#maybe its the lore or worldbuilding but honestly

[x1702x]

Kai cenat is gonna play bloodborne im sorry but im gatekeeping

[arolesbianism]

Uh oh

[lucabyte]

thinking about the very specific reading of isat i had during act 3 for the most part

anyway yeah ill ramble here about this. since it actually explains my headcanons for what the disappearing island wish was

disclaimer: taken as a whole this is way too allegorical for what i'd consider a holistic reading of isat, but it was part of my running theories at the time.

anyway my guess for the real-world equivalent of the island ended up being French Polynesia by the end of the game. I had initially thrown a dart at siffrin being greek wrt europe, sisyphus allusion, enjoyment of plays and seafairing-- but the moment that little guy started getting real weird about stars and specified they were from an island i switched my guess to him being polynesian. And then that reading only really strengthened from there (and i was pretty close, tbf!)

but yeah during act 3, especially the king plotline, i started thinking about the themes of cultural erasure + lack of identity that the game has and how that plays wrt vaugarde's extremely welcoming and diverse nature.

reading far too much into it but it made me wonder if they are the results of a fallen empire of some kind. somewhere that gathered people from across the globe (as empires are known to do) before dissolving into what seems to be a localised theocracy of some kind?

like. vaugarde is basically the Good End for an empire. Fully demilitarised (they barely have use for police to the point where the defenders are surprised by burglaries, and almost CERTAINLY have zero army), extremely diverse, not caring where one comes from.

(either that or they've been a socialist utopia like, forever? and thus just aquired migrants perpetually... but ka bue is characterised as harsher by odile in a lot of respects so one can assume its not that the whole planet is Niceys All The Time.)

this lines up pretty well with the um. Whole France Thing. Boy do they own a lot of islands still that they maybe shouldn't. Also lines up with bonnie's word-of-god french creole dialect. So Vaugarde as the welcoming, ideal form of former-colonialiser-nation is like. one i vibe with if we're gonna read too hard into the worldbuilding as presented.

Anyway all this to say I did for a time wonder if the Northern Island wish was 'For The Island To Be Safe'. Assuming this world to have any level of inter-country conflict-- Wish craft is powerful stuff, and a singular island might not be able to defend itself against those seeking to take it by force. Hiding the island from the world would protect it.

... though that felt like an unusually cruel read. The implication that cloistering away like that is a 'valid' strategy for a culture to be safe (albeit with the splash damage of hurting any diaspora).

Plus, wish craft is superbly powerful, with evidently its use on the island only becoming more widespread after it was discovered how to make it work Consistently.

(i work here under the assumption that Siffrin's growing cloak is imbued with wish craft, assumedly the same as the king's armour? Since there's no way that was created at that scale...)

So it almost makes more sense, to me, for the wish to be to 'Protect The World (universe) From Us' or to 'Keep The Universe Safe'.

Wish craft being so second nature to the Islanders (See: Siffrin, favour tree), that a wish that breaks the universe is almost inevitable were the knowledge to become widespread and ingrained.

This too is an oddly cruel read, that a culture's rituals can be dangerous to that degree, but ... ? Dunno. Like I said, reading it as hard allegory makes it fall apart somewhat. Symbols can mean many different things at once until you flatten them for direct analysis like this. I don't think it's quite so 1-to-1, and it's honestly slightly too 'no story only lore' for my tastes, so I did push a lot of this stuff out of my analytical mind once I started getting to the back and of act 3 and into act 4.

Anyway. Not the most coherent explanation in the world, but still some thoughts I had mid-game that i figure i should put somewhere at least, even if I don't think they are really what the game is going for.

As a bonus, the discussions on what the island wish were in this context also lead my friend @samhainian to speculation on the colour wish that i really enjoy. Which is....

The wish that removed colour from humans perception of the world being something along the lines of:

"I wish the world was simpler"

ergo, removing colour as an invocation of Nuiance VS Black and White Morality. The world is simpler, easier to understand.

I think it's a fun headcanon! I like it.

Well anyway. A work is more than the sum of its parts and dissecting something so sloppily as this often does it a disservice. So don't take my theorising as anything more than a general rundown of where my head was at mid-game before i had all the pieces. The emotional core of the story is far more where it's at for ISAT sooooo. [Shrugs and scampers away]

[d3pressed-caffiene-addict]

Hazbin Hotel Ep 5&6 Oh My God (Major Spoilers)

I am having so many thoughts, this is just a brain dump

-LUCIFER. He’s so pathetic I love him

-Jeremy Jordan you fucking legend. I’m a big fan of a lot of his work and was excited to see him in this but I was slightly unsure if he was the right casting since I expected Lucifer to be more of a high and mighty/snobby figure, but with the way they characterised him HE IS PERFECT.

-“TAKE THAT DEPRESSION”

-The Lucifer vs Alastor rivalry is beautiful

-“Ha ha, fuck you.”

-Father figure Alastor

-HIS EARS GO BACK LIKE A CAT WHEN HES ANGRY I CANT

-MIMZY’S ARRIVAL. I know most of us know the lore about her and Alastor being developed as a couple before it was scrapped but I really like how they are in the show

-Even if it’s just crumbs I’m so excited to be getting snippets of Alastor’s lore. It’s wild to keep going back and forth between “aw he actually cares for and protects his friends” and “oh my god he’s a fucking psycho”

-Speaking of that the scene with Husk holy shit. Poor man looked terrified

-The confirmation that Alastor’s also stuck working for someone, it has to be Lilith surely. I know some people will call it predictable because a lot of theories are coming true but personally I think it’s from good worldbuilding/foreshadowing

-ALASTOR IN FULL DEMON FORM JUST ANNIHILATING EVERYONE and then he just goes “Ah that was fun, now back to it”

-I kinda like the parallel between Al and Mimzy & Angel and Cherri where they invite their friends to join them if they want to, even if neither of them take it up initially maybe we’ll see them join the hotel in the future?

-BABY CHARLIE

-I really expected Lucifer to be a dickhead and a shitty dad, but he seems to be an overall better guy than most people in hell

-CHERRI BOMB ARRIVAL! And she’s Aussie now fuck yeah represent

-I still love her and Angel’s friendship even if she is a terrible influence. Everyone’s got that friend who’s solution to a bad day is just self-destruction but they mean well at least

-DARREN CHRIS TOO, THE MUSICAL THEATRE/BROADWAY ACTOR CASTING IS STACKED

-Emily is so sweet I love her

-The Molly cameo is so sweet, I was waiting for her to appear somewhere but lowkey forgot she was in heaven. Honestly though how did she get there when the rest of her and Angel’s family got condemned for what they did together? Maybe she left the mob or something idk I just hope we get to meet her properly at some point

-Heaven’s real fucked up? Yeah not shocked

-VAGGIE?? FALLEN ANGEL REVEAL?? AND SHE WAS AN EXTERMINATOR???? I know most of us called it but holy shit I didn’t expect it to be confirmed this soon

-Adam is such a dick but he’s so much fun

-I love that Charlie was gonna start her court presentation with definitions like a high school essay

-“Consent is a good name for a sex club” the gentleman Husk truthers gonna have fun with this one

-Pentious hitting on Cherri is hilarious and totally not the same level of subtlety I flirt with when I’m drunk

-Hearing more and more about how Val treats Angel is so sad especially with how casually he talks about it since it’s just another day for him

-Him parenting drunk Nifty is beautiful

-“You wanna play with the kitty?”

-Valentino is my #1 enemy

-Seeing Angel stand up to him to protect his friends is making me feel feelings. Like he knows that he’s gonna be treated even worse for it but I think he’s reaching his tipping point and shits gonna go down soon

-Also I know there’s a popular theory that he’s gonna die soon and a lot of the theories are coming true so I am scared. I kind of don’t think this one’ll happen though since he’s the fan favourite and its just too soon to take that much of a risk. Plus Vivsie’s admitted he’s the best written character and it’d be such a waste of all that development

-More sweet moments between him and Husk, they’ve gotten me so invested in this ship so fast

-The fact that most of heaven didn’t know about the extermination?? Wild

-Idk how I feel about the timeskip between Ep 4&5, they’re only a month away from the extermination now. Yes it’s making the stakes feel higher but I do wish we’d been able to see more of that time for the relationship development, all the characters seem much closer than before and we’ve only seen bits of how they got there

-I really wish they’d greenlit more than 8 episodes to pace things a little better but I’m glad we have season 2 confirmed

-That last minute ‘reveal Vaggie’s past to Charlie, boot them out of heaven and then cut to credits before she can react’ is gonna torture me until next week

-I don’t disagree with past criticism that Vivzie’s female characters can feel a bit underwritten but I think it’s getting better

-“We’re coming to the hotel first” plus all the theories that someone’s gonna die are fucking stressing me out man

Anyway hope you enjoy the brain dump, this show has once again consumed my thoughts

[emmebearpaw]

Ok. I’m just going to say this is going to be a very long ramble about incredibly minor Genshin Impact lore and design choices that fill my brain. It’s loosely inspired by this prompt on the Genshin 2024 prompt meme, but this is not written in fanfic style despite being mostly headcanon. And Amber not being in it. And also a different belief in the world building of them than the prompt suggests. It’s a lovely prompt though if I ever think of how to make what I’m about to write an actual story I might claim it.

p.s: most of this ramble is just my genshin worldbuilding as related to wind gliders. Thus mostly textiles.

I’m obsessed with Wind Gliders. I fully understand they run on magic, and that attempting to design ones that don’t are nigh impossible (as explained in Sumeru wing’s). However I’m not interested in the magic that fuels them. That’s the hand waving. Necessary, yes, but boring. I’m interested in how they are made in universe.

Now. This is not something the game is interested in. So I’ve made. A lot of stuff up. I’m not surprised Genshin doesn’t really care, it’s an open world game. The basis of fabric production is something the game only lightly touches upon with the assertion that Silk Flowers can make fabric. It’s just called “fabric” in game but I am going to presume, based off its description of being “silky smooth”. That it’s silk. Which would make sense for the region of Liyue and silk has had use in parachute material, so I’m not going to rule out silk as a material wind gliders are made from.

However silk flowers only grow in Liyue, and surely Liyue is not the only country in Teyvat that can make fabric. So it’s time for my work of fiction number one. What kind of fibers are found in Teyvat? Despite everyone in this game looking like they have invented polyester, with its superior dying and fabric printing range, I don’t think Teyvat is a world that process petroleum. Only Fontaine has a level of technological development I would think would be conducive to oil and they have their own renewable energy source in indemnitium. So we will be sticking with natural fibers.

The major varieties of natural fibers that I think are most conducive to wind glider construction include: cotton, hemp (makes canvas and rope), silk, and flax (makes linen).

The locations in game these would be cultivated based on their real world cultivation histories (source is Wikipedia):

Cotton: warmer regions. Primarily Sumeru and Natlan (cotton is an old world and new world crop! We domesticated it more than once), maybe some around the chasm in Liyue but that region does not seem to be doing a lot of agriculture.

Hemp: Hemp is an old world crop. It was imported into South America but only grew well in Chile. Cultivation is a little hard because of the fact that Hemp is the same plant as Marijuana and is thus just sometimes illegal. Probably grows pretty much everywhere but is not commonly found in Natlan. Doesn’t seem like a lot of middle eastern countries grow a lot of it either, so probably not a lot in Sumeru?

Silk: Historically? Liyue and Inazuma. Sumeru has gotten into it more recently. This one is harder to think about though as a plant would have much different growing condition than insects. Plus Inazuma is a more similar climate to Sumeru jungle than Liyue. Honestly it’s 1 am I’m tired I’m not thinking about soil water logging right now.

Flax: Most prominently grown in Mondstadt and Fontaine (once again I’m not thinking about the water table).

Ok. So with the in game lore tying wind glider creation to Mondstadt the sail material being a linen originally would probably be the most likely. Sumeru’s wind gliders also specifically mention a history of attempting to create realistic wind gliders. Those would probably be cotton or maybe silk.

TLDR: different fabrics might be used.

——————

Ok but what about construction? Well to begin with, windgliders seem to have a construction style more similar to a parachute than a plane. This is evidence by the deploy animation! Go jump off a cliff in game and pop out those wings and you’ll see them bend upwards from the middle and then level out. It can also be seen by their shape! The wing tips point downwards a little bit. An internal frame would likely lead to less bowing of the wings, and is thus unlikely as part of the structure.

This, however brings us to the point that I think the wind glider frankly has more parts than they show us in game. If the wings have no internal frame, they would need strings to keep the wings level and to steer them, like a paraglider. Additionally, the game literally doesn’t depict a way that the glider connects to your character’s body. I personally think it is something similar to a parachute harness and that wind gliding posture leans far more forward. Almost horizontal instead of the near vertical posture depicted in game. Mostly because I don’t know how you could rig a vertical posture in and strap it to yourself without adding lots of extra weight.

Now onto production of wind gliders!

The basic wind glider Amber hands us at the beginning is basically the only style of wind glider that is produced ready for purchase. It’s basically only available in Mondstadt, as Mondstadt is the only region with a high enough rate of adventurers, a culture that promotes gliding and an environment conducive to gliding that is safe enough for most people to consider it a reasonable activity. Gliding is a sport in Mondstadt! Especially around the coastal cliffs, where updrafts can keep you airborne for long periods of time! In Inazuma it’s a thing insane people do (I can not imagine that a place with frequent unexpected rain storms and lightning as I imagine in Inazuma would think about a sport where if it rains people might die because the thing keeping them airborne absorbed water and got heavy). When not in the air they hang down. They don’t just disappear like in game, you actually have to pause and take them off and fold/roll them back up when you are done using them. The traveler just wears a backpack with big wings draping off their back like a cape a lot of the time.

The wings of first flight are pretailored, and can be purchased directly through the knights. It is up to the purchaser to adjust the attachment straps and steering strings as necessary to ensure they are taught and secure no matter a person’s proportions. They come in the brown and black we see in game, though color may vary slightly depending on when in the year the wings were produced as a different dye may be substituted. The color was chosen to be very visible against many surfaces, including the sky, the stone color of the area and even the soils most prevalent in Mondstadt! That way if an adventurer crashes and needs rescue they are the most visible.

There is a small craft factory that produces them by hand. They are not made directly by the Knights but are commissioned by them for sale to adventurers and sport gliders. In terms of production, there are two ways I figure gliders are made.

More reasonable due to their high variation in coloring, each “feather” is a separate piece of fabric sewn together (typically by hand, i don’t know how many places in Teyvat have sewing machines. Fontaine probably does). This style would probably have an inside fabric layer of a less breathable fabric, which is one solid piece and is the thing actually doing the work, and then a fashion layer surrounding it. More pieces of fabric sewn together introduces more possibility for air to pass through and cause a lack of drag. I figure most wings in the game are this style.

There is no inside + fashion layer. The glider is one layer that is 1-2 solid piece(s), decorated with decorative stitches and details along the center of the wings where drag production is less important. The Wings of first flight are the most likely to be this style.

“But what about other wing styles?” I hear you ask. Simple. I think those are all artisan one off productions made for the traveler. The Steambird commissioned a wind glider for you from a local artisan to repay you for helping out the city so much. They got you a wind glider because you, the traveler, are known for using a wind glider. This was less notable in Mondstadt but is much more notable as your travels continue. Yes I know the Fontaine wings description indicate you don’t know the source of them. I think the in game description of the wings is written in universe. The artisan who created your wings know things about the world and tell you things about the world in their backstory for the wings. This isn’t a great answer but this is just how I interpret it. The non reputation wind gliders I don’t know how to justify how you receive them in game. I also don’t know how the Frostbearing Tree gives you a craft project.

Anyways all this to say I still don’t actually have an answer for the prompt.

[sloshr]

After watching through Side Order... I have a Few Thoughts.

[Spoilers ahead]

My Review of the Side Order DLC - Its little more than Gameplay.

Initial Opinion

- - - - - - - - - -

Overall; I like the gameplay mechanics initially, but the story absolutely feels lacking to me, imo. It feels like they were really banking on Side Order being Hard but... multiple of my friends finished it on their 2nd or 3rd run through the Spire.

That in itself isnt a problem! But... everyone felt sort of unsatisfied? There were no developments in the story, as we, Agent 8, were just assigned the task to Get to The Top of the Spire -> The Player Does That -> You beat a Boss -> Credits Roll (?)

On my watchthrough I literally said Please Say Sike 😭 because, dont take this poorly, but they were advertising Side Order as;

• Difficult (stated Multiple Times in basically every Trailer)

• Story Driven (You Uncover things as You Climb)

• Character and Lore Intensive (as shown by the trailers with all the concept art as well as promo art)

I dont feel like it was wrong to expect more based on how it was advertised.

But... if you complete the DLC in 1-2 runs, which is Very Much Possible, no buildup happens at all. The story was banking on the player struggling, and putting all the content behind repeat runs, which falls through and Doesnt really work/feel satisfying if the main goal is achieved in such a short time. I Feel like anyone who regularly plays Salmon Run will likely have a similar experience. And I feel kind of cheated? Because what we got was something that was Tell Not Show rather than the Show, Not Tell formula. And in my opinion, it really doesn't work as well at all. It puts all the major lore that the game has set up behind repetetive climbs (which never change btw, despite each climb being generated differently, its the same after a while) and you get about 1 Sentence of Exposition, with a Modlog from Marina if you are Lucky.

Side Order was (to me), after watching it all;

• Not Difficult, But Repetetive Gameplay (This easily runs people down, which would be fine if the tower had more than 1 setup or phase)

• Inital Story Setup with no complexities or stages. You climb the first Tower, Save Marina, Climb the Second Tower, Beat Order, and the credits Roll. In its most complex, you could fit what Side Order's Story is in 2-3 Sentences. Rather than Lore being revealed During the story, it feels Pushed to the Side as all of it is either in Text the player may never see (different climbs) or care to read (Marina's Mod Log)

• Use of Character Drops with no explaination / mention (The Agent 4 Boss, Anyone?) (This felt very Bait-y, with No Payoff)

Rating

- - - - -

If I had to give Side Order a Rating

4/10. At Best.

I am a bit disappointed with this as I feel like I was promised more, Storywise, and honestly a bit gameplay wise. I think it fails where other DLC has succeeded Due to being Built in such a way where anything engaging is stuck behind barely changing gameplay. It is not built in a way where the experience cant fail to show you whats important to the characters and the worldbuilding. It relies too much on telling you whats happening rather than the world showing you. Its too Simple, and It Doesnt Work, personally, in a series that contains Octo Expansion.

Which is Sad to me!! It had so much wasted potential and I really hope this isn't the last we're going to see of the concept, we get to see ideas actually built into the story, and... maybe find Agent 4.

Conclusion

- - - - - - - -

Tldr; Side Order had a good concept, but failed in execution for being simple and gameplay dependent, which was ultimately disappointing due to it being advertised as something more for all involved.

It was an alright attempt. The experience will just be known to me as... well. Baby's First Rouge-like. Nothing worldbreaking.

(PS, this isnt meant to be mean spirited or overly critical, I just love the Splatoon Series so I give it Tough Love. This is just my personal view on the DLC)

Thank you for Reading! Feel free to share or add any thoughts!

[bricko-mcfisto]

So I wanna talk about Elden Ring, specifically about the final boss of its DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, specifically about some of the controversy and fandom infighting I've seen and some of my own thoughts about why they did what they did.

Obviously, spoilers beneath the cut.

So, instead of Godwyn we got Promised Consort Radahn and the reveal that Miquella had been thirsting for the Starscourge as his lord and consort since before he was even called the Starscourge, and some people are pretty disappointed about that, and honestly I am too, but...I want to take a stab at trying to explain why.

As youtubers like Zullie the Witch have started delving into Shadow of the Erdtree's lore and assets it's pretty obvious that indeed as has been said already, the content in SOTE was part of Georgie Martin's lore bible that he wrote for the game, and honestly I think this is the root reason for why it was Radahn at the end of the DLC and not Godwyn.

George RR Martin is a man kind of famous for his painstaking detail even where it's not always wanted, such as his notorious quote asking what Aragorn's tax policies were after Lord of the Rings, and Radahn's presence in the DLC answers a question that while maybe not important to most of us would have absolutely been something he'd have included in what he wrote for Fromsoft.

Why did Malenia and Radahn fight? It's a question we never get an answer to main game, I don't think we even get any real hints. Personally I didn't think it was that important, the entire point of the Shattering War was that it was bad and the demigods going mad with newfound strength so does it really matter what their specific supposed reasons were for annihilating the countryside?

However, George Martin absolutely would have included the details of why that war happened, what the goals were, the point of it even was, and thus...we see Radahn's place as final boss and Promised Consort.

Now do I know this for fact? Obviously not, I'm inferring based on my understanding of Martin's writing and the general level of historical detail in Elden Ring's base game and how neatly the rest of the DLC fits into the history and worldbuilding of the base game, and the fact that George kinda feels like the only explanation?

Promised Consort Radahn is kind of unprecedented in terms of Fromsoft's DLC boss fights. The closest we've ever come to something like this was in Dark Souls 2, with things like the Squallid Queen summoning Velstadt and the optional powered up, Cool Ranch flavored Smelter Demon, both of which don't even come close.

This would be like if the Artorias of the Abyss DLC in Dark Souls 1 had like the Four Kings again but more powerful and "in their prime" as the final boss instead of Manus. It would be like if the final boss of Dark Souls 3's last DLC was Lorian revealing that while he liked his brother he always thought Yhorm was super cool and wanted to marry him and you then fought them both together. Really the only reason I can think for why Fromsoft would do something this unusual for them is because it's what George wrote down when detailing the events of the Shattering War and why those battles happened.

[misc-obeyme]

I'm back with some more biblical lore >:'D

I've been thinking lately and noticed how similar Mc is to a Nephilim. In case you didn't know; Nephilim are the spawn from a union between a Human and an Angel. If lilith somehow kept her Angel DNA after being reincarnated as a human and MC being their distant descendant, chances are Mc is more Nephilim than human.

Another thing i would like to point out is; How powerful Mc is! The game even mentions that Mc is probably more powerful than Solomon (Twice mind you). In Lesson 62-19, Lucifer states that there are probably only a few demons who could pose a threat to MC due to how powerful they have become. And if i remember correctly in Lesson 76-19, Simeon stole the ring of light from the Celestial Realm without permission for Mc cuz they couldn't control their power. Now where am i getting with this? You see, a Nephilim is considered one of the most powerful entities in the universe due to being able to become stronger than its angelic parents. Nephilim are greater in power because not only do they possess the power of the Angelic parentage but a Human soul to enhance it, creating a supremely powerful being. Nephilim were also stated to have been quite destructive with their powers especially if they couldn't control said powers.

MC could be so powerful it could pose a threat everyone. Basically, Mc is capable to be more powerful than any demon or angel. Maybe this could be why the Celestial Realm (or Michael for that matter) kepts a close eye on Mc on all times.

Actually, i have more thoughts to do this but i don't want to spam you full with text. Until next time ✌🏻

-Angsty Anon.

Ah yes, nephilim, I am indeed familiar with this concept! I can't remember where I first heard about it. I'm pretty sure I knew about them before Supernatural had one in the later seasons... but I can't remember where I first heard it.

Anyway, I think a lot of this depends on how the ancestry works in the OM world. They don't tell us this information, of course, so it's hard to say. But Lilith is one of MC's distant ancestors, so her angel DNA by normal human standards would be extremely diluted at this point. Not gone entirely, but certainly not the same amount that MC would have if they had had one full angelic parent.

Which isn't to say that they aren't still a powerful nephilim. Since this is all made up, it just depends on whatever worldbuilding the game decides to go with. (If they bring this up at all, which they might not.) I mean in that they could say in order to be considered a nephilim, one has to have a fully angelic parent. But they could also say, it doesn't matter. The angelic DNA could be so strong and powerful enough that it manifests in MC just as strongly as it would if MC had a fully angelic parent. If they did go with that, though, I think there'd need to be some kind of special exception for MC specifically. Because otherwise every human in MC's lineage would also have had that same amount of power, possibly more.

I think it'd be interesting if MC's reason was honestly just... they came to the Devildom! That power was always latent in them (and iirc this is kinda how they describe it in the game too), but it isn't brought out until they start making pacts and befriending angels and so forth.

They definitely already have destructive levels of power. MC needed the Ring of Light in order to contain that power because it was fucking with the worlds without MC even doing anything. That's why it was like a matter of desperation that they sever their pacts and blah blah.

I think MC is currently a threat to the stability of the worlds, but because they have the Ring of Light, that keeps their power stable instead of going haywire all the time.

Anyway, MC is OP and whether that's due to just their life circumstances or because of their angel DNA, the game hasn't specified. Which means you get to make up whatever you want, which is always fun!

I was also under the impression that nephilim are often so dangerous that regular angels won't even suffer them to live. Like if they find out about it, they're gonna hunt that nephilim down because nobody that powerful should exist. Most stories seem to go this route with it. But here we got Michael bein like... I gotta watch this one, but I'm not gonna kill 'em. LOL. And I think that's an interesting aspect. They don't really interfere much at all, even when MC was an active threat.

In fact, they straight up punished Simeon for doing the one thing that would save the worlds from MC's power without anyone having to die.

I'm still mad about it.

Anyway, I will tag this as spoilers just in case, I know not everybody is caught up on all the seasons in OG.

But I like this concept! It's certainly interesting to think about and to consider all the different things that could go into it!

[ratcandy]

OH YEAH and yeah idk maybe the big skull fungus very well could be like, a god. that it could be like, the one god shroom. i remember people before sotf were wondering if the mushroomos infected sozo(nious) on purpose because of the implication that its a god was in the file name even before the lore tablets mentioned it.. i think. i havent seen them for myself either besides small glances IT ALSO HAS A WHITE STEM?? INSTEAD OF A BLACK ONE LIKE SOZO HAS?? like?? is it a different type? what if its from an ancient ancestor? whats going on, whats the relation of the mushroomos to these similar but different fungi? im honestly just as confused as you are. i think about these things about the game, especially with sozo, so often and im glad someone else also does just as much LMAO. at this rate ive posted 3 fucking anon asks in a row im so sorry

COTL DEVS ANSWER ME WHAT IS THE SKULL SUPPSOED TO BE

If it is a god shroom then everything explodes because It's A God Shroom it could do whatever it wants for any reason . In which Sozo has a god in his body/brain(???) and that's why it can drag him with it when it's revived. and that is a Theory I've proposed before but then it's like. WHY would a god shroom NOT infect more than just Sozo. Surely it wants to propagate right??? Otherwise why infect at all?? Unless it just wanted a vessel??

I mean fuck if we really want to go insane about it, the fungi that kills Sozo doesn't even look like the same fungi

and it split the one on his head in HALF so like. I assume it's the same fungi and it just spores in a strange way, because otherwise we're going into complicated ass hyperparasitism territory (parasites that infect other parasites) which we COULD do but like WHY, but i mean.

like. maybe this is a neverending spiral of endless fungi. who knows Throws my hands into the air.

AND DIFFERENT STEM COLORS YOU'RE RIGHT I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE?? COULD THEY BE DIFFERENT SPECIES THEN? BUT WHY ... Or is a maturity thing and maybe the one on Sozo is younger and will lose its darker colors as it ages????? I mean. And bear with me here, but. The shroom on the skull has fuckin age lines. So like. Old shroom? Old shroom gone white with age? Old? Shroom? Aged? Elderly shroom?

and don't even get me STARTED on the mushroomos who are themselves seemingly menticide (given they drop it when killed and sozo will eat them). like. the worldbuilding here is so fucked and I can only barely try to contain it into digestible boxes that make a vague amount of sense in my brain

[angeart]

ok so I just finished binge reading (as well as staring in wonder at the beautiful art) basically everything about the fic and I just want to say. THE ART. THE WRITING. THE WORLDBUILDING AND LORE AND PLOT AND CHARACTER DESIGNS. THE EVERYTHING.

Their stories are so tragic and amazing and IM NOT CRYING YOURE CRYING *internally screaming and sobbing* >:C /vvvpos

also I’m super intrigued by the mimic??? Like, ohmygosh they’re such an interesting character and I feel so bad for them but at the same time HOW DARE YOU HURT MY CHILDREN </33333 im wondering if we’re ever gonna get any info on what their natural form (if they have one) looks like?? Or more mimic/hybrid lore, etc? but either way GREAT JOB ARGH this fic >>>>>>

I’m awestruck by both of your amazing skills, keep doing what you’re doing because you’re both gonna go great places, and already have and holy. I’m so invested in this fic lmbo. 🫵🏳️‍🌈🥺

-😸🫶🏼

waaa ohmygosh a new person! hi hello!!

i was confused for a second but i assume by fic you mean hhau! <33 their story truly is full of tragedy (just the way we love it hehe) and i'm so excited to hear you enjoyed looking through all the stuff and are now Invested™️!

also also!! it's great to hear you're interested in the mimic! when me and link made juni, we just had a What If Mimic thought one day and played around with it, and then it kept going and going, until it gained a life of its own. and, honestly, we weren't sure if people were going to like him by the end of his arc. he's complicated, he stepped between grian and scar, and he's made some very bad decisions. which, you know, is a tricky spot to put a character you want people to care about.

it always makes me so happy to know he's looked at with love and curiosity despite all the wrongs he's done rather than seeing his character just negatively and being glad he's gone, so thank u!! <33

juni doesn't know what his original form is. in a way, he doesn't have one anymore. he can't remember how to be himself, so he's just looking for someone to be. someone he can live with being, you know? identity is such a convoluted, twisted concept to him, but he's desperate to grasp it. to be his own, rather than just a thief or a coward or a traitor.

and maybe we'll get to see where that journey takes him. i hope that's something you'd look forward to see :3c

[teeth-cable]

Worldbuilding Questions: The Sinners not being treated like trash in Hell.

1. They are responsible for the yearly cleanse which sometimes results in angels leaving behind their weapons which as proven by Striker isn't just a problem for sinners but the nobles as well.

2. Lucifer rebelled because he refused to kneel before humans and sure you can bring up Lilith but i honestly don't know which lore about her Vivziepop is going with because there's a ton of different versions with the main consistent thing being she's Adam's first wife who believed in equal rights. Like she defied god and his plans so I'm leaning towards Lucifer seeing her as an exception. Also its weird Lilith is drawn as white when she should be middle eastern (because that's where a lot of the bible takes place) or african (humans came from africa according to palentology).

3. Sinners cause chaos in their wake in just pentagram city alone we have territorial violence every saturday which would probably make Hellborn who travel to pride have a miserable experience.

4. Also why does Hell have its technology line up perfectly with Earth? Like since it takes several decades on average for people to die on average wouldn't that mean that tech geniuses who kickstarted a tech revolution wouldn't show up until much later to bring it to hell? And then you have to consider some of those geniuses might end up in Heaven instead. Plus they can't even leave hell like the Hellborns so they can't just swoop in and attempt to have any status via technological advancements even if they are a tech genius who died young because they lack something made within the last few years to reconfigure for hell. Like do you think a succubus is going to hand a sinner a phone she found so they can invent the internet or create cellphones. Also would hell even have the same materials to create the tech?

5. Wouldn't it be logistically seen as a bigger scandal if Stolas got with a sinner instead of an imp? Like Lucifer hates them, your existence as demons is designed to fuck them over, and those assholes could've gone to heaven.

Like I get Charlie and Vaggie were initially written as friends in the pilot but now with the currently known lore. Vaggie dating Charlie should effect Charlie's reputation significantly. Even if we go with sinners being middle class like in canon... Vaggie barely has powers/isn't an overlord, the question regarding royal heirs, and she is literally a being that Lucifer would think is below Charlie.

It just doesn't make sense for sinners to not be treated awful in Hell. The only reason why they're in Hell is because they were terrible in their human life and are supposed to be punished because of it so for them to get off scott-free and do whatever they want doesn't make sense. Also the additional problems the sinners brought in Viv's Hell. Sinners are overpopulating Hell and it will make the Hellborns hate them because now there is a competition for food and space and to make it worst because of the overpopulation, Heaven is now involved and have to do a yearly purging. So the sinners are draining resources from the local species and brought Heaven into Hell, Hellborns greatest enemies that the imps have to clean up after because the angels aren't cleaning their mess. How are sinners not get punish here?

Lilith, I don't think counts as a human anymore because she did betrayed Adam and God and turned into a succubus. So maybe Lucifer sees her as an equal because of their similar backstories and relationship with God. I get what you're saying with Lilith, it does makes sense for her to be middle eastern but I think it's a Jesus situation. Where they both came from Judaism and were very obvious not white in their original appearance but due to centuries of the church rewriting and whitewashing Judaism to fit their religion, the popular interpretation of Jesus became white. Heck, even now when it now public knowledge Jesus wasn't white and was Jewish, people still draw him the white version more. Still not an excuse but I can see why Viv made Lilith white when most modern interpretation of Lilith is a white lady.

If TERF wars were so common and violence to the point, they make it to the local news, you would think they would show that in Helluva Boss.

I guess you can make the excuse, imps and demons stole knowledge from humans to make their technology as advanced as their. Belphegor did trick humans into making machines with the promised it would make them rich or help humanity but when they’re done building, Belphegor stole their inventions. Again though it still weird Hell is technology advanced as humans when Hell has it's own culture and history different from Earth. Even if Hell and Earth do have similar cities and technology, there would still be major differences between the two worlds.

In another Hell show where the world building was planned and thought out well, yes, but in Helluva, Hell's ranks shows imps are below sinners.

The pilot was so unplanned. Even when people use the excuse, it's just an pilot and they will explain the lore in detail in the show, a pilot should still have a basis understanding of it's own lore and show it. Charlie and Vaggie's relationship, friends or girlfriends would still be conversational. Not only for the reasons you mentioned but also Charlie was in a relationship with Seviathan Von Eldritch, a Hellborn prince but broke it off. Knowing how Hellborns can be petty and mean, when they see Charlie hanging around with some random sinner after she broke up with a prince, rumors will surely be made. Charlie was secretly seeing Vaggie when she was dating Seviathan, Vaggie trick Charlie into leaving Seviathan, Vaggie trick Charlie into wanting to help the sinner, Vaggie is only friends with Charlie because she only wants to move up ranks. These rumors aren’t true but that doesn’t matter because the Hellborn will treat them as truth to feel powerful than Charile. If this did happened it actually provide a reason why the sinners in the pilot didn’t respect Charlie or her plan because the rumors tainted her reputation and sinners are suspicious about her motives to help them. It fleshes out the sinners and gives them more of a character than them being mean to Charlie because they’re asshole despite Charlie being the daughter of Lucifer and she can torture them for being disrespectful.

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

https://www.tumblr.com/aspiringwarriorlibrarian/749672479143903233/this-show-focus-too-much-on-lore-and-its

I feel like 90% of online spaces need to have words taken away from them until they know how to use them right, because this kind of mentality where "X should not be here, Y should be here" is ridiculous.

Like, did it ever occur to them that maybe lore and worldbuilding aren't just there for them to ignore and disregard, but to help contextualize the way the characters act and think, or maybe even help to further understand the nature of certain events? Or that maybe the author is using these story elements as a way to dissect and break down the way we as people engage with narrative?

Because honestly, it feels like a lot of the time most complaints aren't built on any understanding of these things' roles in a narrative, but ultimately just "I don't like it, so it has no value and doesn't deserve to exist" except with flowery language slapped on it to sound smart.

I am a big advocate for the adaptation of language, but the blatant bad faith way all of it is used turned me off. But your last paragraph was spot on. Too many people mistake "I don't like it" for "it has no value" and then build their cases on that.

[narwhalandchill]

Honestly. thinking back on it (am mega late yes) even though i like. ultimately enjoyed going thru fontaine AQ as an experience in terms of its emotional core and payoff with characters like navia neuvillette n furina having very strong writing and characterization i do think the overall AQ lore and worldbuilding is probably the messiest in the entire game and feels like all of its opportunities and potential was underutilized the most and thats just. Unfortunate

like yes its inazuma thats the most infamous for how shitty and rushed its execution was (and rightly so) and yes it Also had its share of issues with nothingburgers like the whole statue thing going nowhere or how shoddily constructed the entire it-was-all-the-fatui deal was

but i still think it has a stronger ground to stand on like. all aspects of the story if just slightly differently written and centered around better in-lore reasoning and logic. Are internally consistent with the world ya know. and would have produced a good story. like it could be fixed easily. no need for me to go Full Rewrite here but like just to make a point:

a shut-in deity paranoid and trauma-stricken is ignorant to her peoples wishes and enacts an eternal rule that stifles their hopes and dreams. discontentment in the nation (NOT just the vision holders it shouldve been ALL inazumans divided on this i s2g) has been on the rise but only outside forces stoking the flames push it into overdrive as they seek to exploit the unrest to get the gnosis. couldve brought the whole "peoples faith powers the archon" if they wanted to pop off bc then the fatui by sparking the civil war are Directly weakening eis power like Thats solid! less ei was innocent and only the fatui led to the bad stuff more. ei is flawed makes shit choices and leaves an opening for their operations etc etc etc.

foreshadow signoras past and distrust of the gods in like a tense encounter or two early on (ritou maybe?) where she hints at a deeper reason behind her actions. no need to trauma dump just have her like idk mock us for seeking the archons for "help" in finding our sibling slash truth of the world and coincidentally use wording that directly alludes to what we already heard from dainsleif earlier abt the cataclysm and archons sus so its like an Oh Shit. she can namedrop or allude to venti to imply its personal or sth to further recontextualize her actions in mondstadt as well.

and so on. like then fixing the rebellion (ppl join for other reasons than just the VHD so its a more common cause etc maybe some ppl dont care abt the decrees as much but the drafting of civilians into the ever expanding war effort goes too far) and stuff like that. inazuma had the ingredients for a consistent good story they just fumbled it completely

whereas fontaine tells like. a much stronger and more hype emotional core journey for its focal points as u go thru them but also it just. Genuinely falls apart if you poke at the setting and world for a bit too long its really just swiss cheese and that sucks

like as much as i Do love the narwhal in a very normal and sane way i still think story wise it absolutely goes into the signora tier of mishandled AQ boss fights except Even worse than hers bc. signora Fits inazuma even if she was handled poorly. but with the narwhal (and by extension childes entire presence as happy as i was to see him at all) its just... kinda random? and got pretty much brushed aside even during the AQ like we get the opera hall cutscene and then theres a THIRTY MINUTE cutscene with focalors before the actual fight happens like way to just. eliminate any urgency from the situation bruh. and then at the end both the narwhal and childe kinda just got plot deviced into hyping up skirk and surtalogis name drop. which rly fucking sucks. 99.7% of fandom never reads the AQ fight boss drop to consider the narwhals a sentient thinking feeling entity and not just a dumb big pet bc skirk called it that etc.

childe in general i dont think im necessarily like. as negative on the way he was handled as some ppl are (tho the general sentiments are 100% shared) but its still very much like. a disappointment w his lack of presence and voiced lines and in terms of how a lot of the intrigue set up in the AQ Especially the oratrice judgement just got shrugged off all "who knows 🤷‍♀️" like Are You Serious. and also p much using him as a neuvi hype device like . I saw it i knew ppl were going to be insufferable abt it & was right

i also saw a comment talking abt how childe Being the purple guy inside the narwhal just corrupted or sth wouldve given him a more heightened presence during the boss fight and while im a hater of that concept for other reasons (mostly the. narwhal must have malicious designs for ajax thing) i cant disagree with that take in terms of the story aspect. like if the narwhal ate him when he fell back in (which i kinda? assume mustve happened lmao like where did he Go 😭😭) it Wouldve been a much greater moment for sth like that to be there.

But bc i personally dont like the Brainwashed Puppet Angle i think how id have done it is just. sure make the purple guy more reminiscent of ajax n his fight style maybe even FL . But. feature an actual fucking cutscene in the stomach of us realizing its Not Him. but instead its the Narwhal Emulating Him as a spectral summon thingy. bc it ate his dumb unconscious ass for safekeeping or w/e and is now copying his homework of "use a manifestation of the other as a combat technique" (v romantic btw. soulmates real). like DUDE we had childes earlier AQ appearance Actively Bring Up this EXACT thing! he uses a hydro construct mimicking the narwhal as a combat technique bc of how their encounter rewired his brain chemistry. and now the narwhal needs to improv a more humanoid angle to combat in its stomach after it ate us. so like pov ur the narwhal whats the closest point of reference to draw from at that moment?

Oh Right. the guy ur been fighting for 40+ days . Your guy (derogatory) 💀 like they have a telepathic link who knows if it could just straight up cross reference Our combat moves from the flashes its getting from childes memories of seeing us in action and utilizing that.

like it wouldve been so sick and still left the nature of their connection relatively open ended. like it ate him skirk would be separating them at the end and maybe comment on it a bit and his whereabouts during the entire thing wouldve been Way Less confusing. The knight dude being a mimic of ajax' battle technique would thematically connect to the golden house fight and his hydro whale technique and its just. the current electro dude is just so Huh. like its a good jumpscare and i love the OST obviously but it getting No Lore NOR cutscene sucks so bad

(And like if they wanted the combat design to be so that theres no cutscene interrupting the transition between being swallowed and entering the stomach phase just make it an AQ exclusive one. and if we cant have traveler talk and logistics of bringing paimon/neuvi to make the shocked observation of "is that.... him? no... its just an imitation???" or w/e . Just have us FLASH BACK to childes own fucking dialogue as the phantom him is summoned to face us where he mentions 1) traces of the narwhal on him and 2) the basis behind his hydro summon technique. so traveler can have a silent !!!!!! Realization that he got ate or whatever and now his narwhal is stealing his ideas jsjskdksirigkf)

Anyway i swear this wasnt just abt those two im so sorry . but like yeah its just a fucking shame and also the narwhal being just like . Means to an End in the prophecy feels kinda meh but like i dont have a solid idea on how that would even rly be fixed but yeah. underutilized my both beloveds

Back to fontaine general stuff tho i kinda do think that . hoyo almost missed the trees for the forest w it all if u will excuse the mid metaphor . like they told a very strong emotional story w neuvi and furina and navia But it came at the cost of a highly illogical lore and worldbuilding and its just An Issue if u dwell on it even a little bit and its rly a shame

like they were going for this justice theme of maybe AI justicebot is not The Way (TM) and people viewing court as a spectacle rather than a show of justice but then went never fucking where with it in terms of Maybe This Needs Changing . they made that entire champion duelists a thing despite it being So fucking stupid fundamentally like it just relies on nobody with enough raw power to just solo any duelist ever getting into the ring

(no credit for this tho this was a comment thread i ran into on leaks sub. there was also a point made abt how childe dueling and winning against clorinde when hes accused wouldve been such a great moment of like both showcasing clorindes role and linking to their earlier sparring and holding back thing and also that maybe the system sucks when this is possible and while i get the story needed him in jail so he can reunite w his narwhal . im now mad this didnt happen. give him a W in combat hoyo.)

like theres this entire thing about flawed justice in fontaine that is present in the 4.0 story but then it just...... Disappears. Bc AI justicebot was anti celestia archon deleter all along and it finished its job so its no longer a fundamental ethical issue for the legal system and fontaines ppl to grapple with and confront shit like childes sentencing. And furina wanted dramatic trials bc of what she was told by focalors but since she retires its now just neuvillette whos super fair so everything is fixed .

im not as big of a hater of act III as some but like thinking abt these things further makes me like it less and less like Yes they wanted this meropide vs regular fontaine dichotomy explored and all but thinking of it is just. i wonder how worthwhile the opportunity cost was in there (i have no correct answer btw)

bc . if you keep the childe jailed bc justice AI bot. they shouldve shown the people responding to it . bc that entire highly controversial judgement is Literally accompanied by the solving of the serial disappearances case AFTER multiple ""culprits"" had already been imprisoned for it which i actually forgot (thanks same reddit comment for reminding me) like Whats with those people then????? and just. Everything to do with the entire case including childes deal shouldve been a much bigger social upheaval anyway like ik stuff like furinas SQ shows ppl personally affected in the aftermath but i mean in bigger scale.

And Then if we like run a bit with this alternate hypothetical idea of childe no diffing the court system (clorinde im sure youre powerful but like i put more faith in those ruin guards that lasted 4s against FL than u girl) so hes simultaneously kind of a criminal let off scot free but also its so stupid to think a guy thats like 25 at most is involved in a 20yr old solved case it couldve been actual source of political discord. and like if you need to get him to the narwhal for plot reasons its Rly Not That Hard theyre obsessed with each other bro gets pinged a whale call once and its like yes honey we jailbreak for reunion tonight (hes going to throw hands Immediately bc hes the toxic battle maniac one). also yes ik they wrote it weird so technically ajax cant duel after the oratrice decides hes involved which is major intrigue point (that canon wasted but oh well) but like. they couldve written differently idc. he couldve even gone off investigating why AI bot considers him guilty on his own and then jeepers!! speedrun glitchless any% spawned into the primordial sea!! hes missing! but like this isnt a well articulated idea whatsoever lmao im just winging some shit

meropides existence in general was also just weird. again i enjoyed the character writing it enabled for wrio and the HotH trio and despite disliking childe just being MIA i do like how the storytelling around his escape expands on his social intelligence and street smarts still. but as an entity the fortress is just sorta there as a system that Obviously shouldnt be Like this when its literally the other side of the coin to fontaines Already dubious legal system but then they went the whole. its a gathering place for exiles (still a prison)!! a home for those alienated by the surface world after so long (so why KEEP them in there that long)!!!! protectors of egerias secret (okay Sure. but whats the need post prophecy then)!!!! And its like. okay im not about to uhh. overstep my understanding of the risk a chinese company limited by often nebulous and inconsistent censorship would take if they went for a full on prison reform/abolishing angle w the writing like i dont think that was in the cards. But it still means meropide as a system just falls apart if u think abt its existence critically At All and its hard to say whether fontaines writing omitting sth like it entirely wouldve ultimately been better for the overall focus of the story anyway. but yeah

and its just. im sure theres even more that i havent even noted here (logistics of nobody drowning in the flood & rest of teyvat being unaffected etc etc) bc this is just a rant ramble not a coherent analysis but my point in all of this is that the abundance of issues like these just kinda add up so that by the end its kinda like fontaines simultaneously the AQ that id say has the highest highs in terms of its best moments and strongest emotional beats and how much heart it carries . Like im not taking that away from it.

but its also the AQ with like genuinely the messiest fucking groundwork in lore and larger worldbuilding implications whose aftermath leaves the most plot threads barely explored or just discarded altogether by the end and its just?? Such a weird mess like i very much enjoyed it despite the problems and for me it still overtakes sumeru in many aspects but i cant pretend those problems arent there . like consistency of writing and lore accounted for sumeru is still the best AQ

(oh also. the fact that to my knowledge no fucking fontaine NPC Ever reacts to the events throughout the AQ is fucking insane. like other nations could get away w sth like that better but. THE ENTIRE NATION FLOODED. How the fuck arent they talking. ppl in meropide post act IV abt the close call. ppl who saw the narwhal in the opera house in V. Like . HUH???)

but yeah its . A weird situation w fontaines writing as a whole . & yes im giga late to the discussion HSJSJSKSI but oh well thats my brain for ya

[lorelune]

hey lore !!!!! I'm a big fan of your works <3 they honestly amaze me so much. i especially adore your world building it's just so ?? scrumptious ?! no seriously it's so good like i want to eat it up along with your characterization. i love how you enhance already existing world's as well as create new ones — not just world's but ways things work and intricacies within intricacies.. you provide such a clear idea that makes picturising it all so much easier and interesting

ive never written before other than some blurbs here and there on my notes app but recently hsr brainrot has been Hitting it lately and i've had way too many thoughts 💭 i was planning on maybe writing a fic.. but it requires insane amount of world building (and ik that's definitely not the right thing to start off on, as a new writer/for your first work but then again ig there is no right and wrong way to do it (?) it's more like my brain power might not support me and i’ll abandon it half way or something 🥲 haha) anyway i was wondering if you have any tips on how to worldbuild or build further on the existing ideas of certain organisations and all that sort.. there's just so many ideas haywiring and i would really love some advice if you don't mind. but no pressure !! sorry if this was too long,,

omg hello anon!! not too long at ALL hehe i'm gonna answer this below the cut hehe

first off THANK YOU 🥺!!! i appreciate your kind words so much <3 i really enjoy worldbuilding in my own writing and i'm very glad the ideas i bungle up translate well when actually in a story :'^) in my own little brainworld where i daydream, i tend to add details and layers to the original story that i do like... question if i can execute. so it is always nice to hear that they do in fact make it through 😭💓

as for advice!!

anon. so transparently. so REAL-y. if you have the brainworms for a story, even if its big and complicated and a lot to chew on it, just start!!! it is so intimidating truly but there is no better writing fuel than the muse of a story that has captured you. and!! if it does not end up finished, that is totally okay!! i have personally learned some of most valuable lessons writing while working on large pieces that ultimately ended up unfinished.

for more material advice:

when working on fic, i keep a lot of notes in a personal discord server. i have a wip channel and threads for certain fic ideas where i compile plot details, world details, fanart and inspo photos. it's super helpful!!!

one thing that helps me when i have big grand worlds in my head and i need to get them down and written is, instead of choosing to take a bite out of the whole world itself, i try to choose just a snippet or event and build around that. for example, in cicatrix, you get LOTS of lore abt calibrators and their relationship to the luofu, but plenty of what i had spinning around in my noggin didn't make it down. it wasn't relevant to the immediate story, event, or conflict, so it stayed unspoken. however, i think having really rich background going INTO writing these snippets of a larger universe helps fill things out and seem more like... lived in.

i will say. so indispensable. BETA READERS. the first few drafts of cicatrix where so ROUGH when it came to world building. i had the whole lore of calibrators and the luofu in my head, but getting it down clearly and in a way that made enough sense to an unknowing audience took a few read throughs and feedback by some lovely friends of mine. i highly recommend tracking down someone to read over your pieces and provide feedback on the things you're worried about!!!

and like... perhaps a little corny. but. believe in yourself. we are our own greatest critics, and the best attitude to cultivate toward the craft is that you can... do it. you just can. innately anon, regardless of experience, you can create the story and world you want to. bolstering a sense of confidence goes FAR esp if you end up writing a longer piece!!!

anon i got quite rambly asldkf. i hope this is in some way helpful!!! if you have any other questions, i am happy to answer!! i truly think writing immersive worlds is SO fun and engaging, and sometimes you just gotta. throw your hat in the ring. start the run and see where it takes you. i wish you such like and good tidings anon <3

[eirian]

does anybody have any worldbuilding tips. bc like. ugh lemme explain my predicament

so i wanna work on one way dream right. im very eager to get into the meat of the story and make it A Thing. i want it to be A Thing so so bad, like mirrors is a thing. but to make it a thing, i have to have characters, because the way i make stories is to make characters and then build the plot around those characters--its just easier for me that way. BUT, to have CHARACTERS, i have to have a world to put them into. mirrors already had a pre-established world--the dragon ball world. all the systems were there already, as well as races, lore, deities, power structures, etc. but with one way dream i gotta do all that shit from scratch and i have honestly no idea where i want to go with it yet..

originally i had gone into owd thinking that it was going to be my Big Universe that had all the things i wanted to have in it. angels/demons/deities, aliens, fighting, friendship, transformations, powers, multiple universes...lots of stuff that mirrors already has. but now that im actually working on owd, im starting to feel like maybe i dont Need all that stuff in the world?? b/c its NOT mirrors. its its own thing apart from mirrors, its different. honestly at this point its more like sonic but im trying to make it different from sonic too. there are elements from lots of stuff i want to use but i dont want it to be too much like any of them, i want it to be a nice mix.

i dont know what i want to use and carry over from mirrors and other pieces of media i enjoy like dragon ball and ina11 and sonic and so on. i feel like maybe also me feeling like it doesnt need all that stuff is bc its Starting to feel like sonic world which is fine on its own but its not necessarily what i want owd to be. i really have to figure out what i want <:( its so hard..

anyway erm. tl;dr i dont know what i want the world structure/lore to be b/c i want it to be so many different things and i dont know how to make it all work in a way that i like but isnt too much like other individual medias i guess

[floralovebot]

What would you write if DC hired you to make a tempest/garth comic? What would be the genre, mood, setting, etc? Would it be plot focused or lore focused?

OH BUDDY

well personally i would end up ignoring n52 and rebirth so,, sorry to the like two rebirth garth stans i know but ajdgjlh

but anyway i've had this idea for a more tempest centric series that feels very like,, scooby doo ish? not full on detective series cause that's not his vibe, but like a mix of stumbling into different magical mysteries, fighting a monster of the week, and discovering different magic things! in my perfect aquafam world, koryak never died and garth got with letifos so both of them would accompany him!

in my head, this series would have to take place after the tempest series and vol 5,, tbh i'm not sure where exactly it would fall on the timeline!! all i know is that it would definitely happen after vol 5

but anyway, the series would start with garth mentally reeling from defeating slizzath, and in a "what the fuck is life about" kind of way, he decides to learn more about shayeris and his family history. at this point, he does know things, but he would want to know more about the day-to-day stuff and the culture, not just the all-powerful wizardy stuff. anyway, letifos wants to go with him <3 they aren't together at this point, but the series would provide a nice slow burn for them to be official by the end. i Know garth usually jumps headfirst into his relationships, but i would want this series to be more introspective so he would be thinking things through a lot more and have some hesitance. Anyway, once he gets to the ruins of the city, some weird ass monster jumps out and they have to fight it!! oh no!!!

i'm thinking that garth doing his little ritual thing either freed other bad guys from the fucking underwater prison dimension OR garth just,, doing magic awakens a bunch of shit cause they go "owo? someone is using powerful magics 👀 time to rise and grind!!" aldgh

so anyway, they just get pulled into fighting random monsters and protecting random people with magic. it would definitely have a silver age vibe with each issue being its own complete story (maybe occasionally spanning two or three). in regard to the overall vibe though,, yknow the vibe of the first live action scooby film? literally that! like it's grown up and there's a lot of dangerous shit going on and it goes into serious topics and has serious, darker moments, but it's also just a little silly goofy aldhg the series would start being dark and angsty then gradually get lighter as garth not only leans more into his magic abilities but also allows himself to be happy and help people the way he wants to.

it would definitely be more lore focused! i would really want to go in on insane atlantean history, magical worldbuilding, etcetc. the aquafam has a lot of good characters for the audience to learn things through, but garth will honestly always be #1 for me in that regard. that's why i would want this series to be a little more scooby doo-ish, so that garth is learning things/figuring shit out at the same pace as the readers!