#characters species ARE relevant but only for like. size purposes

[molluskzone]

im thinking of changing isaacs last name, it IS used as a surname however im afraid that because it is also a first name that it will be confusing...

[astralprisms]

tell me abt xa’rok !!

AHHHH you're so sweet!!

Some primers:

Xa'rok's responses to the githmap

Xa'rok and the Emperor (with bonus backstory overview and future musings)

Ramblings about illithid!Xa'rok and their tumultuous future

misc headcanons, wilderness survival training

Relevant character tags: tav: xa'rok, tav: skaro

THAT SAID, meet Xa'rok (they/them) a (former) githyanki bard/ranger, who also answers to the title of the Astral Envoy.

They were born in a creche deep in the icy mountains way up north near the Spine of the World. Their creche was isolated from other githyanki on the material plane, and their remote seclusion gave rise to an interesting selection of Vlaakith's 'faithful'. At Creche Zythir, curiosity was encouraged, and open-mindedness praised. Their sa'varsh favored keen minds and a thirst for knowledge in addition to power. To inquire was always rewarded. But only, as Xa'rok would learn, up to a point.

Xa'rok's own curiosity was sharpened like any other tool in a gith's arsenal, and like their kin's, put to good use. When the kith'rakis returned triumphant from raids they would dump their spoils in the middle of the main hall and let the yanks fight over the prizes, which they could only keep on loan in return for learning everything they could about what prize they claimed, later to be divulged at length and recorded. These prizes were hardwon and viciously fought for. Through several of these bloody claiming lessons, Xa'rok began to learn about their peoples' greatest enemy, the ghaik.

But what started as the thrill of praise in the claiming room soon turned to genuine curiosity for the history, the culture, and the creatures behind it. Whatever their people thought of their old masters, the illithids were prolific in their own right and their skills could be useful if given the right direction. A circular point of fascination for young Xa'rok was the intersection between their two peoples, a history paved in servitude and blood but which ultimately led to the current state of their race, psionics and all. If the gith of the now were a byproduct of illithid tampering-- what could the gith and illithids achieve if they were to work together to further one goal? What if there could be trade between them, a way to share knowledge and skills for the betterment of both species, to compromise instead of kill on sight?

Their interest narrowed and their appetite for any scrap of knowledge to these ends grew. It was easy, at first, to pass off their fascination as a war general's dedication to the enemies' habits and movements, so as to better best them one day in combat. They had to know the shape and size and interior schematics of the Nautiloids-- to better navigate their corridors should they ever find themselves aboard one, of course. To know what they could of an illthid's biology-- to better find their weak spots, not because they had so many questions about the similarities between their form and that of the ghaiks, on whether the similarities ended superficially, or if their psionic power came from the same place; if the divergence of their ability to reproduce was a byproduct of shaping the earlier forms of their kin to better fit the illithid image; if they were for all intents and purposes the forerunners of a new illithid race, a project that was terminated prematurely with the gith liberation.

Their questions and curiosity grew until they were too pointed to be explained away. They began to get ideas, ideas their superiors didn't like--and worse, ideas they spoke about to others. They were an effective speaker, someone who was easy to listen to and easier still to agree with, as they made their points clearly and with passion, backed up with facts. And the gith of their creche valued knowledge above all but their silver swords. Their fascination was tolerated as a quirk when it was sought in defense of their people, but this new line of thinking was dangerously close to collusion. There was nothing to be gained from working with the illithids but another future of servitude under cruel masters and this time there was no Gith to save them.

Xa'rok lore (abridged version)

In the end, they were exiled. They had barely hit their 20th year before being given the ultimatum. They were portaled to the middle of the tundra and left with nothing but the clothes on their back and what little they carried, to starve or freeze. Their choice of exile was a mercy from a soft-hearted mentor, for they had been trained in such scenarios many times as a yank, and death was not a guarantee. Left to the mercy of the elements instead of run through with a superiors' sword, they actually had a fighting chance.

They survived the trial, though they were told by the departing gish that should they make it back alive they would no longer be welcomed in by the creche and there were standing orders to annihilate them should they return within the bounds of their former home. Their name was stricken from the rosters of the faithful, and they were branded h'shar'lak.

It was a relief to be cut free.

For a little over ten years they traveled the Sword Coast once they made it safely out of the Spine and followed their whims and passions without the threat of their superiors breathing down their neck.

(above links do a better brief job of explaining the lore from here on out, but they contact the Society of Brilliance once they learn about it and plan to meet up with a renegade illithid in their midst who is most willing to speak to them -- they get snatched by the Nautiloid before making contact, and thus the plot of BG3 unfolds.)

As I've finished their game since writing the various above threads, they do turn full illithid, but while partial illithidom suited them admirably and they took to it with aplomb, the actual transformation and re-learning themself as a new creature as a full illithid is a painful and arduous process that far exceeds the instantaneous transformation in-game. Thanks to the influence of the Astral tadpole, which unlike the others, was not part of the Absolute's brood, and which took root far more strongly than the first or third, they retained most of their former self -- to the detriment of the illithid they were becoming. Eventually they find their feet again, and travel the Astral sea and beyond--to Limbo, to the Underdark, to the myriad dark places where the likeminded share their larger goal of collaboration--and do the thankless, impossible work of trying to unite historic enemies twice over (the illithids, the githyanki, the githzerai) under one banner for the betterment of all. They establish a sister society to the society of brilliance in the astral plane and operate largely from there -- though they pop back into the material plane every few months to visit the Emperor in Baldur's Gate and renew ties with their allies and friends in cities across Faerûn.

Ironically, I wasn't aware there was an ending in which Lae'zel essentially does the same thing only without the illithid component. I somehow didn't think the githzerai would come up again at all, and Ambassador seems to be a popular choice of post-game occupation for most gith who aren't still singularly devoted to Vlaakith, but this has been Xa'rok's story since their inception in my brain and so it will remain. They were built upon two main character influences: Genly Ai of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, who is a human envoy on a frozen planet caught in the middle of a civil war while trying to broker political and economic ties to a larger federation that will share resources and knowledge with all parties for the betterment of all involved; and Newt Geiszler from Pacific Rim, whose fascination with the kaiju ultimately ends with him mind-melding with one. Really internalizing your passions, here. They were built to be a solo Emperor romancer, so the illithid-sympathies were a given, everything else spun out of these three concepts.

Skaro, their guardian, is a githzerai with deeper ties to the lore, but I've also turned him into a character in his own right divorced from the Emperor's reimagining of him as the guardian. I'm still working on what the AU of their life is like, where they meet as traveling companions once tadpoled and both remain gith in the end.

There is also an offshoot of Xa'rok's ending in game where they choose to give the Emperor the stones and don't turn illithid themself, and thus they part ways at the dock once the fight is over, but remain close contacts and allies.

Sometime after all is said and done, down the line, Xa'rok finds and raises a displacer beast cub who they name D'jaxia. She accompanies them on their diplomatic missions in the astral sea. In their canon ending, where they turn illithid and remain with the Emperor, the two are often apart, as the Emperor is content to remain in Baldur's Gate rebuilding his influence within the knights of the shield and Xa'rok is busy with their ambassador work elsewhere. But they return to drag the Emperor out of his work and take a break on occasion.

[nightcapd]

I have a pre-existing character that looks remarkably more like one of the relevant gremlins here than any of my others (I blame the lack of nose), so I thought I'd practice my character-making chops, and Eat God simply...intrigues me.

Name: Amber Ying

Species: Firefly

Traits:  Dizzying Display (Glowworm's Flash),  Fluttering Flight,  Primordial Power (Fire)

Size: I unno exactly, but definitely a little short and a little light

Features: Antennae and Unusually warm to the touch

Facets: 6 Ethos (Talented), 6 Pathos (Hot-Blooded), 3 Logos (Naïve)

Creed: Having studies under more trustworthy authority, Amber has little obvious connection with Eaters; having heard much tell of untrustworthy authority, Amber recognizes their cause. Eating God, should he not be good authority, would make excellent cuisine, and a slap in the face of cultures that ought be slapped.

Rebellious Art: Autonomy. Amber sees deeper truths behind obstacles, and can bypass them almost meditatively.

Amber has a secret that makes the "true name" argument a little difficult: she's a superheroine. Cut from a group picture here is Black Ash, and anyone who knows she's both definitely knows her true name for relevant purposes.

(Credit.)

Given she's a henshin-type hero, I coulda gone with modal morphology, but even in her "canonical" form Black Ash can barely do anything Amber can't, so I'd put her ability to change as more an inventory thing, seeing as there's nowhere else left to put the suit here. Perhaps I could have gone with Guising; two different looks is a good way to fill many a role. Really, just about the only thing I feel I'm missing from the sheet is her martial art capability and interest...but that would come out more in gameplay, enough so when combined with visual design.

The next revision of the playtest draft for Eat God is now up. This version includes all of the missing rules from the previous version – advancement, Progress and Calamity Clocks, etc. – as well as numerous expansions and clarifications; the game is now considered feature-complete, though it still needs worked examples, pre-made scenarios, and a whole pile of Big Stupid Tables™.

The most noteworthy addition to this draft, however, is (mostly) complete character creation rules. All but one of the remaining blanks have been filled in, and many Traits have been revised to make them more flexible and add a few interesting new rules toys. You can more easily stat up horrible little gargoyles, there's a little something for the hypno kink crowd, and also you can be a (very small) werewolf now.

(The one remaining blank alluded to above with that "mostly" is the 36th Trait, which I'm leaving off for now because I can't decide exactly what to slot in there and I don't want to spin my wheels on that any longer; for now it just reads "reroll".)

Last but not least, Eat God now has a cover illustration, thanks to the very talented @magpiemalarkey. We decided to be forthright about the game's inspirations; for legal reasons, the depicted characters are not Muppets. (To be clear, only the illustration is their work; the text design for the game's title is a placeholder I threw together myself using a commercial font, so don't blame them for that part.)

As always, questions, criticisms, and bizarre rants are welcome – and if you'd like to give it a spin but don't have a group, character creation is its own little self-contained minigame, and all you need is six-sided dice to give it a try; feel free to post your creations in the notes!

You can find the latest revision at the links above, or below:

https://penguinking.com/eat-god/

[vvolgarov]

The idea about the specific devilman species I’ve come around to invent came purely out of my own want to have a more ‘ original ‘ depiction with elements that are common or used. Rather treat the devils as some only hunters of ‘ villains / morally horrid people ‘ and rather focus on individual strengths and weaknesses of each devilman. Of course, this idea didn’t EXACTLY come around until I’ve actually decided to work on SEVEN + ONE devilman ( as I’ve hinted prior, Artemis has 7 children and two of them, at this day are available for writing ) when previously I brushed off the idea since I thought It was ‘ cheesy ‘. But aside from whether I considered such idea cheesy and eventually pursued it -- I did like the depiction of a DEVIL being a WOMAN. Sure, you can have a character be nonbinary or generally genderless, I could have done that myself as well because I love and do varied identities and presentations myself -- But I feel like, I just wanted to indulge myself more into a good representation of a female character that’s enjoyable and has a personality that cannot be brushed off. Technically Artemis herself is my FIRST female character in a multi-muse situation and It has been a big deal to give her a personality and appearance that I would be satisfied presenting.

I do like that with the development Artemis, came along the development regarding the devil species ( though Red was the FIRST devil; more development came because of Arti ) and what she does at her current position, what is her main purpose and how as a leader she holds such power and whether that impacts her character in any way. I LOVE the idea of a character not only being the higher hierarchy in the pyramid of societal ranking, but rather wanting to be known as the ideal image of EQUITY / EQUALITY. Her and her children behave as though they are citizens rather royalty ( this applies as well as to Dimitri; his personality may depict otherwise but he does not have ideals of a higher-power greedy person; ) and are accessible for contact with any individual in both their world, and in the human realm. This is why I love the dynamic between my characters Jay and Artemis -- Jay is a, more or less mortal vampiric hybrid who could have been killed on an instant.    Supposedly a SPECIMEN that would be gone at the blink of an eye considering how devilmen hardly DIE out considering their anatomy, but she chooses to befriend him as a great friend. Trusts him dearly, happily meets and befriends his friends and establish friendly dynamics with them as well. I just love presenting such IMMORTAL and POWERFUL species, a species capable of becoming deities when granted such power -- just find themselves equal as mortal people. Respect them in the exact level; understand their traditions and are happy to learn about humans / other species in general. With devilman species alone, I just simply love the idea of how all of them generally obtain powers. Deities are the ones who grant possible abilities in the devilmen when they are born, though the parent is the one behind the decision making on WHEN they can obtain such power. In Reds perspective and because of a tragic event that occurred relevant to him; he is now granted the position of a ‘ soul - ripper ‘ whos’ basis is to reap lost souls that are pestering, harming the citizens in the human realm. With each intense dread or hatred feeling within a hostile spirit, there’s a blue fire-ball item within them that reveals upon when slayed by a specially designed soul-ripping item -- an item that usually can be anything, but scythes are known to be more powerful and convenient at handling these horrid transparent wanderers. The fire - ball presenting item IS their soul now exposed and ‘ edible ‘ to the devilman, to which Red can consume and gradually reach the necessary milestone to obtain a specific power. This situation is what granted him the ability to dimension hop and fully take control of each dimension and Its’ portrayal, the general ability to see alternative worlds when encountering a person -- whether the universe is related with the two or the person alone, or whether It’s related with said person but with an another individual. Even the slightest contact with a stranger can open up an alternative universe. In the scenario of Dimitri, he was originally preoccupied with duties as the right hand man for his mother and more-so worked as a guard for her. At the same time he was dedicated to learn about shapeshifting and how to break through the limitations of the power -- how to obtain such professionalism at the skill without fear of weaknesses halting him from returning to his original form from a mere negative reaction. Whether the reaction means in the format of feelings, emotions or some event occurring for him to be affected. This is where his hangman situation comes to play -- Because his former position as a guard and administrator, he was granted the choice to slay those that come to harm to the Queen / president herself or those that pose genuine threat to citizens of Northern Hell or simply aim to instill potential war among four sides of their Hell. Because of this Dimitri was grown to be desensitized to the process ( though most devils are naturally adjusted to this; though his killing-ordeal was more common than the amount most devils commit) and his methods eventually have grown to be similar to a hangman. Hanging the punished, slaying them with an executioners sword or other, creative-yet-morally wrong methodics’ to punish a person fatally. Because of this, Artemis naturally granted him the position as a hangman to see where this would lead to. There was a possibility that her son would steer his newly granted position as a stomach filler for his sadistic / masochistic tendencies -- AND she was almost proven such fact, although Dimitri managed to genuinely change her assumptions.  You see, -- Even though there was some sexual depravity from his end when given the position as an executioners, he eventually did present that he was collecting the souls ( coming in different shapes and sizes; as they are souls of inhuman kinds living in Hell ) obtained through his field and consumed to empower his shapeshifting power. Using his shapeshifting power not only for when desired or to gain some satisfaction making a mockery of someone who was foolish enough to believe in his imitation skill -- but rather UTILIZE this powerful skill in dire situations such as wars, protests coming from other regions of Hell or obtain information / items when said items and information are taken away from the original owner. It helps the fact that he developed the ability to imitate voices ( voice mimic ) and to be fully convincing when genuinely invested in the role as not to be caught.  It’s a fascinating thing to consider how devilman empower themselves over the spirit / essence of a person once the soul itself cannot originally return to their form. “ What happens when the soul is consumed? “ Because the soul is essentially digested by the devilman, It naturally goes through the process of reincarnation and falls into the Chapel of Judgement ( originally lead by Artemis, though one of her sin-children have taken up the position instead ) where the devilman child-of-Artemis and a few count of deities can discuss about the situation with each arrived soul. -- What will be their purpose in their new life; what branches of important decisions will impact their life and how will they die in their next life.  There is a large count of subjects the members of the chapel discuss, I wouldn’t be able to put it into this post myself to explain the particular themes. But the idea is that, they have a good understanding of what happens to them in the near future as they provided links ( a good numbers of decisions that can impact a future decision; also named as ‘ branches ‘ ) and are aware what can those links lead to. Even when a reborn breaks the branch and forms a new one, THEY will know that. They have the power to observe what their reborn will do THIS time and eventually see the new-forming links and potential fate. Just a good number of subjects to look into about my species of devilman. I could honestly do this all day and still not entirely go through the entire story of such ‘ originally ‘ made species, but the least I could do is bring up some topics regarding them and go into further detail about each point I’ve brought up.

[rosezure]

Songbird 4 - We’re All Suspects

Songbird Chapter 4

A/N: I wanted to try something out with the points of view in this part. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the BNHA/MHA universe, nor its characters. This work is intended for entertainment purposes only. My own characters are, however, of my creation.

Content warning: nudity, mentions of pain, mentions of violence. Please,  let me know if I’ve forgotten anything!

Summary | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Winter in Japan was much colder than in Pindorama. Everything was covered in white, and snow fell every other day. Asa was enchanted. The coldest she'd felt was when she escorted Queen Yeba to the Andes for a secret meeting among allies. 

Now, Asa lived in a traditional Japanese home currently covered in snow. Her very own little winter wonderland. The house was quite large, having many rooms and accommodations. Her favorite part was the forest that surrounded it. Though the hot springs in her backyard were a strong second.

Asa had been delighted when she learned of the house's possession of one. In Pindorama, there was something similar: Houses at the foot of the Great Peak Mountain often had small lakes in their backyards. The waters were cold, but they were known for being refreshing to those that traveled through the dense humid Amazon jungle. 

Perhaps it could be her absolute favorite place right now.

Asa sat in the hot springs, as naked as the day she was born. Crystal-like snowflakes fell from the heavens as she leaned back with her mouth open to catch them. She giggled at the contrast of temperatures in her mouth.

"Madam," The housekeeper, Mrs. Ito, walked out of the house. Her beautiful smile flashed as she bowed.

"Mrs. Ito, please," Asa blushed, "Call me Asa, I insist!" She submerged, leaving her nose and up above the surface.

"Right, Asa," She older woman smiled, "The headmaster and some teachers have arrived for dinner," Mrs. Ito clapped excitedly.

"Splendid!" Asa rose from the hot water and beamed, "Please, tell them to come to enjoy the hot springs!" She asked, already moving around and making sure everything looked presentable.

"Right away, Asa! I'll provide them with the robes and slippers," Mrs. Ito bowed again and disappeared into the house.

"This will be a fine opportunity to assess how pro-commission these coworkers of mine are," Asa mumbled to herself as she retied her hair in place. 

The guests arrived: a small animal-like man, a tall dark-haired man, an elderly woman, and two blonde men. Beaming, Asa greeted them and invited them in. They shed their towels or robes and entered the spacey private onsen.

The guests introduced themselves, bowing their heads slightly.

Keigo had been warry of the invitation sent by the newcomer. She had her own house near the campus, and it was apparently luxurious. He didn't want to meet the ice queen Aizawa had described, much less some spoiled royal brat.

But even he had to admit the house was gorgeous. The residential complex was styled after the Edo Period, akin to high-ranked samurai living quarters. And at the very back, there was a private onsen where "Asa" was waiting for them.

To say Keigo was surprised at the foreigner's invite was an understatement. But he was beyond blown away by the beauty of the onsen in her backyard. The hot spring was surrounded by boulders of all shapes and sizes. Smaller stones formed a pathway to the spring, and it was decorated with all sorts of plants on either side. In the far left corner of the spring was a beautiful fountain cascading down into the steaming waters. 

Asa waved them over. Keigo felt himself blush as he almost stumbled when he saw her: She was breathtaking. Her dark hair was in a tight bun, leaving her features visible. Her copper skin contrasted ethereally with her icy blue eyes. Sadly, her wings weren't out, and Keigo felt himself kind of wishing they were. 

"Welcome!" Asa's accent as she spoke Japanese was only slightly noticeable. She smiled elegantly, inviting them in.

"Hello, miss Asa," Nezu greeted in English. He offered his hand, or paw, for her to shake. She took it gracefully. Keigo noticed her movements were reminiscent of a ballerina. But to him, it just meant she was probably deadlier than she looked. 

"I am Nezu, headmaster of UA High. These are my coworkers Shota Aizawa, Hizashi Yamada, Chiyo Shuzenji, and Keigo," Nezu pointed to each one of them. Asa nodded in understanding.

"It is customary here to address new acquaintances by their family name, correct?" She asked in Japanese, tilting her head.

"Quite right, miss Asa," Nezu nodded, almost dropping the towel on his head, "But you can call me Nezu." He was grateful she understood and spoke Japanese. Using his limited English would have made communicating hard. 

"If it is alright with you, sir," Asa offered a polite smile, "I'd rather call you Headmaster or sir," her tone was respectful, and her smile never wavered.

"Of course!" Nezu laughed lightly, "Whatever makes you comfortable." Asa nodded, then turned to Keigo and the others.

"Thank you for welcoming me into your school. I hope we can work well together and prepare great champions." Asa bowed her head at the end of her mini-speech.

"You are adorable, miss Asa!" Recovery Girl got closer to the woman and squeezed her cheeks. "You'll make a fine addition to our team." She patted Asa on the shoulder.

"Thank you very much!" Asa grinned widely, giggling quietly. Her smiles and words seemed genuine enough, but Keigo felt flustered for some reason. It was like something about Asa that he couldn't quite grasp, yet it made him uncomfortable.

"Mr. Aizawa, Mr. Yamada, Mr. Keigo, thank you for coming. I understand it must be strange to have a foreign coworker joining under these circumstances. I'll try my best to help in any way I can." She bowed once again.

Keigo was irked. She was too polite. Too smiley. Too nice. There had to be something wrong with her. Something she was hiding. And Keigo was going to find out what it was. 

"I assure you my mission is to work with you and for you," Asa declared, interrupting Keigo's thoughts. He looked up to see her staring straight at him. 

"Uh, right. Good." He nodded stiffly. Maybe his scowling wasn't as subtle as he thought it was.

The conversation continued to flow amongst them, but Keigo tried his best to stay out of it. After a few more minutes, Mrs. Ito called them for dinner. 

The dining room was beautiful. The dark wooden walls and tiles contrasted gracefully with the lighter-colored furniture. The food was laid out on a table in the center of the room. Soon, everyone had taken a seat on flowery-patterned cushions on the floor.

Dinner flew by with more chit-chatting and laughs. Asa was a natural diplomat: Everything she said and did was deliberate, showing her guests how much she valued their company. Even Aizawa seemed to be more at ease than usual, and Hizashi laughed delightedly at Asa's stories. Nezu and Recovery Girl were reminiscing, telling her about childhood memories attached to the dishes she had prepared. 

After they all finished eating, Asa took them to walk around the garden. It was kept safe from the harsh winter by a glass covering and its own heating system.

"Some of these species come from Pindorama. I had some sent over since they're used in some of our religious rituals and for healing." Asa walked ahead of them, explaining what each plant was and how it's used.

"Ah, I'm sorry! This is probably boring," She laughed lightly, her eyes turning to half-moons. Keigo felt himself blush. 

"Not at all," He blurted out. This was the first time he'd actually spoken. The others turned to look at him in astonishment. Keigo cleared his throat.

"Oh, thank you," Her smile seemed softer this time. 

Shortly after the walk in the garden, Asa sensed it was probably time to see her guests off. Recovery Girl was getting too cold, and Aizawa's state was worsening.

"What if I helped with that a bit?" Asa offered, seeing Aizawa's pained expression. 

Hesitantly, Aizawa nodded. Asa carefully removed the long coat she had worn over her clothes for the short trek. Carefully, she helped Aizawa onto a bench between two tall trees. She knelt beside him on the ground and gingerly placed her hand over his recovering leg.

"I'm not sure if you'll feel any side effects," She frowned, "So, please tell me if it's too much," She took a deep breath.

Soon, a strange aura began encircling them. Keigo watched in amazement as her wings ripped through her clothes. It tore through the layers she wore, exposing her back to the cold air. 

Asa's lips moved, but no sound came out. Yet, all of them felt a strange feeling of comfort. The air suddenly became warmer. Aizawa's leg seemed to be glowing, causing the man's eyes to widen.

The young woman stood up, removing her hand from his leg. She stood up and sighed.

"I hope that helps a little," Asa offered Aizawa a hand. He took it and stood up, his leg feeling more stable than before.

"It does," Aizawa smiled to everyone's surprise, "Thank you, Asa!" 

"It was my pleasure, Mr. Aizawa," She bowed slightly.

They left after that, bidding her cheerful goodbyes and promising to see her at work soon.

Keigo couldn't sleep that night. He'd never been so impressed by someone's quirk. His first reaction had always been to analyze and determine if they presented a threat to him or not. Yet, now, every time he closed his eyes to try and sleep, he'd picture her wings, those gorgeous, majestic, white wings. Hell, he still felt the aftershocks of her quirk. It didn't just heal Aizawa's pain; it felt like it was healing his own soul and-

Wait a minute.

Her quirk was a healing quirk. It healed wounds, cuts, bruises, pain. Not feelings or emotions. Or did it? 

Keigo stood up from his bed, running to his desk to go over the files he'd received on Asa. They contained classified information about her quirk's history, which the queen herself had. How he got them wasn't relevant. Keigo was sure they never mentioned any other form of healing in the description. But maybe, just maybe, he'd missed it in the report.

Asa of Pindorama's Quirk Description

Type: Healing.

Pros and cons: Can heal open and scarred wounds, bones, muscles, veins, etc. The subject's wings are exposed every time the quirk is activated, which can cause unwanted attention. 

How: Classified. 

Keigo read through every little detail. He skimmed every page and every folder, taking notes of the information he read. But, he found nothing about the strange feeling of comfort and warmness she'd made the others feel. 

Could it be a side effect? If so, why wasn't it included in the files?

What was Asa of Pindorama hiding behind those icy blue eyes?

One thing was certain: She wasn't just a simple healer.

In the onsen, Keigo noticed that her body was littered with scars. Some were too big to have been accidents or minor injuries. It was almost like her skin held war stories from how marked it was. Could it be she was tortured? Or maybe she was a soldier or spy of some sort. That seemed to match his theory more.

If Asa was really the enemy, then she'd have to be an excellent spy to have infiltrated the system. She even got a recommendation letter from the queen herself! What more proof was there that she wasn't a mere healer?

The ex-pro hero wrote down all of his observations. He wrote about the scars, the callouses on her hands, the polished manners that were almost too perfect, and every other information he thought was relevant. He wrote on an old notebook he had lying around his new room.

Follow the events of March, Keigo sold his old house and bought a smaller apartment. After he was hired by Nezu, he sold that apartment and settled for an even smaller one near UA High. But he still had most of his belongings; they were just piling up in random corners around his apartment. 

Maybe he needed to focus on cleaning his place. 

Yeah. Keigo was going to clean up and donate as many things as he could. Then, and only then, would he start focusing on his new "mission": Expose Asa of Pindorama as an enemy spy.

Asa sighed in relief once they were out of sight. Healing Aizawa's leg took a toll on her. She had meant to lessen the pain only, but she ended up using too much power and fully healed it. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice it soon. Asa wasn't sure how she would explain not being able to control her quirk. 

She helped Mrs. Ito clear the dining room and wash the dishes. After that, she went straight back to the onsen. Asa let her body practically melt into the hot water, feeling her tensed muscles relax. Asa had heard of the healing properties of onsens. She'd openly admit to having felt ten times better after spending time immersed in the hot springs. Yet, she couldn't help but replaying the evening. 

Hours later, Asa was still submerged in the hot waters of the onsen. Something was off about Headmaster Nezu and Keigo. And she would get to the bottom of it.

The way Keigo seemed overly suspicious and cautious bothered Asa. Sure, she knew they wouldn't all warm up instantly to her. Keigo, however, seemed wearier than the rest. Asa couldn't have one of them suspecting her true intentions already. No, she'd have to deal with him personally. 

From what she could gather on intel and data, Keigo was formerly known as the Winged Hero, Hawks. Whatever happened all those months ago made him retire. Of course, he wasn't the only one, but he was the youngest of the newly retired heroes. 

Yet, what made him stand out to Asa was his affiliations. Keigo had been brought up by the HPSC. He was taken in by them when his father was caught by Endeavor. Keigo's mother was in no state to take care of him, so the organization took it upon themselves to raise Keigo Takami. 

Asa believed his connection to the agency could be dangerous to the mission. She'd have Keigo watched, just in case.

Nezu was a whole different story. He was intelligent, clearly a capable teacher and headmaster. But Asa's instincts screamed the minute he entered her home. If she hadn't controlled herself, his head would've rolled right then and there. 

Asa lifted her wet hands to her temples, massaging them lightly. She groaned in annoyance.

This was becoming unnecessarily complicated. 

[tgai-spock]

Lines of ice from rolling waves and subtle villains

So we arrive on earth.

Chapter 2

Earth was chaos. Vulcan cities may have been overflowing with people who never learnt to mind their own business, where privacy was afforded only in relation to ones personal life and behind closed doors, but earth was chaos. Was anyone paying attention to anyone else? Both yes and no, several times loud rowdy men pointed at Spock and shouted:

“Oi! Vulcan,” why he had no idea.  He’d never seen vulcans do this even by those who hated him for being a hybrid. Was it a statement of fact made by those who were mentally disabled, and was this gesture innocent, the same as a child pointing at a sky and saying, blue? Or was it something more violent? It was by the way, the sky, blue. Which was weird, there was little blue on vulcan, the seas were pink, the skies orange, although many of his clothes were blue, it was different seeing the colour where it naturally occurred. Other groups shouted at him too. Groups of girls huddled in groups would suddenly grow 3 times the size and point at him.

“Mother, at least on vulcan the vulcans pretend they aren’t talking about me. Send me back.” Spock said as they walked past another group. His mother, who was the only one he was shopping with looked more stressed than she had at his whining that the school was illogical, and that he was going to choose magic as a serious study course if he was forced to attend. That didn’t seem to bother his mother all that much, but it did make his father twitch in ways he hadn’t seen before, so he had put it down as one of his options along with science and computers. Of course his father wanted him to do computers, and math. 

“Maybe we should get you a hat. You could wear my scarf for now” Amanda motioned as she went to untie her scarf.

“If I even begin to remotely look like a girl I’m going to kill myself” Spock said. Amanda sighed.

“Listen, don’t let their shouting bother you. In school that will completely disappear, it won’t be stood for at all. They have plenty of other aliens attend, they can’t have people just shouting out species randomly. I feel the people out today our rather dim, and drunk.”

Spock shrugged “fine. But only because I’ve been called worse and they’re validating the fact I’m vulcan.” Amanda sighed, she wished her son wouldn’t say things like this. He wished this wasn’t true for him.

“Can you read the email and remind me what we need to buy?” Amanda asked “I’ve forgotten.” Spock flicked up his lightweight tablet that he had been carrying in his hand non-stop for the past three days.

The Letter:

For first years attending the school each pupil must bring with them the following :

General Lessons:

Notebooks for each lesson, at least one new one per term.

General stationary, including pens, pencils, scissors, gluesticks, and celllotape.

Scientific Calculator

Protractor and compass

Shorts for p.e, unacceptable clothes include jorts. Shorts may be any colour but no patterns, pictures, characters, or 100 pictures of Nickolas Cages face may be on them.

Jogging bottoms/leggings (plain in colour, no patterns).

Suitable shirt or jumper for p.e (no slogans or patterns.)

Hairbands/bobbles 

Tablet

If magic is a chosen subject they will need to bring:

Tarot cards

Tea Cup

Crystal ball

Spock hummed as he read through the items that were relevant to him, and they stopped outside a sports shop.

“Why does this say first years on it?” Spock asked.

“Oh, sometimes parents think their children will be better in a school that caters for children between the ages of 11-14 as they’re still very young. This is a school for older 15—17 year olds. Isn’t that good?”

“How?”

“You won’t be alone on your first day of school.” Amanda said.

“I guess” Spock said as he tried to work out if there were any benefits (currently Spock’s new slogan was ‘I guess’ but what it actually meant was ‘I have no idea how that makes sense’). They entered the sports shop.

The walked around aisles to the shorts and jogging bottom sections. Spock picked up plainest, blackest pair of each he could find.

“You can wear colour now.” Amanda encouraged.

“I don’t want to.”

“You could.”

“And yet I’m not going to.” Spock said and Amanda sighed, she could see this wasn’t going to be an argument she won. They walked past some hats and Amanda puts a black cap over his head, that was just large enough to go over his ears.

“Mother. I don’t need a hat.” Spock said.

“I don’t want you to hide who you are, but it would be nice for people to stop yelling at you. At least while we’re walking down the street.” Amanda says the words as though she is stabbing herself with each one.

“So a hat is going to solve this.” 

“It might.. reduce the amount of shouts” Amanda reasoned “you don’t have to if you think thats worse.” Spock took off the black cap and picked up a sparkling silver hat, that was enough to make an elder vulcan faint on the spot. He put it on his head. Amanda grinned.

“You may have that hat.”

“Oh” Spock said, this hadn’t been what he wanted at all.

“Your father will hate it. And I’ll get you the black one too incase you suddenly find it too garish.” Amanda said.

“Okay but, I’m going to wear this non-stop as soon as I get back to vulcan. ” Spock said although he had absolutely no plans to do so, if the vulcan sun reflected of this hat there seemed to be a great possibility that it would kill someone else upon immediate impact.

“You can, I am allowing it.” Amanda said. Spock didn’t know how to react. His mothers logical boundaries must have disappeared into the atmosphere as soon as they arrived on earth.

The walked around to the sports bra section, and Amanda stopped suddenly. Spock almost bumped into her. Spock looked about awkwardly.

“Wrong section” he said.

“The thing about human school is you will be expected to do sports in front of other people.”

“And.”

“You can’t do that in a binder.”

“And yet I will.”

“No you won’t” Amanda said quietly but with such force it was enough to stop him in his tracks. She picks up a few.

“Do you want black or another colour.”

“Black.”

“Okay.”

“Now we need tarot cards, a tea-cup and a crystal ball.” Spock said looking down at his tablet despite having already memorised them.

“Do you want to try these on? Check they fit?” Amanda asked.

“No. Where are we going to get this stuff? Is this stuff even real?”

“Oh I looked up a little place around here” Amanda said and lead the way to the changing rooms.

“I said no” Spock said.

“I am saving you. You do not want to do p.e in clothes you’re not comfortable in, go try them on.”

“They’re the right size.”

“It’s completely different to finding out if their comfortable, go on.”

* * *

There was a lot of crystal balls in the shop display. Every inch his eyes looked on, sparkled with crystals. Crystals on necklaces, crystals on rings, crystals on pendulums - and a number of dragon ornaments. 

“I should not have chosen magic” Spock sighs already defeated, Amanda laughs.

“Don’t think we don’t know you did that on purpose, your going through with it now” Amanda laughs pushing her son forward. They walk in through a dark blue door, and a bell above their heads rings as they enter.

“Good morning” a woman, with curly straw like hair behind a till greets them.

“Morning” Amanda replies “do you have any tarot cards?”

“I have a few selections available at the back” she points “would you like help choosing one?”

“No thank you” Amanda says and they walk in the direction the lady had pointed, around tables full of small gems with a ‘buy 4 get 1 free’ deal around them. The back of the store was different, slightly less gems appearing and more wooden rings. Much to Spock’s confusion, there were several wands and tall staffs with fancy curved wood tops.

“Why?” Spock asks pointing to a staff.

“Walking stick” says Amanda.

“Why?” Spock asks pointing to the wand.

“Religious practices. Your the one that choose magic, my aunt used to practice you know.”

“Is that the one married to the uncle who tried to kill me?” Spock asked.

Amanda sighed “well she’s divorced him now.”

“Erm” a voice from behind them, the shop keeper with wide eyes and a few extra packs of tarot cards in her arms said “I just remembered my shipment arrived this morning with some different tarot styles, so I thought I’d set them out for you.”

“Oh, thank you” Amanda said as the lady walked forwards and put down several extra packs. Amanda picked up one pack covered in cats, Spock picked up one that was black.

“You can take them out and have a look if you’d like, just remember to put them all back in.” The lady says and backs away, Amanda nods.

“This one” Spock says and chooses the cards that are all black except for the symbols outline on them, such as the 8 of swords which had 8 rainbow swords on it.

“Are you sure?” Amanda asks showing off the cats “I bet I could custom order one like this, but with sehlats instead.”

“I’m sure.” Spock said. Amanda shakes her head as they walk back over to the till.

“Well at least this has been quick. Excuse me do you have any crystal balls? The type you can see the future in.” Amanda asked

“Strange” the woman says “you’re the seventeenth person to ask me that.”

“There is a school nearby that has magic lessons, this is one of the requirements.” Amanda informs her.

“Oh” says the woman with her teeth as she looks up to her ceiling for a moment “yeah that would make sense. I thought everyone must just be like geeze, that Gandalf guys, pretty neat.”

Amanda nodded “I’m aware it’s a new school, is it new this year then, or is this a new shop?”

“Oh, I only brought the place a few months ago” the woman says as she places a large crystal on the bench “I guess I should check out the requirements that school has and get some  in stock. Whats it called?”

“Saint Daimon’s" Amanda nodded.

“Nice, modern. Hey I’ll tell you what, if you buy this big crystal ball I’ll give you and your son a discount on any of these protection stones. Never hurts to have a little extra help” she says and she waves her hand over a collection of different sized gems, some smooth, some rough like rocks.

“Would you like a magical stone for protection?” Amanda asks Spock calmly. Spock picks up a hand size rough orange stone covered in blue lines. He chucks it up into the air and catches in neatly in his palm.

“Yes. This looks like a protection stone” Spock says and places it next to the tarot cards and crystal ball. Amanda eyes him suspiciously.

“I don’t like how you handled that at all.” Amanda says.

“You said I could have the protection stone.” Spock says with one raised eyebrow.

“Is that all I can help you with?” The woman asks.

“Yes thank you.”

“Card or print?”

“Print” Amanda says as the woman types up the cost into her till.

[Chapter 1]         [Chapter 2]         [Chapter 3]          [Chapter 4]

[Chapter 5]         [Chapter 6]

[mobius-prime]

211. Sonic the Hedgehog #143

The Original Freedom Fighters (Part 2)

Writer: Romy Chacon Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: J&A Ray

So it's time to find out just how the original Freedom Fighters were betrayed and lost. The guard at the Lake of Rings catches a ring and then lets Sonic and Hope watch the place for a bit while he delivers it to the castle, and Hope urges Sonic to continue his story, which he agrees to on the condition that afterward she'll let him go off to do his thing. One day when Sally was still young, Stripe was speaking with her and being kind when Peckers, who has the worst name by the way, burst in with some news.

That's right, they found out about the Zone of Silence years before the current Freedom Fighters did. They went into the palace on a mission to rescue the king, or at least to gather more information for a future rescue, but suddenly found themselves trapped within a room, with Scales leering at them from the outside and Robotnik stepping up beside him. Scales had apparently betrayed his teammates because he wanted power and also because it was "totally within his nature" as a snake, but true to form, Robotnik had some treachery of his own to enact, throwing a horrified Scales in with his fellows. Robotnik revealed to them that they were standing in his first room-sized roboticizer, before pulling the lever.

Oof. Uncle Chuck, still roboticized, saw the whole thing and had it recorded in his memory banks for posterity, but those in Knothole never found out what happened until years later when he regained his memory. All they knew was that their heroes had disappeared, and held funerals for them all befitting their status as heroes. The young Sonic was stunned and demoralized, as Stripe in particular had always been kind and encouraging to him, but ultimately the actions of the original Freedom Fighters were what inspired Sonic, Sally, and the others to form their own group and carry on the fight.

Now remember how I said this ties into something I've brought up before? I've talked many times about how the war against Robotnik has essentially been carried on the backs of literal child soldiers, but we've never really discussed why this came to be. Well, here it is. This is why. Remember that Robotnik's takeover came right on the heels of the Great War, with barely a few years at most separating the two wars. From Robotnik's perspective, he couldn't have picked a better time to stage a coup - the kingdom was weakened, and a lot of its best fighters had likely died or had to retire permanently due to injures from the previous war. Not to mention that a lot of people who could have helped in the current war were likely captured and roboticized in the initial fight before they had time to react - Robotnik would have known who posed the greatest threat to his rule and made sure the swatbots targeted them, and in addition, it's implied in the previous issue that Stripe was one of the only veterans who had the sense to run away rather than stand and fight. The original Freedom Fighters were basically all Knothole had left. And when they were lost, Knothole was vulnerable. Hope was in short supply. Hardly anyone had the ability or the mental fortitude to even try to carry on the fight.

And then this little band of orphaned kids rallied around the precocious princess, and took inspiration from those who had fought before them. These kids, most of whom were barely older than eight (and I'm not guessing at that number, it's literally confirmed later on in the comic that Sonic started striking back against Robotnik at the age of eight), banded together with the overconfidence of young children and put themselves in harm's way to save the planet. They grew up so surrounded by war that participating in it was second nature to them, and though each of them were hit with their own unique traumas from the things they'd seen and experienced, they kept up the fight, into their teens and into now. And like I've pointed out before, even now that many of the kingdom's adults are freed and willing to continue the fight for them, they refuse to give it up. Sure, Sally may be preoccupied with being active ruler right now, and maybe Rotor has retired from field duty to work on inventions back home, but everyone is still wholly invested in the fight despite their still-young ages. And that's both inspiring, and utterly tragic - especially considering that most of them aren't even self-aware enough to understand how awful throwing children into a war is. They just don't know anything different.

But anyway, as Sonic's story winds down, Hope thanks him and then rushes off, remembering her homework assignment for history and leaving an exasperated Sonic to guard the pool alone after all. The next day, she has her report all finished, and recites it in front of her class to much praise.

That is a great way to tie everything together, if you ask me. I'm sure it makes Mrs. Stripe and everyone else who personally knew the original Freedom Fighters happy to see the youth of today, even the youth of another species entirely, remember the sacrifice of those heroes.

Mobius 25 Years Later: Father's Day

Writer/Pencils: Ken Penders Colors: Jason Jensen

Are you ready, kids?! This is actually the best installment of this arc, period! It's relevant to the current conflict, it contains important character development, and a satisfying conclusion is reached by the end! I know, I know, I'm shocked as well. But my praise for this chapter is genuine, and you'll see why.

Lara-Su comes downstairs in the morning, wondering where her father is. It's hard to tell if this takes place shortly after her discussion with Knuckles last issue, or if this is the next day entirely or something, but either way, Julie-Su reminds her daughter of what day it is, which - well, I hardly have to tell you, it's right there in the title. It seems that on Father's Day every year, Knuckles visits the grave of Locke in the forest - it's been hinted at here and there that he's dead by the time of this arc, but this is our first clear confirmation of the fact. Knuckles drifts into memories, first of a conversation he'd had with Archimedes many years ago. They'd traveled to the crater in Downunda where Angel Island first lifted off after having spent several weeks together, and prepared to part ways, as Archimedes was planning to move here to Downunda permanently. Knuckles was somewhat baffled by his decision, having deep roots on Angel Island and being unable to relate to wanting to move somewhere else, but Archimedes pointed out that as Athair followed his own path, so must he, and so had Knuckles for that matter.

I think it makes complete sense for a slightly older Knuckles to have decided to end the Guardian tradition, given how much pain it has caused him over the years and how shady the whole operation could be. Archimedes said his goodbyes to Knuckles after telling him how proud he was of him, and Knuckles used his guiding star gem to head back home. Once there, he was shocked to find Lara-Le crying and distraught, and all she could manage to say was that something was wrong with Locke. Wynmacher called a cab and took them both up to the hospital in Echidnaopolis, where the doctors revealed to him that his father was getting weaker by the day and they couldn't figure out what was wrong. After some exploratory surgery, they determined that he'd developed pancreatic cancer and didn't have long left for the world, so a stunned Knuckles and Lara-Le were allowed to enter the room to speak to him once he'd woken up. From here, I'll let the next couple of pages do the talking for me.

I think this is literally the best thing Penders could have possibly written on this subject. I've pointed out how awful Locke has been many times, and one of my biggest criticisms of him was less about the character himself and more about how Penders handled writing him. Locke was based on Penders' own father, with whom he'd had a difficult relationship, and this colored his writing of Locke a bit for the worse. Locke was in many ways abusive, selfish, and distant from his son, and put Knuckles through hell for his own purposes. He was too shortsighted to see how this was affecting his son, and only when reality began to harshly and repeatedly bitchslap him in the face did he even begin to realize how badly he'd messed up. This has always been clear from the outside, but it's also obvious that Penders, naturally, wasn't keen on writing a character based on his own father as a bad guy, and the end result was Locke being portrayed in a bizarrely sympathetic light as he manipulated, spied on, and betrayed the trust of his son without any self-awareness at all. This scene is exactly what we needed in the light of all that - a scene where at the end of everything, Locke truly realized just what he'd done to the two people he loved most in the world, fully owned up and admitted to all his mistakes, and asked for forgiveness. He makes no excuses for his actions, instead laying it all bare and trusting them to judge him fairly on his own deathbed. I've said before that Locke would have been far more fascinating as a well-intentioned but too-extreme antagonist of the story, and ultimately this is exactly the kind of redemption scene I would have imagined for him at the end of said story. I may make fun of and even get angry with Penders from time to time, but I truly think that this is one of the prime examples of where his writing shines. He has great ideas, just often bad execution of said ideas. This is one time where he did it right.

Knuckles finishes reminiscing and comes back to himself in the present, standing in front of his father's grave, and begins to realize that in a way, he's been repeating the same mistakes that his father did with his own daughter. While Locke never gave him the choice not to become a Guardian, he's done the inverse with Lara-Su, never giving her the option of Guardianship at all. He decides that he's going to give her the choice after all, and thanks his father at the grave while Locke's ghost and Aurora watch proudly from the afterlife. And you know what? This is also a great scene! Because I 100% believe that Knuckles, after going through everything that he has, would want to end the tradition of Guardians and never put the island's fate on the shoulders of one person again. Let's face it, he's downright traumatized by some of the things he's seen and been through, and once he had a child of his own he'd want to protect them from going through any of the same things he did. And I fully believe that with that mindset, he could end up stumbling into the same "my way, no highway option" mindset that his own father had, just in reverse. He never realized just how his own hangups were affecting his daughter until he came here to meditate after all her pestering. And what makes this scene so great, ultimately, is that he learns from it. He doesn't continue down the manipulative, restrictive path that his father did, but rather opens up to the thought of listening to what his own daughter wants, and allowing her to make her own choices in life. This issue ends with a tribute to Penders' own father Kenneth, who lived from 1934 to 1982, and I find it a fitting end indeed. After all, for all my criticism, I can hardly condemn a person for wanting to pay loving tribute to their own parent. Good job, Penders - this issue's story was genuinely enjoyable, and I appreciate the work you put into it.

[mysticandskepticmuses]

MEET Rori LuAnne* Dearing.   ( Altered Carbon based original character. )

                *Please note.  Any use of her middle name in character will result in her losing her shit because who the fuck names their child LuAnne in the 25th century it’s so 400 years ago….

                 First things first, OOC, yes, this is the same face claim as I use for Saori; it’s intentional / for plot purposes w/ certain characters where that holy shit it’s like looking at a ghost trope is lots of fun so…  Also, I think it’s particularly interesting in a world where bodies can be custom made and DNA is literally just a playground for scientists for there to be this freak natural repetition / recreation after 250 years.  It is something that family members remark on from time to time, but it’s not something that a lot of them really pay that much attention to, it’s the oh you look so much like so and so, but since none of the living family members even met Saori they don’t realize just how identical the resemblance is.  And most people that meet her wouldn’t know enough about her history / lineage to know though so.  She’s just a pretty, long-legged, pierced and tattooed cutie pie.    [ Any of those rare survivors from Envoy era that were at Stronghold or on Harlan’s World, or any that might have VR’ed in to a conference or something w/ Saori are totally free / encouraged to notice and react of course !!! ]

                  Yes, Rori is the great-great-great …. whatever many great-granddaughter of my other / latest original character, SAORI DEARING, an uprising sympathizer who lived on Harlan’s World during the Envoy war / during the time of the destruction of Stronghold.  [ the battle of stronghold is widely known as the battle where the Protectorate finally defeated the evil Envoys, murderers of children and women and whole families, terrorists who used sabotage, infiltration, mass murder, torture, bombings, wide spread terror attacks, etc. etc. etc. to try and overthrow the protectorate who wanted to do nothing more than keep the peace in known space etc. ] Rori and her older sister, CLAIRE DEARING, currently know nothing about their ancestor’s involvement with / support of the Uprising – which is probably for the best because Claire would probably die of mortification and Rori would loudly and proudly blast the news from the rooftops.  

                   Claire, written by Liz @magicandsciencemuses, is a (mostly) upstanding citizen who works earnestly to better her way of life and has a great amount of respect for the law and a more than healthy respect / knowledge of what the Meths are capable of; she is one of the directors of the Bay City branch of Psychasec as well as being a well renowned scientist in the field of genetics and body mods, cloning, synth, etc. etc.  She is very much the model child, works hard, works long hours, pays her taxes, follows the rules, tries very hard to keep out of trouble and avoid drama.    ADDITIONAL NOTE:  CLAIRE IS 200+ YEARS OLD.  Rori is in her forties (even though she appears in her early twenties) – in Meth years, Rori is practically a BABY.  

                   Rori, on the other hand, is pretty much the exact opposite.  While she is also intelligent and well educated, she was the wild child from the get go and was always the one that came home with the scraped knees and the bloody noses and the torn clothes, whether it was from actually just falling the frack over her own feet or getting into a fight with someone twice her size in defense of someone else or because they offended her with some smart ass / ill thought out comment that provoked her short-fused (but typically short-lived) temper.  She was almost always involved in some form of protests, some form of protect the planet, protect the species, protect the people, protect the sleeves movement, and became more and more focused on protecting the equality (or what is left of it) as she got ‘older’.  

                   She believes that a lot of what is acceptable and norm when it comes to the treatment of sleeves when it comes to the prison system and victim restitution as a whole is beyond fucked up   She believes that the whole essence of the prison system, stacks in storage, etc. is a huge step backwards and one that just does no good to anyone except those profiting financially from the system.  Ripping someone out of their sleeve and sticking them into storage seems entirely opposite of helpful to her.  There is no longer any opportunity for reform in the penal system.  Being on ice doesn’t give you time to think.  It doesn’t give you time to reflect on your life choices and realize what you’re missing.  It doesn’t give you time for soul searching or to learn methods in which to cope, it doesn’t allow you to better yourself in any way – literally the only thing that it does it rip you out of one time and then toss you back out into the world in what was just a blink of an eye to you.  Nothing changes.  Worst case scenario, you’re in a stranger’s body, a hundred years later, maybe you’ve got a family member or someone that was told about you enough to show up and give you a place to crash for a few days while you get your shit sorted but.  

                   Now you’re a stranger, with no working knowledge of the world, the politics or laws that have changed, the events in history that might have been world shatteringly important that you missed, no relevant job history, no contacts, no resources, and depending on what field of study or what kind of job you had, you might be entirely irrelevant plus - you’re a convict so what does that do for your likelihood of finding gainful employment - especially while in whatever broken down sleeve they give you on release ???  It pretty much guarantees the only life the newly released have to go back to is – crime.  

                And that’s not even getting onto the topic of renting out people’s bodies and how that just feels inherently wrong to her – they don’t even bother to try and use it as a deterrent tactics, it’s just a WAY OF LIFE and it just seems cruel and unusual to her.  There have always been accrued costs of prison, one way or another, sticking a body on ice / suspending it / cryogenic storage or whatever is WAY cheaper than actually housing criminals used to be.  And how easy is it for someone that’s corrupt to play that system ???? Want a particular sleeve for yourself or your partner but they won’t sleep with you?  Get them convicted and rent it for a week.  Have a Neo-C that you need out of the way at your job or that’s married to someone you want to pursue or that you have a grudge against and want to see them suffer / their family suffer?  Set them up for even the smallest crime, because once they’re yanked out of their sleeve that’s it, bye-bye.  

                   And it’s not just punishing the criminals! Seeing someone else walking and talking in the sleeve of your lover, your brother, your mother, your best friend and knowing it’s not them - it doesn’t matter how tough you are or act like you are, that hurts – knowing that that body is being used for god knows what and you can’t keep it safe / protect it ???  Knowing that the person’s sleeve is out and about because you couldn’t afford the mortgage payments to keep it hanging out empty until the person’s time was up and they can get put back in it ? That is brutal and cruel and unusual punishment to people that did nothing wrong but care.  

                   So… yeah.  Human rights / sleeves’ rights activist.  Has had the occasional brush with the law in terms of protesting, the occasional riot or act of vandalism, threats against particular organizations or Meths or whomever it is that she’s up in arms against at the time but, generally low level stuff that hasn’t gotten her in a ton of hot water legally speaking.  She actually does have a semi decent relationship with some of the beat cops or a detective here or there, she’s happy to turn over intel and information she finds about acts of actual violence or terrorism that she catches wind of and is especially happy to turn over anything she hears that deals with corrupt cops, politicians, Meths influence on anything with policy or wrangling positions of power for their chess pieces in law enforcement or political circles etc.  

                   She does dabble in some drug use, she drinks, she smokes, she swears, she sleeps around, she has tattoo and piercings that fluctuate a lot - she is still in her birth sleeve (though second clone after an airtram derailment a few years back).  She gambles, she shoots pool, she gets into the occasional fist fight, she has no problem calling anyone out on their bullshit but – she has a good heart and does her best to help out people in trouble around her whenever she can.  She drifts through a lot of circles; she has friends in all manner of walks of life in the underworld and legit circles, she makes it pretty clear she doesn’t have any interest in being involved in drama outside of her choosing and tends to usually manage to keep from pissing off the wrong people (she’s way more likely to have enemies among the politicians, the Meths, the policy makers than get caught up in a turf war etc).  

                   She has a loft apartment in Licktown, but she also has four or five other roommates and it’s very crowded and busy so she tends to prefer to crash at her hookup’s place when an option and also makes a semi regular habit of showing up at Claire’s in the middle of the night and crashing on her couch for a few days.  Despite their glaring differences, the sisters are actually pretty close and as much as they rib on each other, they would not hesitate to come to the defense of the other if necessary, in a heartbeat.  

                     Rori does come from a family of Meths.  Her lifestyle choices, her behaviour, the fact she lives on the Ground and in Licktown are all huge sources of embarrassment for the majority of her family.  The only reason she isn’t actually just cut loose and written off as the black sheep of the family is because Claire wouldn’t stand for it.  Rori does have access to a large stipend, which she does live off of at times but in general she prefers to make her own way - she works as a bartender, a tattoo artist, odd jobs here and there.  Whatever she doesn’t use of her monthly allowance, though, she does pull out every month and donate to a number of different activist groups, shelters, etc. - wherever needs it the most at that time.

[empressofmankind]

Father - part 3/3: ‘Keener’

Fandom: Warhammer 40.000

Character/s: Magos Drusher, Interrogator Brooks, Inquisitor Genevieve Helve Allenbrisk, Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn, Lord-Inquisitor Tomàs de Torquemada-Coteaz (mentioned)

Location/s: Helter Fortress

Premises: An in-between chapter for the book ‘Magos’ which can be read between chapter 6 and 7. It functions as an introduction of the primary OCs Genevieve Allenbrisk and Cristine Brooks into the book setting. Third person but narrated from Drusher’s point of view. You can find part 1 over here and part 2 over here if you haven’t read them yet.

Mood: Odd but not too odd, like the chapters around it. Drusher is still trying to find his footing amid this new crowd.

Warnings: N/A

“I didn’t know you had remarried,” Drusher remarked then, in an attempt to keep the conversation going.

“Are you sure you were paying attention, Magos?” Allenbrisk remarked, again a smile playing around her lips as she swirled the content of her recaf tin. It sounded like a jest. She wasn’t wrong, he hadn’t exactly followed Imperial news. Her tone turned serious then. “There was a little tiff among the Lords Malleus at the time. They perennially forget that I am a person, and not of their Ordo at that.”

“I suppose I hadn’t, I’ve been rather focused on my taxonomy,” Drusher admitted. He could guess  what that ‘tiff’ had entailed. Coteaz had possessed wealth, material and otherwise: assets and knowledge plenty would be interested in having for themselves. He suspected every ambitious Inquisitorial bachelor of any sexes within astropathic earshot had made a move the minute the news broke. And, no doubt, they all considered Eisenhorn a poor choice. Drusher didn’t particularly disagree. The contrast between her late husband and current one was stark. He’d read an article once, in the Proceedings of the Terran Academy of Sciences, that had investigated trauma coping mechanisms of veteran Imperial Guardsmen and -women. It had shown some coped by purposefully seeking out the opposite. He recalled then that Brooks had implied Coteaz had fallen in battle. Slain by a daemon, she’d said. Had Allenbrisk been there? Drusher suppressed a shudder.

“It was a quiet event, with friends,” Allenbrisk said. “There was little coverage, even within the Scarus sector.” Her smile deepened as her gaze became distant. “Which was as we wanted it.”

Drusher observed her for a moment. She seemed lost in thought. “I recall the news from the Crusades though they were vague at the time. It must have been a blow to the Formosa sector, your late husband was popular for someone in your line of work.”

Inquisitor Allenbrisk’s gaze snapped back to the present and focused, swift as a hawk, on Drusher when he spoke up. Her expression settled back into pleasant neutrality a beat later. “My colleagues in the Ordo Malleus often are,” she agreed, her hands around her recaf mug, fingers laced. “Internal prosecution is rife with points of view. Even against the Xenos, there is leeway for perspective. But Daemons? It’s ever crystal clear who is in the right there.”

“It attracts an uncompromising mentality,” Drusher ventured. “A lack of nuance.”

“Does it?” she wondered. “Or does the Warp simply weed out those inclined to listen.”

That was an excellent point. “Perhaps, a combination of both? It’s often thus in nature, where a particular niche both attracts and hones a particular species.”

“They certainly thrive,” she added, a hint of exasperation in her tone. Drusher wasn’t sure if it was on account of the boisterous flamboyance of her colleagues or their conversation. “I imagine if someone made a study of it, you could turn out to be quite correct, Magos.”

Drusher felt flattered despite himself. After Inquisitor Eisenhorn’s condescending manner, it was nice to have his input valued for its own merit.

“Compared to the other Ordos Majoris, the Malleus ethos seems straight forward, sensible and ever justified. Their wars are grand against great enemies, the stuff normally reserved for Astartes legends. They place these feats closer to home, within the realm of possibility for you and I. You can go your entire life without ever having learned the name of any one from my Ordo, and the few that have no doubt  consider anyone who avoided it lucky, but I am willing to bet almost everyone can name at least one Lord of the Ordo Malleus because they’ve recently seen them on a news vid.” She smiled fondly, as if at a pleasant memory. “My late husband was successful, not only because he had no wish to rule, but because he was charismatic and he knew how to show it in front of a vidcaster.”

“That sounds an awful lot like manipulation,” Drusher frowned.

“We manipulate our environment and each other every minute of our lives, Magos. You, more than most people, I would expect to be aware of that,” she remarked. A curious expression momentarily replaced her perpetual smile. “Unless we stop and think about it, we rarely realize how much so.”

“I suppose I am? You seem well aware of it in yourself, and in those around you,” Drusher considered. His mind wandered back to his exchange with Eisenhorn. And the fleeting intimacy he'd glimpsed between the inquisitors. For every action, a reaction.

“It is my job to be aware of these things, Magos.” Her smile had returned. “They are the threads that weave the purpose of peoples’ actions.”

“Are all of your actions deliberate?” Drusher asked before he could quite stop himself. He adjusted his glasses as he glanced away.

“Aren’t yours?” Her expression was kind but unreadable. “Even actions that may seem unintentional have an underlying purpose. Even actions that may seem spontaneous have a design. Whether or not you’re conscious of them is a matter of training, not sincerity.”

Drusher considered her words. They seemed reasonable though their deterministic undercurrent didn’t agree with him.

“You do not bring peace to an entire sector with good intentions alone. You have to have a friendly smile,” Allenbrisk continued. Though she seemed amused, Drusher didn’t think she was joking. “No matter how pure your intentions, how selfless your plans, if people don’t like you, they won’t let you. People don’t want to be told they’re safe, they want to be reassured they are safe.”

Drusher nodded. There was truth to it. You needed people's trust. And yet, charisma was the tool of saints and tyrants alike. There was power there, immense power.

“As human beings, we like to think we know what we are doing. But as inquisitors, we have to know with absolute certainty. Not just our own lives but often the fate of a community, whole hives, entire planets even, depend on us being able to oversee the consequences of actions.”

“I don’t think I could do it,” Drusher said. There was too much responsibility there for his liking. Too much depending on him making the right call. It was not a skill he was known for.

“Few can and plenty who think they can, fail.” She indicated herself. “It is why I have to do what I do.” Drusher frowned but then recalled Brooks had said her mother hunted and prosecuted colleagues that had broken doctrine. It put the damper right back on their pleasant conversation. Her smile deepened as her gaze drifted away from him. “I admit Tomàs had flair, he was in his element at the forefront of a battle line as much as in front of a crowd. I have found it’s common among Formosa’s people.”

Drusher smiled wryly. “I suppose people want to be entertained, almost as much as they want to be reassured.”

“Certainly those who believe danger to be far from their home,” she replied as her smile evaporated. She frowned and took a sip of recaf.

Drusher wondered how the Formosa sector fared these days. “Who holds the seat now?”

“Someone else,” she replied rather curtly. “The good men do is often interred with their bones.”

He presumed that to mean she didn't approve of whomever currently held his or her wing over the sector. “Did you not wish to continue his work?” She had sounded so involved to Drusher, he’d thought she’d have built upon her late husband’s legacy.

Her nose wrinkled at his comment and for a moment he feared he’d offended her, their pleasant conversation forfeit. “It’s his life work, Magos, not mine,” was her resolute answer.

“You speak as if he might yet walk among us,” Drusher observed. He regretted his words when the sadness returned to her eyes, her gaze distant once more.

She laid her hand across the medallion resting on her chest. It was  a St. Aquilina’s cross, finely rendered, similar in size to the episcopal Aquila bishops wore. “He ever walks with me, Magos.”

“Miss Brooks seems very dedicated, too,” Drusher remarked. The young woman had wasted no time impressing this upon Drusher with her meticulous information on her parents.

“That she is,” Allenbrisk agreed.

“May I ask what her precise function is within your, hum, work method?” Drusher asked as he drank his recaf. He looked at the few gulps left to him and wondered if she might offer him another or if their conversation would be finished along with his recaf. Despite everything, he realized he enjoyed her company.

“Think of her as an Interweb query engine,” Allenbrisk said.

Drusher frowned. “The information retrieval algorithms of the Galaxy Wide Web, you mean?” Drusher returned. It was a curious analogue to make.

Allenbrisk nodded. “Just so. I ask her a query and she retrieves it from her mental storage, sorted to probable relevancy.”

“That sounds very useful,” Drusher observed. And a little implausible, even for a savant-child, he thought. Perhaps the analogue was an oversimplification, he doubted any human being had the mental capacity to rival a logic engine. However, he could see how even an approximation would be immensely useful when you frequent low-tech planets without access to the Intergalactic Imperial Net or when you didn't want to leave any signs of digital presence that accessing it might leave.

“It is,” Allenbrisk agreed. “Brooks retains everything she reads and can reproduce it verbatim, including source and document statistics, if necessary. The more she reads, the better she can aid my investigations with knowledge that would be impossible for me to otherwise have at my immediate disposal. She is a young but very talented savant. And a sweet child.” The last sentence held an all but tangible threat as to what would happen if someone would harm her.

Drusher made a mental note to not get in the girl’s way. He had no wish to find out what her mother considered ‘harm’ nor how offenders would be dealt with. They were silent for a few minutes as they drank the last of their recaf. Drusher tried to process everything he’d learned - far more than he’d thought. It was good to know the two Inquisitors’ definition of ‘classified’ seemed to differ.

“Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to humor me,” Drusher commented at last. It felt prudent to make sure she knew he appreciated their conversation. He’d remembered he’d interrupted her private lunch with Inquisitor Eisenhorn. He had no idea how often they made time for that. Not often, he imagined. No doubt due to Eisenhorn. “I didn’t think you would answer any of my questions, Inquisitor Eisenhorn certainly didn’t.”

A smile returned to her face at his words. “Gregor has never been keen on strangers.”

“So it certainly seems,” Drusher agreed. “May I ask how did you meet?”

Allenbrisk chuckled, quite amused. “Now thát,” she said. “Is classified.”

Drusher flinched but recovered. It was entirely possible that Eisenhorn had told her. He was tired and it was beginning to affect him.

There was a knock at the study’s door then. “Do enter,” Allenbrisk called. The door promptly opened and Drusher flinched again. He’d expected Eisenhorn but that wasn’t who stood in the door opening. Instead, it was filled out by an immensely tall man in thickly plated armour. His head clean shaven and his eyes a wintery grey amid hawkish features. Text was tattooed on the right side of his face, scripture by the look of it. Drusher realised he must be looking at an Astartes. He fancied that, in passing, he possessed a similarity to Eisenhorn. It was ridiculous, of course, but he could see it if he squinted just so.

The Astartes beheld Drusher for a moment, pursed his lips and ignored him, turning to Allenbrisk. “Inquisitor.”

“Adeodatus, I apologise, I’ve not been mindful of the time,” Allenbrisk said as she rose. “Allow me to briefly introduce you.”

Both Astartes and Inquisitor turned their attention on Drusher and he wanted to sink into the floorboards, the urge to flee visceral and real.

“Magos Drusher, this is Chaplain Adeodatus of the Angels Palatine”.

The Astartes didn’t deign to respond and instead levelled a gaze on Drusher that felt like an attempt to skewer his soul.

“Its an honour,” Drusher said with a quick bow. Was that what you said when meeting one of the Legionnes Astartes? He hoped that’s what you said.

The Chaplain’s gaze didn’t waver. In fact, Drusher didn’t think he’d blinked since looking at him. Creepy.

“I must leave you, Magos,” Allenbrisk excused herself. “It’s time for midday observances.” She smiled then. “Past time, even.”

Drusher nodded. He hadn’t a clue what to say in parting. The Chaplain was already out the door. Allenbrisk moved to follow. “Why did you remarry?” he blurted.

She halted, pausing on the threshold. “I care about him, Magos,” she said as she glanced back at him across her shoulder. “Is that so hard to imagine?”

Drusher was silent for a moment. “Yes, actually.”

[twitchesandstitches]

The Ringers - Secret Society of War

“Life is endless struggle and war is the foundation of life itself. From the tiniest micro-organisms to the flow of the great beasts of an ecosystem, the story of life is one of endless struggle. The losers perish, those who adapt and grow mighty survive. This is the Cosmic Imperative: the strong will flourish and dominate those who will not. And I have seen what will come if they do not. The multiverse must be brought into order, or nothing will survive. I have foreseen it, and I will not let another disaster end all we have built!”

These words have been attributed to Javik, founder of a shadowy militaristic group greatly at odds with the MILF Fleet and those like them, and thus did he outline the purpose of this group.

Their origins are somewhat hazy, but groups like this have been seen throughout countless ages, even before memories of the cataclysm had faded from memory. They likely predate that terrible event, but in rather altered form. They have largely appeared the same, with vastly diverse soldiers of many species loyal to individual generals who in turn supported another and followed a mighty soldier commanding the respect and will of the entire organization through charisma and a right to lead, symbolized by a massive gauntlet that channels magical energy to boost their innate powers. They are also marked by their heraldry, which is always the same: a stylized spiral, surmounted by a waterfall of blood.

War is their their purpose. Conflict is their means. And conquest, directly or indirect, is their goal. More than waterfalls of blood rain in their wake.

This particular incarnation have been dubbed the Ringers by the MILF Fleet, owing to a misunderstanding; the group initially referred to themselves as the Casus Bellum, after a human term for a reason to go to war, but emphasis was put on the ‘bellum’, as in ‘bell’. One thing lead to another, and they were called the Ringers as a result. The group has embraced it, saying that they heralds a new age that will survive whatever comes its way.

They are not dissimilar from their predecessors. Their means is always the same: war. Endless bloody war, a conflict of such savage ferocity that it will shake the stars from their positions and unmake entire universes, drag down whole sectors of the multiversal branches into recursive conflict so violent and vengeful it will make shockwaves into the planes of magic, the emotions of the dead lingering as resentful avatars of warfare, leading to yet more warfare. How they do this varies. In the past they have spread weapons of many kinds and encouraged all sides to pursue bitter rivalries (whether those weapons were biological modifications, new superpowers, destructive technologies, or powerful artifacts) and marveling at the mess. They also conquered directly, forcing the conquered to fight back and taught them the power of violence as a solution, then retreating to the shadows to watch the new warlords battle other nations in order to become secure. And sometimes they just fought at apparent random, sowing unrest and chaos wherever they traveled. The modern one (that is, the one relevant to this AU) has done all of these.

The end of all this bloodshed? It’s purpose, the reason for so much destruction?

Hard to say.

Each variation of this group had its own motivations. Some wanted to conquer. Others felt it was necessary to force others to adapt and become strong. And still others believed that endless war was an end all on its own, profiting from it or simply relishing endless bloodshed for their own perverse reasons.

Prior to the modern era, the last one ruled a society dominated by the protheans (an ancient and powerful insectoid people with powerful mental abilities), whose leaders were a part of this group as a shadow cabinet. They fell in the cataclysm and preserved their people in an enclave, though most of them were remade into monsters by a later threat. One prothean, at least, remained, the last true general of their people. This was Javik, who conquered the remnants of his people (now calling themselves Collectors) and organized them into the beginnings of an army.

For a time, he traveled the multiverse and conquered what he could, and studied what he couldn’t. He laid claim to a powerful gauntlet that was once a symbol of power among his people, which has been translated as the Doomfist by others. It is unclear what he experienced during this time, but at some point he found something that gave him a terrible vision of a grave doom that will befall the multiverse within the next thousand years or so. He will not speak of this to anyone but his closest allies, and those who know of it seem haunted, broken by the weight of this terrible omen.

Whatever it is he saw, it brought a terrible fire in him. Soon, he said, the multiverse would surely die. All creation would be snuffed out, this seeming collapse a brief reprieve before the final darkness to end all living things forever. All art and culture, all accomplishments and wisdom, simply wiped away. Like dirt from a filthy window. He vowed to do whatever it took to prevent this doom.

To this end, he has taken this legacy of warfare, noting that it always stood for evolution and growth through constant conflict. If warfare bred stronger people, he reasoned, then their course was to engage in endless warfare, forcing the multiverse to be strong and fight off the terrible threat approaching.

This is a laudable goal, but they perform horrific and terrible actions. They have conquered entire universes and annihilated all opposition without even a shred of mercy. They have slaughtered anyone standing before them. And when they choose to work in quiet, it is to sow terrible violence and discord by inciting conflict across entire branches of the multiverse tree, so that the survivors will be stronger for it… at the cost of their morality and restraint. Their work is brutal, dirty and often times vicious.

They are brutal, merciless but above all else, they are pragmatic. They believe in war, for war’s sake, but while their soldiers and sub-commanders may embrace endless bloodshed, the leaders and generals themselves can be more sensible. Pragmatism, it must be stated, dominates their every move. They do nothing without cause, though individual members can be irrational and impulsive, but as a group they can be reasoned with. It’s just that their goals and purpose is reprehensible enough that one can wonder why to even try.

This faction is intended to be a hardcore antagonistic one; most likely suitable characters to join this group are villain-types with a hint of ‘knight templar’ or zealous behavior. Conquerors, despots who demand absolute obedience for the good of all, those who want endless war for the fun of it or even a rational goal; those can fit too. Rage-filled beings out for revenge on all existence can qualify, as lower ranked officers. Principled but doing horrific things in service of their goal or grand vision. Villains who go ‘just think of the potential!’ can go here, as do ones who obsess over control and power. They are, after all, conquerors. Assume that there are two broad tiers of generals; the first are those with more lofty and high-minded goals, and a less respected one which are concerned with their own goals and lust for power. The Zealots and the Overlords, basically.

Some potential members as a baseline to work off of:

Javik, from Mass Effect. This is drawing more upon what he might have been like without a Reaper invasion to halt his people’s imperialistic ways; he is a cold and absolutely ruthless Renegade who thinks nothing of imposing his ways upon all who meet him, openly disdains those he considers primitives, and has a pretty blunt hatred of robots and thinking machine-life. However he is not nearly as terrified and broken down as he is in canon, but is much more of a visionary. He has suffered terrible visions and will do anything to prevent the future he has seen. With his philosophy of conflict/war breeding strength and taking steps to make more wars to do just that, he is also been combined with Doomfist of Overwatch, with a gauntlet to match. Akande Ogundimu himself might be one of his personal supporters, as might be Erik Killmonger of Marvel.

Javik is technically a leader of sorts; he is the champion of the movement, their inspirational guide, and one of their mightiest fighters. However he is not their only leader, and may be ‘demoted’, narratively speaking, in favor of Sexy Ladies that can fulfill his role and be more plot-appropriate. (Alternatively; just have Javik be a prothean lady here?)

The Condesce/Meenah Peixes from Homestuck. As hinted in earlier posts, Beforus was destroyed in past days and one of the survivors was the new empress by default, Meenah Peixes. As years pressed on she grew more violent and enraged at her people’s misfortune, gradually developing into the canon Condesce’s mindless rage and conquest, but here it wasn’t to satisfy her ego or serve eldritch entity’s plots, but in a desperate attempt to carve out a safe haven for her people. Ultimately this was unsuccessful, and she has since founded a massive hyper corporation. Javik found her and told her of his visions, and inspired her to save the multiverse by beating the living shit out of it, with a promise of her people being on top once their plans succeed. Her battlelust ignited, she is now one of the biggest and most important figures in the organization… literally, as she is planet-sized at full power.

The Condesce is a hyper flirtatious and gourmand who delights in devouring entire worlds and possess all the powers of all troll castes (similar to Terezi, but with far more experience with those gifts), with her chosen elite blessed with similar powers. She is a much lighter character than in canon; Doc Scratch and Lord English have nothing to do with her, if they are even around, and her motivations are much less selfish. Granted, she is still a hedonistic glutton, but she DOES have higher minded goals. She might be romancing Javik, charmed by his capacity for violence and vision for absolute survival no matter what. (WHAT WOULD THE CHILDREN LOOK LIKE?)

Starscream, former Air Commander of the Decepticon Empire, defected when it was clear that Megatron had become nothing more than a vessel for the dreaded Unicron, taking with him those Decepticons with more high-minded goals of protecting Cybertron’s legacy. Always more concerned with his own ambitions, he was nonetheless repelled by Megatron’s increasing monstrousness and became rivals with Javik. Eventually, as the two of them carved out empires right next to one another (Starscream and Javik’s mutual disdain for organic and mechanical life, respectively, making for poor neighbors), they earned mutual respect for the other’s skill and Javik worked his way past his dislike and asked Starscream to join them. Starscream, eager to advance himself once more, agreed and is one of the most powerful figures of the organization. With him are a vast number of Decepticons (mostly jetformers and other aeriel combatants), many of them combiners.

Starscream is infamous for two things: treachery and incompetence. Neither apply here. He has no reason to overthrow either Javik, the Condesce, or anyone in a similar position because he technically already has the power he craves and the respect and admiration he believes he deserves. He will not betray them unless given a strong reason to. And while Starscream is a terrible judge of character, he is an excellent strategist on the ground and a terrifying combatant.

The first of them are technically a group: the Combaticons (all fembots, in this continuity), led by the armored guns-on-wheels monstrosity Onslaught, and her polyamorous band, who comprise this team. Vortex the helicopter (noted interrogator and smart aleck), Blast Off (rocket/jet analogue, super reckless and a sincere believer in Friendship), Swindle (con artist, schemer and war profiteer) and Brawl (tank, total brute and good-natured scraphead, which is like a meathead but with robots). Together they can fuse into the incredibly massive and powerful Bruticus Maximus, an absurdly stacked and powerful combination of their relationship; playful love with each other, death to anything else within range.

They are very much like an inversion of the Dinobots; they are all military-grade functions who were content with their lot in life, and signed up with Megatron before their people’s civil war in hopes of finding a more secure life for themselves, and like the Dinobots, their boisterous and cheery demeanor masks the finest strategic minds of the Decepticon Empire, a disguise that suits them fine. Unlike the Dinobots, they outright consider organic life as unworthy animals that don’t deserve to live, though sufficiently spirited organics can be considered ‘honorary robots’. They signed up with the Ringers after losing faith in Megatron’s long-term prospects, and hope to secure a future for robotic life such as themselves. They’re slowly learning to at least respect organics in general. The Dinobots and them have a fanatical hatred for one another; Volcanicus and Bruticus will invariably charge straight at one another whenever an opportunity presents itself, intent on ripping out the other’s sparks.

Other Decepticons to come along with the Combaticons include Strika (an infamously gorgeous and amazonian juggernaut) and Obsidian. At one point they brought Lugnut, a bomber plane desperately seeking someone to follow after the loss of Megatron, but he has since defected to the Cobalts and fanatically reveres Vriska.

The other Decepticon leader is a controversial figure: Airachnid. Technically a helicopter fembot, she is a rare subset of Transformers who can partially shift her robot mode into a spider-like shape, and is considered an Insecticon, which are a eusocial sub-type of Transformers that transform into insectoid beast modes. Whether through biological status as a hive queen or modifications to herself, she can command other Insecticons that are in her ‘hive’, and has since expanded this power to dominion over insectoid beings in general. She commands a massive army of enormous Insecticons (many of them combiners), xenomorphs (of the Alien series), bug-type Pokemon of all kinds, the flying variety of the svartalfar (God of War series), and more; if it has a bug-like theme or appearance, some of them have been chained to her will. At one point she did have Homestuck trolls in her ranks, but was convinced to hand them off to the Condesce in exchange for other favors.

And like Airachnid herself, each and every one of them is a vampire. Long since drained dry to feed her insatiable appetite, they in turn have become horrific monsters lusting for the lives of all around them, held back only by her will… though it seems that they are slowly regaining their sense of self and control, following gruesome experiments she has performed on them.

Technically she is a Terrorcon, an Transformer that feeds upon the lifeblood of their people, much like what the Decepticons still loyal to Megatron have degenerated into. Unlike them, she is rational (if horrifically callous) and aware of things. It’s unclear what she is, and she is deeply intrigued in this mystery herself. Also unlike them, she can feed on any being, so long as they have some kind of fuel or blood to feast upon, and she fancies herself a gourmand.

This version of Airachnid (who is a hyper hourglass, in terms of body shape, and is probably at least a hundred feet tall after feeding so voraciously) is a mix of the sexual sadist and serial killer from Transformers Prime, but is more akin to the IDW version. She was original a social psychologist and pioneer in the field of shadowplay, or surgical alterations to the brain to influence personality or the ability to only think certain thoughts. Never aligned to Decepticon or Autobot interests, she still sided with the ‘Cons as they gave her the freedom to perform gruesome experiments to test her theories on just what you could do to the processor and push its capacity to take abuse.

Even now she is fascinated by the mind and performs terrible experiments to examine her theories, under her auspices entire planets are used as control groups for social experiments, and she is in charge of developing potential models for the future societies the Ringers may one day instate.

She and Grimlock have an unspecified history, tied to extremely gruesome bite marks around her neck and horrific lobotomy incisions on his head; she is fascinated by him and wishes to study the mentality of a self-proclaimed monster that protects the weak. For his part, he really, really just wants her dead, and possibly to tear her head off and wear her exoskeleton as a cape. (That is, he wants to flay her and wear it like an accessory.)

A possible candidate for inclusion is Yellow Diamond; after the fall of Homeworld, she and her fellow Diamonds, Blue and White, were worn as jewelry upon the claws of Megatron, until a daring battle on their behalf from Mega Pink Diamond (the fusion of Rose Quartz and her son Steven) freed them. If she does wind up in these ranks, assume that Yellow has become almost corrupted from the proximity of spending so much time near Megatron, the voice of Unicron constantly pressing in on her mind and carving her sanity into horribly fractured chunks. She has received horrific visions very similar to Javik’s, and the nature of them strongly implies that Unicron may have something to do with the cataclysm Javik has foretold, but nothing is certain of yet.

Certainly she has been so badly affected she has been partially corrupted; her form is mainly in flux, held in check only by her iron self control, and when stressed she begins to degenerate into a horrific dragon-like thing without form or shape, only absolute fear and the all-consuming violence of that fear.

Nonetheless, she is extraordinarily powerful; even weakened, she is larger than an entire planet and her physical might alone eclipses anyone else in the entire organization save the Condesce, in certain respects. With magical infusions, she can be even larger than a gas giant, dismissively wiping out star fleets with a flick of her interstellar finger, and she can annihilate magical constructs and shaped fields with her dominion over magic, rendering her a walking anti-magic weapon of mass destruction when she chooses. In conjunction with the massive army she has of loyal Gems that still serve her, and bear in mind that even regular Gems are some of the largest and most powerful beings in the known multiverse, she has an enormous amount of power.

She’s learned much from eons of torment and humiliation, and she seeks to build a new world of absolute safety for all beings. She’s not quite as dismissive of organic life as she once was, but considers them amusing pets until they prove themselves to be nearly on level with mineral beings and magical entities. She hates Decepticons in general, but has struck up a very odd friendship with Starscream, on the basis of them both hating Megatron’s internals and suffering from his actions, in different ways. Theories suggest they have even fused on at least one occasion into a massive magical mecha called Silicate Energon.

(With all this in mind, and her status as a hyper curvy giantess, she might be slated to share co-’real leader’ status with the Condesce, with Javik narratively demoted to a prophet. Sort of like an anti-Optimus Prime.)

And of course, like many of the other factions involved here, there are various higher forces associated with them. Most of these are not gods… at all, save from a very specialized point of view. Many of them are demons; not cute monster girls but genuine actual demons, heartless embodiments of pure evil dedicated to the enslavement of the multiverse, and the Ringers have mostly entrapped them into servitude as a consequence of deals made with their various lords and masters (so any demonic character that could be a Thicc Demon could qualify here). One of these is Mephista, negotiating on behalf of her father Mephisto (or possibly IS Mephisto in a feminine identity), and she has given them access to summon many mighty demonic monsters and monster women in exchange for unspecified tasks that may prove to be good plot hooks.

Hela, of Marvel but with more attributes of her mythological source, is also assisting them, but her purpose is unclear. Various elementals of cold and monsters acting on her behalf are aiding them, and it is believed that she wants more war, and sees them as a useful means in that regard. Notably Hela contacted them through mortal avatars, which has the Ringers highly suspicious: what is her purpose and why does she care?

As for character suggestions, as stated before, any war-like characters can be suitable, if their moral outlook doesn’t lend them more towards the heroism of the MILF Fleet or the fun-loving glory of the Cobalts. Those who believe in things like ‘strength is the only thing that matters’, ‘the weak deserve to be dominated’, or otherwise have strong social darwinist outlooks are extremely ideal for this group!

Possible groups working with them/for them are the most pragmatic aspects of the Imperium of Man from Warhammer 40k (such as the Dark Angels and Imperial Guard), and the most savage ones (like the World Eaters). Orks following the 40k mentality, led by Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, are also perfect in a ‘do what the big bosses say’, as would Tolkien orcs. (In fact, any orc that is basically kind of a jerk fits.) The True Horde/Iron Horde of Warcraft would be positively ideal, with many goblins, blood elves and others rounding out the ranks. A MILF-tier Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender (with her size proportionate to her firebending prowess, possibly with some dragon monster girl traits) would also be a contender.

INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER FACTIONS

Naturally the MILF Fleet is at odds with them on an ideological level: the MILFs believe in evolution in a similar way that the Ringers believe in conflict breeding development, but they couldn’t be more different. The MILFs endorse gentle change, the development of transformative technologies, and understanding that flesh does not equal you. They are transhumanist paragons who want everyone to be happy and safe, and for love between all sapient beings. The Ringers are explicitly trying to conquer everything and institute their own absolute rule to prevent a nebulous threat. They do not like each other. At all. They might work together… but only rarely, and otherwise try to avoid one another. The Ringers are more likely to approach them, in order to get ahold of their mods or powers as part of their own plans, but more often than not it is full on war between the two factions.

Rumor has it that Sierra in particular has a deep resentment of Javik, due to their completely opposite temperaments: Javik is a biochauvanist, Sierra loves robots (sometimes in a VERY physical way). Javik believes conflict breeds character, Sierra thinks war is just pointless suffering. Javik dislikes cybernetics and excessive augmentation, and Sierra was already plugging in a new computer into her head before he could finish saying so. They are constantly fighting, and Javik is determined to be the one to beat her once and for all. Sierra just wishes he’d go away and stop being mean already.

The Cobalts are hired by them as mercenaries, but don’t care for them much. They’re just so… serious and not fun. The two don’t often come to blows as an ideological matter, but can compete over treasure scores, good loot, or competing over territory. The sheer power of the Ringer makes them both imposing threats, and an irresistible target to Vriska; she keeps seeing ‘SUCK ME DRY RIGHT NOW’ signs on them and she drools at the thought of having their powers and relics, all for her.

As for other factions, the Ringers are not a widely known group. They do not act publically, but through proxies, pawns and so on. When they do act directly, they do not give any sign they’re part of a larger group but individuals carving out their own empires. Consequently they might have allies and enemies among the many factions of the multiverse, but it is not widely known that they are one massive and very dangerous visionary organization.

[tonyredgrave]

Hey, Isaac! Badnewshq is a brand new semi appless supernatural town rp! We were wondering if we could please get your opinion. Thank you so much in advance!

Been a while since I did one of these so if this is a little rusty, my apologies. You can find it under the cut.

So the most of things here are great! Your theme is fine – not my personal aesthetic but I get how it goes along with the plot and I love your icon. If I had any recommendation here it would be to increase the font size and/or darken it. I can read it okay but I can easily see how someone with worse eye sight couldn’t. Your plot sounds very interesting and unique for a supernatural rp. You have a diverse amount of species which is always cool, especially when they’re not TVD based. Your banned list is fine though I’d maybe reorganize it a little – separate the groups like ‘no minors’ and ‘no dead people’ from the specific people. I’d also add either ‘anyone accused of rape or abuse’ just because charges from those crimes can be rare. 

I do want to specifically talk about your rules though. In general, I think they could use a read through. For the most part they’re good and they make sense but there are multiple typos, some confusing wording, and a few things that I would personally clarify or reconsider because they don’t make sense to me. I think this might partly be due to the length. (And yes, some of this will sound pedantic. Rules have become the thing that matter most to me when it comes to whether I join an rp that interests me or not so I examine them closest.)

IC & OOC AGE: my one thing here is why are 19 year old characters allowed if you prefer them to be at least 20? I personally don’t play characters that young but, if I did, I’d feel a little weird about bringing in a character a year younger than what you want, like maybe I’d be judged. And it is just a year so I don’t see why the rule can’t be that all characters should be 20 or older. Also a little typo here, italics for emphasis: “We recommend that be at least twenty years old.” 

FACECLAIMS: “It also includes those that have resources from their younger years and will not be allowed.” I think I know what you mean here – that faceclaims who only have resources from when they were under 18 aren’t allowed but the wording here could easily mean any faceclaim who has resources from under 18 even if they now have plenty from over 18. Unless I’m mistaken.

FACECLAIMS part 2: the second bullet point here, you recommend people check both the current age and age of resources of the faceclaims they’re choosing. Why? Is there a 5+/- rule? It seems like a half-finished thought.

FACECLAIMS part 3: Jesus I’m being nitpicky here but, personally, I wouldn’t say the banned list is ‘forever changing.’ It just seems weird to me. Maybe ‘the banned list is subject to change as new information comes to light so please double check before applying.’

BLOGS / SIDEBLOGS: this one is one of the weirdest rules to me personally. No re-purposing old blogs? I kind of understand the idea behind it but I think a better way would be ‘please make sure your blog is clear of old posts unrelated to this rp’ and then asking anyone who tries to submit one that hasn’t to change or make a new one. Because, at least personally, I have a lot of old, unused rp blogs and I’d rather repurpose one of those then have to make yet another one. Also, whether new or not, most people will reblog some musings before you open to make sure their blog shows in the tags so this won’t help with the ‘who’s posted in 48 hours’ thing unless you ban that as well. I’d also just add a ‘no mumu blogs’ because the current wording is kind of confusing.

PICTURE / GIF SIZE: this one also threw me off because basically you’re saying this group has to be gif icons / static icons. Small gifs are usually either 245x138px or 268x150px. They don’t work with your 200x200px max rule. Which is kind of a shame because a lot of underused faceclaims only have gif packs and a lot of gif pack makers have rules that disallow people turning their gifs into icons. This limits a lot of perfectly usable though underused faceclaims to people who can’t make their own gifs and can’t find screencaps to turn into static icons. Also, small gifs vs icons can be an accessibility issue. I’ve met people in the rpc that don’t use icons because even the 100x100px ones are inaccessible to them. They don’t use the big, 500px gifs but they do use small ones that just aren’t icons.

MEMES: I’d honestly clarify this rule. What is considered spamming? How many per day, per week? And what memes are considered relevant to the rp? TBH, I’d recommend having a set day for memes and only allowing people to send memes that you’ve picked beforehand. Basically, monday is meme day and the gossip blog reblogs 1-3 memes that people can send to each other – something like that.

TRIGGERING CONTENT: “We here at badnewshq do not condone anything that takes place.” I just want to point out the wording on this one because lol. I get the meaning of this rule though and I think it’s a good one that other groups could stand to adopt. I’d maybe add racism, homophobia, and transphobia to list of things disallowed.

PLOT: major plot rules make sense but I’m a little confused about one of the things you listed – break ups. Do people have to let you know first if their characters are getting together? If not, why do they have to tell you if they break up? And if two players no longer feel chem for their ship and thus want to break them up, can they be denied because too many are happening at once? I get pregnancy, death, species change, or even just marriage (because a marriage is big but two characters don’t have to get married immediately for their ship to work) but break ups don’t fit in the category IMO. If two characters aren’t allowed to break up or their break up is delayed weeks or even months then that can suck the muse out of a player and make them drop the character all together.

INTROS: just a clarification, what happens if someone doesn’t post an intro? Are they asked to drop the character? They’re warned once and then what? A little vague, I’d clarify.

CHARACTERS: this one might bother me the most. No offence to the admins but you’re not following your own rules here and that is something I personally find hypocritical. If a mun must be actively rping in the group for 48 hours to take up a second character and two weeks to take up a third then why do the admins have 2 and 3 respectively? I mean, this is a YMMV thing, and it’s not like a random sometimes-RPH is going to change your mind, but it’s something that personally bothers me.

None of the above is a 100% deal-breaker but there are some things that make me a little tentative to fully rec it. I think anyone interested in a supernatural rp should check you out though to see if this is the group for them. And I wish the both of you the best of luck.

[fantroll-purgatory]

Lycosa Robess - College Student Communist

@chaoticevilfantrolls

I’ve been considering making her a purpleblood, rather than a tealblood. I’d love some ideas for tying that into her re-design, if possible!

Reading her profile, I’m definitely interested in making her a purpleblood. So I’ll absolutely address that as we continue! I think linking her back to teal a little bit may be reasonable, though, given the setting.

Planet: Alternia, AU where she plays SBURB and as well as the age of being shipped of planet is 10 sweeps. Also, caste traits can be mixed up thanks to linked traits and genetic weirdness (like with Vapula).

Name:Lycosa Robess - Lycosa: From Lycosa tarantula, the animal originally known as the common tarantula. Ties into her lusus, horns, and just about everything else relating to bugs in her theme. 

- Robess: From Maximilien Robespierre, one of the most prominent figures of the French Revolution. Connects to her ‘revolution for the sake of it’ ideology, as well as her typing quirk (As the two numbers she replaces are also part of the year of the beginning of the French Revolution).

Oh man… I used to be a bit of a French Revolution nerd. I adore this connection to her revolution for the sake of it ideology. Robespierre was a really chaotic man who was willing to go to some incredible extremes. Nice link!

Age:Typically between 8-10.

Strife Specibus:chainKind. Her iconic weapon is a Kusarigama with a hammer on one end and a sickle on the other. 

I See Your Joke And I Love It. 

Fetch Modus: Hive Modus. All items are stored within a hexagonal grid, forming rings around a core item. Only items on the current outermost row can be accessed, and each row needs to be completed before items can be added to the next layer. She picked up this modus when she was still really in her bugs phase, which she kind of regrets now that she’s going for a cool hip college communist aesthetic.

Just inconvenient enough to be fun. I also like that even though it harkens back to her old bug interest, it’s also a modus based around the structure of a communal species, making it still count for a reasonable communism reference.

Blood color: Currently Teal, though I’m thinking about making her a purpleblood (maybe a defector from the cult? Especially because her rebellious nature is taken to an idealistic extreme- she doesn’t have a moral end goal, she just wants things to change.)

I do think that a purpleblood defector is a great thing to do. It ties into her theme of a desire for change and development to have her rebel against a structure like that. And even if we change her, we can still link her back to this tealblood root a little bit. See, a desire to change Can be her moral center. Her view of right and wrong can be ‘anything goes as long as it is in the name of change.’ She can have a judicial nucleus built around the conception that change is the ultimate right. 

Symbol and meaning: It kinda looks like a bug? I don’t necessarily want to go with an extended zodiac sign, because her symbol is technically from the same family as Vapula’s. Maybe a small adjustment to match the teal sign language would be good, if not changing the symbol to something else entirely (if she ends up as a purpleblood).

Oh yeah, I’ll definitely give her a custom sign. It fits teal sign language well enough that I might leave it mostly untouched even when I change her to a purple.

Trolltag: malcontentMarionette  - Malcontent: Someone who is displeased with their current situation

- Marionette: I feel this would tie in well to making her a purpleblood? She ends up as a sort of puppet, controlled by the violetblood in her session and becoming the leader of his consort army. Additionally, a marionette would tie into the inherent circus theme of most purplebloods, and her status as a mind player (controlling choices in some form).

Oooh I love this… It expresses her original feeling of being malcontented with the state of things and feeling like a puppet of her institution while also acting as foreshadowing for her story… And if she’s a purple, it Does indicate the general clown theme as Well as the chucklevoodoos. And if we do make her a time player (I’m on the fence there… Maybe. Mayhaps), it’s a good reference to that too.

Quirk: Actually has two different quirks, although they’re not used simultaneously.

Originally, she typed in all caps, replacing b with 8 and t with 7, representing insect eyes and mandibles. She would use horizontal emoticons with two sets of eyes (oOwOo) to represent a jumping spider’s face. She also wouldn’t use much ending punctuation, instead sticking to commas to denote pacing.

“MM: 7HE QUICK 8ROWN FOX JUMPED OVER 7HE LAZY DOG oOwOo”

As time goes on, her quirk becomes much more ‘refined’, cut back to proper syntax and grammar, with a distinct lack of emoticons. She maintains the symbol replacements out of some deep, in-borne spite, but that’s about all.

“MM: 7he quick 8rown fox jumped over 7he lazy dog.”

I like it a lot!

Special Abilities:Nothing in particular as a tealblood. As a purpleblood I’ve considered giving her chucklevoodoos that incite feelings of outrage, overconfidence, and anger, which can cause riots and rebellion. Additionally, being able to manifest insects (ala Gamzee creating Lil’ Cal, on a much lower level).

That’d be pretty neat, because chucklevoodoos are said to be a way for purples to keep the lowbloods in check/keep them in line. Her abilities having the direct opposite impact could be good… Maybe her abilities naturally started as an ability that influenced individuals to cause infighting, inducing rage against companions and manifesting visions of insects to get people to swat at each other and exacerbate fights? But she’s been actively teaching herself to move away from that ability because she does not want to be a tool of the system or a tool of control. Of course she could then try to utilize it as a power for unifying feelings of anger and giving it motivational direction. 

Lusus: A jumping spider the size of a kitten at most. A sweet, gentle lusus whom Lycosa most definitely doted on when she was younger. Her lusus will knit you sweaters out of web silk. 

Oh I love… If we make her a purple, we could just shift that to a sea spider probably. The silk’s still fine. Make some fishing nets out of that silk, little cute spider.

Personality: Lycosa, as a person, is fundamentally unhappy and ill-at-ease, banking on rebellion and change for the hell of it to fill some sort of thing that she can’t seem to place. She doesn’t care about the morality of the change she’s advocating for, as long as it happens, and as long as it soothes whatever emotional turmoil that is bubbling inside of her. 

She tends to let herself get swept away on flights of emotional fancy, elaborate stories of ‘what if’ that eventually become ‘it will’. Her belief that she can find all of the answers to her disillusionment in the form of others, or in the form of external relationships is one of those things. She ends up clinging far too much to a fellow player in her session, who uses her fancy to manipulate her into becoming his second-in-command, and an essential puppet under his control. 

She also tends to hold back any signs of her old interests, and any traits she has that others might not like. When the violetblood in her session expresses distaste in her interest in insects, she drops any signs of interest besides the most minimal, retaining only her quirk in some subconscious spite, justifying the lack of change as simply matching his.

A big part of her story line is learning to cope with her general malcontent with life in a way that doesn’t involve deep-throating molotovs for revolution, or clinging to the first person who offers her some sense of stability no matter how much they’re using her for their own gain. 

The relationship clinging is another of those little teal traits that I really like shining through in her. Picking someone that is bad for her and committing too powerfully to him… With the added purpleblooded fun of the dedication. 

I definitely love her. I love her a lot. She’s a very detailed and thorough character with a lot of story growth potential. She has a wonderful character arc here… And she has so many aspects that she’s throwing around that you can develop her in a million directions… 

Interests: Lycosa’s interests are few and rather simple, often shoved to the side in favor of mimicking whatever interests her current lover or friend happens to possess. 

She spent most of her youth obsessed with bugs, from their physiology to their behavior. She knows how to manage just about any insect, from wasps to butterflies to mosquitos, and she has a deep fondness in her heart for arachnids as well. She can draw detailed drawings of them from memory (which ends up becoming relevant at a point in her quest), 

Lycosa also has a deep and involved interest in illegal histories and recovering the names of banished and excised revolutionaries, recovering propaganda, symbols, and techniques they used to further their causes. Not out of any legitimate desire to bring those ideals to fruition, but because they’re a personal aesthetic and something to devote herself to. 

Lycosa has a secondary interest in improvised weaponry and field first aid, which she learned as part of her research into revolutionary tactics. 

God these are good interests… You’re great at picking a theme and sticking to it STRONGLY. Just to tie into that last bit, you should include interest in guerrilla warfare tactics, laying traps, Disarming traps… Just a little additional information that she could brag about having for theoretical revolutionary purposes.

Title: Her session already has a Void, Doom, Life, and Light player, so unfortunately those are off the table. I’ve been leaning towards Rogue or Thief of Mind or Heart, though. 

Rogue of Mind might work for her over-abundance of options, which she has difficulty coping with. Thief of Heart would better show how she takes parts of herself from others, mirroring them more than showing much of herself in a relationship.

Okay… I’m definitely struggling to make a decision here. Right now I’m between Mind, Heart, Rage, and TIME. 

Rogue of Mind works for sure. She needs to learn redistribute and allocate all of those choices, needs to learn to balance them out and move them around. To find the right decision among all the crap. And also to take back her own mind, her own free will, her own actions. She’d be able to redistribute logical thought and action. Her inverse is Knight of Heart, which would mean she could actively utilize the strength of her personal will, her emotions… 

If she were a heart player, I’d argue she’s a Page of Heart. She’s someone who has a weak identity. She cares so much about her aesthetic and what others think of her and moving herself to their whim instead of being capable of defining her own identity and having her own self confidence. This would leave her in a really malleable and endangered position. She would have to break out of this mold and reach her potential and figure out her identity and confidence in order to start utilizing her power, her soul, to its full capacity. With the inverse Thief of Mind, she’d also be able to steal back the right to action for herself, steal the options and activities while utilizing the strength of her will… 

Rage references strongly her malcontent and her firm desire for a little chaos, a little mess, a lack of care for whether something is right or wrong and just a strict need for MOVEMENT. If I were to recommend this I’d probably say Prince of Rage? Someone who is actively destroyed by all this pessimism and this need for everything to be torn down, but who is then able to learn to use this to destroy the systems around her… 

And time of course discusses her struggle, her want for social development. But it would also challenge her to engage in active struggle instead of passively accepting things as they come and taking a backseat goal. It would make her need to find a goal to focus on and strive towards it instead of vaguely aesthetically aligning herself with real struggles. I’d probably recommend Page of Time here for the reasons I detailed in the heart segment… 

God but it’s really hard to pick. She has so many possible routes… I think I’d personally recommend Page of Heart, but it’s really up to you to decide.

Land: Land of Streetlights and Discord

I almost joked about changing it to Land of Lit Streets and Discord so the acronym would be LOLSAD. But that feels a little rude. I might actually recommend something that implies control/a search of identity more? Maybe Land of Streetlights and Nevron. Nevron is the greek word for string and harkens back to the word for puppet, nevróspastos. It literally means “muscle” as well as sinew/tendon/string, which is a nice reference to the heart if you go with the heart title.

Dream Planet: Derse

Very suiting, especially considering her tendency to hide her interests because of what others think.

Now design fun!:

Hair: Because I moved her to a purple I decided to make her hair a little bit wackier. Not too much, but just a couple more flips and bits. 

Horns: I gave her some longer horns. I didn’t really see a reason for her to have two sets since she doesn’t have much link back to goldbloods? So I created a sprite with just one set and a sprite with two sets for your selection convenience. 

Glasses: I just edited them a bit darker because they looked awkward at that middling shade. 

Eyes: I changed them to purple, obviously. On the right side I also gave her a little facepaint? I knew she’s defected from the cult but it still does at some rebellious visual interest. And it hints casually back to her old insect interest. I additionally added some bags under her eyes because she is exhausted. 

Shirt: I changed her jacket to a lighter shade to provide contrast because of some of my other changes. I also lightened her outline on her shirt. 

Symbol: I decided to mostly keep it the same. I deleted like a single pixel between the two connecting lines to make a set of four open arc. It matches the teal sign language more than the purple, but I think it’s still at least tangentially similar enough to purple visually to be acceptable. 

Pants: I know that fashion is considered an object of consumerism and a lot of communist rhetoric frowns upon it, so I kept the rest of her outfit really simple. But I wanted to use some level of patterns on her clothes, since she’s a purple. So I used the Iconic Communist Yellow Star.

Shoes: Just edited to purple and given some laces.

I love her! Thanks for sharing.

-CD

[screamingintp]

more about my mc

this is a mess, please don’t read it unless you’re interested in what i come up with when i’m sleep deprived and creating my first rp character

https://character-resource.deviantart.com/art/Big-Ass-Character-Sheet-Updating-167182524 but i cut out a buncha shit

welcome to hell(or the place in which I can’t capitalize for shit and curse too much and am vague but that’s honestly my personality in general)

Full Name: Mark Knox

Meaning: Mark, derived from Martkos(Roman), related to the war god, Mars. Knox, derived from cnoc(Scottish), meaning hillock.

Origin: made it up on the spot because planning is for cowards

Signature: illegible letters - MKX

Gender: male

Orientation: pan(i wrote pam and don’t regret it)-aro

Blood: three-quarters pure, half blood father

Birthday: 6-6

Deathday: (May not have one yet)(oh gee, did you not expect me to have a day of death?)(well, i don’t)

Astrological Sign: Gemini(fun fact: Draco’s the only Gemini on the wiki)(why is this relevant)(astrology is weird as all hell)

____

Immediate Family: Jacob Knox(brother)

Distant Family: Shay Knox(mother), Clark Knox(father)

Parenting: non-existent

Upbringing(morals and ideals): considering he was raised by a person only a few years older than him, during the period of Voldemort’s rule, he is less screwed up than he could’ve been. However, he still possesses a rather vague and undefined sense of right and wrong - using his logic to bypass any sort of regrets if it blocks him from his goal

Infancy: (dropped at birth is an option and i’m living for it)

Childhood: that one kid who lit ants on fire and was ‘rebellious’ (you know that post about america being the asshole kid with neglectful parents? That’s the one)

Adolescence: canon

Adulthood: never. He hasn’t even gotten taller

____

Species: hooman

Preferred Hand: ambidextrous(he keeps injuring his hands)

Facial Type: like a face, why is this - oval, i guess

Eye Color: dark brown

Hair Color (Self Explanatory)(it isn’t when his hair is grey/silver/white)(the kid probably bleached his already pale hair)(he probably likes the smell of bleach)

Hairstyle: fringe-up

Complexion: blushes easily, relatively smooth unless you look at the cuts and bruises and scars on his arms, back and legs

Body Type: ectomorph

Build: skinny arms and legs, he isn’t the most physically fit and regularly damages his body due to his complete lack of care for his own safety

Height: 65 in

Weight: 120 lb

Shoe Size: (Shoe size doesn’t matter)(goddamnit i forgot this was an innuendo)(keep it pg, please)

Birthmarks/scars: no birthmarks, and has tons of ugly marks all over him, none of them particularly remarkable

Distinguishing Features: the contrast between his eye color and hair color - but other than the hair, he doesn’t have a memorable face

_____

Health: as healthy as a wizard without impulse control and emotional support could be

Energy: swings from highs and lows without any pattern

Memory: remembers the small stuff, the negative parts - forgets about major ideas or lessons

Senses: heavily relies on eyes, can’t taste for shit

Allergies: (Self Explanatory. May be optional.)(i mean, i would put animals, but we have transfiguration)

Medication: needs some, doesn’t take any

Phobias(irrational fears):

Symmetrophobia(fear of symmetry, an unnatural-looking but normal occurrence, which isn’t debilitating, but causes him stress and uneasiness)

Siderophobia(fear of the stars, the idea that there’s so much out there that he doesn’t know of is pretty awful and, again, while it isn’t going to freeze him up, it will cause him to become upset)

Addictions: none yet

Mental Disorders: undiagnosed

______

Style: couldn’t care less about appearance  - he wears the school robes most of the time

Mode of Dress: doesn’t have a particular taste, as long as it’s passable, it’s fine - tends to wear a size or two larger

Grooming: somewhere in between messy and neat

Posture: he displays an air of aloofness and confidence - almost condescending in stance

Gait: quickly and efficiently - it’s brisk at his slowest

Coordination: not physically fit at all, he’s too reckless for that - exercises to the point of exhaustion without realizing that it’s detrimental to do so and has limbs flying all over the place

Habits and Mannerisms: taps his foot or fingers when excited, nervous, or anything that deviates from his usual ‘cool’ facade

Scent: earth, smoke, and grass - faint but noticeable

______

Mood: ‘calm’ - probably plotting though

Attitude: he’s charismatic and charming until you dig deeper

Stability: hA

Expressiveness: can act like he’s wearing his heart on his sleeve but can never fully give his true thoughts

When Happy: smirks - invades personal space and slows down

When Depressed: smiles - talks louder and speaks faster

When Angry: (trolls online is an option and if that isn’t Mark, i don’t know what is) smirks - wide eyes and tense hands

______

Friends: Rubeus Hagrid - but not really

Enemies: Rita Skeeter - but not really

Bosses: Filius Flitwick - but not really

Followers: not even himself

Heroes: Filius Flitwick - “short people are closer to hell and he’s gonna whoop my ass if I do anything stupid”

Rivals: Ismelda - “for most edgy teen”

Relates to: Dumbledore - impersonal but seemingly close, full of contradictions and ulterior motives

Pets/Familiars: does his jar of bug bodies count?

______

Wardrobe: mostly consisting of Hogwarts robes, formal robes, and the identical grey-blue sweater and jeans

Equipment: carries a wand and a pencil(but not paper, because he has problems)

Accessories: a single dangling silver piercing on his right ear(family tradition)

Trinkets: carries hair ties on his wrist all the time(why? He doesn’t even know)

Funds: his family is relatively well off, being a respected branch of purebloods

Home: almost like his personality, warm and nice on the outside, cozy on the inside, but dead silent and empty when no one looks - not large but not small either, seeming normal by all accounts if you don’t look into any of the rooms(jacob’s windows are taped shut and Mark broke through the locked door that connected their bedrooms)

Neighborhood: the woods

Transportation: running because stamina apparently is infinite in this world

Collections: bug bodies, herbs, and lighters

Prized Possession: his wand, after seeing Jacob’s broken one

_____

Lovers: yeet

Marital Status: yeet

____

Experience: works in the three broomsticks in his off time to get experience and money, nothing serious

Organizations/Affiliations: changeable, he doesn’t plant many roots or make any long-term promises

______

Education: i mean, Hogwarts. But is it even ‘education’?

School: (What was their school like?) bitch this is Hogwarts

Social Stereotype: “least favorite cursed student”

Intelligence: mostly interpersonal, linguistic and logical

Extracurricular Activities: would do theater if given the chance

_____

Morals: don’t exist - but he honestly has a problem with reasoning his way into committing seriously wrong deeds

Crime Record: hasn’t been caught yet ;)

Motivation: adrenaline, change - nothing truly meaningful or satisfying

Priorities: knowledge, humans, self

Philosophy: gen z nihilism

Etiquette: usually practices ‘correct’ etiquette - does not give a fuck if his behaviour offends someone though

Influences: everything and anything he finds intriguing

Traditions: tries to run away from them, always moving and staying ahead of the past

______

Career: spell-inventor or wand-maker/seller

Desires: uncertain

Accomplishments: undetermined

Biggest Failure: failing Jacob

Secrets: his manipulative side, his genuinely mean streak and the fact that he regrets having those traits

Regrets: a shit ton of things

Worries: Jacob, being nothing in the grand scheme of things, being a hypocrite, betrayal, a shit ton of things

Best Dream: having a greater purpose

Worst Nightmare: dying alone and being left behind as a ghost

Best Memories: finding his brother’s secret room, meeting Billingsley

Worst Memories: losing his brother, lying to his teachers, accidentally calling Chester: Jacob

_______

Hobbies/Interests: explore the wilderness, identify flora and fauna, observing other people

Skills/Talents: pyromancy, charms in general, debating, acting, singing

Likes: mint, sharpies, fire

Dislikes: himself, close-minded people, pity

Sense of Humor: sarcastic, self-deprecating, relatively dark

Pet Peeves: the guy scratching his quill the wrong way in the front row whenever they write essays

Dreams/Nightmares: doesn’t dream usually - when he does, it’s usually flashes of color and abstract black and white shapes

Quirks: can’t sit on the fucking couch correctly

Understands: how people think, the reason they fail, mistakes

Can't understand: quidditch, values, structure

Closet Hobby: burning shit(though that isn’t really a hidden thing with him)

_________

Strengths: charismatic, diplomatic, quick-witted, inwardly caring, able to understand his flaws, patient, logical, able to read other people

Flaws: lies often, manipulative, lazy, lenient, passive, harsh, inconsiderate, enjoys pushing people’s buttons, doesn’t understand people

Perception of others: beautiful, incomprehensible, vast

Instincts: wants approval(deems it irrational)

Lures: leadership roles, secrets, problems

Soft Spot: innocence but not ignorant, optimism

________

Ability: capable if he puts his mind to it - employs unpredictable and risky techniques instead of having a fear of consequences

Weaknesses: stubborn opponents - he expects change and gets caught off guard when someone seems set in their ways

Patronus: non-corporeal

Boggart: fire(irony i guess is easy to use when you don’t have anything else)

Wand: spruce, phoenix feather, 12”, springy

Amortentia: lime, smoke, sharpies

House: Ravenclaw(that post about the kid wanting to be put in Ravenclaw since ppl will trust you but got in Slytherin)

_____

Favorite Color(s): grey, blue

Favorite Animal(s): swedish short snout

Favorite Drink(s): coffee and soda(probably together because he can’t function like a normal person)

Favorite Genre: mystery or myths

Favorite Subject(s): charms(Flitwick is the man) and divination(where you can bs your way through anything)

Least Favorite Color(s): black, white

Least Favorite Animal(s): flies

Least Favorite Drink(s): does soup count? Because he does drink it in a cup

Least Favorite Genre: manuals and biographies

Least Favorite Subject(s): flying(impulsive idiot) and care of magical creatures(he’s a screw up around animals)

________

Languages: english and he taught himself some Latin

Voice: average in tone, a bit nasally, rather forgettable except for the speed

Greetings and Farewells: doesn’t

Ask your character "how are you": yes.

Character tries to compliment: you have eyes, your name is ___

Tries to insult: passive-aggressively drags a person

Expletive: damn(dam)(loopholes, my friends)

Laughter: snorting, definitely not normal

Tagline: ___, yeah?

________

Reputation: other than the whole ‘brother’ problem, is relatively well-liked

First Impressions: charming, confident guy

Stranger Impressions: a bit loud but not strange

Friendly Impressions: goddamnit Mark, shut up

Enemy Impressions: please keep talking so we’re allowed to punch you in the face

Familiar Impressions: ah yes, the hair pops up from time to time

Compliments from others: bright, energetic, optimistic, honest

Insults: dangerous, unstable, chaotic

Self-Impression: am shit

_________

Compare to: forest fire(destructive and necessary for change)

Symbols: flames, ashes, duality

[consummate-deviant]

The Character of Android 17

What’s up, friendos? So, Android 17 has been the toast of the town in Dragon Ball circles lately.  Don’t get me wrong, that’s awesome and definitely deserved: the dude is unquestionably the MVP of the tournament of power, and if you try to say otherwise, I’ll… shrug and carry on with my day, I guess.  You do you, I ain’t your dad.

No, but seriously, go to any discussion forum or comment section these days, and you’ll see plenty of people talking about how great and cool 17 was, and how he’s definitely shone more than any other during the current arc.  I agree with the sentiment whole-heartedly, so we’re not here to discuss that, rather, I want to bring up some of the negativity that has come along with this newfound bump in fan appreciation.

See, where there’s hype, there must be backlash, and 17 has been subjected to plenty of that.  With every more popular member of team universe 7 to be eliminated before him, the number of people bitter at his continued presence grew.  This is fine, in and of itself, for the ‘not your dad’ reason I listed above, but there are two specific complaints I occasionally hear about 17 that I just can’t co-sign for you, and I decided to write this up to address them.  

The first is: “He’s not even the same character he was!  This guy doesn’t act anything like 17/has nothing in common with his DBZ incarnation”

the second is: “He’s boring/blank/bland!  He has no personality.”

Since I’m one of the five people worldwide who listed Android 17 as his favorite character ever since the good ole days of Z, I figure the least I can do is roll up my sleeves and share some of the reasons I disagree with the above, as well as express how I see his actions and arc.  We’ll go through the timeline of events he participated in, and see if we can’t parse together the delinquent he was with the chill park ranger he would become!

PART 1: A Reminder of the Android’s Origin and the Future Timeline

So, Android 17 was originally Lapis, a teenage delinquent who would often go out and rabble-rouse with his sister and his droogs, playing their rap music too loud, wearing pants with the waistband far lower than the waistband of pants should be allowed to hang in civilized society, and other stuff like that, I assume.

Unfortunately for the duo, Dr. Gero was about, looking for a team of teenagers with attitude he could convert into an armada of godless killing machines.  One might feel prompted to ask why Gero intended to create machines so powerful that he couldn’t control them uness they wanted to listen to his orders, but sought the demographic of humans statistically least likely to ever listen to what an old man has to say to them to be the vessels of those machines, but this isn’t an essay about Gero being a silly, silly man.

Rather, the salient point to take out of the backstory we’re given is that 17 and 18 started out with a chip on their shoulder and a lack of love for people or society.  We don’t get any info on their home life or their parents, but based on their choice of hobby, and the ease with which they were spirited away, we can safely assume there were no happy beginnings here.  From the moment they became relevant to the universe of DB they were already in a position to hate society; being kidnapped by a madman and turned into cyborgs specifically to vent THAT madman’s hatred of society only exacerbated this, resulting in a mixture that basically burned the world to the ground.

Fast forward to some time later, and humans are an endangered species, Gohan has been disarmed, and Trunks has been brought to the verge of death. We don’t really learn a lot about the personalities of the future incarnation of the androids.  They behaved like a pair of psychopathic children, destroying the world less because of any deeply held hatred or bloodlust, but more because it sounded like a fun idea and what else were they gonna do with their weekend?  They share some elements of their character with the versions of themselves who would be proper cast members, which I’ll get to later, but for the purposes of the story they were more of a force of nature than anything.

It’s too late for the future… but not the entire multiverse!  So Trunks head back to the past, but hold up, Jack!  Would his warnings prove accurate?

Part 2: Android 17 in DBZ

The first thing we learn about android 17 is that he’s a troll. Seriously, not only is he quite sardonic in his disposal of his stepdad, the first interaction he has with the Z warriors, his nominal enemies, is to beckon Krillin over to him, then abruptly stand up and frighten him.  No end game, no intent to harm, he just really wanted to screw with the poor guy.  He’s a gadfly who frequently says and does things for no greater reason than to see the reaction they provoke in others.

The second thing we learn is that he shares his future incarnation’s flippant, whimsical attitude, but to a less morbid extreme.  He makes short work of the assembled heroes, but treats it like clearing the arcade mode of a fighting game, stopping at the knockout and expressing a hope they may be more fun if he encounters them again. When 18 steps up to fight Vegeta, 17 reacts to it like a child whose sister beat him to calling dibs on the front seat during a car trip.

The third thing we learn is that he is one cocky little punk.  He refers to himself as the ultimate warrior on multiple occasions, brags constantly about himself, and treats the notion of anyone being his rival, much less stronger than he is, as a notion so ridiculous that it doesn’t even deserve his contempt.

These three traits are important because they remain central to his disposition even as a grown man, albeit to a far more muted and mature degree, even though his personality does change quite a bit during the ten years we don’t see him.  It may be tempting to say that being eaten by a bug man was what served to put a sock in his constant “I’m the best in the world” talk, and that certainly did play a role in who he became, but I would say his character started to change a little bit before that: during his fight with Piccolo.

The thing about 17’s strength is that it has nothing to do with martial prowess.  As a delinquent he certainly had experience in street fights, but he never did any formal training, or did anything that would require effort or discipline.  When Gero made 17 an android he made him so strong that he could crush anyone he encountered, but it was just that, raw strength.  It had no technique or prowess behind it.  

As the fight progresses, we see 17’s attitude toward Piccolo change subtly.  At the start, he’s just a toy to be played with, another level in his game to be cleared and forgotten about, but as it progresses Piccolo does something that 17 had never encountered before: he holds his own.  With skill and grace, he matches every move 17 has, blow for blow.  In the past 17 had had many fights as a bully and a thug, but this was the first time in his life he did battle as a warrior, and he liked the feel of it.  He expresses a kind of respect for piccolo as their fight reaches its end, even though it is couched in his trademark, planet-sized, ego.  It was an encounter that took the first step toward redeeming him, and setting him down the path we would see him walking in Super.

...and then a bug ate him… Yeah, it’s hard to stay arrogant after you’ve been eaten by a bug, so that helped too.  My big sticking point is that it’s often assumed that if Cell hadn’t screwed up the flow of events, the modern androids would have eventually became their future selves, but I think there’s a chance for their redemption even without Cell, provided at some point in time 18 meets Krillin and 17 fights the fused Kami-Piccolo.

Part 3: 17 in DBS and the Tournament of Power

Ten years pass, Android 17 is, if not in his thirties, pushing up close to ‘em for certain.  His personality is now quite placid, and he’s a family man, carrying on 16’s spirit by protecting nature, and carrying on the fire that Piccolo lit in him a decade ago by training constantly to improve his technique.  Now, I maintain that his character is still consistent, but does he BEHAVE differently now?  Of course he does.  Look, I don’t know how old you are, reader person, but I promise you, when more than a few seasons separate you from your teenage years, you will look back at who you were as a teenager, and the things you did… and you will cringe. Hard.  Heck, I’m in my thirties now, and I look back at the things I said and did in my early twenties and cringe, sometimes.  Growing older is a game of constantly realizing how ridiculous you used to be and hoping you’re less ridiculous now.

So yeah, he is more mature, but the three elements that are the center of his character are intact.  He is a merciless gadfly throughout his entire run in Super.  He exchanges affectionate barbs with his sister when he meets her daughter, he teases Krillin’s nervousness around him, despite expressing to Goku that he was fond of the man, and considered him his brother, and in general never openly acting like he took anything he encountered as seriously as he really did.

He still tends to treat everything around him like a giant game, made most evident by all of his interactions with Universe 2, but most of all with  Ribrianne and her Kamikaze Fireballs, playing the role they provided him with abandon and gusto- when Ribrianne accused him of being a villain from some kind of magical girl anime… he promptly starts hamming it up and acting like a villain in some kind of magical girl anime!

He’s no longer the loud mouthed braggart he was as a teenager, sure, but his faith in himself remains strong.  It’s just that it’s no longer childish, absolute arrogance, and instead has been tempered into a realistic confidence in his own abilities.  When faced with insurmountable odds, he remains calm and studies his situation carefully, never moving recklessly, but also never losing faith in his ability to eventually find a way to overcome the situation he finds himself in.

The tournament of power DOES introduce an important arc to 17’s character, though, and it’s a surprisingly subtle one.  Sadly, I’ve already typed up 2,000 words on the subject, so I’m going to go ahead and stop here for now.  This is how I perceive the character, and why I like him so much.  If anyone wants me to, I may type up the second essay on 17 I have rattling around in my head sometime, and reveal how 17 accomplishes something impossible:  makes JIREN an interesting antagonist.

[thereadingmoon]

Traci Chee’s A Sea of Ink and Gold: What Could’ve Been Better

In the first part of this review of a Sea of Ink and Gold, I’ve extolled its virtues as a series that manages to wrangle in a dozen stories together while managing to maximize its medium as a book to tell a story about the magic of reading with an inclusive cast to boot. Really, I find that it’s an amazing feat for a debut writer to pull through.

But also said in my last post, I did have a few grievances with it. Every story has its flaws, and that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily bad. It just means that they’re as human as the writers who make them.

Despite it being a wonderful story, I personally found a few things to nitpick about: an issue with the lack of worldbuilding, and the later benching of a large fraction of the cast.

One thing that I didn’t like in the worldbuilding of this book is something I haven't found a formal name for. I’ve come to call it non-ethnic diversity. I call it that because, yes, there are people of color at the forefront of this cast; but they have no inherent culture behind them, and there is no context to the cities, jungles, or societies they live in.

Characters are race-coded through descriptions of their appearance, but their societies are vaguely described besides explaining how they function with the lack of the written word, the effects and views of the transnational war, and the strings the Guard pulls in the Five Kingdoms of Kelanna. It also didn’t sit well when mentions of ruffly dresses worn by women and girls, streamlined military uniforms (translated into my mind’s eye as Napoleonic or Continental blues and reds), and individualistic outlooks in life (see: the need to leave a legacy) painted the setting as inherently western.

If you were to look at the map of Kelanna, you’d see that it’s a vast world. I find it a missed opportunity to even briefly mention the cultures of each nation and how distinct they are in a world rich with interesting worldbuilding that’s built on an intriguing concept.

The fantasy genre is somewhat infamous for it’s stereotypical and even racist allusions when it comes to fictional species/races. Warmongering "savage" races hit all the stereotypes and descriptions of indigenous or African peoples. Countries that are covertly Asian-leaning in culture always seem to be sneaky and manipulative. More often than not, the superior warriors and peaceful elves or fae are depicted white, or at least fair-colored. This uninspired and lazy race-allusion is not what I hope this series to have achieved.

Instead of assimilating real-world races into a fantasy setting, why not create a fantastic culture? Let's look at another modern Fantasy series, A Darker Shade of Magic. V.E. Schwab sets an alternate London in a country that’s inspired by Euroasian culture, where locals speak a language loosely derived from Turkish. The locals are tanned with dark hair, and their culture and values are implicitly explained throughout the series. What’s more, in the second book, the foreign cultures that are ushered into the story aren’t stand-ins for real-life ethnic groups. Sure, they were inspired by aspects from reality, but I personally found it something unique in that series: these cultures were distinct to the world of Red London, and can only be contextualized by the series itself and not real-world biases.

That is what I wanted in Kelanna, and what would’ve fleshed it out more as a world. Yes, there are people of color in this book. Yes, this is great in the terms of inclusivity and diversity in the Fantasy and YA genre. But in my opinion, the non-ethnic diversity takes away from the worldbuilding as well as an opportunity to flesh out the Five Kingdoms and the characters that inhabit it.

Another thing about the characters: some would say that the vast cast of Sea of Ink and Gold is an example of baiting or pandering the people of those communities by creating characters that are meant to represent them, only to be later discarded from the story and the plot. I would say that too. In fact, I am saying that.

I am so happy that books are becoming a platform of representation, most of all young adult fiction, which is fiction aimed at people who are still looking for their identity or for affirmation of their identity. But I found it absolutely jarring that there was a build-up of intimacy between we the readers and the merry misfits of the bloodletters—  the kidnapped children turned impromptu army. We read into their rapport and sympathize with their stories. We listen to the bloodletters speak of how they were kidnapped and turned into murderers in the quest to fulfill a prophecy. They revel in their atypicality, their uniqueness, and their strangeness.

Then, later, they are a collective group, almost only exclusively referred to as a unit. I can barely remember any of their individual names, and I can only categorize them through what makes them different. They are defined not as people, but what group they’re meant to represent. The only times a character is distinguished is if they become a plot point, if they need saving, or if they die.

This is a pattern: we are introduced to the intricacies to a person, but soon they are benched and put to the sidelines. From the extensively inclusive cast who aren’t Safia and Archer, only a handful was fully fleshed out as people and given character arcs to develop in. Everyone else becomes background characters and is briefly mentioned in passing. They simply slip right off the page.

Though that may be the point. Identities and people don’t need to have meaning. But one must remember that when writing a story, all things that are mentioned must have a purpose according to the principle of Chekhov’s Gun. Setup must have a reason and must follow through with a purpose. In Sea of Ink and Gold, there is little utilization of the liberal details we’re given of each individual throughout the story, and the characters become mere labels to glance over.

In writing a story, some things can only be cut out because of their irrelevance, or they can at the very least be briefly or implicitly stated through showing and not telling. Adeline and Isabelle's relationship in the book is heavily implied through their affection and loyalty with one another, but their love doesn't need any confirmation because it's blatantly clear.

That's not to say that the canonization of character traits like gender, sex, and neurodiversity shouldn't be done. But like more common character traits, I believe that there are more diegetic and natural ways to have them revealed other than jarring, jagged word-of-god narration that details the nuances of someone's identity. I've found this done in the book The First Sister, by Linden A. Lewis. There, a person's sexuality and gender are referred to glibly, and the pronoun "they" was used with little over-contextualization. Only once was there a very brief and in-character exchange referring to the gender of the character.

In a Sea of Ink and Gold, the characterization of Aljan is one such example of this. His neurodivergent behavior is deliberately noted in narration but never directly referred to. Some of his habits are offhandedly mentioned through dialogue in a way that alludes to the bloodletters' familiarity and acceptance, but it was never something that we've brushed by on an intimate level because it wasn't something relevant to the plot. What was important was Aljan's character as a whole.

I understand that not all characters can have this treatment. I personally think one pitfall of a Sea of Ink and Gold is the size of the cast and the number of plotlines that are forced to come together. In the quest to weave how many plotlines together, some characters are pushed back and forgotten, arcs falling weak or forgotten entirely. This may draw back from the story, but it doesn’t remove what good this series has in it.

A Sea of Ink and Gold is many things. It’s a magical work of fiction that I still encourage anyone who loves books and fantasy to read. It was ambitious, if not cliched, and it’s no reason to swear to never read the series out of spite. If this is Traci Chee’s debut, I only shudder to think what she’ll come up with next.

Want to see more essays like this? Check out my blog’s masterlist for more hot takes or book recommendations.

[smallpressdistribution]

Feast your eyes and your shelves on October’s

SPD Recommends *Backlist*,

ten still-so-relevant titles selected by our very own Matthew Hedley!

1. Cold Genius - Aaron Kunin

Have you heard Aaron Kunin get excited about Milton yet? In love with things that are funny because he loves them, like Milton’s bible fan fiction, or Chiquita banana, or language meaning a particular thing. Is it fair to say Kunin’s quote clusters are a joke, a reflexive reassurance, a kindness that doesn’t force words down your throat, a presentation, a kindness, so that his book feels deeply kind. I appreciate the Ben Lerner blurb – “it occurs to me often to be grateful for his work.” Because I am, also, deeply grateful. Reviewers seem to delight in calling him a genius – because it’s in the title, maybe – but this book is so much more interesting than that. He’s a genius, who cares, “genius” is really a silly thing, don’t you think? It’s a brand, maybe, or something a lover says and is misunderstood and misunderstood until he figures in a Kunin poem.

2. Trances of the Blast - Mary Ruefle

This book of Ruefle poems is an odd gem. Its title is given the lie by the duration of its gaze. A stanza for the thing, a stanza for the feeling about the thing, a stanza for life after living with the thing. Remember Inception? That movie all the memes come from? This book has all the immediacy of an explosion in that movie, as time dilates wider and wider, until we’ve forgotten we were running from an explosion in the first place. What was that movie about? Or – wait, what’s this book about? It’s not exactly still, since there’s so much life ahead to get to, and it has pace, some yearning to be turned on, left on, but its movement comes from turnabout, the unwieldy and furry shift of a person looming in the midst of a poem. 

And so I have had to deal with wild intractable people all my days and have been led astray in a world of shattered moonlight and beasts and trees where no one ever curtsies anymore or has an understudy. So I have gone up to the little room in my face, I am making something out of a jar of freckles and a jar of glue 

I hated childhood. I hate adulthood. And I love being alive.

3. Monk Eats an Afro - Yolanda Wisher

This book is embodied poetry, the talked about but rarely seen kind. It’s important that the book is anachronistic in its sensitivity – Cry of Jazz came out in 1959, Monk Eats an Afro in 2014 – but Wisher loves jazz, and is good at it. The Sonia Sanchez blurb should be a giveaway of how in scene this book is to Philadelphia, to Philly jazz, to clubs where Sonia still holds court at a central table, with similar tables around, Wisher at another, someone, maybe Dawn Evans holds down a third, there aren’t that many tables but they’re mostly full, with men and women who make Philly great. Sure, I’m being overly romantic, because this is a literal memory I have, being in that room, being in my hometown, sometimes it feels like it might disappear, also – this book is romantic. Its romance poems are downright sexy, and god, when Wisher swings into a rhyme at the end of a stanza it rings out. There’s a body at risk here, recounting personal experience with a heady sense of its own cultural touchpoints. There’s something conservative about a jazz fanatic in this day and age – to go through every day hearing what the radio does while still pulling back to Monk and fam takes work, a love of the way things were – which, in context with the rest of this list, makes a deep commentary on how conservative poetry as a whole really is. Because this book feels novel and standout amidst the others of the list for how separate its references are. No other book on this list is more than one degree of separation (in terms of debt owed) from John Ashbery, and this book might be two, and that makes all the difference. It’s not that it’s “anti-academic,” because that term posits the academy as the thing, and everything else as lying in opposition. But I remember a creative writing professor ask a creative writing graduate student what she could possibly talk to a slam poet about. Monk Eats an Afro is incommunicable with that sort of thinking. Not opposition – a powerful voice, sure in her self.

4. Stories in the Worst Way - Gary Lutz

This book makes me want to write better. Lutz’ style should be ponderous -- the whole text appears at a glance almost as marginalia, like liner notes on liner notes, but nothing is frantic. Somehow it feels calm, even, impossibly, focused. Which can be a little frustrating -- the game of the title STORIES IN THE WORST WAY always cycling through my mind as I am shocked by the talent.  Because they are really well written and make you jealous and more than a little productive. Lutz makes me write. Because he really can write, and his overcrowded margin of a text feels absolutely effortless and easy for him, which is also impossible, and also untrue, and it’s – god, it’s frustrating! But if I didn’t have this book around, what other book could I use to make myself write. I admit, I throw this book around a lot. It’s a really nice weight and size to be thrown, and then picked up, mumble a bit, read the same story again, somehow write four pages, go for a walk, turn around mid-walk, come home and read the same story, write some more. It’s a book I love and picked from thousands of titles here at SPD -- and if you can’t handle being jealous and productive, I just don’t even know you.

5. Videogames for Humans: Twine Authors in Conversation - edited by merritt kopas

This book of playthroughs, essays, contexts, games and game-ified writing is unique and complex. Twine as a digital platform stands alongside all my other distant dreams of choice mediums for preventing academia and the state from incorporating language and work into their narrative. But, unfortunately, the space remains uncurated in meaningful ways to further that vision, which, as Wikipedia will tell you (by omission or deletion mill), perpetuates the same power structures as the world outside. So: CRY$TAL WARRIOR KE$HA (made pre-$ removal) is on the sample page today (looking absolutely amazing), while the most recent review is some undergraduate freshboy’s takedown of its writing structure. Which is to say that the academy is always uncomfortably present in the history and training of creators, players, readers – and even in the essays in VIDEOGAMES FOR HUMANS. The tension in the book’s movement back and forth between Kesha and undergraduate with a grudge is what makes the book so incredibly worthwhile. Beyond just a book for digital language nerds like myself, this collection feels so important for asking questions of how to create positive art spaces. Teenaged entertainment proposes an answer, negated in the misogyny of Lil Yachty, reconstituted in the queer narratives of Twine, complicated in the reactionary nature of write-ups… How will any of us make art in a time where to be an instrument of the state is such a bald-faced violence? But magic and a joy in loving self-sabotage shows a glimmer of hope: 

“There’s this assumption that if you stray from The Scientific Method into actually caring about things like lying on the floor of your room in the middle of the afternoon with black canvas hung over the curtains to keep the sun out with a single candle burning, wearing lipstick—even though you pretty much don’t wear lipstick any other time in your life—sort of meditating and sort of tripping off sensory deprivation and sort of falling asleep, that you had better take that weird stuff just as seriously and humorously as scientists are supposed to take science. Like basically magic can’t be weird or fun or fucked up or stupid on purpose. Which is wrong!”

6. Event Factory - Renee Gladman

Event Factory – There’s a setpiece of science fiction where worldbuilding, forced to include some cultural background for the book, treats us to speculative songs and poetry that are, let’s be honest, always awful. The cantina songs, the God-Whispers of Han Qing-Jao, the water songs of the Fremen – let’s be real, these are painful moments. Even Delany – sorry. But then you have Gladman, a luminary poet, writing her Ravicka novels, and suddenly, writing becomes speculative in parsing and content. There’s all the textured concentration and phrasing her talent begets, combined with a character-driven, engaging and difficult science fiction novel. So that our transportation occurs on every level – not escapism, because the density of idea and descriptor doesn’t admit such an easy movement – as we are other before it. It’s a deeply disturbing book, to be sure. The disassociative trip of finding things already happening to yourself makes the book a Ketamine nightmare in its darkest, half-sexual, half-prone. That’s a warning, I suppose, or as much of a warning as I can give for a book I’d like you to read. It’s a book of recollections, and it often recalls the worst. Go read it.

7. In the Time of the Blue Ball - Manuela Draeger, translated by Brian Evenson

This is the only book on this list I didn’t know beforehand, but god DAMN. It reminds me of Kathryn Davis, but with a different set of idiosyncrasies. Or Monica Furlong’s deeply strange cousin. Or it’s not really like another person, but an outstanding talent all to itself that speaks in an unusual voice, with a style and focus all her own. Still, it’s hard not to try to put it in context, because I hadn’t heard of Draeger previously. Shelley Jackson wrote the back cover blurb, and if you’re not down with Shelley Jackson, there’s nothing I can say to convince you to read this.

“I’m warning you, Potemkine,” said the tiger. “Now, here we are together in too small of a space. It’d be better if you didn’t wiggle in front of me. In the darkness, I could imagine that you were running.”

“I don’t look like a wharf rat,” I said.

“When someone starts running in front of me, it’s too late for distinctions between species,” said Gershwin.

Half-accessible, half-mystic fantasy that flirts with various reading levels, IN THE TIME OF THE BLUE BALL is a gorgeous book of fiction. With thanks to Brian Evenson for a stellar translation.

8. This Lamentable City - Polina Barskova, translated by Ilya Kaminsky

He lies naked on something white, She laughs above She covers him With her pearl, her body her Star, her body her snow, her body On top of the word “strange,” On top of the word “fright.”

Barskova wanders the city and chronicles, and edits, and edits, and edits what she sees. This book is beautifully refined, calm, sure.

“In our village where small animals live slowly And humans jump on them.”

I’d like to do this little feature with only quotes, quotes and gasps afterward. The above a reaction to finding the scattered remains of snails in the lane. I hope it snows where you read this, in the evening.

9. The Feel Trio - Fred Moten

Fred Moten. Glory, Fred Moten. One of the most talented writers of a generation who makes the balance of phrasing and legibility feel effortless. Not that every line is beach-read-legible, but that his word clusters are drop-dead gorgeous, and always feel intentioned and deserved. Throughout his published works, Moten remains a cheat-sheet for debut writers – “how do I get away with putting this really fabulous but loud phrase in my writing” – but THE FEEL TRIO is a monstrosity of confidence, even for him.

           “this a service on the surface for frank wilderness and carl flippant.            my absolute beauty studies feelings in an open afterlife. I hold him            and I’ve lost and I feel it in my hands and the sharp distance of his            little bother, explosive flower of I’m not ready and don’t want to.”

10. That They Were at the Beach - Leslie Scalapino

My favorite book of poetry has somehow never been on a previous SPD Recommends Backlist. The narrator of the book fascinates me – defensive in language, insecure in relative positions, honest in gaze – in her movements between mechanism and pathos. The formalization of language, centered around the em dash – pretending to be a device of clarity – reminds me of coding languages, its Turing-complete, it’s a half step from language, but in this case not towards clarity but something else, something that masquerades as clarity but is poetry. Which isn’t an opposite of clarity, but it’s not the same thing either. I find it impossible not to copy this book’s phrasing for months after I reread it, so I’m trying to be good here. It’s the book that made me love poetry.