#jade shadows speculation

[aqg-arts]

I don't think I've shown y'all...

✨️GAY✨️ Shadow Stalker

[upsidedownsmore]

thinking to myself about how stalker is kind of like an anti-warframe warframe, he might have been designed by ballas to oppose the tenno in case of an uprising as he is immune to other warframe powers and he himself doesn't have any truly unique powers

his opposition to the tenno may even be at least partially a pre-programmed thing, which he wouldn't even be able to tell apart from his own genuine feelings. i guess kinda like how ballas apparently rewired natah

idk got my gears turning after looking at his wiki page and putting two and two together about his warframe immunities, idk if this is like a generally accepted understanding of him already or not lol

[a-bright-comet]

On a more positive(?) note on Jade Shadows:

It really is so heartwrenching and tragic, Jade loved her kid so damn bad, if she survived the process you know damn well she would've been the best damn parent in the origin system by far. My heart so badly wants the three to be reunited somehow and be cool warframe parents together and be happy with their little bundle,,, :(((

She was clearly loved so damn bad by Sorren (Stalker) he clearly wanted them both to survive but it just.. didn't work out that way. And.. she was okay with that, she knew the risk and trusted him to see it through and to take care of their little one for her :"( And in all likelihood her being turned to a warframe back in the day is what probably doomed the pregnancy cause you know it's the damn infestation strain, the infestation (body) and the void (mind) are unpredictable and incomprehensible.. but that's speculation on my part. (But as per usual it's the orokins fault, looking at you, Ball-of-Ass Ballas)

We didn't get much time with her but I love her so damn bad already, she deserves all the love she can get,,, you best know that when I get her warframe she'll be absolutely pampered, tis what she deserves dammit! 😤

Now excuse me while I go hold DE at gunpoint to revive her in canon somehow

[hippie-koldun]

Jade Shadows spoilers! And some thoughts

After completing the quest, I had several questions, because at first it seemed to me that this story breaks the plot a little

But my friends and I figured it out a little and tried to explain some of the details that confused us

First question: what is the Stalker’s motivation then?

At first we thought he was just a character with PTSD who saw the massacre where his Overlords died. But now it seems like he doesn't give a damn about it because he has bigger problems to worry about, and that's Jade

At the beginning of the quest we were told that Jade saved him. Could she have been seriously injured by this? Could the Tenno have hurt her? This makes sense since we find her sick and almost dying

So it seems to me that the Stalker is taking revenge on the Tenno for the dying state of his wife, and this is the case

Second question: how did she give birth to the child?

Due to infection, Warframe physiology differs significantly from that of humans. The belly through which we see the baby inside Jade is more likely to be some kind of placenta. Perhaps this is one of the placenta mutations? Since we know she was pregnant before she became a Warframe. It's very strangely shown in the quest, but this temporary organ is always easy to cut, so...

The third question(s): how did the child survive after so many years? How was he not born earlier? How did he not die when infected?

The following is purely my speculation. It seems to me that infection allows to slow down absolutely everything in the physiology of Warframes, and development will be no exception. Jade could be carrying this child, and thereby he was pumping out her vitality...

Very often, the infection of the mother is transmitted to the child if she, for example, smoked, drank or took drugs. Often he mutates inside her, and sometimes dies. Helminth is a very situational thing. It drives crazy and prevents systems from working comfortably

A normal human fetus, even before its birth, became infected with a helminth, became covered with iron in the womb, and I think this is quite logical? In one of the scenarios, he would have died...

In fact, I liked the quest, it reveals the feeling even closer: fatherhood. At first I thought that this quest was about lovers, but the result just killed me (positively)

[eridanidreams]

Snippet Sunday

tagging: @bearlytolerant, @silurisanguine, @aro-pancake, @fangbangerghoul, @atonalginger, @aislingdmdt, @fshenkoescape, @ninjaofnaps, @lisa-and-shadow, @a-cosmic-elf, @thatsgoodsquishy0, @hockeydemon42, @fomagranfalloon, @violenceandviolets, @therealgchu, @staticpallour, @artemis-crimson, @genesisarclite and @constellation2330

More from the upcoming chapter of stars through my fingers...

They wandered the gaming area for a while—it wasn't just the Mile people bet on here. No-holds-barred fistfights in zero-G, whether a smuggler would get through security, how long a LIST colony would last against the Fleet (Cait's eyes went pink at that one, and it took a good several minutes for her to calm down). All the while keeping up a smile, trolling for Mei Devine.

Eventually—as they'd known she would—she took the bait.

Cait's hand tightened on his arm a half-second before a voice spoke up behind them. "Sam Coe."

Sam pulled Cait close against him, arm around her waist, as they turned. "Ms. Devine," he replied amiably.

Mei Devine gave him a flirtatious little smile. "I'm told you spent a great deal of time here before I took it over." She gestured to the room about them. "Do you think it's an improvement?"

He hid his disgust under a sunny smile of his own. "I must confess to havin' a bit of nostalgia for the old days, but," he let his eyes wander across the people getting rich on other people's blood, "this is probably better for business. Fewer gunfights, for certain," he added as one of the Ecliptic guards crossed into his view.

"Oh, it is!" Devine tossed her hair back. "We get all kinds of business in and out. In fact," she gave him a speculative look, "I have to wonder if you're looking to get back in the game. A man of your talents could find it very… lucrative."

"Could be that's true," he replied. "Would have to be worth my while, though."

Devine laughed. "Well, then I wouldn't waste any time on young Jade over there." She gave Sam a sly look. "Her sister's a Freestar Ranger. But of course, you know that."

He smirked. "Well, this ain't Freestar space, is it? We got reasons not to spend time at the old homestead." He glanced at Cait, giving her a squeeze. "Ain't that right, darlin'?"

Cait took the cue admirably. "Except for Neon," she said softly, giving him a wide-eyed look. "Neon can be fun."

"Ain't no place like it," he agreed. In so many ways. "Just chock full of… opportunities."

Devine's eyes narrowed, giving her face a particularly vulpine look. "Well, if it's opportunities you're after, I might be able to arrange something. A meeting, say? With someone whose operation is… significant."

Cait's body was taut with nerves; Sam ran his hand up and down her side in a soothing gesture that an outside watcher would take for salacious. Playing the part—the Coe brat, all grown up and still getting into trouble. "I might be interested," he said. "Favor for a favor, I take it?" He offered Devine an engaging smile. "You're far too savvy a businesswoman to offer something that valuable for free."

"You do know the way to a woman's heart," Devine purred. "But it's simple enough: it's been too long since we had proper entertainment. If you could provide that… the famous Sam Coe, a runner on the Red Mile. Why, you might be a bigger draw than Donovan Rhys!" She put her finger to her lips coquettishly. "Especially since he keeps coming back alive. I'm afraid he's just gotten too… reliable."

Sam chuckled. "Well, now. That's an interesting offer. In my younger days I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it, but…" He trailed off, the very picture of a man caught by a dilemma.

"I can assure you, the prize is worth the price," Devine said. "Run the Mile for me, and I'll give you Marco Graziani."

[anxiety-elemental-kay]

Jade Shadows: Reactions and Gender Thoughts

I know opinions about Jade Shadows are a dime a dozen, but! I also have some Gender Thoughts I need to get out of my skull.

Spoilers under cut, natch.

There’s two things I want to talk about: my reaction to the quest itself, and Jade as a playable Warframe.

Part 1: Jade Shadows Story

I agree with a lot of people that the hype surrounding the quest was ultimately harmful to the story itself. The devs promised Stalker backstory, and we only kinda got that. I still don't know what a Low Guardian is, or even what the Stalker’s deal is. So he and Jade are sentient warframes like Umbra, I guess? And they were punished for being together? Why though? And despite this punishment the Stalker still hates Warframes and their role in the downfall of the Orokin? I feel like I'm missing a critical piece.

If the messaging had been more along the lines of “We’re getting an insight into the Stalker as a person and find out what he’s been up to lately” I think it would’ve had a more positive response. Instead it was framed as if we’d be getting answers, which we didn’t. Even upon completing the quest there’s a cheeky line in the codex about being left with more questions than answers.

That’s fine in a general sense, but that’s not what was promised.

As for the mystery of Jade… I’m disappointed that Jade turned out to be the Stalker’s romantic partner. It was the most boring option they could’ve picked. I was on board with the speculation that Jade Shadows was going to be a transition story; either the Stalker finds peace with herself and becomes Jade, or he used to BE Jade, but after the fall of the Orokin became the Stalker. At the very start of the quest when we see that Jade is, in fact, a separate person, I started to wonder if maybe Jade was his mother.

Jade just being his girlfriend who pops out a baby then dies… sucks ass. It’s boring! Even more than the problematic elements of this trope, I’m disappointed by this direction because it’s BORING! Warframe is a lot of things, but even when I don’t understand or don’t like the story, it’s at least interesting in its insanity and incoherence.

I desperately wish Jade was an actual character in the story. For example, since Jade is associated with the Jade Light, she could have been an executioner for the Orokin. That’s why she’s ready to give up her life to have her baby, her guilt about her participation in that system, and feeling that making a new life might begin to atone for taking so many. Not the best way to take her story, sure, but it would’ve been something!

At the end with the Corpus standing down when they realize the Stalker has a baby with him and letting him go felt dissonant. Especially with, uh, the state of the real world. There are people out there who are totally cool with murdering children, and I don’t believe the Corpus would ever let something as unique as Stalker’s baby go without a fight.

Since I’ve rambled about things I didn’t like, I want to spend some time talking about the things I did like! Because there’s plenty of that too!

Although the Ascension mission isn’t part of the quest itself, I really like the stuff with Parvos and Ordis! I’d never expected these two to interact, or for Ordan Karris to be brought up again! There's so many nice lore tidbits in there, as well as great character moments and animosity between the two. Delightful! Get his ass Ordis!

Speaking of Ordis, I loved him so much in the quest! I love Space Dad so much and it's always a delight to get to see him do things.

There was a brief mention of Umbra in the quest! When Stalker is trying to sneak onto the Orbiter and Ordis is patrolling, he calls out asking who’s there “Operator? Umbra? …Helminth?” I’m still disappointed he doesn’t get to be a character in the rest of the story after The Sacrifice, but its nice to acknowledge that he’s not just doomed to sit in the arsenal.

The message from Hunhow at the end of the quest was touching too. Jade and Stalker might not be trans but Hunhow is, or at least Sentients don’t adhere to common human understandings of sex and gender. Which still counts because I say so!!

I’m not wild about how the baby (I named him Orion) entered the story, but he’s a possible interesting thread for the future. How will the Stalker change going from a hunter to a carer? What does this new kind of life form mean for the rest of the system?

Whispers In The Walls is already setting up a longer story arc, so I’m okay with stuff just planting seeds for now! I know I was just talking about how a big problem with Jade Shadows was it failed to deliver a payoff after years of speculation, but I have enough respect for DE that I’ll wait and see. I always appreciate that they’re willing to take risks (I totally misunderstood how to do the, uh, mini game… but still… won???) even if those risks don’t pay off.

Part 2: Jade as a playable Warframe

Okay, so…

Here’s a bit of background for me to establish where I’m coming from when I talk about Jade: I’m an AFAB nonbinary person, and pregnancy is one of my few dysphoria triggers. I’ve talked before about how I would rather die than give birth. Any discussion of how precious or important motherhood is feels weird or gross to me, because I know I’m perceived as a woman, and those expectations could be projected onto me.

…So keep that all in mind when I say I think Jade being pregnant as a playable Warframe is interesting!

I don’t yet have Jade as of writing, but I’m still excited for her and hope to play her a bunch! When I watched the devstream where Pablo showed off her kit I was excited! She has a fun theme, she has interesting abilities, I love her visual design, and I love Titania so I’m happy to see another warframe that can fly! (I low-key keep forgetting Hildryn can fly because I almost never use that ability oops)

The reveal that Jade is pregnant was shocking during the quest, and sure I feel a bit uncomfortable thinking about equipping a pregnant frame… but that pregnancy is entirely aesthetic. The Jade we build is not the person who died, there’s no baby in there, and like any other frame, we can equip and unequip Jade as we like. In the same way the Tenno are not locked into one gender when picking a frame, Jade’s pregnancy doesn’t feel like a cage or a parasite the way real pregnancy seems to me. There’s no permanence or consequence to Jade appearing pregnant.

Additionally, being pregnant is entirely unrelated to any of her abilities or signature weapons. Though she was just Pregnant Girlfriend in the story, as a warframe she’s primarily Avenging Angel who just also happens to be pregnant. She’s still powerful and capable, her pregnancy doesn’t take that away, and that’s cool! People get Weird about people who are pregnant, like it diminishes their personhood or capability forever. This isn't a topic I know much about, because of the aforementioned dysphoria, but those are the vibes I get, especially from some of the critiques of Jade herself.

Thanks to everyone who stuck around for this whole thing! I know there’s been a lot of negativity around this quest, much of it earned, but I’m enjoying the update as a whole! Even if I have mixed feelings about the story, I’m not going to linger on the negative aspects because I don’t think that’ll do anyone any good. The devs will hear the criticisms the players have, and we all move on. I’m excited to get Jade and BE NOT AFRAID my enemies to death.

[vilevileposting]

I am reading Homestuck for the first time (Week 4)

As we approach the thousand page mark, I think I have the picture of why homestuck was able to blow out the walls of its niche sensibilities into mainstream appeal. I assume I'd get this answer when the trolls showed up, but no, the answer is that Homestuck is actually good! Going into this, I can't honestly say I expected it to be good. This whole thing was supposed to be a bit, where I power through Homestuck in a year (with the babes) and then cosplay a troll at Dashcon 2. This leads me to reflect on what a bit really is, because when I imagine something done as a bit, I imagine the bit acting as its own motive. You do the bit for the bit. Can you do as a bit something you have more than that one reason for doing? Is this still a bit? It's still funny to get into homestuck in 2024, I think, but can I rightfully still call it a bit when I eagerly await every book club? Much to think about.

These are my notes for week 4:

759: Floored as I am, I’m glad Nanna is a willing agent in all this. That said, the amount of people running around who seem to Know Something is making my neurons fire.

760: The freaking pumpking?

766: This one goes out to all the trans girls named Jade Harley (and the trans guys named Dave Strider whom I forgot to shout out last time)

789: What is Jade’s fursona, why won’t it tell me

790: Jade’s connection to everything is clearly important but it seems like it might be a while before I’m told why. Here’s someone who sees the future, or at least intuits it, who’s the grandaughter of someone with a whole lot of sburbish technology. I feel like I’m missing the same piece to both puzzles.

793: Y-yeah I noticed before this panel!!

797: I’m gonna kill the guy who put this command in. HOWEVER now we know Jade’s sona is a wolf. (Mine is a dragon, and the other bookclubbers are a possum and tiger)

801: VOLCANO!!! MOUNTAIN HERMIT!!!!!!!!!

802: Cowardice.

822: It was pointed out to me that the crossing out of “but not many” in the act 2 flash implies that that sburb meteor hit a long-ass time ago, and this confirms it! Very wacky. I might think they’re not really sburb meteors if not for the established time shenanigans. This seems to imply there’s more than one potential trigger for a meteor.

826: Jade has WAY more friends than her friends do.

829: Permanently unlocked coquettish as a word for Corah to throw at twinks. Need to find a word to pair it with, like how I use “svelte motherfucker” or “coiffed bitch.” Also I like the grand tradition of internet icons from this era casually using slurs. Look up the first appearance of Megalovania RIGHT NOW

835: How could I forget goofy modus foreshadowing………

836: Dave’s brother is so badass he beat up his armed little brother while piloting a puppet. I think in terms of power scaling this could put him above John’s dad.

839: How did I not notice that Rose’s mom opened that secret passage while Rose was in the back fighting a burning tree? Your poking holes in my they-actually-love-each-other theory, Rose’s mom.

844: Chess piece sword that looks SICK

845: During the book club last week, one of us speculated that the lesser items will be removed from the jetpack to make it functional. The thought of doing that – albeit to the code of the object and not the object itself – is vindicated here!

859: CG has GOTTA be one of those wandering vagrant guys.

*Book club note: Someone mentioned the TROLLSLUM, and I only just made the connection that CG is grey. Reading this 5,000 years in the future as I am, that stands out to me………

874: Looks like my house is okay for now….. But damn they GOT Montreal’s ass

893: John’s Dad name reveal???

896: Andrew Hussie predicted Death Stranding.

911: Aint no way this is a shot of John’s Dad’s room.

918: He’s DEAD!?

948: I was right!!!!!!

962: Carapace confirmed! More wondering what the Wandering Vagrant is. I wonder if someone tried to appearify a shadow demon from the past and a machine made him from the goo, mutant kitten style.

[reikunrei]

Sorry, but how would it be a disservice to Will’s character for him to have powers?

i have to spend some time articulating my thoughts about this better, and i am currently planning on watching the show again to do some proper analyzing about the details of it and whatnot

HOWEVER the long and the short of it, imo, when it comes to my opinion on powers being a "disservice" to his character, i instantly think of how he, at his core, is a purely nonviolent character. that's something i think most people agree on, and this is shown by the way he always runs, hides, or deescalates a situation rather than choosing to fight (i'd argue that the closest we get to him "fighting" is when he tells the shadow/mf to "go away" but, obviously, that didn't work)

when we see powers in the show, they are, first and foremost, presented as a weapon. now, i don't think that the powers themselves are inherently meant to be a weapon, that's just how they're "useful" to Brenner and hnl/that's how El uses them to keep herself and her friends safe, so that's the lens we've most commonly seen them through

could Will have powers that aren't weapon-based/similar to how we see them presented in the show? absolutely! and i should say that i'm not against Will having powers. there's a lot of evidence that potentially points to him having powers that's impossible to ignore, and, done right and done well, i think it would be super cool (i even have a lot of thoughts about that opening s1 dnd session where he's choosing between casting protection or fireball, and how, rather than his powers being something he could wield, like a fireball to cause damage, he has something more akin to a "shielding" ability)

however, and i guess i could have made this more clear but also it was just a stupid jokey post so why should i have made it into an essay, i suppose that i often jump to "i don't think will should have powers" because the fandom likes to give Will powers like El or One, in which he can throw things around, or make him control the shadow/mf, or has some sort of ability that he can use against the shadow and essentially winds up putting a weapon in his hand, and i think that's stupid

as i said at the top, we're shown time and again that Will is a nonviolent character. in the s1 shed scene, he has the gun in his hand, ready and loaded, and he can't pull the trigger. i'm even tempted by the idea of him having/gaining powers, only to refuse to use them at all, but that's just me having fun speculating. because we're shown that, even when he has the resources and capability to do something, he can't bring himself to actually do it

another big factor for me is that this kid has been through hell and back several times over. he's Seen Some Shit. and yet, he remains the sweet, kind, quiet, sensitive kid we were told he was at the very start of the show. he very well could have become hardened and cold and jaded, but that didn't happen (mostly by virtue of having as excellent a support network he could have asked for)

and i have a lot of thoughts on this specifically in how it ties in with Henry being the sort of "blueprint" character for El and Will, but i can't quite articulate my thoughts on it at the moment in a way that won't seem ramble-y and weird and all over the place, so i'll save that for another time. but it's something about his experiences changing him, and how Will is shown to have not changed after his experiences in the UD and his experiences with the shadow in s2, and he continues to not change and that's always framed as a good thing/most everyone can agree that him becoming a "hardened badass" would be a bad turn for his character and wouldn't make sense

so, just based on how i've seen people talk about his powers in the fandom, and how he'd basically be wielding this big powerful weapon to beat Vecna once and for all... it feels weird

but i guess i'll just stop myself here otherwise this answer will become way too long when i meant to keep it short!! oops sorry!! i have a lot of other thoughts about how this sort of thing ties in to his relationship with Mike, how any sort of "arc" he has involving powers is/was already covered by El, and how i feel like his purpose as a character in the grand scheme of things is to remain as he is, "unchanged" (tho like. obviously he is changed by his hardships. the trauma he has is No Joke, but you get what i mean) by any hardships, and to be an example of someone who can defeat evil without needing to be hugely overpowered

[lazy-dog24601]

behold, the A/B tier reasonings!!!!

I've combined the two of them because they're basically the same. If S tier is like, amazing, these two tiers are like good and good.

I hope you get it, most of these characters are dead anyway. They're all about equal.

Some bonus thoughts about the characters:

I really don't remember Sollux's personality or character arc. I don't even know if he ever had one. He had a rivalry with Eridan because racism I guess??? I really don't remember why the two were fighting. Not like it matters after Eridan dies. After that Sollux becomes "a bunch of pixels that stands next to Aridia" beca-

FUCK I misspelled Aradia, how *embarassing*. Oh well, I'll play it where it lands.

Anyway, Sollux and Aradia are like, dating or something? They're like, in love? I don't know why. I don't know why Sollux does anything. Fucker just stands around after Eridan dies, and the four lines of dialog he had before that doesn't really craft a character I like to think about a lot.

Actually, that reminds me- Sollux was the one who translated Sgrub, there's the Aradia connection.

Speaking of Aradia, what's her *character*? She was like, a happy living person, then a sad(?) ghost and then a angry(?)/sad(?) robot and then finally became a happy(?) god tier? What? Who is this person? Why are they smiling? Is it a Disco Elysium reference?

Seriously, I can't remember anything about Aradia. She basically just wants to see how homestuck goes down, so I guess she is just as compelling as anyone who reads homestuck.

Kanaya is like, a vampire or something. She's a boring character. Like, it was cool watching her kill Eridan but after that she becomes Rose's meek woman-servant-lover character.

Of course, I say servant as a cruel joke. I know Kanaya isn't Rose's servant, I said that because I thought it was funny and showed how I believe that Kanaya basically lives in Rose's shadow once Eridan dies.

Her *one* desire to kill Gamzee never happens because Gamzee can't die or the story can't happen!!! What a load of shit!!! Fucking time paradox shit, but I know this complaint isn't valid- Metal Gear Solid 3 did this too and I love that game, so Homestuck gets a pass on this one.

Nepeta is a cat, but has wolverine claws and a drawing tablet. She also does speculative romance stuff too. These are all fun traits. Then she died.

Feferi is a fish who eventually died.

Equius is a horse who's like, sweaty and stuff and I like him. A classic incompetent bad guy character. He's all horny and shit and racist but is also a total fuck up, like awww the little baby fell down time to pick him back up so you can knock him over again how cute :)

Eridan is a fish who's like, an involuntary celibate or something. He's also an incompetent bad guy character- I have a soft spot for villains and bad guys who are repulsive but also big fuck ups that show some hint/ illusion of humanity/ being good.

Describing it here makes me realize how vast and vague those conditions are, like perceiving repugnancy isn't inherent to life itself. Anything can be repulsive if you got the right peepers!

Yeah, but Eridan is like a bad person or something. He's got L rizz and everyone hated him. He was like, sad and shit that he was alone but he wanted to team up with Jack Noir so he basically deserves to be unloved forever I guess. Eridan is like if Vriska was just a side character. Well, that's not true since Vriska wrote in her last will and testament that she felt bad about being a killing machine who is also a huge bitch has bullies people whilst Eridan said, uh... something I guess? I don't really remember what Eridan said, or if he showed any regret or sadness about being in a murder-society of racism and shit. Maybe he did? I think he tried rizzing up Nepeta but failed. I think he also tried to rizz up Jade? Whatever, I guess Eridan never got the time to show the reader that he's just a poor abused little did-nothing-wrong like Vriska so he's forever just a villain.

[strange-stranger]

So in anticipation of the season finale I know there has been speculation about Kit maybe taking Arik’s place, and perhaps even Jade joining her, setting up a mirror of Bavmorda and General Kael

But something that has been bouncing around in my brain is what if the Crone got to Jade first? Maybe something goes wrong in Tir Asleen, and in order to not return empty handed the Dag grabs Jade instead, and Kit is just as determined to bring her back as she is Arik. And then maybe the end of Across the Shattered Sea could go something like this

Kit staggered into the Immemorial City, hoping against all odds that she had made it in time - that she would get to say all the things she should have said that night.

There, behind the shimmering fountain, a black-clad figure stepped out of the cool shadow of the doorway. It was Jade; hair sleekly braided, eyes aflame, General Kael’s sword strapped across her back, and suddenly Kit was keenly aware of the weight in her chest - the ache - that had settled there the night Jade was taken.

“Jade, thank god you’re alive. We came as fast as we could.”

Kit started toward Jade, then hesitated. Jade hadn’t moved, and Kit realized something was wrong.

“What did she do to you?” Kit choked.

“She showed me the truth.”

Kit’s heart dropped. Jade’s words confirmed something she had only ever suspected.

“I’m not angry,” Jade added calmly. “I’m free. And you can be too.”

Jade extended her hand. “Together.”

Kit swallowed, dropped her eyes to the ground, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

I’m not really a fanfic writer but I think this has dramatic potential ha ha maybe I’ll flesh it out

[uphillsky]

Dark Tongue (Warhammer Fantasy and 40,000)

This post isn't perfect, but I'm going to split it into several sections: confirmed, and speculation. This is going to be entirely within the frame of anglicanised spelling, as my conversion of the actual guide to IPA hit a brick wall when my writing software *checks notes* doesn't let me tell it to use a unicode-compliant font.

That all being said, here goes!

OUTRIGHT STATED

Dark Tongue is a phonetic language with many root terms, which uses a mix of specific terms whose origins can be traced to said root words, and complex compound words. Some of those roots are given by my source, the 1988 and 1990 Realm of Chaos sourcebooks for WHFB, WFRP, and WH40K.

Khaos: Chaos / the sea of souls / magic power

Phaos: Psychic essence / soul / will

Dhaos: Psychic Entity / spirit / daemon / power

Tzeen: (the will to) Change

Nurgh: (the will to) live / defy decay

Slaa: (the will to) feel/sense

Khar: (the will to) dominate

Leth/Neth: Lord, master, ruler, source (of)

Kharneth, “Lord of Domination”, Lord/Master/Ruler/Source of the will to Dominate

Slaaneth, “Lord of Sensation“, Lord/Master/Ruler/Source of the will to feel and sense

Nurgleth, “Lord of Decay”, Lord/Master/Ruler/Source of the will to live and to defy decay

Tzeeneth, “Lord of Change”, Lord/Master/Ruler/Source of the will to change

The following are all coloured varients of Magic, that stem from the raw energy of Chaos, and as such while they are root terms for many colours they also have significant culture placed behind them.

Hysh: White / Light / Banishment of Magic/Daemons

Chamon: Yellow/Gold/Metal

Ghyran: Green/Jade/Life [used in all Nurghleth daemon names]

Azyr: Blue/Celestial

Ulgu: Grey/Shadow

Shyish: Pink/Purple/Amethyst/Death

Aqshy: Red/Bright/Blood/Fire

Ghur: Amber/Brown/Beasts

Dhar: Black / Dark / Raw Magic

Qhaysh: All Colours / Rainbow

Now we have the example words given that stem from one these root words:

Aqshy'y: Bronze/Brass

Aqsh: Red

Akhash: Blood

Akh: Battle/Bloodshed/ To slay in battle

Aksha: Battleaxe

Ksy: Key/Solution

Iakash: Lock/Obstacle

Akhshami: Secret (seems to combine Seek and Guardian: guarded from seeking?)

Aksho: To seek

Akhamshy'y: Slayers/Warriors

Akami: Guardians - may include connotations of order?

From now on, we have all of my extrapolation from the terms for various daemons. Be aware this is very incomplete and likely outright incorrect in some places, as my stumbling point occured during major reworking - this is only a first version of what I have.

Q': Common prefix for Slaaneth daemons?

Q'tlahs(i): Common prefix for sentient daemons of Slaanesh?

Itsu: Decadence?

Issho: To Keep?

Ythliss: Unknown, relates to Fiends of Slaanesh

Akaoz: Chaotic/Berserker/Frenzy?

A'a: Beast, connotations of blood? Akh'h: unknown, related to slaying in battle / Battle / Bloodshed, sole indicator of Steed of Khorne - diminutive of battle/bloodshed/slay in battle?

Thashi'i: unknown, sole indicator if Steed of Slaanesh - diminutive of something? lick/lash/whip?

Bahk: Unknown, relates to Great Unclean Ones

Ghuranhi: Unknown, relates to Great Unclean Ones, relates to life?

Aghkam(i): Unknown, relates to Great Unclean Ones and Plaguebearers, relates to guardians? possible relation: creating order?

Ghran'ngi: Unknown, relates to Plaguebearers, root word involves Life?

Gurani'i: Unknown, relates to Nurglings, possibly diminutive, root word is related to life, possibly diminutive of Ghuranhi?

Khan: Unknwon, relates to Nurglings, root word is Khar/Akh???

Gu: Unknown, relates to Beasts of Nurgle, possibly relates to Ulgu? RELATES TO GHUR AS IN BROWN OR BEAST

Nagh: Unknown, relates to Beasts of Nurgle, no known root - possibly relates to decay?

Chi: Unknown, relates to Lords of Change

Khami: Unknown - contraction of akhami? Relates to Lords of Change, possibly relates to Chaos and Magic Power

Tzann: Unknown - Tzeentch? Relates to Lords of Change, potentially Relates To Change?

Kchami'i: Unknown - diminutive of Khami? Little magic? Magicling?

Tsani: Servant of Change

K': Common appellation before non-sentient beasts of Tzeentch

Chamu: Unknown - root is Khaos, relates to Flamers of Tzeentch

Echi: Unknown - relates to Discs of Tzeentch

Tsonae: Unknown - relates to Discs of Tzeentch

Q'tlahs'itsu'aksho: Daemonette / Children of Slaanesh / Debauched Ones / Bringers of Joyous Degredation / Seekers of Decadence / Givers of Indescribable Delight, Name translates to: (Daemon of Slaanesh)(Sentient Daemon of Slaanesh)(unknown - Decadence?)(Seek)

Q'tlahsi'issho'akshami: Keeper of Secrets / Slayers of Slaanesh / Despoilers of the Flesh / Feasters of Pain / Great Horned Ones / Base Ones, Name translates to: (Daemon of Slaanesh)(Sentient daemon of slaanesh)(unknown - Keeps?)(Secret [Seek/Guardian: guarded from seeking?])

Q'qha'shy'ythlis: Fiend / Beasts of Slaanesh / Rams of Slaanesh / Bestials / Unholy Ones, meaning: (Daemon of Slaanesh)(Rainbow?)(Purple/Death?)(unknown)

Q'qha'thashi'i: Steed of Slaanesh / Flesh Licker / Degraded One / Tongue Lasher of Slaanesh / Whips of Slaanesh, Meaning: (Daemon of Slaanesh)(Rainbow?)(Unknown)

Khak'akaoz'khyshk'akami: Bloodthirsters / Fists of Khorne / Deathbringers of Khorne / Drinkers of Blood / Blooded Ones / Lords of Skulls / Guardians of the Throne / Eaters of Gore and Flesh / High-Handed Slayers, Meaning: (Khorne)(unknown - chaos?)(unknown - white/light? HYSH IS USED TO BANISH DAEMONS, IT RELATES TO THEIR ROLE IN SLAYING MAGES)(Guardians)

Khak'akamshy'y: Bloodletters / Khorne's Chosen / Takers of Skulls / Teeth of Death / Horned Ones / Naked Slayers, meaning: (Khorne)(Slayers/Warriors)

Kha'a'a Khak'hyshk: Flesh Hounds / Beasts of Khorne / Hunters of Blood / Flesh-Renders / Inevitable Ones, Meaning: (Khorne)(unknown - a'a may mean beast? connotations of blood?) (dominate?)(unknown - white/light? HYSH IS USED TO BANISH DAEMONS, IT RELATES TO THEIR ROLE IN SLAYING MAGES)

Kha'a'a Akh'h: Juggernauts / Blood/Soul Crushers / Juggers / Feet of Khorne / Blights of Khorne, Meaning: (Khorne)(unknown - a'a may mean beast? connotations of blood?) (unknown, related to slaying in battle / Battle / Bloodshed?)

Bahk'ghuranhi'aghkami: Great Unclean One / Fly Master / Plague Lord / Stench Lord / Nurgle / Father Nurgle, meaning: (Unknown)(Unknown - relates to Life?)(Unknown - relates to Guardians?)

Aghkam'ghran'ngi: Plaguebearers / Tainted Ones / Maggotkin / Rotbearers / Nurgle's Tallymen, meaning: (Unknown - relates to Guardians?)(Unknown - root word is life?)(Unknown)

Khan'gurani'i: Nurglings / Pus Spores / Mites of Nurgle, meaning: (Unknown - relates to domination / khorne or bloodshed???)(Unknown, relates to Great Unclean Ones?)

Gu'nagh'ghyran: Beast of Nurgle / Slime Hound / Nurgle's Lapdogs, meaning: (Unknown - possibly relates to ghur as in magic of beasts or brown)(Unknown - possibly relates to decay?)(Chaos magic of Life / Green / Jade)

Chi'khami'tzann Tsunoi: Lords of Change / Eyes of Tzeentch / Feathered Lords, meaning: (Unknown)(Unknown - contraction of Guardians?)(Unknown - appears Tzeentch related) (Unknown)

Tsani'kchami'i: Horrors, meaning: (Servant of Change)(Unknown - connected to khami?)

K' Chanu'tsani'i: Flamers / Burning Horrors, meaning: (non-sentient beast of tzeentch)(Unknown - root is Khaos)(Diminutive of Servant Of Change)

K'echi'tsonae: Discs / Sky-Sharks of Tzeentch, meaning: (non-sentient beast of tzeentch)(unknown)(unknown)

With that, we are at the end of all the terms I can extract easily from the book, with my next planned stage being to convert the phonetic runes of Dark Tongue written language to IPA, and then convert what we have from this into them and see how that changes them! That being said, I did this in a burst of hyperfixation over the course of three days, and have other things I need to get done this weekend lol. Thanks for the suggestions from the people who reached out to me about my research into IPA, sorry I couldn't apply it yet lol

[aqg-arts]

DE PLEASE DON'T HURT MY BEAUTIFUL EDGE LORD!

[upsidedownsmore]

Jade Shadows spoilers, just some lore thoughts and theorizing

I wonder if Jade was used for most high-order jade light executions and was the soul source of it, or if she was just an extension of an already existing technology. Before, I used to think the jade light was from some kind of device, but if it's been Jade this whole time at the source that has implications.

Of course, even if she was the source of jade light, it must have been harnessed in devices to allow for remote executions and portability, like on the Zariman and with the Myrmidon. So she wouldn't have had to perform all executions herself in person when even just her residual power is enough to power Parvos' jade eximus units.

But Parvos referring to Jade as an executioner might imply that she was used to perform at least some executions personally, and I imagine those would have been the executions performed in front of the Seven.

Like Margulis.

And if they needed a Tenno operator to control Jade, that would effectively have been using a Zariman kid to kill their adoptive mother using Jade, a victim of Ballas' warframe project during pregnancy.

holy fuck

Edit: Though there's also reason to believe that Jade wouldn't have been the one to execute Margulis because it may have required the use of a Tenno operator, which I can't imagine would go well. But there's still a bit of vagueness around whether Jade needed an operator, similar to how there's vagueness around whether Stalker needs one.

Edit 2 (July 2024): go behind teshin there's new jade lore go go go

[mayxthexforce]

The Sith Shadows are a band of mercenaries led by a zealot Force-wielder named Mellichae. Mellichae was a promising student of the dark side, being considered for a position as one of the Emperor's Hands, alongside Mara Jade. However, things took a brutal turn for Mellichae when it was discovered that he held such low regard for the Emperor and his politics that he planned to assassinate him and insert himself as the new Sith Lord.

Darth Vader himself dispatched Mellichae, severing one of his limbs and leaving him for dead. In a rare mistake on Vader's part Mellichae survived, and has harbored his bitter rage over the following years, growing increasingly more insane. Mellichae has formed his own band of followers now, called the Sith Shadows. His mercenary group consists of smugglers, pirates, outlaws, and murderers of all kinds. Their dark personalities mesh well with Mellichae's goals, allowing them to survive under his rule. No one joins the Sith Shadows lightly, and no one has ever left their employ alive.

Mellichae surveyed the village from his speeder bike, well out of range of their sensors. His Zabrakian hearing brought him the sounds of building and conversation. He fingered the button on his lightsaber, stolen from his own master when he killed him in the final test.

This must be how Darth Maul felt, he thought to himself. Before he slaughtered the enemies of the Sith.

He looked around him at the mercenaries and students of the dark side, some of them his own pupils. Would one of them kill him someday? He doubted it very much

A young Twi'lek, still bruised, battered, and scarred from his last training cycle pulled up next to Mellichae.

"We're ready, my lord."

"Excellent." Mellichae said, the taste of blood already forming on his lips.

Mellichae, the Zabrak, is a mercenary. He believes he works for the Emperor, though the one time he did try to trace his payments back any further than three or four steps he hit a brick wall like nothing he'd ever encountered. Some of his men speculate that they're actually working for Black Sun. Prince Xizor certainly had his own animosity towards the Jedi. Though the people they are fighting aren't Jedi. They are just Force sensitives and villagers, farmers really.

So who are they working for? No one knows. At this point they're simply a renegade group of mercenaries, some with their own force sensitive powers, who are dedicated to destroying this peaceful village.

Why?

Mellichae believes that this is actually a secret training ground for new Jedi Knights and that they plan to rise up and destroy all those who believe in the Sith's teachings. Mellichae would like nothing more than to become a Sith Lord himself, though he knows he'll have to prove himself to the Emperor before that can happen. He never dreamed he'd have the opportunity, though he believes destroying the village will gain him that status.

His men are mercenaries as well, following Mellichae because he's the strongest of them. Some of his men were dark force wielders, trained by supposed Sith Lords or Dark Side Devotees. They were all driven from their previous lives by revenge, murder, thievery. Most of them are wanted "officially" for crimes against the Empire.

And yet, despite their not keeping a low profile they never seem to be arrested, they're rarely harassed by local Imperial politics, and they seem curiously well funded.

They call themselves The Sith Shadows, or more often just the Shadows, since they're affiliation with the Sith is mostly wishful thinking.

Surviving your first encounter with the Sith Shadows will lead you to a small agriculture cooperative village on Dathomir. This is the Village of Aurilia.

— Star Wars Galaxies An Empire Divided - Sith Enemies.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Kung Fu Panda Kwestions Answered...

Universal also made a big presentation at CinemaCon today, a little after Disney did theirs...

In addition to previewing some stuff for this year's DreamWorks animated films RUBY GILLMAN: TEENAGE KRAKEN and TROLLS BAND TOGETHER, they surprisingly dropped some big deets on KUNG FU PANDA 4!

We finally know who is at the helm. The film is being directed by Mike Mitchell. Mitchell is no stranger to DreamWorks, having been a story artist on ANTZ, SHREK 2, SHREK THE THIRD, MONSTERS VS. ALIENS... and director of SHREK FOREVER AFTER and the first TROLLS. Curiously, his involvement with the KUNG FU PANDA series was very minimal, merely voicing some additional characters in the third movie. Outside of DreamWorks, he also directed THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART, which - despite the general ho-hum reaction to it in early 2019 - I quite loved and almost considered to be on par with the excellent first LEGO MOVIE. So, good choice! Not who I expected, but I'm curious to see what he brings to the series.

The plot involves Po leaving the Valley of Peace for an undefined big city, as he seeks to train the next Dragon Warrior... This must be set **a while** after the third one, then. Reminiscent of THE LAST WISH, I feel... Spent some time away from our favorite characters, and we come back... It's like they've been away for a while, too. Not the story continuing right where it left off, a la something like Pixar's INCREDIBLES 2. I think that's the logical way to go, honestly. Some time has passed, now it's the next step in an ever-changing life. Something new happens, even after the story seems to be over. Po might be significantly older this time around.

The new antagonist is named The Chameleon, who can "summon" Po's past foes. Summon? As in, he can shapeshift into them? Not dissimilar to Shang Tsung* from MORTAL KOMBAT? Or does he bring the likes of Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and Kai back from the dead? Either way, that's quite the opponent for Po!

Interestingly, there were a pair of characters named Chameleon and Khameleon in the MORTAL KOMBAT franchise, but they couldn't turn into the other characters like Shang Tsung could. In the early MK games, the developers took a character and then changed the color of their outfit, creating a separate character altogether. Saved time and money. This spawned the common video game saying "palette swap". For example, in the original MORTAL KOMBAT, there were three ninjas: Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and the secret Reptile. It was the same digitized live actor and the same costume, but the costume in a different color. Palette-swapped ninjas. Sub-Zero blue, Scorpion yellow, Reptile green. They did this again for MORTAL KOMBAT II, for a trio of woman fighters named Kitana (blue), Mileena (purple), and Jade (obviously white!). In addition to them, MKII added an all-black shadow ninja named NOOB SAIBOT, the creators' last names spelt backwards. And in MORTAL KOMBAT 3 and its updated versions (ULTIMATE MK3 and MK TRILOGY), added even more palette-swapped ninjas, like red ninja Ermac (based on a glitch that apparently turned Scorpion red in the original MK) and purple ninja Rain... So in the PlayStation version of MORTAL KOMBAT TRILOGY, they added a new character named Chameleon. Basically the base actor/costume, but the color changed, and so did his abilities. In the Nintendo 64 version of MK TRILOGY, they had Khameleon, the same idea, but as the women fighters.

I know a lot about classic Mortal Kombat, thanks for reading the tangent if ya did...

Anyways, The Chameleon from KUNG FU PANDA 4! Is that all the character can do? Since Po fought all three of these characters and defeated them, he can just do that again... I can only assume The Chameleon has crazy-challenging powers of his own, and perhaps might resurrect foes Po never fought!

A lot to guess and speculate, but it sounds very, very cool so far...

However, Universal/DreamWorks appear to be keeping the film in the March 8, 2024 slot... Despite the fact that Disney is opening Pixar's original space adventure movie ELIO the week before, their live-action SNOW WHITE two weeks later, and Sony opens SPIDER-MAN: BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE three weeks later... That's plenty of family-friendly/PG competition right there. Not that KUNG FU PANDA 4 has to worry, given how well its predecessors did at the box office... Plus an 8-year wait should help this one fine, some nostalgia-driven success.

I still feel Universal will put it in the February 9, 2024 reserved for an undetermined animated movie. Illumination has nothing between MIGRATION and DESPICABLE ME 4, and that third LEGO MOVIE Universal is doing is not that far along. If it was, they would've said that today... I think Uni will put KUNG FU PANDA 4 in February 2024, or they'll remove the reserved slot from their calendar.

I also predict that KUNG FU PANDA 4 won't be the title.

After Comcast bought DreamWorks Animation in 2016, their sequel titles dropped the numerals and adopted subtitles...

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD

TROLLS WORLD TOUR

THE CROODS: A NEW AGE

THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS

PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH

TROLLS BAND TOGETHER

So yeah, it'll probably be KUNG FU PANDA: INSERT SUBTITLE HERE. If I had to predict what it could be... Uhhh... Something Something THE CHAMELEON? DAWN OF THE CHAMELEON? ATTACK OF THE CHAMELEON? THE NEXT DRAGON WARRIOR? Couldn't tell ya!

Either way, I love the KUNG FU PANDA trilogy, the first and second movies really resonate with me in a special way, so I'm ready for the saga to continue in a big and unexpected way. Hopefully we hear more about the not-sequel DreamWorks animated movie sharing the year with KUNG FU PANDA Quattro, sometime soon...

[overkill-max]

The Journey

So, my silly little drabble that is now a fic has a third chapter. This is just a bit more of my Kit exploration that is canon adjacent/speculative AU. 

——————

Summary: Kit lets herself work through all the complicated emotions that Jade brings out in her. She realizes that she’s in love, but time doesn’t stop in the Shattered Sea. With no time to talk about what it means for their future, Kit steps into the unknown with her new friend. Set during and just after episode 1x07.

——————

The light inside her flickers.

Casting Jade’s face in shadow.

Although the Kymerian Cuirass can protect her from the darkness inside of her, it can’t heal her completely. Her body is exhausted. Her head hurts and it feels as if that darkness deep within her might come back for her at any time.

It could be her fear.

Or it could be something worse.

Maybe she is still connected to the Crone, through her blood.

Read it on AO3