your 'stable' is a status symbol.

Common colloquialisms often relate to dragons (see last section of post). Used to get around town unless you want to swim, dragons are truly a vital part of Serenissima.

The Gods and Their Gifts

All gods are addressed as they/them and have no names, since their names are sacred and therefore unknowable to humans. They are addressed only by their title such as "the god of art." People swear "by the gods" and "for the sake of the gods."

The tradition of Masquerade started as a way for the citizens of Serenissima to flatter the gods through imitation, mimicking their genderless and unknowable nature by putting on masks. Each day of Masquerade is devoted to a particular god, and while people tend to consider waking up sober and/or sans headache is a sign you didn't party hard enough, those twelve days are also days of heavy worship and donation to the gods, their priests, and their temples. The gods are:

God of Life

God of Healing and Medicine

God of Wealth

God of the Sea

God of Discord and Chaos

God of Learning and Scholars

God of Love and Fertility

God of Earth

God of the Dead

God of Storms

God of War

God of Art

Some gods are more beloved and others are more feared, for obvious reasons. Citizens tend to worship the god of storms in an attempt to appease them, while they worship the gods of life, love, and wealth in hopes of gaining favor.

However, other gods have a more complex relationship with the people. There is no true earth on Serenissima, and so that god is treated almost like the god of trade and foreign relations with countries that are on solid ground. The god of war is worshiped out of appeasement, but this war is not restricted merely to that between countries. This is the god you pray to when you wish for victory in a legal matter, or to settle an argument.

Living on the water, the dead are given sea burials, rowing the bodies out a far distance from the city and weighing them down with items, especially items that were special to them or might serve them in the next life. Death is a fact of life, and the god of it is not so much feared as simply respected, and viewed with a sense of melancholy.

The gods do not directly interfere in the lives of mortals and have not for centuries upon centuries (at least according to legend). They do not speak directly to their priests or others. However, a god may show its favor in subtle ways - usually by the gifting of magic.

Magic is subtle and is considered a reward for developing a skill or talent. If you work hard at something and become highly skilled at it, you may find that you can now do things with that skill that would otherwise be impossible. Festivity bar Corleone devoted her life to spycraft, and to the art of embroidery, from a young age. Now, she embroiders maps that are alive, and shift to show the fates of nations in real-time.

Whatever a person's magic, it is a gift from the gods and venerated as a reward for hard work, dedication, and talent. That magic is not applicable to other things. Your magic is an enhancement of that one skill, and nothing else.

Magic is not generally viewed as something that makes you incredibly powerful, or as something to fear with a few exceptions (as seen below in the Monarchy section). Magic is everyday, a positive sign that the gods are still around and attentive to their worshipers. It's similar to someone being blessed with good looks - positive, for sure, but not something you're going to hold a city-wide celebration over.

Because of this, however, sometimes people who have honed a skill or talent through entirely natural means will be assumed to have magic by others. Matthias gets this a lot (someone please help him).

When praying to the gods for help, answers, or otherwise, do not look for large signs or tangible interference. Look for your prayers to be answered in small, material ways. As a result priests are considered stand-ins for their gods not because the gods speak through them but because the priests train in the skills and qualities represented by the gods in order to to the gods' work for them. Priests of the god of love and fertility offer sex and relationship advice, and priests of the god of death serve as death doulas, while priests of the god of war are often called in to serve as mediators for issues you don't want to take to formal court.

While the gods themselves are not felt, their gifts are, and the work of individuals with magic is something no one can dismiss when trying to solve a murder.

Masquerade

Masquerade is the most important time of the year for Serenissima. People come from all over the world to participate in it and so the city-state makes most of its money for the year from this. Funerals, weddings, and births are planned around Masquerade to take place on lucky days. When speaking of the festival itself, a capital ‘M’ is used. When speaking of a masquerade party, a lowercase ‘m’ is used. The days are known as ‘masques’ so there is Red Masque, Yellow Masque, and so on.

This is usually the time of year when foreign dignitaries, nobles, and royals will visit. Impressing them is very important to Serenissima’s royal family and its nobility. Nobles compete for the honor of officially hosting a masquerade party. There is one official party a night for the nobility that the royals and visiting dignitaries attend, so there are twelve slots open. Generally, the richest families get the slots since they can afford it and it is custom that a portion of money is also donated to charity. If a family has money and fears it will not be enough to host an impressive masquerade but that they will be chosen anyway, they will donate enough wealth to charity beforehand so that their economic status is lowered and they won’t be considered as possible hosts.

This is also when the new ruler will be crowned, if there is a ruler to be crowned. The coronation happens the final night of Masquerade since Masquerade ushers in a new year. Royals are supposed to be good patrons of the arts and so the final night of Masquerade is held in the palace and includes a presentation of art the royal family has bought either earlier that day, at some point in the year, or commissioned to be debuted this night.

There are various opportunities for feelings to be declared and gifts to be exchanged, and many people who are of lower status will give and receive presents at this time rather than on their birthday (many people also literally celebrate their birthday during this time). It’s also considered the best time for charity and so many lower classes receive a financial boost in some way or another. However, many families also strain their wallets spending money celebrating. If there’s ever a time for an addict to fall prey to habit again, it’s at Masquerade.

Each day is associated with a particular god and so the traits of that god are celebrated.

One: Red – God of Life

Two: Yellow – God of Healing and Medicine

Three: Green – God of Wealth

Four: Blue – God of the Sea

Five: Orange – God of Discord and Chaos

Six: Purple – God of Learning and Scholars

Seven: Pink – God of Love and Fertility

Eight: Brown – God of Earth

Nine: White – God of the Dead

Ten: Black – God of Storms

Eleven: Silver – God of War

Twelve: Gold – God of Art

A lot of sex happens on the first and seventh days, since red is associated with life so it’s thought your child will have a good life if conceived on that day (it’s even better if the child is born on that day and so couples will try to plan getting pregnant so that the birth will happen on the red masque day, with some women inducing pregnancy on that day if it doesn’t happen naturally) and since pink is associated with love and fertility.

Yellow is the color associated with medicine and healing. People will petition the god of healing on that day, and medical operations are supposed to be lucky/blessed. It’s considered polite on this day to give a gift of some kind to your local doctor or healer be it money or food.

Day three, the green day, is a day of sales. Go out and do your shopping! It’s the biggest shopping day of the year and people go mad. It’s Matthias’ second-least-favorite day since there are constant fights over merchandise, attempts at theft, and arguments between customers and workers.

No fish is eaten on day four, the day of the sea, since it’s considered disrespectful. All dragons have the day off on this day and are given extra treats. People tend to close businesses on this day since the lack of dragons makes it hard for people to get around.

Orange is a day for pranks since it’s associated with chaos and discord, and is Matthias’ least favorite day since his men are forced to run around and deal with the aftermath of people’s pranks (why is no one helping him). The one thing that’s off-limits is messing with the dragons. Not only are they sacred, dragons have been rumored to injure or eat people who try to use them in pranks.

Likewise, on the sixth day students are given gifts by their families, and tutors, scholars, and other academics are given gifts by their students. Universities tend to receive donations from noble families on this day. Traditionally sweethearts will exchange gifts of books on this day and it’s considered a good day to declare your feelings by gifting a book to someone. Picking a book showcases how well you know the person's tastes and personality, so there's a fair amount of pressure to get them a book they'll deeply enjoy.

Regarding the seventh day again, while a lot of sex happens... this is not the day to have sex if you don't want to get pregnant. While this has never been proven, it's considered common knowledge that if you don't want a kid, having sex capable of procreation on this day is jinxing yourself. Those uninterested in sex for one reason or another are often given small tokens by family, roommates, or neighbors called "Apology Gifts." While the name comes from the joke that it's to apologize for having to hear those around you banging like a screen door in a hurricane, the more serious reason is that this is also the day of love, in all its forms, and it's considered bad luck to think only of sex on this day.

Day eight, the day of earth, is considered a day of trade and foreign relations, since there isn’t much land in Serenissima. There are special deals for tourists in shops (proof of foreign citizenship must be shown) and peace treaties and trade deals between merchants are usually signed on this day. This is also a day for headaches for poor Matthias. Seriously can we get this guy a vacation.

The ninth day is the most serious day when people remember and honor the dead, lighting white candles for them. Jasmine, a white flower, is used on this day. Candles smell of jasmine and jasmine flowers are thrown by the people in the canal that flows to the island of the dead (where the final ceremonies are performed). If someone dies close to Masquerade, then relatives will hold off having the funeral until this day. Most parties that evening are wakes and people will wait up for dead loved ones to return and visit, leaving out food and trinkets for them. Conversely, if a family has been in mourning for a relative who died last year, this is the final day of wearing a white armband or white clothing—after this they have emerged from mourning. This is Matthias’ favorite day since it’s so quiet and he feels the presence of his dead family. He isn’t normally religious but this one day means a lot to him.

The tenth and eleventh days are days of revelry, but also tension. The god of storms is kept away by loud revelry because if the city makes enough noise, the god thinks there is already a storm going on so they don’t need to send another one. But offerings and prayers are also given to them so that they don’t think the citizens don’t need them or have forgotten them. The silver day of war (silver for steel and other metal weapons) is considered a good day to settle arguments and have legal hearings, but that all other activities and endeavors will be cursed. People don’t get married, have sex, take tests, or start new ventures on this day and people will try to avoid giving birth if at all possible since a baby born on this day (it is believed) will be cursed with a tempestuous life and bad luck.

The final day celebrates art. Much art is on sale, and artists are given grants, donations, and gifts. It’s a day to buy art as a gift for loved ones and many people propose on this day using specially-commissioned pieces of art. It’s the final day of Masquerade and so the partying has reached its peak.

In order to honor the gods (and show off your fashion taste), people no only wear masks but outfits corresponding to the color of the day. Technically, you only have to wear one thing in that day's color, such as an armband, a hat, or pair of shoes. Most people, however, go all-out and will wear outfits made entirely in that color. People can plan all year for their masks and outfits.

The key to Masquerade, however, are the masks.

As this started as a way to honor the gods, it is considered deeply bad luck to go out on Masquerade sans mask. There are rare exceptions, such as those in the city guard - it would be all too easy for someone to impersonate a guard if they were allowed to cover their face, and so guards go without masks while on duty.

For everyone else, a mask is a must from the time you get up in the morning and leave your home. This means, however, that Masquerade is the perfect time of year to pretend to be someone you're not, whether that's an entirely new identity... or imitating someone else. Identities are often swapped or hidden, and the whole thing is treated like a game. You're not allowed to tell a person who you are (unless necessary) and the other person has to try and figure it out. If a person guesses correctly you must tell them so, otherwise it's considered bad luck. However, many people take that chance and lie anyway, not wanting to be discovered.

Very much based on the honor system, the fear of the gods leads most people to behave with integrity, even if they also take the chance to behave in ways they normally wouldn't (different gender presentation, trying kinkier sex than usual, performing on stage, etc). With your face covered, your actions don't necessarily have consequences, and that is too big of a temptation for most to ignore. But while most are generally harmless, there are those who take advantage, which makes the city guard extra vigilante in being there to assist those who need it.

Among the rich and noble, where their every move is watched and judged by the others, the stakes are even higher. People will go to great lengths to keep their identities during Masquerade hidden including magic, swapping places with others, and paying lookalikes.

Between the honoring of the gods, the nonstop parties, the sales and art showcases, and the public fashion show, Masquerade is undoubtedly the best and most insane time of the year for Serenissima.

And the worst time for a murder.

A Tradition of Monarchy

Serenissima and its four surrounding countries are governed more or less by some form of monarchy. Whether that monarchy is absolute or in conjunction with another governing body, the tradition of a powerful ruler still holds strong given its history.

The ruling families are all major exceptions to the rules of magic. While magic is a subtle gift from the gods as a reward for dedication, for these families, it is nothing short of a divine and terrifying power. Centuries ago, certain people found they had particular and powerful magical abilities, such as the ability to wield and create fire, or the gift to heal or destroy with a single touch.

What was more, these powers were inherited by their children, and their children's children, something that never happened to others - when a person is gifted magic by the gods, their gift dies with them.

Seeing these individuals as powerful protectors and leaders, nations naturally formed around their dynasties, shaping eventually into the countries as we know them today. While opinions are not universal on the matter, most see these unusually strong and persistent magical gifts as signs from the gods that these people are meant to be their rulers, and nobody wants to risk defying the gods to truly test that theory... yet.

In Serenissima, the di Adriel family has inherited a dual power. With a simple touch, Cassandra can heal someone of illness or wounds... or burn the life right out of their body from the inside out. She holds regular "touchings" where the afflicted line up to receive her healing, and she personally executes those deemed by the justice system to have earned a death sentence.

These are the only two duties she has been allowed by Dante di Fratelli, the regent of Serenissima. While there are those who say he tried to stop her from doing these as well, Cassandra's family has performed such duties for decades and it would be going dangerously against tradition to force her to stop. Cassandra takes both of her duties seriously and considers them no less than sacred.

Others, however, do not wield their inherited abilities so responsibly.

Country #1: Ejalbenoh

Located just to the north of Serenissima, Ejalbenoh is much more culturally conservative than Serenissima. Their climate is known for its rich fields and forests, and they are primarily focused on agriculture. They tend to wear very structured but form-fitting clothing and play around with using padding and fabric cuts to create slightly exaggerated silhouettes.

Co-ruled by a monarchy with an elected parliament, Ejalbenoh is currently locked in a war with its northern neighbor Tefritn.

Country #2: Tefritn

Located further north, Tefritn is a climate with long, blizzard-blasted winters, and arid, dry steppes. Many Tefritns are noted for their red hair, and if someone outside the country has natural red hair they undoubtedly have Tefritn ancestry.

A passionate, loud, and boisterous people, Tefritns believe in defying the cold and dark rather than letting it cow them. They are ruled by an absolute monarchy, but the royal family is large, sprawling, and rumored to be dotted with bastards. The royal family's infighting has spilled over into a war with Ejalbenoh, which unfortunately has put Serenissima in the middle.

Unable to cross through Ejalbenoh to trade with others, Tefritns have expanded their impressive navy to include battle-ready merchant vessels and have taken to using the sea route to make port in Serenissima, and trade there. Serenissima publicly maintains its neutrality, but both Tefritn and Ejalbenoh are aware that whoever controls Serenissima would effectively block the other from all foreign relations (or at least make it extremely difficult), putting Serenissima's independence in deep jeopardy.

Country #3: Iite

Located to the southeast of Serenissima, Iite is a place with dry mountains in the north bordering Faitne and humid jungles in the south. Iiteans wear colorful, thin clothes often embroidered with metal thread, layering up to keep cool while also avoiding sunburn. The way the cloth is draped around the body is a sign of what region the person is from, and clothing styles tend to be worn by all genders.

Iiteans deeply encourage scientific and technological innovation, and that is one of their main exports. They are also known for their fabrics and other textiles, furniture, spices, and colorful dyes used in art.

Iite is ruled by an oligarchy made up of the royal family and other nobles, each of whom governs a particular region. The royal family does have veto power, and the council is rather infamous for being unable to agree on anything. They've stayed neutral in the current war in part due to their location - and because nobody wants to piss off the people with the advanced weaponry.

Country #4: Faitne

Located north of Iite and to the east of Serenissima, Faitne is known as "the land of everything," with mountains, marshes, sprawling fields, and dense forests. They are ruled by an 'elected monarchy' where the various heirs campaign to be voted on by the people, and rule with the aid of elected advisors from various regions.

Faitne is the tastemaker of the area. Food, fashion trends, art movements, and novel genres tend to come from Faitne. Each region has a specific cuisine style both preserved and innovated on, and 'food tours' through the country are popular vacations for those who can afford it. The current fashion trend from Faitne is painted silk fabrics and clothing folded and layered into artistic shapes.

While in a precarious position geographically with the war, Faitne's been distracted lately by mysterious deaths within the royal family, and rumors are swirling of assassination.

Some Fun Serenissima Colloquialisms

“Like trying to keep a pearl from a dragon” = a difficult or near-impossible task

“A draconic relationship” = implies the relationship is based on wealth and gifts instead of actual affection – a sugar daddy/baby relationship

“Dragons swim where they want” = you can’t keep something or someone from happening/a person will do what they please in spite of rules

“When the dragons leave” = yeah, that’ll be the day/an event that’ll never happen

“Colder than a dragon’s breath” = a cold day or an aloof person

“Shedding their mane/growing their mane” = made a life change, may or may not be related to gender

“Feed you to the dragons” = a casual or playful insult such as when a sibling is being annoying

That's (hopefully) enough world building to get you all started! I'm happy to answer questions and will probably do other (much shorter) posts like this to focus on specific aspects of the world. Please feel free to ask questions! I love talking about this story and this setting.

#lincoln writes #a masque of shadows #worldbuilding info

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yesterdanereviews · 1 year ago

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R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned (2022)

Film review #575

Director: Paul Leyden

SYNOPSIS: Sherriff in the Old West Roeciphus Pulsipher is gunned down and killed in a shootout with some outlaws. Before he can proceed to the after life, he is recruited by the Rest in Peace Department (R.I.P.D.) to hunt down souls that have not departed from the Earth. "Roy" is partnered with veteran officer Jeanne to investigate a disturbance that could put the whole of humanity at risk...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned is a 2022 film. Despite what the name implies, the film is not a sequel, but a prequel to the 2013 film R.I.P.D., in which we see the story of how veteran officer Roeciphus "Roy" Pulsipher joined the department. The film is set in the Old West, where Roy is killed in a shootout with a local outlaw gang. He is recruited by the Rest in Police Department (R.I.P.D.) to deal with souls called "Deados" who have remained on Earth after death and must be sent to the afterlife. Roy is teamed up with another officer, Jeanne, to investigate an increase in strange activity. If you watched the first film, you'll know exactly what to expect from this film, because it is basically the same plot: rookie and veteran partner up to stop the souls of the dead from returning to Earth. However, unlike the first film, which was still entertaining by just rushing through the film and relying on constant action and strong character performances, R.I.P.D. 2 doesn't even have that, and the film stumbles along without any real energy or appeal. It doesn't expand on the world or the lore in any way, it doesn't reveal anything new about the characters, it's just a completely recycled product with all the good stuff thrown out.

The only returning character from the first film is Roy, who was played by Jeff Bridges in the original, is played here by Jeffrey Donovan (obviously Bridges would have been a bit too pricey for this low-budget prequel). While I see a lot of praise for Donovan's performance, I just didn't see it. In his defence, it might just be the awful script and writing that is giving him stunted dialogue and interactions, which is certainly feasible, as the characters interact rather clumsily. Jeanne 's characters is very much a typical "veteran cop," and the French accent gives it away that she is meant to be Joan of Arc fairly early, although the film "reveals" it a lot later (although I'm not sure if it is meant to be obvious, because the writing doesn't indicate it). Despite her being a famous historical figure, it doesn't fails to add anything to the film or her character. Following the lore of the film, Roy and Joan look completely different to living people so they can't be recognised, and are given the appearance of two black women. This does present an opportunity for the film to address the racism and status of black people in the Old West, but the film chooses to play it safe and does the bare minimum with it. If they're not going to address the topic, they might as well just not bothered having it as a plot point at all.

Every establishing shot in the film gives away that everything is a set devoid of substance beyond the camera. The effects are plain, and nothing stands out to make things interesting. The ending wraps things up in a roundabout way and addresses issues that I didn't realise were an issue (who actually shot Roy or something). Overall, you're not going to get anything out of this film that the original, and is far inferior in every way. Everything about the film feels cheap and uninspired, and the things that made the original entertaining are absent. Releasing ten years after the original as well means that the opportunity to ride the hype of its predecessor is long gone, leaving it alone and essentially dead on arrival.

#movie #movie review #r.i.p.d. 2 raise of the damned #ripd #sci-fi #film #film review #2022 film

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anthroparis · 1 year ago

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People just dye their hair for fun. It's not symbolic babes.

okay let's start off with the fact that michela is a fictional character. she's not real.

and color symbolism in media is, in fact, important. and it exists everywhere.

when people see a color, there's often a feeling or thought attached to it- fast food companies use red more than any other color because red elicits hunger. people use blue to represent sadness, pink is youthful and romantic, yellow is happy, and so on. this is pretty standard color theory.

people have been using color in abstract ways to represent stories and emotion for thousands of years. just look at the contrast between this rococo era painting by jean-honore fragonard and this impressionist piece by claude monet

both of these pieces are very similar in subject matter: a woman in a long dress, a sunny day, a natural environment. if I described these on paper rather than showing them to you, you'd assume they're fairly similar paintings.

but you can look at these and feel a clear difference between the two. why?

because of the visual elements! the method, the chiaroscuro, the colors, the blocking.

ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE SYMBOLISM IN THEM. THEIR POINT IS TO ELICIT A REACTION IN THE VIEWER.

lets look at another!

this is the arnolfini portrait by jan van eyck. it's one of the most famous and significant pieces in western art.

you can easily look at this and say "hey look it's two people in a room" but painters, AGAIN, FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, have been using symbolism to depict real people. even the green of the dress represents hope, likely to have a child (indicated by the way she's holding her dress up and the dog, which by some arguments may represent lust between the two subjects)

THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE. BY THE WAY. ARTISTS MAKE DELIBERATE CHOICES TO INCLUDE SYMBOLISM IN ARTISTIC MEDIUMS.

anyway, even if it wasn't a deliberate choice on the creators part, there's this awesome thing called "death of the author" which was a french essay that argued that the original intent of the creator becomes null once the work is published, and the audience interpretation is ultimately more important.

so even if it did mean nothing in the writing process, to me it is significant. other people will have different interpretations but it'll be significant, too.

blue is a complicated color. dark blue is regal, calming, but also subdued and depressed. this could mean a lot of things, but looking at it compared to the green, just the fact that it's different, means there's some kind of change happening. even if it's purely physical.

I work in (indie, not big-budget) film and I've always felt the "the curtains are just fucking blue" argument completely defeats the point of analysis.

the reason why English class is core curriculum in schools over here isn't because it's fun silent reading hour, it's to help prepare kids to make choices and understand other perspectives and complicated situations through critical thinking.

when you limit yourself, when you say things like "that's just how it is, it doesn't mean anything" you're not only spitting on the work, you're creating a reality in which you can throw aside hard questions because "that's just how it is" is your answer to other people wanting to understand things. church v. galileo moment.

when you watch a movie, it's easy to just take it all at surface value and not give it a second thought. it's just entertainment, right? it's not supposed to make you feel anything other than pleasantly amused like a court jester!

I've worked on films. I do work on films. every single decision, from the angle of a certain shot to where the actors are standing, is deliberate. and it's so good that you don't even notice it!

in real life, my hair is blue right now. it means nothing except for me liking the color blue.

michela is not fucking real. she does not have the same agency I do to go "oh, I have some dark blue dye left in the bottle, I'll do that this month." because she is not real. she is a character.

for you, I recommend looking up some storyboards from movies, checking out some abstract art (pollock is a good place to start), and watching ralphthemoviemaker's minions review, where he talks about why character design is important.

And none of this even matters anyway because I was making a scott pilgrim joke.

the end

#no tldr. either read this like a man or admit you have no reading comprehension

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sociieties · 2 years ago

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never /// never has kise ran from fans so frequently before and there's time's that he can't quite tell of it's because of kagami ( their relationship public, private, and rumored ) or if it was because of his new supermodel status. before this, he'd already grown accustomed to escaping hoards of people who wanted to look at, talk with, or touch him, but after coming to america and beginning his debut as a newly minted supermodel instead of just a mere, incredibly famous model, the crowds have only grown more and more and more. each new day, his list of fans only grows and he's given up on trying to keep track of how many people recognize him. he'd soon count every... penny? that's ever been produced. and so, he's not at all surprised that two of them end up having to run, very easily doing so as soon as kagami's hand slips so comfortably into his own. there's no questions to ask, no time to waste; kise doesn't spend his time thinking as the two of them take off, merely running and following the lead of his self appointed bodyguard. it's not until they make it to the place mentioned that kise finally breathes — it's heavy and slow, suddenly feeling the rush of everything come to a complete stop as he's chest to chest with kagami. the world — his world slowly first, then stops completely, the rushing sound of a lost stampede being soon drowned out by the overwhelming silence that falls over not just himself, but kagami, too. if it wasn't for the other, he's probably still be running. or he'd have dealt with it for a lot longer. or, as he comes to remember that this all started because of kagami, he probably wouldn't have needed to run from the people that keep him employed for the most part, but he also wouldn't be standing here with kagami, hiding in a random changing room. and... and they're so close. his fan base has been grilling the both of them about if they're actually dating or not and kise's noticed the way some of the girls get upset over it ( and usually he takes it as them being upset that they missed their nonexistent shot than them trying to control his love life ) .... but actually his love life isn't really a love life. / @tenacityreturns

it's ... kise can't quite say it's much of a life / not much of love, perhaps ( maybe? ), but he'd be a liar if he said that there weren't certain moments he found himself fond over. like the way kagami takes hold of his hand so casually and even after they get away from where they need to be, they're still clasped together without a thought in the world. like the way kagami doesn't gripe too much about him being famous, patient enough to just deal with it and kind enough to actually help in ways kise could have paid someone to help. there's moments when kise and kagami have secret ( read: in japanese ) conversations when they're around kagami's friends and instances where the two of them stay up all night talking just to face the the consequences of not sleeping together. or these brief moments when they're holed up together for one reason or another and kagami starts spacing out. now that he's caught his breath, he should thank him. he doesn't thank kagami enough, actually. and so he will, or at least he would have, if not for kagami's lips against his own. it takes a second for him to realize what's happening, that kagami's kissing him and this single second is the longest second of his life, but kise isn't complaining, nor is he mad about it. he's so unangry about it that — once again, all his thoughts flow from his brain and spill right out of his ears — had it gone on for any longer, kise would have kissed him back. why'd kagami stop? why is he somewhat disappointed?

inhale, exhale, patient breath as he catches on. he doesn't know what kagami's actually thinking, but it's fairly obvious that he didn't actually mean to kiss him. or that he wanted to, meant to, and realized he probably shouldn't have...? or that kagami just does things without thinking and this was one of them. " no. " for the love of everything, please don't be sorry. it doesn't help with how frazzled kagami looks, but kise raises his hand, the one that's not occupied, and grabs kagami by the back of the neck. sorry, and somehow that taunts him. ( or is he haunts? ) kise pulls him in / eyes closed / mind once again empty, settled in a mind-numbing clarity that he wishes he could experience forever / and he takes it upon himself to kiss kagami this time around.

#kise ryota // ic #tenacityreturns #cut for length but it’s not THAT long #no proofreading we die like men as per usual

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tentacledtherapist · 7 months ago

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Lisa,

It's funny, despite living in New England all my life I don't think I could ever tire of it. The town I grew up in has a church from the 1780s. One of the many places George Washington stayed is nearby. I grew up in graveyards and old buildings and sinking my arms as deep as they could in the Weird and the Old and the Dark. It makes me unbelievably happy. (It helps that I run warm too, it makes a world of difference to be in a cooler area!) It is funny that we have Wild West Towns and you have Winter Villages when the weather is so opposite. It has a weird cognitive dissonance I think, that makes it humorous. A very dry fake snow covered place at 90 degrees while we have a Fake Desert covered in Real Snow. Why are humans like this I wonder, besides the novelty of what we Don't Have? Like a Medieval Times despite not ever having a european medieval period in America.

I recently watched Bones and All, and while I'm not sure about how well it measured up to the book, I absolutely ADORED it. The metaphor is not lost on me and there is something so jarring and so good about it. I actually do recommend the film, I think I know which actor you speak of and despite not liking them much either their work was really good in this film in particular. I loved making it a bit more of a 1980s period piece to give everything this distance from our current world, and also the narrative the movie is trying to pull opposed to the book. It makes the story make a bit more sense as a movie, in its own way? I'm not someone turned away by cannibalism, so it's not such a weird conept to me. I don't think I'd play a reluctant cannibal character if I was.

I'm so glad we are on the same page about these sorts of stories! Its like getting back to the roots of many of these horror genres, how they turn back into these stories with metaphors about humanity. Dracula and Frankenstein, Carmilla, they're more about people than they are about monsters to me. I'm fairly certain there's roots in Oscar Wilde's famous trials in Dracula, about the fear of male intimacy, since Bram Stoker has been more recently well known for being potentially queer, and Dracula was also inspired partially by Carmilla, itself a horrific lesbian romance. And even beyond that, the strange, the foreign, the twisted humanity, what we see in ourselves reflected from others. Then Frankenstein has its own whole host of human fears laced in it. Parenthood, homosexuality, theology, science. Human connection, our greatest fear and our greatest salvation.

I could write essays about horror, I really could.

- Your Creature

P.s.: I wish you luck with your project! Maybe order from them online? I hate when things are out of stock.

creature,

ordering things online is my Least Favorite way to order things but. i had to and now i must Await My Packidge. agony

i think we’re both talking about timothee chanalet i have no idea how to spell his name— at least i was— there’s nothing wrong with him! i just don’t… care for anything he’s really been in? it’s just never really clicked for me, i guess. but!!! if you endorse the movie, i’ll give it a shot! you haven’t led me astray with media suggestions yet! :D

as for the oddly out of place landmarks: isn’t it human nature to want what we can’t have? there’s a reason we have the turn of phrase “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side”

i would love to read your essays, if you ever decide to write any. you have such… amazing thoughts about this stuff? about horror and the nature of humanity and about love and the inhuman and just… all of it. i’ve genuinely loved reading your thoughts in our letters. i’m so sure i’ve said it before, but just in case: it’s so nice to hear your thoughts on stuff. i missed hearing from you, adam. both while i was away and also. like. lifetime kinning stuff. i keep going back to read things you’ve written me because they’re just so good. you have such a way with describing the things you’re interested in an the things you’re passionate about? i’m going a little overboard, i think, but,,,

suffice it to say: if you ever decide to write an essay and you need a proofreader? i’m your gal

the horrors of each era reflect our society’s fears during that era, but there’s something to be said about the inherent, timeless, and unshakeable fears about humanity and the Other (tm tm tm). those fears, those insecurities about the self? they never go away. i think that’s why we as a society love stories about them so much

- Your Lisa

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the-firebird69 · 8 months ago

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These people are your victims during the Lord John remillard and you f***** around with my car it might as now you're going to pay you owe me a car you owe me to work money you owe me my time you owe me businesses you don't really realize what I'm saying this is walking around you today this woman and a child.

Zues Hera

So what. And it says their Killers too they say so what they haven't killed me yet

Trump

I'm this woman and I killed you three times shot you in the head disguised

Women in pic

I can't believe it it's my own kid well I guess I have to and what are they saying now and he says what do you care it's not gossip column they think it's life or death because it is going to kill you and they should kill you and they're coming for you too is a big crowd of them want you dead who knows maybe you're a muck man instead of making it the space but I think I understand what happened.

This didn't happen yet no it is

The movie was filmed and people are mad and angry at you but no I'm just kidding out of the business a little and you're messing around with everybody it was after Passion of the Christ and quite a while and this is the mo and some people are in current time or the past, but Mac is in the movie somehow it's shrunk down trying to grow up and becomes huge there's a couple other people in the movie believe it or not and that's The Passion of the Christ after they get out and it's Dan with his head on its side and he does the giant movie in it comes reality now and really you're fucked. You're holding the body of Dan and the body of Dan is walking around and I hear Trump was freaked out you're holding the body of Max and he's walking around to you threatening them and we took it seriously they say and we're going to go there and rate it and it's just someone knows where we are and that makes sense you have to keep it there and get rid of all the guys it happened again to match and his body is there already. So you have to get rid of trump and other idiots that's the function. But for real it's being forced by the idiot Max in the bunkers. And not pseudo empire. And the gentle giant was from that movie I think it's Giant and he's not really a giant he becomes Giant. But he is killed who knows why it's from an ancient murder and it is a giant and it's from a painting Michelangelo I think so saying that I'm close and it's not the Martyr everybody says but it is a very famous painting it's probably Dave and they say yes and it's JC that's what I'm saying who did it the painting and is probably done to you before but there's a reason Dan so you have to leave the painting and see what it says but you guys are missing all these things well how poor you are and how disgustingly poor and it's repulsive you don't get this stuff you're too busy fighting over your matchboxes literally that's what I'm saying it's horrible it's it's a waste of time it doesn't occupy your time and shut your mouth you f****** fast spaz. And the reason I'm saying is because if you examine the code get a correlation you find out yes or no I can keep calling me your enemy you're talking to me and asking me and I'm your enemy you're supposed to run a parallel but you're so heinous I mean really come on figure it out you're so f****** awful this museum holds a bunch of people it's not necessarily this morons fault. And they just see that he murdered people and have the bodies but for real these people may not have been murdered and it's still alive and he is a murderer and a killer and he kills people near him but he's a mass murderer and is evil but he's trying to fight the empire for real and but he's trying to take over the planet first and didn't work and the empire knew about it but still he's fairly evil it's kind of weird if the bodies are there he's kind of keeping you alive and cheeseman is there BG too.

And mac daddy is also in the museum but then again people are saying they're in there and they got out but dune 2 hasn't happened yet the same

Zues

way to hit it home this is great. I can't believe how cool this is there's so many people listening and this is going to go out it's awesome

Hera

Olympus

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therealeagal · 1 year ago

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Socially conscious bullying

Ecce Eagalicus, populi philosophus, Socratis intellectuale progenies!

Don't worry, that will become hilarious in a bit.

Shout-outs to Google translate, which is all-knowing and wise.

Decide for yourselves whether my words have value, or if they are naught but the ravings of a madman.

This is going to be a long one. I'm saving up my rambles these days, and I'm an old man, closer to 100 years old than I am to 1000 years old, so I may repeat some of my old points that I forgot I already made. Bear with me. Or possibly bare with me. Or don't do either of these things. Whatever floats your boat.

Whichever you decide, don't @ me, bro. I am but a humble internet philosopher, attempting, in my own fumbling way, to explore the human experience. I'm not here to debate. Just to pontificate.

Let's begin.

You know who doesn't get enough appreciation for the effort they put in? Socially conscious bullies.

In the old days bullying was simple. You could call someone the spicy f-bomb (the one used against homosexuals) or the "r-word" (the one used against those with intellectual disabilities) and call it a day. But nowadays you could get canceled for that shit.

So the bullies had to get creative. Here on socially conscious tumblr, they had to come up with new words to use to bully people. The goal is only to bully one person, without offending anyone who might inadvertently be part of the group you are using as an example of terribleness.

I mean, I guess you could use a group that almost everyone hates, like Nazis or Vegans. But that's just lazy. You gotta think outside the box or what's the point?

Example: Incoherent. I've been on tumblr for nearly 10 years by now. During my storied career, I've never been called a jackass (well, not by someone else). Nor have I been called an idiot. Moron, no. Fool, sadly not. I was told to get fucked once. Started a tumblr death spiral once because I made a joke about Christian politicians that I won't get into. I thought it was funny, but I guess that's just the perils of comedy.

As a famous comedian once said, you always take shots from people who just don't get the joke.

So it goes.

But more than anything else, I've been called incoherent. And it always makes me scratch my head, because I always thought my style was fairly easy to understand. I mean, ok I jump around a bit. A lot. I go off on tangents occasionally, but it's not like I'm writing in bloody Latin (I told you so).

I guess there's just no accounting for people who are unable to properly grasp my incredible genius.

But then I realized that I was being bullied. Because I had opinions that people didn't agree with. Praising the shit they hated, or criticizing the shit they love. And since they couldn't just call me the spicy F-bomb and call it a day, they had to find a new word to undermine my opinions, since they couldn't rightly contest them (not that I am terribly inclined to entertain dissenting opinions anyway).

I'm not really that upset about it. I will admit that I do occasionally poke the proverbial bear, so it's probably on me. Maybe it was gauche of me to tell that one person to eat shit and die. Which one person? Idunno. I've told lots of people to eat shit and die. I should try to cut back on that, actually.

In fact, now that I think about it, I know it's on me, because you should never tell people that they're wrong. Even when they are. Especially when they are. It just causes more problems.

And also also also! I almost forgot this. I'm sure we've discussed this before, but bullying doesn't count as bullying when the quote unquote "victim" deserves to be bullied. Or if it does, it doesn't count as wrong.

Consider: Is it acceptable to wish death upon someone? Is it acceptable to wish only the most violent and painful of deaths upon another human being (in a purely hypothetical non-actionable manner that in no way suggests you wish to be party to the wholly theoretical death, nor that you wish to instigate anyone else to visit such an occurrence upon another person, regardless of how much they assuredly deserve it)?

I don't know. Do you know? You tell me.

Related discussion: Are "acceptable" and "good" the same, and if not, are they interdependent? Is it possible for something to be acceptable while not being necessarily good?

Is it possible for something to be, in its own way, good, in its own specific context, while being otherwise unacceptable in other contexts?

How about an object example?

Is name-calling wrong? How about insinuating that someone is a homosexual as a method of ridicule? How about making fun of his weight? How about making fun of the color of his skin? How about mocking his insecurities about the size of his extremities?

Is it, in fact, wrong to call Donald Trump a fat, orange, tiny-handed, tiny-penised, piece of shit who's gay for Vladimir Putin? One hates to keep bringing Trump up, but the man is a microcosm of human foibles. He's just so useful.

The lesson here is that liking things the cool kids hate is morally on the same level as Donald Trump, and thus it's perfectly acceptable to bully anyone who expresses anything other than absolute contempt for those things.

Just an example, say, the show that was inspired by Discworld, The Watch, which per our agreement, is probably like unto so much garbage that literally Mein Kampf is better than it.

Anything the cool kids hate, you should hate too. Everything the cool kids like, you should like too. Personal opinions are personal for a reason. Let's make sure they stay that way, huh?

That having been said, in the end, that leaves us with a pickle.

Do we break our own rules to condemn it, thus opening ourselves up to further accusations that we are incoherent, having established that incoherent is like unto the worst of slurs?

Or do we applaud the dedication to social consciousness? It seems rather gauche. The cool kids are against bullying these days, aren't they? I don't know, but it seems like they would be.

Is this a catch-22? It's a conundrum, I'll tell you that much free gratis.

It's important to remember that social consciousness is not about redefining who you can and cannot be mean to. I don't know that there's a formal definition floating around about what social consciousness specifically is, but generally speaking, it's about making sure you're sensitive to the needs and beliefs of, ideally, everyone, but as we live in an imperfect world we must settle for being sensitive to as many people as reasonably possible. It's basically the opposite of being mean is what I'm getting at.

But some people just deserve being mean to. It's sort of a yin-yang sort of thing. Fusion of opposites. With the understanding that the recipient of ridicule - Donald Trump, Hitler, Mussolini, Santa Claus - has in some way earned that ridicule, the goal is to reduce or even eliminate the number of people you might potentially offend other than the intended recipient of your ridicule (provided that they are not similarly deserving of our scorn). That, my children, is socially conscious bullying.

Does any of that make sense or is it too incoherent?

#It's a thinker.#socially conscious bullying #bullying #socially conscious #social consciousness #donald trump #microcosm of human foibles #I oughta use that Latin as part of my intro

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