#flock from the void

[did-i-do-this-write]

Hi! Happy WBW! This week I've been thinking a lot about religion so... What is considered sacrilegious in your world? Is it common to encounter such a thing or is it punishable (or maybe both)? How do religious institutions react?

This is almost a month old at this point, but I still appreciate the world building question, thank you! 😊

Religion is interesting in Paragon because it is just set on an alternate Earth, the only difference being the existence of paragon.

Some religions are indifferent to paragon powers. Others see them as demons sent from hell to destroy their religion, so they have a lot of prejudice against them. And some even see them as guardians and/or saviors meant to protect them and their message and their religions. A subsector of those religions, however, see paragon of other religions or no religion as traitors, leading to some prejudices in different ways.

The religions that see them as demons also see them using their powers as sacrilegious, so there is a "as long as they don't use their powers and show us who they are, then I don't have a problem with them" vibe.

This ask motivated me to write 100 words for Home is Where Your Light Shines Brightest.

Experiment Total: 88,169

[indecentpause]

Hi! Happy WBW! This week I've been thinking a lot about religion so... What is considered sacrilegious in your world? Is it common to encounter such a thing or is it punishable (or maybe both)? How do religious institutions react?

This is a really interesting question! The only thing I have with made up religion is The Princess and the Pirate so we'll do that, even though I haven't worked on it in a while.

There are multiple... sects, I guess, and denominations, of the same religion, amongst the five countries. Like, people worship different Gods within the same pantheon, or follow or believe things under the same umbrella but understand them in different ways.

A lot of people think religion is antiquated and doesn't really serve them anymore, other than, like, where the world came from or why certain things are as they are. Some people believe the myths are true but the Gods aren't really around anymore, some think they're more like metaphors. Magic and science and tech all exist side by side, but magic is so hard and takes so long to learn that a lot of people don't even realize it's actually still real.

ANYWAY to your question: it's both dependent on the sect and the location. For example, in Selan, mice are considered sacred, especially mice that are solid black or solid white, and if you hurt or kill a mouse you're just asking for heavenly wrath to fall down on you. So even people who aren't part of that denomination tend to leave mice alone, even though to them it's more of a cultural thing.

There are very few things that are specifically taboo because of religion, they are more things that are cultural with religious explanation, if that makes sense? Like. Killing for example: it's bad because religion says 'hey, don't do that' but it's also bad because now a person is dead. And that's more of a legal thing than a religious thing.

Religious institutions are generally pretty chill about most things, unless it brings harm to others. Some groups extend this to animals so those people are often vegetarian. The ways people who do eat meat treat the animals are also very important. Like, if it's found the animal the meat is from was kept poorly or hurt badly while alive, or killed painfully, there will be a lot of anger. That's not exactly sacrilegious though? It is considered a moral failing if your city/town/etc has starving or homeless people, though. That's not exactly something a religious institution can punish a leader for, but they can definitely throw a shit fit until it's fixed.

Religious institutions have no legal power in the sense that they can't try or punish people for transgression. But they can shun the hell out of you if they think what you did was bad enough. But for the most part people are pretty relaxed about it in a 'whatever you do in your own home is your own business' way. It's pretty lax in most places. There are extremists, but they're not the norm.

So.... I guess there aren't really many things that are sacrilegious, exactly (and I'm working on figuring out what they are), but things that are considered morally and socially acceptable and unacceptable. And transgressions would more be punished by exclusion from their neighbors rather than a religious group!

thank you so much for your question! :D

[dragon-swords-prophecies]

Vampire Hunter Steampunk Story-Victorian Era? 👀

so, the funny thing about this one is that, in its current state, absolutely *nothing* in the title is accurate anymore. except the steampunk part, that's still accurate.

the other funny thing is that whilst i was typing out my answer to this, i had an Idea, and so now everything I was going to say has changed!!!! (except the title being mostly inaccurate. that's still the same)

the loose plot is that you've got these two people, Alexandrina (Alex) [LASTNAME] and Asa Tyler, and they're friends, and Alex is an investigative reporter type person, and Asa is some sort of artist (?) type person, and Alex is investigating/reporting on a thing (yet to be determined), as one does, and there is A Mystery (yet to be determined). Because Alex is extremely curious and also somewhat stubborn, she intends to solve this mystery, or at least follow it. Because she is his best friend (and he's also curious), Asa is going to help.

EDIT: fun fact, I thought I posted this a month ago, and was under that impression until I went looking for something in my drafts just now, i am very sorry, i hit the wrong button!! (save as draft not post). I intended to hit the post button!!! (this now has a wip intro--)

[kacievvbbbb]

I feel like the main reason this evil shanks theory is so prevalent (besides the private meeting the the gorsei which up even I can’t explain) is that his general cheeriness and lackadaisical disposition is more of a presented front, a mask to be slipped on and off at will which would be fine if he weren’t often put in the same boat as Roger and Luffy two people ( for as much as we know about roger) who have no masks at all.

Don’t get me wrong I’m pretty sure that Shanks is a naturally happy, good natured dude but he’s also the most politically minded pirate we have seen on the show (and some of these pirates were actual politicians) like I’m pretty sure Roger is more mature and secretive than Luffy ( makes sense he’s older and has seen more of the world) but with both of them you never get the sense that their silliness is something they are putting on for the direct purpose of making themselves less of a threat. They both can get serious when the situation calls for it but that feels more of an extension of their already established personality more than a hidden personality.

While with shanks it’s undeniable that something changed within him and his goals the day Roger died I don’t know if Roger actually told him something or if he just wasn’t dealing with the abandonment well it was probably a mix of both honestly. But yeah Shanks comes off as a guy with his ear to the ground someone who has schemes on schemes on schemes. he’s someone playing in the long run, kind of like crocodile but not nefarious. And when compared with a straight forward head first always kinda guy like Luffy, like he often is, he can come off a little suspicious.

There’s something that’s a little fake about his cheer, something a little too performative about his optimism and foolishness. I think it’s a mix of; he’s housing a deep sadness, he’s more of a realist that an optimist and also dudes just a pacifist unlike like luffy who loves to brawl ( like luffy knows when it’s better not to fight but he also loves a good fight) and he would rather deescalate a situation than fight it out and sometimes the easiest way to do that is with an air of cluelessness and making yourself seem less of a threat which makes it so much more jarring but effective when he reveals just how big a threat he is. but I can see why people think it’s suspicious.

(Interestingly even when luffy tries to emulate this behavior like when he first encountered Bellamy at the pub his plan is to just not react which while in the same vain is very different than Shanks actively playing the drunken good natured take it on the chin role for the bandits Luffy was still essentially himself he just refused to react while Shanks played a role which made it more terrifying and effective when he stopped)

Also it doesn’t help that until recently he’s largely been missing from the narrative with just a man echoing or a whisper here or there of how powerful he is.

But I think we should remember that Shank’s goal is essentially world peace. and peace, a true lasting peace, is just a little more of a precarious balancing act, than utmost freedom. For freedom you have to destroy the old game, for peace you have to learn to play a new one, hopefully with a bit more kindness injected into the foundation.

[triptychofvoids]

Medic tries to avoid parks and stuff because as soon as he enters he's swarmed by hordes of friendly pigeons. Sure, pigeons are lovely, but it's just So Many and they try to follow him around all day

medic goes to parks and stuff specifically for this reason actually. youre saying he can not only be greeted by his own flock when he gets back to base but he can also befriend the local birds? that these animals that are so quick to startle would choose him as company? what bliss!! and a massive ego boost he really doesnt even need. and if he just so happens to arrive wherever hes headed in a flurry of wings it certainly isnt his problem, but he will make it everyone elses

[trixierosewrites]

Hi! Happy STS! Welcome to Feather tries to get active in the community again program!

The world got to see your story and oops video essayist discovered it. What type of essay are they making? Is it a deep dive? Is it a rant about “controversial” parts? Is it about how the story got popular? Taking apart every single sentence? What are they focusing on?

Happy STS!! And what a question, omg. I think I could definitely get called out on the glorification of violence (in Memento Vivere, a lot of people die, and pretty horribly, but it’s a horror-thriller so I dunno what people expected) or alternately “bad representation” because my gay people are evil gay people and so forth. It would be nice if someone picked up on all the hints I’m dropping about people’s characters, especially as it’s a novella in which most people are hiding secrets we get to find out pretty soon before they die, so a deep dive or characters would be fun!

Thanks for the ask, this was a fun one!

[walkman-cat]

Hi! Happy STS! Welcome to Feather tries to get active in the community again program!

The world got to see your story and oops video essayist discovered it. What type of essay are they making? Is it a deep dive? Is it a rant about “controversial” parts? Is it about how the story got popular? Taking apart every single sentence? What are they focusing on?

hihi! happy very late storyteller saturday (perhaps even a storyteller sunday :o)

i think with eidolon vetch theres a couple options for things to focus on:

a deep dive into the worldbuilding/history of the setting (Yes i have thought about the past of the story more than the actual story's plot. it's a problem) especially the traditions and fashion!

2. going into the trans text/subtext (because i accidentally made a character who is trans also have a very trans arc separate to his transness, which is silly.)

3. just. going through and breaking down the tropes used surrounding gentleman thieves and detectives. i'd love a multiple hour video essay comparing eidolon vetch to its influences because it is nothing without my love of gentleman thief and detective media!

[angsty-prompt-hole]

Hii, happy STS!! Because I didn't send an ask last week, this time you get two questions, hehe. You can do one or both!

1. What au for your story you think would be interesting to explore? Have you ever written a, hm, fanfiction? authorfiction? about it?

2. What major would your ocs pick in collage? It can be an irl major or related to your universe! (eg. elvish literature)

Happy STS! Thank you so much for the ask! I'll keep it to my Dimension Jumpers story for this ask.

1.) So I am obsessed with AUs, and I have a TON I think about regularly ngl. I explore alternate timelines and stuff in the series itself but I have been known to write self-indulgent crossovers from time to time. I dont typically do much with actual AUs except brainrot over them for a week or so and do a bullet point summary of what it would probably be like, but there's a couple ive considered writing stuff for before (Hellraiser AU my beloved).

2.) Pickle and Carter will never in any universe go to college fjdkfkgk. Carter would go to a technical school for mechanic work but Pickle is just grateful he graduated high school. Emily would KILL to major in interdimensional veterinary science, and Kira would probably be very interested in interdimensional conservation science or wildlife biology. In canon, Kira gets a degree in wildlife biology and management and Emily goes to nursing school.

[cepheusgalaxy]

Hii, happy STS!! Because I didn't send an ask last week, this time you get two questions, hehe. You can do one or both!

1. What au for your story you think would be interesting to explore? Have you ever written a, hm, fanfiction? authorfiction? about it?

2. What major would your ocs pick in collage? It can be an irl major or related to your universe! (eg. elvish literature)

Oh, thank for the ask! :)

1. I actually have a kind-of horror au for Totsuka & Ola! I don't really work on it but it's nice for me to think about. It's actually kind of odd that I have it in the first place, because I don't really like horror, but somehow this one scratches an itch on my brain and I'm happy with it

2. That's a nice one! For Meine, Meine himself would choose something like History or Law perhaps. Ceres would definitely choose Biology, and for Alisson I'm not sure, maybe Medicine or Chemistry. Yuri would probably choose EP (for Dance) or Music but I don't know if he'll ever choose College for his future plans. And for Dimitri I'm not really sure and I think she isn't either and would be that kind of person that would try a lot of majors and quit halfway through a few times before settling on what he wants.

Also as a bonus, Dan from Across Time and Odds says he'll choose Medicine when he grows up but he really wants Finances or Math.

[incandescent-creativity]

Hi, happy STS! What would be your MC's fursona? How would it look like? How would they treat being a furry – would they be open with it, would they have a fursuit or stay just an online furry etc.

Hello again! Thanks for the STS asks!

I associate River with squids, but it's a toss-up whether she'd want to have a squid fursona because 1. she remembers what Splatoon is and 2. her character arc is about accepting her abilities, so it would depend how comfortable she is with her shapeshifter abilities. If she is pretending she's just a normal human, she'd probably pick the spiritual opposite of a squid and be something fuzzy and land based - like a bunny rabbit maybe.

Similarly to the whole deal with her shapeshifting, I think River would be cagey about it, not advertise it, only get commissions of it and stay online with it, that kind of thing... Until she actually ends up at an in person event and realizes that she can belong in a community.

For Aspen... I think she'd go with a lioness. And in a FLOAT parallel, she would be an absolute pinnacle of the community, doing outreach, buying people supplies they need to make their suits, all sorts of stuff.

[crowavius]

CHARLIE. CHARLIE. YOU CAN REBLOG OTHER THINGS BESIDES SLIME METIONS. THERE'S SO MUCH...

sorry i cant hear you over the charlie slime

[dragon-swords-prophecies]

Hi Copper! guilt: What is your OC guilty about? How do they handle their guilt? Do they try to avoid guilt, or do they accept it?

hi feather!! i'll do this for alex from herald (selected via spinner wheel)!

guilt: What is your OC guilty about? How do they handle their guilt? Do they try to avoid guilt, or do they accept it?

she handles her guilt by trying to avoid it. this does not always work! actually it almost never works. alex is mostly guilty about going into the exact same job that her father had (which killed him), because she doesn't want to hurt her mother anymore than her mom's already been. she has been trying to avoid this guilt for 10 years and she has been failing to do that for almost exactly as long!

[wizardnuke]

why do some penguins break away from the flock and run full tilt towards the middle of the arctic to their death. why is that a recorded phenomenon. what causes that instinct. what is the use of that instinct.

[blackvahana]

Me: I should move the Flock to Ananyavarda officially. Actually. where are all of them

The Mental image from one of them now in the in-between because it was in my old territory when that was wiped from existence:

[triptychofvoids]

and how many pigeons do you have? if it's not a secret

its no secret but,, aheh... its a bit difficult to keep track of them all! especially since the number changes from time to time. sometimes one will, unfortunately, die. sometimes a pair will lay eggs, sometimes a local pigeon will just decide to join the flock! but lets see...hm. i started with about 20 at first and i consider those 20 to be mine, if you want a simple answer. but the total amount of pigeons that live on base now...? well, last time i took a headcount it was 78!

[somerandomcockroach]

Savage

Monster hunter au part 5

Ratchet being worried that his fiendly beast got killed or decided to leave him while he’s actually just started his anime training episode👍

Oh my god this au is taking over my brain haha thank you all so so much for your kind comments and deranged tags. I’m eating them for breakfast>:D

Part 4