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ideas-on-paper · 22 days ago

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Quarian redesign & headcanons - the progress so far

For Mass Effect Trilogy Appreciation Week 2025, Day 6: "Species"

I hope everyone is having a great ME Trilogy Appreciation Week!

Unfortunately, I can’t contribute much, but since I have been making some progress on my Quarian redesign concept (which will also be relevant for the Morning War fic concept I’m currently working on) and the prompt for this day is “species”, I thought I might share what I got so far.

In the past, I’ve already illustrated some of my ideas in a discussion with @ monstermoviedean (whose awesome headcanons were a huge inspiration for me). In summary, what we wound up with was:

the back of the Quarians’ heads is prolonged*

the males have elongated chins (might even be considered attractive)

muscular arms and legs

the inside of their mouths glows (an effect that the flashing of the mouthpiece when they talk is supposed to imitate); might have a function in communication, along with the glowing eyes

the Quarians have a third eye on their forehead (like a parietal eye), serving the purpose of UV vision

*This isn’t mentioned in the linked post, but the head shape might also be important to their sense of hearing: Since Quarians have no ears (or at least no visible outer ears), it’s possible their hearing works similar to that of birds, whose oval-shaped heads help them localize sounds. Additionally, they may have internally coupled ears, which also serve the purpose of sound localization.

The spiritual meaning of the third eye

The headcanon of Quarians having a third eye is something I particularly dig, because it’s not only a unique feature that would set them apart from other races, but also solves a “scientific problem” that I ran into: Quarians can canonically see UV light, but UV light is actually damaging to the retina - as a result, any long-lived species with UV sight would suffer severe impairments to their eyesight during their later lifespan. However, if you have an extra eye for UV vision, this problem doesn’t arise - so win-win. :-)

What I didn’t even think about before, however, is that the third eye has a huge spiritual significance in some cultures: The bindi, a popular adornment in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, represents the third eye, which is considered a gate to higher consciousness from which one gains enlightenment, clairvoyance, and the ability to receive visions. Similarly, the bindi is also associated with the bindu, a metaphysical point where all creation begins. It's thought of as a representation of the higher consciousness, pervading and unifying the whole universe.

Furthermore, the forehead is also the seat of the ajna chakra in Hindu tradition, the chakra of “concealed knowledge” which is commonly associated with the colors violet, indigo, deep blue, or white. Ajna, which translates to “command/authority”, “perceive”, or “beyond wisdom”, is not part of the physical body - rather, its “organ” is the mind, as it’s the eye of intuition and intellect. Through the third eye, a person is able to connect with the Brahman, the “ultimate”, all-pervasive reality. As a concept, Brahman refers to spiritual oneness, the underlying unity that exists in every living being.

Considering some of the concepts I have been developing for them, I think all of this is just extremely fitting for the Quarians. First off, there’s the fact that people who can partially perceive UV light* (usually as a side effect of cataract surgery) describe the world as appearing in more hues of violet, blue, and white to them, which just so happen to be the colors that ajna corresponds to. Second, you could say that the Quarians were seeking arcane knowledge in their quest to immortalize their ancestors as VIs (which is going to play a big role in my story), and given how much value the Quarians place on community, I think it’s not unlikely that unity is something like a philosophical ideal among them - although individual Quarians belong to different clans, they are all one people.

*More on that a little further below, in the section "The color(s) of Quarian skin"

Things get even more interesting when the Geth come into the picture: The Geth are very keen on understanding and insight, and through their interconnected minds, they literally are all one - and they just so happen to have a single, shining eye in the midst of their foreheads.

The symbolic potential of this has me shaking with joy - the Quarians were in search of insight and unity, but the ones who ended up achieving it were the Geth. However, although the Geth were essentially the realization of the Quarians’ greatest dream, they rejected it, as the Geth were never supposed to develop this way.

You could even say that since the Geth’s single eye is the forehead one, Geth only see with the “mind’s eye”, the eye of transcendent wisdom. (Yeah, I’m aware that I’m probably reading way more into this than anyone at BioWare ever did, but fuck I just love these parallels.)

How tough are Quarians, really?

Okay, enough of my philosophical ramblings - let’s get back to talking biology.

One of the big “mysteries”, if you will, is how physically tough Quarians are. In ME2, Grunt has a bit of a curious comment: According to the information Okeer had imprinted on him, humans, Salarians, and Asari are “all soft”, but Quarians “not so much” - however, the Quarians’ toughness still doesn’t appear to be on the same level as a Turian carapace.

Understandably, this piece of information has caused some confusion among fans, and people have chosen to interpret it in different ways. While some believe this may hint at the Quarians being more physically strong, others think the toughness may be due to their suits, which have become so inseparably associated with them that they’re regarded as part of their “skin”.* Yet another interpretation is that the Quarians, similar to the Krogan, may have a diffuse nervous system/something else than a singular spinal cord, since the conversation does start off with Grunt saying that humans are easy to kill because you have to go “less than a finger deep” to server their spine (further presuming that “soft” refers to how easy a species is to kill).

*EDIT: I have noticed that James actually has a line in ME3 about the Quarians having a "protective medical exoskeleton" due to their suits; tbh, I completely forgot about it, but it's possible that Grunt's comment is actually referring to this.

However, this information does come from Okeer - a Krogan Warlord who is a veteran of the Krogan Rebellions and as such has to be 1,400+ years old. Okeer was alive long before the Quarian exodus from Rannoch (which happened ~300 years ago), so it is possible he is actually talking about the Quarians’ raw physiology. Whether the term “soft” refers to the thickness of skin or how hard a species is to kill is debatable (I always used to interpret it in the first, more literal way), but assuming Okeer is indeed talking about their pure physique, we can conclude that Quarians either a) have unusually thick skin or b) don’t have any easily exploitable weak points - maybe even both.

Since I like to imagine the structure of Quarian skin as similar to elephant skin, I used to adhere to the headcanon that it also might be similarly thick. However, there is actually a very specific reason why elephants have such thick skin: their size, since their bodies would collapse under their own mass otherwise. Since Quarians aren’t that big, this logically wouldn’t apply to them.

However, I managed to find yet another animal with unusually robust skin that’s considerably smaller, also native to Africa, and downright infamous for being near indestructible: the honey badger.

Honey badgers are not only extremely bold and deviously smart (you may have heard of Stoffel before), they can also back up their fighting power with equally impressive defensive capabilities. Due to the skin at their neck being about 6mm thick and very flexible, the honey badger can just shrug off bites, bee stings, and even porcupine quills. This is because the loose skin basically wraps itself around any penetrating objects so they get stuck and rarely pierce the skin.

This got me the idea that Quarian skin might have similar properties, though the question remains what would be the evolutionary purpose of it. Honey badgers are primarily carnivorous, so they benefit greatly from their resilience when hunting, but although Quarians are known to be omnivores, they can subsist on a purely vegan diet (as we know from the Codex entry about Quarian Liveships).

I previously postulated that if Quarians have muscular, sinewy legs (as suggested by the anatomy of Geth mobile platforms), they are probably excellent runners, which would be ideal for fleeing from predators in open landscapes (e.g. savannas, steppes, half-deserts). It would also be useful in active predation, though; ultimately, however, we can’t be sure how Quarians evolved, whether their diet was originally more meat or plant-based.

There are examples of herbivores that also developed thick skin for protection, though: Tapirs, for instance, have very thick skin at the back of their necks as a defense against predators such as jaguars, crocodiles, and anacondas.

Assuming that whatever animals were preying on prehistoric Quarians also had a preference of going for the neck (like big cats do), maybe Quarians evolved to have thick skin at their neck as a defense mechanism; if they were pinned to the ground but the predator didn’t immediately manage to pierce their neck, their muscular limbs might still enable them to free themselves and escape.

These are mere conjectures, but I would like to point out that the neck part of Geth mobile platforms is not only built quite sturdy, the Quarians also seem to place great importance on having extra protection at their neck: Tali (in ME1 and ME2/ME3) is wearing rather prominent neck protection, as do all other female Quarians. Although harder to spot due to their shawls, we can see the same in males, such as Kal’Reegar, Admiral Koris, and Admiral Gerrel.

Regardless of whether Okeer’s imprint was referring to this protective gear or the fact that the Quarians’ necks are naturally well-protected as well, it would explain why he cautioned Grunt that you can’t simply break a Quarian’s neck.

The color(s) of Quarian skin

Since we’re already on the topic of Quarian skin, I might as well share some of my other headcanons on it. I have seen quite a few interpretations of Quarians with light skin, including that of Mass Effect concept artist Matt Rhodes. One thing I’d like to point though is that if Quarians indeed have light skin like this, they would very easily get sunburned (I have very light skin myself, so I know what I’m talking about).

Of course, it’s possible that they might be nocturnal*, or that this is simply how their skin looks during the times of the Migrant Fleet - I did speculate before that if their skin had pigmentation, they might have lost it over time living in the Migrant Fleet, which might be due to lack of exposure to sunlight, diet-related factors, or something similar. (We do know that the Quarians’ health is very dependent on their symbiosis with Rannoch’s natural ecosystem, so living outside of it might have all sorts of pathogenic effects.)

*More on that in the section "The Quarians’ circadian rhythm"

Personally, though, I envision the Quarians’ natural skin color as ranging from greyish to a variety of dark hues. I will say that I, once again, used the Geth as a basis here - while their design may look alien to us, we have to keep in mind that, from the Quarians’ perspective, these are literally their androids. So I thought “what if the color of the Geth’s “synthetic muscles” is actually similar to that of Quarian skin”?

However, just because their skin looks grey to us doesn’t mean it looks grey to them: During my research, I came across a very interesting account by a person (username: John Mullen) who underwent a cataract surgery and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum as a result. (This is because the human eye lens naturally filters out UV light, but if the lens is removed and replaced, a higher amount of UV light might get through, enabling people to “see” it.)

Overall, with the ability to see into the UV spectrum, everything appears “more blue, less yellow, and much brighter” according to the user, and all colors are much more pronounced. (In general, UV vision makes it easier to perceive color contrasts.)

In the linked post, the person described brown, black, and grey drinking glasses as appearing violet/amethyst-colored after the surgery. Make-up and (clear) glasses with UV protection have a very distinct greenish-yellow tint, and naturally black hair looks even darker with UV vision. Actual black lights appear as “extremely bright violet” in a way that actually hurts the eyes, according to the user, and objects illuminated by them look white.

In addition, the user says that sunrises and sunsets look “much more beautiful” with UV vision, and cloudy days don’t make everything appear uniformly grey, but rather tinted in a bluish hue. Also, the stars and moon look much brighter, and the moon, which tends to have a yellow glow to our eyes, appears a bluish white as well.

While all of this is extremely interesting, I have to put up a disclaimer that having your eye lens surgically removed and replaced can only give you secondary UV vision - it’s an impression of what the world would look like if the human eye could see UV, but to actually perceive ultraviolet as a separate color, we lack the fourth type of cone cells that would be necessary for it. (Humans usually have three types of cone cells, for the perception of red/long-wave, green/medium-wave, and blue/short-wave light; animals with “true” UV vision, like fish, insects, and some species of birds, have an extra type of cone cell to perceive very short-wave UV light.) You can imagine it as the eye receiving signals it can’t quite accurately interpret, but it still tries to translate them in a way that is understandable to our brain, resulting in us seeing ultraviolet as violet, blue, or whitish colors.

Nevertheless, this is probably the closest thing to how Quarians visually experience their surroundings. I personally found this really fascinating because it not only gave me an idea of what to take into consideration when writing from the Quarians’ perspective (I do intend to take their unique visual perception into account), but it also happens to align really well with my personal headcanons about Quarian skin color. Maybe, if we looked at Quarians, we might perceive their skin as grey or blackish-brown, but with UV vision, it would actually appear in stunning hues of purple, violet, and deep blue. Plus, the fact that stars appear brighter with UV vision might lend yet more credibility to my theory that the stars were very spiritually significant to the Quarians even before they developed spaceflight.

The Quarians’ circadian rhythm

As for why UV vision evolved in Quarians, it might have enabled them to tell whenever UV radiation from the sun got particularly strong, so they could avoid it and retire to a shady spot.

I previously speculated that Quarians might be crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk/low-light hours) so they can avoid the worst of UV radiation and heat during the day, the two main challenges any native species of Rannoch would have to face. (Both of which would be intensified by Rannoch’s long days of 32.3 Earth hours.)

Thus, I came up with the headcanon that the Quarians' natural circadian rhythm includes two sleeping periods: One from midday to about the equivalent of 5 p.m./6 p.m. in our time, and a second, slightly shorter one from the equivalent of about 1 a.m./2 a.m. until dawn.* In fact, I’d assume the time from midday till afternoon is not only when the Quarians, but all of Rannoch’s fauna would find shelter and rest. I bet the Quarians had their own term for it, too; maybe something like “time of silence” (since no animal makes a sound), or whatever the Old Khelish translation for that would be. :-)

*I accounted for the phenomenon of thermal inertia here. While solar/UV radiation reaches its peak at noon, temperatures will peak at a slightly later point in the afternoon (which differs depending on latitude, generally occurring sooner in regions near the equator). This is because the ground, the air, and all other objects need some time to heat up, and as soon as they radiate heat as well, the daily temperature peak is reached. Similarly, temperatures need some time to fall at night, since all accumulated heat first has to be given off again. (Generally, temperatures rise and fall faster the more arid the air is; water has a greater capacity to store heat, so humid air will heat up/cool down slower.)

That’s just a general guideline, though - if Rannoch has seasons influenced by its sun’s path (which would be entirely dependent on Rannoch’s axial tilt*), it’s possible that in summer, the Quarians would sleep very little or maybe not go to bed at all at night, while sleeping through most of the day. Meanwhile, in winter, they might be awake for more hours during the day and sleep more during the night. Crepuscular species generally are very adaptable in their times of activity, and the Quarians probably adjusted their daily routines to the times when solar radiation and temperatures were comfortable for them.

*Most people probably remember this from their geography lessons, but basically, the reason why it’s summer on one hemisphere of our planet while it’s winter on the other is the Earth’s axial tilt (23.5°), which results in the northern and southern hemisphere receiving an opposite amount of sun rays.

In the times of the Migrant Fleet, however, the Quarians’ natural circadian cycle would probably be severely disrupted - since there are no day and night in space, the most they could do is try simulating it with artificial lights on their own ships. (Not sure if that would be power-efficient, though.)

However, I don’t think employers who hire Quarians as cheap laborers would be particularly concerned with them having a healthy sleeping cycle. In fact, I have a feeling that overworking Quarian employees is a common thing, which certainly wouldn’t make their already hard lives any easier. (Not to mention the various negative health consequences a disturbed circadian cycle causes in humans, such as atherosclerosis, increased risk of cancer, and psychiatric disorders.)

To compensate for this, I think modern Quarians may have developed somewhat opportunistic sleeping habits: They just sleep whenever they can, and when their shifts are over, they might just sleep for 10 hours straight. Or, if they can squeeze it in, they just plop down in a (more or less) comfy spot and take a power nap. (Wearing enviro suits does have its perks.)

Unfortunately, I feel like this would only increase racist stereotypes against them. Because of their tendency to “sleep on the job”, Quarians might be regarded as “lazy” by other races. (This “laziness” might even be used by employers as “justification” to pay Quarians less than workers of other races.) It doesn’t have anything to do with the Quarians being lazy, though - they just have different sleeping habits. (But who cares about that when it’s all about demeaning the other species, am I right?)

Quarian fashion before (and after) the Morning War

However, I think it’s quite likely that the Quarians’ lifestyle already deviated a fair bit from their biological clock before the Morning War. Just looking at how modern working life, room lighting, and the blue light emitted by electronic devices like smartphones and computers affect the circadian rhythm in humans, it’s fair to assume the same was true for the Quarians, given how highly technologically advanced their civilization must’ve been. (Generally, I wonder how symbiotic the Quarians’ relationship with their environment still was at that point - with urban life, you are bound to give up some of your connection to nature, so negative health consequences of this might have occurred long before their exile from Rannoch.)

I did hear some theories about veils already being part of the Quarians’ wardrobe long before the existence of enviro suits (and their opaque visors); if this was the case, I think they may have developed as protection from sun exposure so the Quarians could stay outdoors longer during the day. Same goes for their trademark shawls and hoods - the fabric they’re made of looks very sturdy and robust, so I’m thinking they evolved from clothing that was meant to provide protection from the weather.

Aside from sun exposure, it’s also possible the garments and veils served as protection from strong winds. This thought crossed my mind when watching the first Dune movie (the 2021 one) a short while ago. When they landed on Arrakis, I was thinking “wow, those veils the women are wearing are actually pretty useful - I certainly wouldn’t want all of that sand and dirt being blown in my face”. The idea that Rannoch may have strong seasonal winds is something I’ve toyed around with before*, so I could see the Quarians’ traditional fashion developing from that as well.

*This sort of comes from thinking about plant life on Rannoch; we do know that Rannoch has no insect life so plants came to rely on other animals for pollen propagation, but since gymnosperms (that usually rely on wind pollination) are evolutionary older than angiosperms (that usually rely on animal pollination), I wondered if early terrestrial plants on Rannoch might have relied on abiotic pollination. Wind pollination is considered the oldest form of pollination, so I wondered if Rannoch might have something like strong seasonal winds; if it’s a regularly occurring weather phenomenon, plants could adapt their blooming times to it and make use of the winds to distribute their pollen.

I could imagine various social conventions developed around the hoods and veils as well. For instance, I could imagine some Quarians generally preferring to keep their veils on in public spaces for anonymity, though it might be regarded as a little distant among close friends. Generally, the hood would only be taken off indoors, which is the only time when you would be able to see the Quarians’ hair.

I know that hair is perhaps the most hotly debated topic in the community when it comes to the question of what Quarians look like, but personally, I do believe they have hair. (It would make sense from an evolutionary standpoint as well, since fur can serve as protection against both heat and cold.) I imagine it's quite different from human hair, though: First off, the singular hairs are thicker and it feels a lot more bristly; second (and this may be one of my more wild ideas xD), their “real” hair only starts at their nape, like a sort of “mane” - the top of the head is covered with short, fuzzy hair.

However, in times of the Migrant Fleet, hair would most likely just be a hindrance to the Quarians, since it would be too troublesome to maintain (it would be a pain to keep short, given that they’d have to take off their suit every time to cut it). Therefore, I’m inclined to agree with the headcanon I saw elsewhere (can’t remember where, unfortunately) that the Quarians shave their hair and laser it so it doesn’t grow back, since it would just get in the way of wearing their suits. (I could even imagine there is something like a “hair cutting ceremony” for young Quarians getting their first suit.) It may come with a sense of loss for them (I headcanon that pre-Morning War, Quarians with long hair were actually pretty proud of it), but if you live in enviro suits for your entire life, there are just some sacrifices you have to make.

Last but not least, something funny I found when I was doing research about what Quarians might have used for shoewear pre-Migrant Fleet: Due to the shape of the Quarians’ feet, I reckon they might have been wearing something like peculiar-shaped sandals or slippers (perhaps similar to Iranian galesh) before their exile from Rannoch. Coincidentally, I stumbled upon this picture of a pair of Ancient Egyptian socks:

My initial reaction upon seeing this was: “Is this some kind of joke article or did you actually find a pair of Quarian socks?” (Note: The split toe is probably because they were meant to be worn with sandals, but I still found this goddamn hilarious.)

Prothean contact with the Quarians

Finally, to wrap things up, there is one other question I was pondering in relation to Quarian history, specifically the interactions between early Quarians and Protheans.

Essentially, this came from a person on Reddit (scroll down to the comment by StoicBoffin) who postulated that since Legion specifically says that the Geth found no Prothean ruins in their territories (= former Quarian territories), interactions between Quarians and Protheans must’ve been exceedingly minor, if they existed at all. (In fact, the user suggested that Javik’s remark about the Quarians’ attractiveness was just to troll Tali.)

However, I think I found an independent source that actually confirms that Protheans had contact with the Quarians: the crazy prophet on Omega. Yeah, sure, the guy is a fanatic, but listen to what he says (at 0:16):

“The Protheans cast off the lesser races: the krogan, the vorcha, and the humans!”

We know that the Protheans studied humanity from Mars, so “casting off” means “no direct contact” in this case. The Quarians are notably absent from this list, so logically, this would mean that they did have direct contact with the Protheans.

This is actually a big relief for me because I’m planning to do a few things with this - the Protheans may not have been directly involved in most of Quarian history, but I reckon that the memory of them was still kept alive in Quarian lore, which had a profound influence on their religious traditions.

Anyway, that’s about all I can say for now - I hope you enjoyed this assortment of ideas and headcanons on the Quarians (which sort of turned into a quasi-scientific essay along the way xD).

As you may have noticed, I’m not only trying to take canon lore into account, but also the natural environment the Quarians evolved in. I don’t quite have their designs finalized yet, but I’m getting there. :-) (Although, admittedly, all of this might be a little easier if I could draw - which I can’t, unfortunately. xD)

#mass effect #trilogyweek2025 #mass effect lore #lore theories #quarians #geth #alien biology #worldbuilding #I know this is common knowledge but I just wanna say: Quarians in Migrant Fleet times have it ROUGH...

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neiviele · 2 months ago

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I'm drowning your post

Okay but how would that work, though? If systems only form from negative life events, and we're not talking about trauma, and we're not talking about stress, then what makes the event negative, exactly?

Like, for example let's say someone nearly gets hit by a car. They survive it, they didn't get hit, but as a result they develop PTSD from it. Even if it wasn't a traumatic event, they would still have a stress reaction from it, and wouldn't view the car favorably - one could say it was a negative event for them. But if they're not having a stress reaction and not seeing it as traumatic, what makes it a negative event? Usually there are emotions attached to a negative event that makes it negative, and if you're not feeling stressed or in some sort of life-or-death scenario, then you would just feel neutral or even positive about the whole event, which cancels out the negative feelings mentioned earlier.

Trauma isn't usually "ranked" (he mentioned that there are negative events that go beyond stress and trauma) but usually being in a traumatic event is considered the "worst" you can be in, which is why PTSD and CPTSD are considered trauma related disorders, and not "negative life event" disorders. There's nothing beyond that (outside of the dissociative disorders), and if you have such severe trauma that its impacting your ability to function, then you're likely to be diagnosed with PTSD. Even some of the other "negative life events" system-facts mentioned (such as isolation and harassment) are all covered under PTSD or OSDD as traumas, and can be treated if one wishes.

And if you don't mean that, and the threshold for negative events is so low that most everyday negative life events would lead to it, then why isn't everyone a system by now? Because if it's not stress, and not trauma, then it has to be the mundane, and so we'd be hearing cases where for example, someone became a system at three due to their toaster spooking them. It wouldn't be doubted that systems exist, it would be accepted as something brains just do. We wouldn't even be doubting traumagenic systems, since smaller negative events would have been shown to produce headmates in some people.

What makes a negative event negative is your reaction and feelings on it. If you don't mean negative emotions (that anyone could have) and you don't mean stress and trauma (that anyone can have, but that tends to lead to traumagenic disorders) then you're not referring to anyone (not even yourself) with your definition of what an endogenic system is. And you're misleading other systems who may benefit from acknowledging negative life events as traumatic.

#syscourse

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secularbakedgoods · 2 months ago

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It's capital all the way down

This is a crosspost of my newsletter! If you’d like to get posts like this direct to your inbox or RSS reader, subscribe here.

One of the latest developments in the world of fanfiction is a debate over "archive-locking": making one's fanfics only visible to registered users of the archive on which they're hosted (usually Archive Of Our Own). The argument in favour is that this prevents unintended use of the work (such as scraping into LLM training datasets) while still allowing members of the "community" to read it. The argument against is that this makes fanfiction less accessible, especially to newcomers and long-time lurkers.

This isn't exactly a new issue. I archive-locked a lot of my fanfiction years ago, after a similar uproar: someone (or several someones) had been scraping works off AO3 in ebook format and selling them. And before that there was another round of archive-locking, specifically in hockey fandom, over some fucking thing Aja Romano was doing.

The reason scammers keep trying to steal and monetize fanfic is that the internet financially incentivizes them to do so. Amazon's Kindle publishing platform has both wide reach and a relatively low barrier to entry, and Amazon itself has grown so huge that it would be a logistical nightmare to moderate its listings — so, for the most part, it doesn't (especially since the company gets a pretty big cut of every fraudulent sale on its platform). The end result is that Amazon is awash with stolen fanfic (and AI-generated books by models trained on fanfic) and nobody seems to be doing anything about it.

Now, there isn't a lot of money in this kind of scam. Even if you luck into the attentions of Amazon's algorithm, there's only so many people who will see a book with an AI-generated cover and a description that sounds suspiciously like erotic Star Wars fanfiction and decide that's something they want to buy. But, as we learned from 404 Media's investigation into AI slop on Facebook, even the relatively small margins on content spam can help pay the rent — especially if you're living in a place where "legitimate" employment is scarce, dangerous, or pays like shit.

Ultimately, this archive-locking debate is one small facet of a big, old problem that those in power refuse to fix — either because they don't consider fixing it to be their job, or because fixing it would be actively detrimental to their business model. All AI has done is increase the scale of the consequences.

itch.io Autumn Sale

For the next week, all my paid titles are on sale over at my itch.io store! You can get any book for 25% off, or all my books in a bundle for just $6.00 USD (50% off what it would usually cost to buy them all).

Sale prices are valid until end of day December 5th.

Podcast Appearance: I Will Fight You

In the latest episode of I Will Fight You, we discuss the Tim Burton movie Big Fish and get really emotional. There's some crying involved. Don't worry about it.

You can listen to the episode here, or wherever podcasts are found.

New on Ko-fi: "Sebastian Moran Inflicts Six Traumatic Brain Injuries," Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of "Sebastian Moran Inflicts Six Traumatic Brain Injuries" is now up for all supporters on Ko-fi. If you don't want to wait for Chapter 5, you can also get the entire novelette as an ebook.

This Week's Links

AI Chatbot Added to Mushroom Foraging Facebook Group Immediately Gives Tips for Cooking Dangerous Mushroom

One member of the Facebook group said that they asked the AI bot “how do you cook Sarcosphaera coronaria,” a type of mushroom that was once thought edible but is now known to hyperaccumulate arsenic and has caused a documented death. FungiFriend told the member that it is “edible but rare,” and said “cooking methods mentioned by some enthusiasts include sautéing in butter, adding to soups or stews, and pickling.” The situation is reminiscent of Google's AI telling people to add glue to pizza or eat rocks on the advice of a Redditor named Fucksmith.

This Christmas Party Was So Fun That Now I’m a Communist

This party was so far off the fucking chain that you could have one of two magic women tell you what was going to happen to you in your future. And if you didn’t like what she said, you could get a second opinion, and never be more than thirty feet away from a fondue pot.

We…need worldbuilding?

Defaulting is the root of a great many evils. Defaulting happens when we don’t think too much about something we write – a character description, a gender dynamic, a textile on display, the weave of the rug. Absent much thought, automaticity, the brain’s subsconscious autopilot, invokes the easiest available prototype – in the case of a gender dynamic, dad will read the paper, and mom will cut the protagonist’s hair. Or, in the case of worldbuilding, we default to the bland fantasy backdrop we know, and thereby reinforce it.

#newsletter #writers on tumblr #big fish

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saellefanwork · 1 year ago

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𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖

Reminder: This Demon Slayer fic is rated Mature (adults only) for canon-typical violence and eventual suggestive or explicit sexual content

Return to Chapters List

Chapter 9: Lost in Time

Tamayo presents Kanoko with an offer that she can't refuse, despite the fact it will cost her everything she has left and will break the final wishes of her childhood friend. She is completely unprepared for what awaits her next.

Author Note: Chapter 2/5 of this angsty Mugen Train Arc.

Trigger warnings: body horror, character death, gruesome corpse description

"Kanoko-san, am I correct to assume that you were planning on pursuing the Third Moon, Akaza, to avenge your friend?" Tamayo inquired gently.

You took slow sips of the tea she had served you, finding solace in its calming effects. The two days of arduous travel to Osaka, a combination of frantic running and transportation, had done little to alleviate the tension that gripped you since learning of Kyojuro's demise. Nonetheless, you were accustomed to sleep deprivation and relentless efforts.

"Yes, that's correct," you finally responded, your voice weary yet resolute. "I still intend to go after him, regardless of any arguments you may present. I came here merely to see if you had something to offer that could aid me in bringing down that wretched son of a-..."

Yushiro interjected sharply, "No vulgarity in front of Tamayo-sama, you foolish girl!" You bared your teeth at him. Though you and the demon had never seen eye to eye, you usually tolerated each other out of respect for the doctor. But that day you were not in the mood to put up with him.

"Calm down, Yushiro. I can assist you, Kanoko-san, but it will come at a price."

You tilted your head slightly. She started explaining you that she was receiving the help of a Demon Slayer beside yours for her research. You were vaguely surprised to learn that the young Kamado Tanjiro was also an ally of Tamayo, and that his sister, Kamado Nezuko, had turned into a demon with unique dispositions. Then you recalled Kyojuro mentioning Tanjiro's trial for violating the Kisatsutais' code. As you thought about it, you remembered the box he carried on his back when you met him in the Butterfly Estate. That thing was emitting an eerie aura... could it be that he was concealing his sister in it?

"The blood of Nezuko-san exhibits intriguing characteristics when combined with the blood of other demons. I believe I am close to developing a poison that can specifically target and destroy Kibutsuji Muzan's cells, reverting the infected people back to their human form. As for Kibutsuji himself, a sufficient dosage might be able to kill him or at the very least significantly weaken him. However, further tests are required."

You struggled to rejoice at the news. The prospect of waiting for the researcher to complete her work before pursuing Akaza seemed impossible. Tamayo's experiments could take several decades, and by then, you would either be dead or an elderly.

"That's certainly good news," you responded simply, devoid of any emotion. "But I don't believe that's the reason you called me here."

Tamayo nodded, confirming your suspicions.

"I also possess the ability to turn humans into demons, as you are aware. Yushiro was the only individual I had successfully transformed and it took me two hundred years of effort. However, thanks to a new concoction involving my blood and Nezuko-san's, I recently succeeded in transforming Chachamaru. Within a few weeks, his transformation was complete, allowing him to accompany Tanjiro in the field without us fearing for his death. I also tested it on a dying young man a few days ago, and the results were similar. Both of them have managed to retain control over their urges and work under my guidance."

You listened to her words more attentively, your senses on high alert. Such power was incredibly dangerous. Having more demons in existence was not a good thing even if they were currently under control.

Tamayo continued her explanation, "They require less blood than Yushiro and me to sustain themselves, and they can partially replenish their energy through sleep, just like Nezuko-san. Their abilities are comparable to the demons created by Kibutsuji, I would say, meaning their strength primarily depends on the host's power at the time of transformation. That's why the Upper Moons seek to transform the Pillars, as they could become formidable demons."

"You're suggesting that I relinquish my humanity and pursue Akaza as a demon," you stated, cutting straight to the point.

"Yes," she admitted. "Turning people into demons is inherently dangerous and should not be taken lightly, even if they can maintain their human consciousness. The thirst for power and the dominance of demonic senses can easily overshadow the transformed individual's goals and morals. However, we are currently at a crucial juncture. I can sense that we are on the verge of defeating Kibutsuji, and we should utilize every possible weapon against him, even if it means employing his own methods. As for you, the potential of your Breathing style has always fascinated me. I took the liberty of utilizing a sample of your blood that you had entrusted to me for various tests. I believe that if you were to undergo the transformation into a demon, your Blood Demon Art power would be extraordinary, potentially reaching the level of an Upper Moon. It might even have the potential to alter destiny itself."

"What do you mean?" you inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Time Breathing allows the manipulation of time on a localized scale around its user. It is not merely a hypnotic technique that creates the illusion of time accelerating or decelerating. It is akin to a divine gift bestowed upon your clan long ago on the continent. I believe that as a demon, your power could manipulate time to a larger scale. You may be able to distort time and create demonic realms like other formidable demons. It is possible that you could unlock new abilities or powers tied to your abilities. Of course, there are no guarantees, but if my theories are correct, it will provide us with a significant advantage in defeating Kibutsuji and his minions."

"Very well. Let's proceed with it.".

Tamayo and Yushiro exchanged a look of mixed surprise and concern. The doctor, with a worried expression, continued, "Are you absolutely certain...? I didn't expect you to accept that deal so easily. Becoming a demon is a decision that should not be taken lightly. Unless we find a cure, you will be condemned to the night, dependent on blood to sustain yourself, and severed from the possibility to have children and grow old with your loved ones. The Demon Slayers will become your adversaries, in addition to Kibutsuji's minions."

"I don't care," you responded coldly. "I have nothing left to lose. I am prepared to do whatever it takes for revenge, and I am not naive. If the Flame Hashira fell in battle, my chances of triumphing through sheer strength are as thin as a sheet of rice paper. In our sparring matches, Kyojuro outshined me more often than in the other way round. To vanquish Akaza, or even Kibutsuji, I could use some more power. I care not if the Kisatsutai or the demon lord himself end my life, as long as I drag as many foes down to hell with me."

"I understand," your host replied with a tinge of sadness, yet her gaze also held understanding. "I would like you to rest for now. We will revisit this tomorrow. If your decision remains unwavering after a good night's sleep, then we shall proceed."

The following day, with a clear mind, your resolve remained unchanged. After undergoing a series of psychological tests, Tamayo made preparations for the transformation, securing you within a sealed and fortified chamber. As the needle that would alter your very cells neared your arm, you bitterly realized that Kyojuro's concerns prior to his departure were becoming reality. His instincts had always been sharp. He would have disapproved of your choices without a moment's hesitation, as he would have wished for you to move forward while cherishing the hope of a reunion in another life. Unfortunately, he was no longer there to dissuade you nor to pursue and eliminate you once you became a demon. Though you held his memory in high regard, your thirst for vengeance came before anything else, including his final wishes.

If fate allowed your paths to intertwine once more in another lifetime, you vowed to ask for his forgiveness then. However, that could only happen if your soul didn't end up in the purgatory for an extended duration, as it could very well be your destination in the afterlife, having willingly transformed into a monster for such an evil motivation as vengeance.

A prickling sensation followed by a spreading warmth coursed through your right arm. The fluid had permeated your body, rendering it impossible to turn back now.

The warmth gradually transformed into an intense burning that engulfed you from within, as though an invisible pyre consumed your being. Each breath became a struggle as an acidic sensation seemed to make your skin boil. Running your hand through your hair, you watched in dismay as it fell out in clumps.

Tamayo's words echoed in your mind, reminding you that the transformation would offer a glimpse of hell. But as your bones dislocated and your muscles tore apart, you realized that you may had underestimated true magnitude of what hell truly entailed.

The transformation was meant to span several days, but you lost all sense of time within the relentless torrent of suffering. The fortified chamber barely contained your violent spasms, and each of your trashing assault left bents on the walls. Thankfully, the final and longest stages of the transformation took place in a state of complete immobility, paralyzed by the excruciating pain while an internal inferno consumed you.

When you awoke from this torment, your body jolted upright, releasing a cry that mirrored that of a drowning soul resurfacing. The surroundings were cloaked in darkness and silence, broken only by your wheezing breaths and the melodic serenade of crickets. Crickets? Perplexed, you scanned the room. You were no longer confined within the cell but instead found yourself in your home in Komazawa. Could it be that the entire ordeal had been nothing more than an extended nightmare?

As you reached out to touch your forehead, the motion led to an unintentional scratch. Looking down at your hands, you were astonished to find that your nails had been replaced by razor-sharp claws, from which a few drops of blood trickled. However, the wound almost instantly closed, leaving no trace of pain behind.

Understanding the implications, you rose to your feet and made your way to the mirror. The reflection that stared back at you left you breathless. Instead of their natural colour, your hair now possessed a pale, steel-like hue, shimmering with an otherworldly glow. Fiery, slitted pupils with feline elongation replaced your familiar eyes. The sight of slightly exposed fangs, purposefully designed for killing, became apparent as your mouth gaped open. Crowning your forehead were small, menacing black horns. You had indeed become a demon.

The reality sank in, dispelling any lingering thoughts of it being a mere dream. Kyojuro's tragic demise, Tamayo's proposition... Trying not to fall apart, you attempted to regain your composure and make sense of the situation.

"Tamayo-san? Yushiro? Chachamaru?" you called out, voicing each name one after the other.

No response came. The silence was unsettling. Why had they chosen to send you back home during the demonization process? A sense of unease crept over you, urging caution. Gazing out the window, you surveyed the empty streets, but remained ever vigilant. Demon Slayers could be around, paying their regards to the Rengoku family for their loss, and the estate was in the vinicity of your place. Their keen crows could also be patroling in the sky, watchful for any signs of suspicious activity. While you were tolerated by the Kisatsutai as a demon hunter, the situation had now drastically changed.

You swiftly changed out of your night clothes, donning one of your mission attire, and equipped yourself with your trusty sword. Prepared to depart discreetly, you set forth with a resolute purpose. Your objective: to return to Tamayo and demand answers regarding her decision to leave you behind, as well as seek guidance on concealing your demonic presence from the Slayers.

Arriving in Osaka with heightened speed, way faster than your previous journey, you located Tamayo within her clandestine sanctuary. As you stepped inside, a mixture of surprise and suspicion adorned the faces of both the doctor and her companion, reflecting their astonishment at your unexpected arrival.

"Kanoko-san? What brings you here? And how did you manage to find this hidden place?" Tamayo questioned, a mix of wonder and warry evident in her voice. Her gaze was fixated on your transformed state. "I see you've become a demon now... Did Kibutsuji Muzan send you after us?"

Yushiro, sensing a potential threat, poised himself to attack, clutching one of his talismans tightly in his hand. You glared at both of them, feeling a surge of indignation.

"What is the meaning of this reception? It was the two of you who initiated the transformation! And now you treat me as if I'm working for Kibutsuji? Why did you send me back home after the demonization had started? There could be Demon Slayers lurking all around my place! I cannot remain there!"

Tamayo's brows furrowed as she admitted, "I don't understand. The last time we met was seven months ago, and you were still human. I did not turn you into a demon, although I do possess that ability now... Could it be..."

Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization.

"Kanoko-san, what day do you believe it is today?"

"I'm not sure. I was unconscious for quite some time. But the transformation began on July 8th," you responded, puzzled by the line of questioning.

"Of the year 1915?" Tamayo inquired, anticipation tingling in her voice.

"Well... Yes," you confirmed, your confusion deepening.

"Today is July 4th, 1915. According to your account, we would have injected the demon substance into you in four days. It's possible... that your Blood Demon Art enables you to time travel."

"What?!" you exclaimed, disbelief etched across your face.

"It would explain a lot. Your Time Breathing abilities already bend the laws of physics. When combined with your Blood Demon Art, it could very well transport yourself through time. I assume you haven't yet mastered this ability, otherwise, you wouldn't be so astounded."

Something suddenly clicked within you.

"But wait... if it's July 4th. Kyojuro is still alive! He's not supposed to die until dawn on July 5th during his mission on the Mugen Train!"

"Oh...?" Tamayo contemplated your words. "That must be where Chachamaru went as well, accompanying Tanjiro-san... I am guessing it was your friend's death that pushed you to accept the transformation. It's fortutate that you came to us first. Here, take this talisman." She handed you one of Yushiro's creations. "It will shield you from detection by most Demon Slayers, although it may not be effective against a Pillar or a Slayer with heightened senses if you get too close. It should, however, protect you from many troubles. Additionally, you'll need to learn how to conceal your demonic features, such as your claws, fangs, and horns."

"But I don't have time anymore! I need to go and help him!"

"The sun is about to rise, and you'll have to wait until dusk. Stay here for now, and in the meantime, we will teach you the essentials."

Driven by an unwavering sense of urgency, you absorbed the teachings from Tamayo and Yushiro with remarkable speed, refusing to rest throughout the night. Your gaze remained fixed on the clock, eagerly anticipating the moment when sunset would grant you the freedom to act.

As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, you burst out of the doctor's hidden location and sprinted towards the train station where Kyojuro was sent at the beginning of his mission. Despite your newfound demonic speed and endurance, the journey to the distant place proved time-consuming. Your heart pounded in your chest, fueled by anxiety and adrenaline.

Upon reaching the first station, you realized that you lack precise information about which train line was involved in the mysterious disappearances. However, fortune favored you as you encounter a bento vendor who was saved by the Hashira from the clutches of a demon. The girl provided you with invaluable details, pointing you in the direction of the correct line.

Racing along the railway tracks at breakneck speed, you pushed yourself to the limit. But despite your best efforts, the battle has already concluded by the time you arrive at the scene. Kyojuro kneeled motionless in the center of a crimson pool. His posture and the devastated expressions of his three subordinates revealed the grim truth—you have arrived too late.

Tanjiro, ever vigilant, smelled your presence just moments before you step into view.

"Who... who are you?" he asked, abruptly wiping away his tears and rising to his feet.

"Kyojuro... is he...?" Your voice trailed off, unable to bear speaking the dreaded words, the weight of their meaning pressing heavily upon you.

"Yes... Rengoku-san is dead..." Tanjiro confirmed, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Are you Nagase Kanoko...? He left a message for you..."

His words hung in the air, but before he could continue, he fell silent, struck by astonishment. Grief and anguish had caused you to lose control of your appearance once more. Your claws, fangs, and horns had resurfaced, a visual testament of your demonic nature. Tears blurred your vision, reducing everything to the silhouette of your childhood friend's lifeless body, while the sound of blood rushing in your ears drowned out the cries and commotion surrounding you.

"AAAAAAAHHH! ANOTHER DEMON!! THE STRONG GUY IS DEAD WE ARE SCREWED!" the boy with yellow hair screamed.

"Don't attack her!" Tanjiro ordered, swiftly stepping in front of his two companions. "I sense no ill intentions!"

Lost in the depths of despair, you barely registered their words. All the sacrifices, all the power you gained, now felt meaningless. Kyojuro was still gone, and Akasa still lived. The urge to pursue him and seek revenge tugged at your consciousness, but the sight before you drained every ounce of strength from your weary body. Collapsing onto the ground, you curled up in front of Kyojuro, his serene face giving the illusion that he could awaken at any moment. But in the sight of the devastating injuries, the wreckage of his once vital organs spilled on the ground, the gruesome reality was impossible to ignore and left no place for hope. Holding him close and feeling his warmth slowly fading, you wept uncontrollably, your sorrow shaking you to your core.

As the sun began its ascent, Tanjiro urged you to run away and find shelter, trying to shield you with his haori. But the weight of your grief immobilized you. The first rays of sunlight passed over the train's lifeless form, and you cried from the searing pain of your burning skin, feeling as though you were thrown in a fire. In a moment of anguish, you clenched your fists and pierced your own palms, your arms still embracing Kyojuro's body.

"Nagase-san!" Tanjiro exclaimed, and it was the last thing you could hear before everything blacked out.

"I love you, Kanoko..."

Those were the words Kyojuro had whispered in your ear as you had drifted off to sleep against him. How had you overlooked them? For some inexplicable reason, those words echoed in your mind as if offering solace in the face of your impending demise. You had never had the chance to respond to him...

Your eyelids tightly shut, you braced yourself for the endless pain that awaited for you in the afterlife. But nothing happenned. The burning sensation didn't consume you anymore. Silence envelopped you. Tentatively, you opened your eyes and realized that you were back in your own room. You were lying in your bed, the moon rising high in the sky outside the window. The streets appeared deserted, devoid of life.

Slowly sitting up, your breath heavy and labored, you took in your surroundings. Your skin showed signs of severe burns, slowly regenerating, while fatigue and hunger weigh heavily upon you after the ordeals of the past days. Disoriented and struggling to gather your thoughts, you managed to focus enough to glance at your calendar...

—It was the night of July 4th again.

Timeline: Kanoko wakes up in the night of July 3rd after the transformation. She arrives in July the 4th in the morning in Osaka, after traveling all night. Then she wakes up at her place again on the night of July 4th after she has burned (so she wakes up later than her first time travel). Kyojuro dies at the dawn of July 5th in this story.

Modern Era Secret: The exact date of Kyojuro's death is not revealed in the manga/anime (I mean we don't even know in which year the story takes place, except that it is in Taisho era). However, based on some fans' tentative timeline of the story, it appears to have taken place during the summer.

In Japan, a six-day cycle called rokuyo used to be followed alongside the seven-day week. Each day of the rokuyo cycle was believed to bring either good or bad luck. Butsumetsu is considered the most inauspicious day of the cycle, as it is associated with the death of Buddha. These rokuyo indications can still be found on some modern calendars in Japan.

For storytelling purposes, I have chosen to set the date of the Mugen Train tragedy at the dawn of July 5th, 1915. This particular date falls on a Tuesday (Kayōbi 火曜日) and is also a Butsumetsu (仏滅). Since Tuesdays are represented by the kanji for fire 火, it seemed fitting to choose a Tuesday of Butsumetsu as the day for the demise of the Flame Hashira :')

Next Chapter: "No matter what it takes."

#rengoku x reader #rengoku x oc #rengoku kyojuro x reader #kny x reader #demon slayer x reader #demon slayer oc #reader insert #rengoku kyojuro #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #demon slayer fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #mugen train #time travel #fix it fic #akaza #kny akaza #demon slayer akaza

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techgizmohub · 2 years ago

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Trusted Reviews: A Comprehensive Review of the TicWatch Pro 5 - Tech Gizmo Hub

Verdict

A great smartwatch that’s easy to recommend to most people, the TicWatch Pro 5 excels in battery life and fast charging while its hassle-free Wear OS experience feels great to use on a daily basis.

Pros

- Outstanding battery life - Wear OS 3 is finally on a TicWatch - Fast charging - The secondary FSTN display is always welcome

Cons

- Not the most stylish of smartwatches - Included watch faces are hit and miss - No Google Assistant - Up to 80-hours of battery life:Extend this with Essential Mode - FSTN Display:Secondary screen sits above the AMOLED panel - Updated design:New rotating crown and push button

Introduction

After a notable hiatus, Mobvoi has come back to the smartwatch market with the impressive and thoughtful TicWatch Pro 5. TicWatch wearables have been something of a mixed bag. I have to give parent company Mobvoi some credit for keeping the Wear OS dream alive with a steady output of devices over the years, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed some of the features that they’ve brought to market, including the additional FSTN display last seen on the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra. However, Mobvoi is also responsible for some significant low points in the Wear OS saga, including the best forgotten TicWatch C2 Plus, and that’s before mentioning that the company’s most recent wearables still haven’t received that long promised Wear OS 3 update, which is particularly embarrassing given that, at the time of this review, Wear OS 4 is on the horizon. Potentially as a result of this identity crisis, Mobvoi has taken over a year off to develop its next-gen wearable which has skipped the number 4 entirely, opting instead to be known as the TicWatch Pro 5. After spending several weeks with the device, I can say that that extra time at the drawing board has paid off with Mobvoi putting together one of the best Wear OS watches to date.

Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

Design and screen

- Embodies TicWatch’s usual industrial aesthetic - New rotating crown and push button - FSTN display is great for outdoor useIf there’s one thing that hasn’t seen a major upgrade, it’s the design of the TicWatch Pro 5. Given that, at first glance, it looks identical to the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra, anyone who’s had any experience with the TicWatch line will know exactly what to expect here. Between the silicone watch strap and the chassis, the Pro 5 jumps between deep blacks and darker greys which makes it feel less like an eye-catching fashion accessory and more like a smartwatch that’s been designed to blend in with Batman’s suit of armour. It won’t be for everyone, but I don’t mind it too much, particularly as I don’t expect much else from Mobvoi in this department. The only place where you’ll find even a splash of colour is in the button layout which has been changed this time around to feel a lot more like the Pixel Watch. On the upper-right hand side you have a textured push button that can show you your most recent apps with one press, while two presses will pull up the Google Wallet. Just below that button you’ll find the new rotating crown, which not only works well when scrolling through menus and options, but it also bears a red ring that feels as if it’s been poached directly off the Apple Watch. It’s one of those rare moments when a company appears to wear its aspirations on its sleeve, or rather, I am.

Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)The trade-off for the largely uninspiring design is that the TicWatch Pro 5 boasts military-grade durability, as well as water resistance up to 5ATM (50 metres). I’ve accidentally knocked the Pro 5 several times over the course of this review, but there are no noticeable marks to be found anywhere. It’s a sturdy device and one that I would have no qualms with taking on a hike or a camping trip. The TicWatch Pro 5 has a slightly bigger screen than its predecessor, toting a 1.43-inch AMOLED display (over the 1.4-inch variant on the Pro 3 Ultra), and for the most part, it’s excellent. The screen is large enough that I never found any bits of text difficult to read, and it was even hassle-free to use the onscreen keyboard when necessary. The screen isn’t the brightest when viewed outdoors, definitely not against the likes of the Apple Watch Ultra, but the Pro 5 has a returning feature that is still an absolute ace in the hole: a secondary FSTN display. This low-power display sits atop the AMOLED panel and displays key metrics like the time, your step count and heart rate, all while being super easy to read outdoors. The backlight also makes a return in case you want to look at this secondary display in darker environments. One major upgrade to the FSTN display is that it will now project a different backlight colour to correspond with your heart rate zone during a workout, so you can immediately gauge your performance without needing to dive into any menus, similar to the Myzone MZ-Switch. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again – the FSTN display is such a killer idea that I don’t know why other companies won’t implement something similar into their wearables, particularly as Mobvoi continues to expand its capabilities with each new watch.

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Features and performance

- Wear OS 3 finally comes to a TicWatch - First watch to use the Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 chipset - Great overall performanceWith the TicWatch Pro 5, Mobvoi is finally able to embrace Wear OS 3 for the first time, and while it’s absurdly late to the party (the Galaxy Watch 4 was the first to market with the software back in 2021), it’s still great to see the pairing nonetheless. The UI is very similar to what you’ll experience on the Pixel Watch, and that’s to say that Wear OS 3 is much nicer to use than its predecessor. Unlike previous TicWatches, the Pro 5 doesn’t immediately feel out of date as soon as you take it out of the box. What helps to solidify this feeling is the fact that the Pro 5 is the first smartwatch anywhere to feature the new Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 chipset. Mobvoi claims that the performance is 2x faster than that of the previous Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus, and while that’s tricky to quantify precisely on a smartwatch, I will say that the TicWatch Pro 5 is impressively smooth during everyday use. Jumping between menus and apps isn’t quite as fast as what you’ll find on the Apple Watch, but against other Wear OS devices, the TicWatch Pro 5 is definitely among the fastest out there. It all goes a long way towards making the Pro 5 feel like a smartwatch that I actually want to use regularly, instead of something that is only a temporary placeholder until I return to my Apple Watch. With that said, however, the TicWatch Pro 5 doesn’t work with iPhones unfortunately, so iOS users will miss out here.

Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)The internal storage has also seen a bump from 8GB to 32GB, which is great if you like to store playlists from Spotify or YouTube Music locally for offline playback during a workout. The selection of included watch faces is a little hit and miss – the majority are too rigid and complication heavy for my liking, but you do have an abundance of alternatives available via the Google Play store (I’m currently using the Concentric watch face that mimics the one found on the Pixel Watch). When you’re away from your phone, the TicWatch Pro 5 is capable of connecting to all five of the major satellite services independently, which is great if you want to track an outdoor walk or run. I found the wait time to connect to be respectable, at an average of seven seconds, and while the actual route tracking largely does a decent job of showing where you’ve been after the fact, it’s far from best in class. At one point the TicWatch seemed to think that I had taken a quick dip in the Thames while out on a lunchtime walk through London’s Southbank. One glaring omission from the TicWatch’s bag of tricks is the Google Assistant. Admittedly, this issue seems to stem from Google as part of a wider Wear OS issue, and even with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, there are several steps you need to take to get Google Assistant up and running – but for the TicWatch Pro 5, it’s nowhere to be seen. Because of how much the TicWatch gets right, it’s not the worst thing, but it definitely meant that I was reaching for my phone when I wanted to set a few quick timers while cooking.

Fitness tracking

- Tons of tracking options via TicExercise - Outstanding HRM accuracy - Sleep tracking could use a little workBecause of its high-level of durability, the TicWatch Pro 5 naturally lends itself to being a reliable fitness tracker on paper, and Mobvoi has made sure to capitalise on this with its suite of in-built fitness apps.

Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)For starters, the TicExercise app, which lets you select which workout type you want to track, has a ridiculous number of options. From cardio to weightlifting, I’ve yet to find a noticeable gap in TicExercise’s options, so you’ll be more than covered on that front. Automatic workout tracking has been exceptional throughout the test period, and the TicWatch has even picked up on my morning walk to the station more consistently than my Apple Watch. There’s also a pared-down version of Samsung’s BioActive sensor labelled ‘One-tap measurement’ but while the former offered up some surprisingly detailed stats, including your BMI and body water levels, the later is focused on just your heart health by analysing your heart rate, blood oxygen, respiratory rate and stress levels simultaneously. Still, it’s a handy tool to have during stressful moments of the day, as it can help you to keep a closer eye on how day-to-day stress might be affecting your heart. If you want a more detailed look at all that information and more however, there is the Mobvoi Health app. Despite the fact that it could probably be made to look a little sleeker, it still manages to offer up plenty of insight post-workout and it does a good job of explaining what all of its fitness jargon actually means with well-written definitions. When paired against the Myzone MZ-Switch as a dedicated chest-worn heart rate tracker, the TicWatch Pro 5 handled itself surprisingly well. During an hour-long session on an elliptical machine, the Pro 5 handed back the exact same peak and average heart rate recorded by the MZ-Switch. It was a similar story on the cycling machine, this time with only a discrepancy of 1 BPM at the peak heart rate, which again is quite impressive and I’d have no issues with relying on the TicWatch Pro 5 for heart rate accuracy. Read the full article

#Comprehensive #Gizmo #Hub #Pro #Review #Reviews #tech #TicWatch #Trusted

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cuntstable · 2 years ago

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btw i do think its extremely annoying how dissosiation is like used to just describe spacing out by the same people who go Im So OCD xD when like they say they clean their house on the reg or whatever. can you people explode

#like yeah ’ spacing out’ is a part of it but even then its not really comparable to like day dreaming…#people just straight up dont get what it actually is…#like me and my therapist have been talking about some symptoms and experiences i have that literally resemble psychosis like dissosiation is #such a widely varying disorder and the symptoms one can have from it can be genuinely terrifying and severe #not to mention that its something that people develop as a result of severe (usually childhood and relating to violence or abuse) trauma #and yet its like never talked about or the possible ways ir can manifest arent ever brought up and people just treat it as ADD 2.0 �� ok

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writingwithcolor · 4 years ago

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Black characters with white hair: the “Special Snowflake” Compilation

Is it problematic to give my Black MC white hair?

@roseoholic asked:

Is it problematic to give my black mc white hair? In my story, if someone dies and comes back to life, their hair turns white. Her origin is that she's a reincarnation of an escaped soul, and took the place of the stillborn fetus in her "mothers" womb. I am pretty flexible in her design still, so I am willing to change if it's a bad idea. Thank you if you answer! :)

I think we’re all aware that Black people can have white hair naturally, whether it’s due to

Aging

Hair that turns gray/white early in life

Albinism

Genetics - Black person (mixed race or no) who have very light or white hair.

Obviously, Black people can dye their hair white as well.

Photo above: Black models Diandra forrest and Nyakim Gatwech posing. They both have pale blondish-white hair. Source: Essence.

The question being asked is if it’s okay for Black characters to have white hair by conscious choice of the author.

Answer:

On its face, it’s okay to have Black characters with white hair. This is especially true if how the white hair comes about is a natural occurrence in your story that likely affects other races too. Motive is an important factor.

What is the reason for their hair being white?

That reason could and should be everything but to make them seem special or more likeable. This isn’t aimed at you specifically, OP, but there are creators who feel compelled to give Black characters uncommon, rare or unusual features due to an aversion to feature Black people with more common features (dark and brown hair, skin, eyes etc).

When aversion to Blackness is the motive, it shows.

It’s in the way the narrative exalts this character over other Black people in the narrative, treating them more favorably and giving them more of an arc over other Black characters. This is sometimes known as making them a “Special snowflake” which isn’t a term I particularly love, as it’s sometimes used to devalue real struggles people face. However, It does serve to categorize the trope. (See: TVTropes Special Snowflake)

Signs you’re treating your white-haired Black character better over other Black characters, aka the “Special Snowflake”

Stronger characterization and arc, more importance and “Screen time” than other Black characters (even when they’re not the main character)

Unique features are overemphasized and described at every chance (fetishized)

Better treatment in the story compared to other Black characters. They’re also less likely to face suffering and abusive narratives. Good things happen to them more than other Black people.

Shown to be more deserving of love, affection and romance over other Black characters; may have a love interest while others don’t.

Takeaway:

You can have Black characters with white hair. However, do not use light or unique features to exalt or set your character apart from your Black characters as “better.”

That is, not without an explicit social commentary, since yes these folks tend to be treated better by society and media in real life.

It also helps to have other Black characters with more common features who are treated well and have a fully developed character arc. These other Black people’s lives also should not revolve around just supporting white or the white-haired character, either.

Black Girl, Snow White Retellings

@morganadelacour asked:

Hi there,

I (a white woman) would like to write a re-telling of Snow White and make her a Black girl with white hair. Snow White would be under the impression, that her stepmother (a white woman) is evil, when in fact, she only tried to protect herself and Snow White from Snow White’s father (a white man). The story would be told from both perspectives, probably first from Snow White’s perspective, then from the queen’s. In the end, both women make peace, Snow White understands the queen’s actions and the queen apologizes and tries to make up for her actions that hurt Snow White. Do you see a problem with any aspect of this outline and/or are there certain things I have to keep in mind?

Thank you so much for all the work you do with this blog and for your efforts to educate.

@corbeaudelys asked:

I'm writing a science fiction variant of Snow White with a protagonist that has dark skin with white, 3C hair and brown eyes. I read a post that said magic white hair, dark skin, and European features was a bad trope; would it still be bad even if I made it clear that she has no European features and her hair's not magical?

See “Is it problematic to give my Black MC white hair?” which answers the core of this question. Motive truly is the main factor in if it’s okay or not, and the resulting treatment of that character and other Black characters that may exist in the story. I have a Black Snow White in one of my retellings, too!

The motive is clear here: you’re retelling Snow White with a Black girl and want to keep it relevant by assigning the white feature to hair instead of skin. It’s also a story where Snow White is intentionally meant to stand out as the “fairest of them all” so the exalting does have plot relevance.

As noted before, I would caution against making her beautiful to mean that other Black women are not beautiful or are unworthy.

I would like to make special mention that you can also do retellings where Snow White goes the other direction, and her compelling dark features make her the “fairest of them all”

Black woman dyes hair white, problematic symbolism?

@tlking-heads-moved said:

hi! i have a story with two black women protagonists:

1.) leader, strong and loyal, with very curly dark hair (usually pulled back)

2.) part of the group, elegant and refined, with light pink braids (or other protective styles).

Towards the end of the story, both of their hair changes styles, the second character dyes her hair white.

I am afraid that the character with the styled, pink/white hair will come off as “purer” or “better” than the character with the natural, dark hair, because of their personality + appearance differences. should I change either of their usual hair styles or their personalities?

These seem like stylistic choices. As the girl already had a pink braided style, hair color changes seems like something she likes to do and does not have to be symbolic of anything. Your use of color throughout the story could help avoid implications of white as more pure, if this is something you’d like to avoid:

See more about Color symbolism in our Color Symbolism Guide

Also, going from pink to white, which both have connotations of femininity and softness (according to a Western Lens) doesn’t come across as a stark difference. Without knowing the full details of these personality changes the girls undergo, I’m personally not getting that impression. Again, the full narrative will inform this and you may want to pay mind to your use of color throughout.

Now, do avoid making the dark-haired one a Strong Black Women character. You specifically called her strong, which doesn’t necessarily mean she’s a SBW, but please see our several related posts to ensure she is not one.

I hope this helps!

~Mod Colette

#Black #Black women #Black men #special snowflake #Black stereotypes #tropes #asks #tw stillborn #color symbolism #black vs white #guides #Black hair

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psychotrenny · 1 year ago

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mizrahi jews did not migrate because of the actions of ashkenazi jews, they were exiled from their homelands in the 30s and 40s (iraq, yemen, afghanistan, etc.)

For one, I don't know where you're getting the time period "30s and 40s" from? Even Zionists usually consider the "Mizrahi Exodus" to date from the 50s onwards; a big part of how the process is portrayed by pro-Zionist sources is the framing as Israel as this land of opportunity and safety for Jews fleeing the violence and intolerance of the Arab world, something that couldn't exactly happen until Israel was actually established as a state in 1948.

Secondly as I've already stated multiple times the displacement, marginalisation and violent attack on Palestinians by Zionist European Settlers was already underway in Mandatory Palestine by the 1920s, as embodied by the existence of groups like Haganah and Irgun. So like even if we for whatever reason backdate the supposed mass exile of the Mizrahi to the "30s and 40s" it's still very easy to see the correlation between violence perpetrated by European settlers in the name of "Jewishness" and the development of conflict between previously peacefully co-existing communities of Jews and Gentiles in North Africa and West Asia.

And finally, the idea that the mass migration of Mizrahi Jews to Palestine was the result of intolerance from Muslim neighbors is essentially a Zionist distortion of a much more complicated situation. Soon after the establishment of Israel, the new government actively encouraged Jews from the surrounding region to migrate and worked with many of the surrounding governments (usually the European colonial governments that still controlled extensive tracts of the region) to facilitate this. Some Jews (such as those of Yemen or Morocco) were even essentially deported against their will by the wishes of the Israeli government. While there was an increase in inter-communal conflict between Jewish and Gentile populations in the region, this was both due to the general aftermath of Israeli's brutal establishment and in response to specific actions such as the Mossad terrorist attacks in Egypt in 1954 with some actions even being specifically undertaken in order to cause conflict (or even just the appearance of conflict) and induce migration such as Mossad's activities in Iraq through the 1950s. The sheer degree that direct violence and persecution played in such migrations has also been greatly exaggerated by Zionists in order to justify their continued aggression against the people of Palestine and their Allies; the idea that you can draw any real equivalence between the population movements of the Mizrahi Aliyah and that of the Palestinian Nakba is a ghoulish distortion of history that only serves to justify Zionist atrocities both past and present. One was a more or less voluntary* migration that was only partially induced by fears (both hypothetical and actually realised) of conflict while the other was an incidence of direct and unambiguous ethnic cleansing. The factors that led to the Mizrahi migration has plenty of "pull" in addition to "push" and a great deal of said "push" was deliberately engineered by the Israeli government rather than being purely the result of some natural Islamic cruelty or antagonism

*while not an entirely fair thing to say, and its accuracy will vary a lot on a case by case basis, the Mizrahi migrants on the whole had a lot more freedom than the Palestinians in both the decision to leave and their choice of destination (as several of those linked articles mentioned, some Mizrahi migrated to Europe or the Americas rather than Israel)

#stella speaks

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nabrizoya · 4 years ago

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honestly would LOVE to hear your thoughts on the nikolai duology because i really only see blanket praise or blanket hate for it whereas I see a lot of wasted potential. Bardugo's actual writing was beautiful as ever for the most part, but the choice of the plot/beats feels baffling to me. I love Nina, but her parts felt so separate from the rest of the book until the very end, and even that felt off. I liked the first 2/3 of KoS enough, dealing with the monster, political tensions, 1/2

and even the cult of the starless saint was at least interesting because dealing with people trying to rewrite the narrative of their greatest enemy (who hurt these young leaders in deeply PERSONAL ways) was really compelling (making him literally come back was. a choice) but I feel like somewhere in the last third, KoS went in a wholly differeent direction, and RoW has this vibe of feeling like she definitely wrote it after reading the show scripts or even seeing some footage. idk. 2/2

I will try to be brief (1/12)

Hey anon! Thank you so much for asking this even though it took 38756588247834 years to answer this I’m so sorry !! The Nikolai duology was good—wonderful too maybe because of the myriad of themes and topics it discussed and explored, all in addition to how beloved these characters are. For me, it’s the end of KoS as it is for you, and the entirety of RoW in particular that irk me the most.

I have very little issue with KoS, and I agree with everything you’ve said. The political tensions, the sort of urgency in trying to secure a country at the cost of personal reservations, preparing for a war that seems unforgivably near the door, etc. was all thrilling. After all, it is the first installment in the duology, and it’s supposed to set the course for the upcoming books.

KoS managed to introduce the stakes and the circumstances, lay the rails for what the characters will face and what it might mean to a vast set of entities connected to the events. And it’s hardly out of sense to expect Rule of Wolves to pick up where the previous book left off and carry forward the themes and plot points introduced in the first book.

Except, RoW failed spectacularly in that aspect.

Rule of Wolves: the second book, and the supposed finale to the Grishaverse and the Nikolai duology; it fails to continue the other number of threads that KoS set up for it, effectively compromising the characters, their characterizations, the themes and other political tensions and stakes. The due importance that should be given to the heavy set of topics that get brought up in the povs are not through, nor are the small details that Leigh added to the conversations evolve into something worth talking about, which are the actual points that could have been given some more page time to explore than just making them facts or points of nostalgia for the characters.

If you take a step back and analyze the whole timeline, events, characterization, objectives of the arcs and the plot points etc. etc., all the way from Crooked Kingdom to Rule of Wolves, there’s so much that is left out and tied in, quite haphazardly, which leads me to believe that Leigh wanted to attempt writing a duology that is more plot-driven than it is character driven. And we know that Leigh writes character driven stories brilliantly, and SoC, CK and TLoT are testament to the same. Heck, even TGT has more consistency than whatever TND has.

So, objectively? Plot possibilities? Characterization? Potential? Personal goals? Addressing the very serious themes it brought up, in little or major light, but give no proper elaboration about them?

The lost potential readily compromised the characterizations of many characters, and it all amounted to their arcs being very underwhelming.

I’m dividing this into four parts and here’s the basic outline.

Writing and Plotting

The Plot, Possibilities and Potential.

Characters, Characterization, Character Potential.

Remedy (what I think would've worked better to tie this all up)

This can get very looong, so be forewarned.

I. Writing & Plotting

Now, Leigh Bardugo’s writing is exceptional, no doubt. The sentences are short and flowy, and convey the tone, psyche, environment and the setting and its effects on the pov character marvellously. It's also immersive. It’s the same in Rule of Wolves, except, a little or a lot weaker.

The two main parts of this is that one, that Leigh slightly overdid showing a lot more than telling, and two, that the RoW (and perhaps KoS too), was more plot driven than character driven, the latter of which is actually Leigh’s strength.

In Rule of Wolves, Leigh’s writing seemed very choppy and snappish. The descriptions were lacking, or maybe that’s just me wishing for more internal conflict and dilemma, and going back and forth in one's own head for a bit. It felt like she showed more than she told.

Example being how Zoya ‘snaps’, ‘drawls’, ‘scoffs’, or ‘scowls’ less, and even if that’s supposed to be show Zoya beginning to be a little less unpleasant than she usually is, the tone in those chapters was not strong enough to distinguish how and why the character was acting a certain way. Nor pinpoint an explanation on what brought that change about. (And there were many instances like this with many other characters), which resulted in the characters themselves feeling so off to me.

Leigh’s characters are important to the story. They carry tremendous weight and actively contribute to the plot. Except, by focusing a lot more on the plot, some parts of these characters’ relevance was not up to the mark. It is greatly due to how weak the plotting and pacing of the book was, tbh, more than just her writing.

Consider: Mayu Kir Kaat. She is integral to the story, but she is thrust into responsibilities, and that doesn’t give us much time to see her as a person, and then as a person with a duty, like we see with most other characters. Whatever parts of her we did see were very circumstantial and timed, which is probably the reason why not many we’re unable to appreciate Mayu as much as we should. (Maybe fandom racism also plays a part, so, well,,,).

Like, we know from Six of Crows and with The Language of Thorns, how great care went into describing the characters’ state of mind, which further heavily influenced their choices and decisions. This time though, I think she wanted it to be more plot driven, hence the whole crowded feeling of the book and general worry about oh my god too much is happening, how will all this be solved and all that.

And this, I think, greatly hampered Leigh's writing, leading to unsettling and rather unsatisfying character arcs. Not to mention that there was quite little space given for the characters to develop or let them grow in a satisfying way which touches on most of the elements and themes that get brought up with regard to their powers and potential,,, and when it was indeed brought up, it was all in vain since they were never followed through.

That's one of the biggest problems for me in RoW: Plot points brought up in KoS were not brought forward in RoW.

II. The Plot, Possibilities and Potential.

Phew. Truly buckle up because this train has too many coaches. And to discuss them all, let’s keep the starting point as Crooked Kingdom.

a) Parem

Now, by the end of Crooked Kingdom, we know some important things about the parem.

It's dangerous asf for the Grisha who have to sacrifice their will and capabilities for a short time superpower high that they didn’t even ask for

Which means they are more often than not forced to consume the drug

Shu Han is the creator of the Parem and are also creating a new kind of soldiers called Khergud (who additionally require Ruthenium, but we’ll talk abt that later)

Fjerda snatched the formula after kidnapping Bo Yul-Bayur, keeping him away in the Ice Court and in their possession, and used the Parem to further their own heedlessly heinous agenda

I think it’s easy to understand how KoS started off on the right track, considering that Kuwei Yul Bo is mentioned, the antidote and jurda is brought up and so come the political tensions alongside it (what with the impending war, the demon, the lack of funds in the coffers and security and peace for the country alongside safety for the Grisha).

The point is, parem is a character of its own. CK was its inception, and its fate was decreed along with its lifespan and its doom. Ideally, by the end of RoW, parem should have been vanquished while addressing its nature as a deadly drug, the addiction and aftermath, and the key person who will guide the plot: Kuwei Yul Bo.

Parem is a political tool that pitted countries against each other, making one another their allies or enemies. (Though parem is not the only one factor). Ravka doesn’t yet know about Kerch’s neutrality. The Shu made their move to assassinate in the end, just as Fjerda cleared the air about their goals.

Point is, parem is weapon, a new kind of warfare that keeps getting alluded to in KoS. The first book gave a glimpse of how the Shu and Fjerda are using parem, thereby exploiting, prejudicing etc. the Grisha in their countries. Khergud whose humanity is washed away with parem + ruthenium, and the Fjerdan Grisha (are targeted) drugged and exploited while be subjected to torture, training and imminent death, parametres of these outcomes being severely gendered.

Ravka too wanted to weaponize it and create a usable strain that would still give the Grisha their powers but at a minimal cost, until Nikolai’s conversation with Grigori convinces him out of it and to use only the antidote for the Grisha.

And when are the contents of this conversation brought up again?

Never.

Another aspect of parem (that the conversation also covers) is this: that what was once merzost, parem is its strange cousin. Parem parallels breaking the bounds of Grisha norms unnaturally, while merzost takes it a step further to break the bounds of nature itself, which comes with a heavy price. They're both the same with little differences. Amplifiers are in tune with this discussion, hence the conversation between Zoya and Nikolai about how, and whether or not the abomination in him, the parem, and the amplifiers are tied together. This gets brought up again in the conversation with Grigori.

Parem parallels the superpowers, something that Zoya too manages to achieve once the corruption of the amplifier business is resolved, which makes her realize how in tune with nature the Grisha must be, and how limited the Grisha powers until then had been. And why the amplifiers were a corrupted piece of magic.

Zoya was supposed to be the conduit in that sense that she reversed the Grisha norms and understood the importance and nature of small science. This is alongisde parem getting abolished or resolved in the least, be given a redressal.

Yet instead in RoW, we barely see any of Zoya’s powers, nor even her experimentation and hunger for power which would give her protection. We don't see how she begins to realize that while power was indeed protection, it was also a responsibility. Not clearly, anyway.

So like, not only is this entire discussion thrown away in Rule of Wolves, but no matters are resolved either. Parem did not reach its end like it was supposed to. Merzost with regard to parem would have been an excellent thing to address, with or without the Darkling being present, because the blight is there. But that doesn’t happen.

What happens instead? We get one chapter of Grisha getting the antidote during the face off at the start of the book, the women in Fjerda are not brought up again and instead we jump to Shu Han. Kuwei is also conveniently forgotten because hey, the Zemeni are here so it’s all sorted!

RoW could have (should have actually) sought to address both the political and medical (?) aftermath and implications. Maybe it did succeed in showing the political side of it, with regard to Mayu, Ehri, Makhi and Tamar’s storylines. But that’s only in Shu Han, whose state of affairs we had NO idea of until RoW. No idea, so much that it was completely out of the blue.

And what we did know (get to know about in KoS) is Fjerda and the affairs there remained… unsolved.

(...sorry).

b) Grisha Powers

Re: From the conversation between Nikolai and Grigori, and Juris and Zoya, about how parem and the amplifiers are parallel to each other in terms of being abominations, a corruption of Grisha powers. Now the theory of it is not entirely explained, but we do know that the parem and whatever Zoya learnt from Juris was meant to move along in the same direction.

But we don't see another mention of it, except maybe we could dig a little deeper and realize that it all adds up because Zoya is the Grisha Queen of Ravka, Summoner, Soldier, Saint, all of it rushed and unnecessarily magical in a war so dire and realistic in RoW.

Welp.

c) Spy business

Just… genuinely what even was Nina up to in RoW? A spy, sure, but only to garner information on the pretender?

Why couldn’t there have been two responsibilities for her to uncover: the lies or truths about the pretender while the Apparat causes hindrances, and Nina trying to seek out more documents of the locations and labs where the Grisha women are being tormented and the other Grisha being weaponized? It could have been a leverage to discredit Fjerda in front of everybody in the Os Kervo scene. Imagine if Nina whipped out the documents of Grisha labs and brought the truth of the exploitation and killing and kidnapping etc. in front of the convention of all nations. All of it together would have upped the political tensions by quite the notch.

Even then, there’s a possibility that it wouldn’t matter either because the Grisha aren’t exactly valuable to all the nations. But killing and exploiting is still wrong so maybe it might have worked? Or see, even if it wouldn’t have, the slow and sluggish realization of Mila’s identity by Brum, and alongside writing it as a tragedy where Nina’s efforts seem to have gone to waste, or where Nina is telling Zoya about not accounting for Prince Rasmus’ word and she informs her about the documents she has snatched? Something could have been done here?

The point is, KoS focused on Fjerda and its unraveling, and it wasn’t continued with and through in Rule of Wolves. Instead it sought to find the problem in a whole new country, Shu Han, and fixed it within the same book leaving the other country as it is.

d) Ruthenium and the Blight

Ruthenium, the metal that is an alloy of regular metal and Grisha made steel, could have been utilized more significantly in the books.

I mention it in association with the blight because while on one hand it is true that the blight is an area full of nothingness, ruthenium as a metal could have been utilized to show the effects of rushed industrialization that is leading to the ground losing its essence. This is supposed to be advanced warfare after all. Besides, Makhi loses someone very dear to her. Perhaps ruthenium is more dangerous in Shu Han because the Shu use it to create the khergud, so the constant manufacturing of it has been leading to the metal leeching the lands of their fertility, along with the blight.

And so also to broker peace, Ravka could have provided aid in some ways. :

1) The Darkling sacrificed himself, as a result of which the blight vanishes. While the blight took away her niece, the possibility of a blight persisting despite the ending of RoW could be attributed to ruthenium.

2) Ravka could provide the reversing effect to the alloy of ruthenium and metal using Grisha and otkazt’sya engineering and ingenuity to replenish the lands.

All in addition to whatever will be Shu Han’s policies to bring lushness to their lands.

e) Women and War:

Holy fucking Shit, where do I start with this?

Whatever we saw in Fjerda was haunting, and we see it from Nina’s chapters. There’s literally no resolution for it, nor is it ever brought up again, at all. In Zoya’s chapters, we see through her eyes the brunt that Grisha faced with the war, and in a country that has refused to recognize Grisha as the citizens and considers them expendable.

Add to it her own narrative of how the women are never mentioned, let alone the ones that she has lost or has known to suffer, at the hands of the war, at the Darkling's torture and powers. The description of these women suffering, often being forgotten and thrown aside as mere casualties… where or when was it ever going to be brought up again?

Like, switching between such horrifying things happening in Fjerda to whatever was happening with Zoya and Nikolai and Isaak is such a contrast, horrifyingly demeaning and insulting, even more so when it failed to align with the importance of parem and offer a solution to both these problems.

Now switch to Rule of Wolves, where the Tavgahard women immolate themselves on Queen Makhi’s orders. Not only is that such a cheap and insensitive thing to do, it gets treated a simple fucking plot point in the book, and it barely gets addressed afterwards. Women in Asia have a vastly complex and complicated history with fire, and this is a serious criticism that culturally affects readers in personal ways. And what gets done about it? Fine, Zoya feels baaaad, sorry oops why would the women do that?!?!?

Where is the adequate sensitivity to the topic? Where is the continuation of the pain Zoya feels for many people, despite them being the enemy? How does she honour them? Where is all that dilemma and pain? Why does she not think of them or just get a line or two to talk about them?

Where is the due importance for this suffering given? Structurally and culturally?

f) Soldier, Summoner, Saint / Yaromir the Great

We never really get any explanation for why Zoya deserves to be the Queen, and why she is the best. But we do get to see why Nikolai isn’t the one supposed to be on the throne, and it’s not just because of his parentage but also because of his failings and doubts and the need for acceptance with the secrets he carried.

Here's the thing though; it’s not just about her showing mercy. It’s very subtle, and in good sense, should actually have been given a little bit more importance that be loosely brought up at random times.

Keeping aside the fact that Zoya is representative of Ravka—a woman, a Grisha, a Suli girl who changed the course of war and who knew what it was like living in poverty, being as an underprivileged person of the society in addition to the trauma from then and the state of living at her aunt’s place—which is meant to be covertly apparent, the other reason tracks back to Yaromir the First, who with the help of Sankt Feliks of the Apple Boughs—the one who raised the thornwood—lead Ravka at that time into the age of peace.

The Darkling testified that in his POVs, that while Feliks and Yaromir worked in tandem for Ravka, Aleksander worked for safeguarding the Grisha. In one sense, Zoya is supposed to reflect that moment in history in the present moment, except she is Queen and Sankta, and Grisha, all three at once.

It is brought up in one of the Darkling’s POVs and once in the conversation with Yuri in KoS. Other than that, we never actually get any more hints of this explanation in the text, which is the reason why the entire ending felt so so rushed, and like a fever dream, that even if it was a plot twist, it was kinda very baseless when it should have been more ohhhhh sort of a thing.

g) The Starless Cult and Saint Worship

This cult had immense potential to blossom into many things, some of which were indeed touched upon in KoS when Zoya says that she saw a bit of herself in Yuri, and brings up time and again how easily she’d been led and had not been aware enough of what’s right and wrong, just as she supposes Yuri is too. And to some extent, there is truth there, because in the Lives of Saints, we do see why Yrui comes about to hail the Darkling and how it parallels Zoya’s, of being helpless and ten being saved by a different power/ their own power, respectively.

That’s where it forks, that Zoya is older and realizes the path that Yuri has chosen and understands that it won't happen until he realizes it himself because the Darkling’s crimes are so obvious.

Even then, there’s still more potential: This cult could have been the mirror that would make Zoya reflect on the questionable methods of the Darkling, and the ways in which she might be mirroring them, despite or not it is the necessity because of the war. How she is training soldiers too, just as the Darkling did, and while the need to take children away from their homes just as soon as they were discovered Grisha was abolished, it was war, and they needed soldiers.

So like, there’s quite a big narrative going on here, how mere children are pushed into one path of becoming a soldier and the whole system that was that the Darkling followed to train the Grisha and all of that. All of this in addition to the juxtaposition to the Grisha being seen as elite despite them being hunted, and the people who are not Grisha frowning upon them. This is also the work of the Darkling, which actually paves the way to see how there can be a world where the Grisha are not feared or seen as abnormal, despite or not they are given a Saint-like narrative.

This cult could also have been the segue to discussing Yuri and his brainwashing, and the sort of cult-ish behaviour of believing in something firm when you couldn’t believe in yourself, or not seeing the magnitude of the crimes of their supposed Saint, alongside always staying focused on becoming a soldier only and never actually thinking beyond what is told.

Some of these are very subtle and some are brought up, but never given too much of an explanation.

Genya brings up another good point in the funeral chapter, about how Fjerda seemingly taking into the whole Saints thing could mean that if the Darkling moved there, he could very well sprawl his influence there to bring in supporters. Which leads to another discussion that gets brought up towards the end of the book: about Nina telling about the Ravkan Saints to Hanne and therefore to the Fjerdans,,, which doesn’t exactly sit right with me. It’s still a very nascent topic, and I think SoC3 will explore this path of faith and personal beliefs etc. but leaving it just there, while talking so much about Saints in both the countries,,, don’t exactly know how to put it into thoughts here.

But regardless, the cult of the Starless had different potential to talk of (blind) worshipping of an ideal without critically examining why the person must be put on the pedestal in the first place (and if it is simply power, then there is actually a narrative right there, which RoW gets right, about the people valuing the power still, as a result of which the monarchy still persists at the end of RoW. Even then, there’s more discussion awaiting there).

Not sure if any of this makes sense, but I’ll leave it at this here for now.

edit: 05/07/2021 | I think what I was trying to say here is that we do not have any kind of narrative evidence to seeing how and why it seems right that the Fjerdans will worship Ravkan Saints; is it merely because they are all Grisha? Or is it because of the segue explore this path of faith and personal beliefs and all of that, of the talk of the monastery and the Grisha there being of all identities, that a monastery is in Shu Han, that it has Djel's sacred Ash tree so far away from Fjerda... much to think about.

III. Characters, Characterization, Character Potential.

Mostly going to be about Nina and Zoya, but I’ll bunch up the rest of them at the end.

a) Nina

*head in hands*

I severely mourned how poorly Zoya was written in RoW, but then I realized that more than Zoya, it’s Nina whose potential was severely undermined and wasted. On one hand, I’m glad she uses her powers and quick thinking,observation and her own tactics to analyze the population and opt for the best way to make them see the truth she wants to show them (eg: making Leoni and Adrik and Zoya saints and also showing that the Grisha are the children of Djel via people’s belief to Joran and Rasmus’s mother).

But then, it’s like you said; her parts were so offbeat and outpaced and completely disjointed, when in fact, Nina is the thread that ties all the characters, their plotlines and potential, together. Nina is connected to Zoya and Hanne, two equally important characters and main characters of the duology. Whatever scope Nina has, they are greatly in parallel to Zoya and Hanne. And it’s all literally there, in the text! What a waste.

Though keeping aside these parallels, Nina’s own journey from Ketterdam to Ravka to Fjerda, while is spoken about, doesn’t touch some other parts that I see potential in. Or this is just meta.

Nina has grief not just from Matthias’ death but also from the loss of her powers as Heartrender. So much of the Second Army was built on being a soldier, and perhaps the Darkling was not outright disdainful of racial differences in his army, yet he still stripped every part of the children away until they weren’t children anymore in his view. They’re all soldiers… (albeit his soldiers, preparing them to do his bidding because hey, give and take right?). Nina was a soldier, and she is a soldier still under Zoya’s role as a General, but an ‘other’ of a soldier. That’s her only identity, and the loss of her powers means that she’s a different kind of soldier.

I imagine that this entire time, some small part of Nina longed for normalcy, or whatever settled as normal for a life like hers. In the sense that she wants to go back, but what is back and where exactly did she want to go back to? What was the before and after and where did things go wrong or change? There’s tragedy in the realization that whatever you were before what you became is not a place you can return to, and that’s a different kind of loss that she has to bear, and all by herself. She has powers over the dead now, a strange power she learns to grow to, but all the places she has been, all the lives she has led and people she had been, everything might seem like they’ve all been locked away in some strange place leaving her barren and indisposable.

She’s off to Fjerda as someone she isn’t, figuratively and literally. In KoS, Nina brings up many times how odd she feels as Mila and in some capacity longs to be Nina Zenik again. This ties in with the previous point of returning to somewhere, but where?, but is also a segue towards body dysmorphia, the thing that Nina and Hanne’s storylines parallel and connect too with in a small way. It’s a great line to follow to discuss what her discomfort with her body means to herself while it means something entirely different to Hanne, who is also not entirely comfortable being who they are. (This discomfort further which leads to gender dysphoria, while for Nina, it will be about learning to accept her powers. I’ll add on to this in a bit,).

I'm mourning the lost potential of that experience being a parallel to Hanne’s own feelings, of a discussion between people being uncomfortable with their bodies, something that can mean multitudes to each person and on their own accord.

In parallel to Zoya, I like to draw it from the fact about Nina wanting to go back to who she was, while Zoya actively tries to lock her past away and drown it somewhere or throw it to the storm, never to hear of it again. She has no identity other than being a soldier, and that’s enough for Zoya, because who she was before she was a soldier is not pleasant. But moving from being just another expendable shell of soldier under the Darkling’s rule, Zoya becomes the one third of the Triumvirate, and then the King’s general, all of which bring self-awareness of Zoya’s capabilities and challenges that are bound to excite her. But all of these also compel Zoya to be many other people to others as she slowly grows to realize that power is not just protection but also a responsibility, and it will inadvertently mean confronting her past of her lost identity, realizing the how of the Darkling, and how harmful it was. As Genya puts it perfectly in Rule of Wolves, that they were all taken away when they were young kids, not even barely children, and then thrust into responsibilities that didn’t allow them to be anything else other than what the Darkling told them to be.

Back to Nina; a few other great parts about Nina’s arc could have been about her connection to languages, as language being a mode of strengthening identity, in addition to growing to her powers. In RoW, there’s this line that goes ‘how sweet it was to speak her language [Ravkan] again’, and the feeling of homesickness. Like, Nina is trying to connect to Ravka through what she knows best—language, and then stories. In that, Nina realizes a part of her identity, which could also act as a segue to Zoya reclaiming her own heritage and ethnicity. Not only that but Zoya and Nina’s stories are literally so intertwined that it’s hard not to see how their choices and line of thought affect one another’s arcs, in the grief they have and how they choose to treat it, and also show why Zoya is particularly protective of Nina (and keeps wishing that she doesn’t become the monster Zoya had become, in the sense that Nina is more mature in handling her grief than Zoya was and the entire mercy plotline ties Nina, Zoya and even Genya together. More meta, haH).

And that’s why the ending doesn’t make sense. Even though the part about her not being comfortable as Mila is not brought up many times in the continuing chapters (and that’s why perhaps naming Nina’s discomfort as body dysmorphia may be wrong), there’s still the part of Nina readily accepting to be who she was a Mila and remain in Fjerda that seems iffy to me. Especially when Nina and Hanne literally a few chapters ago think about running away (it may be just another alternative they might be fantasizing about, but I think it still means that they both want to be their true selves without hiding any parts of it away). So her staying as Mila… well, it doesn’t exactly add up.

I’d also add the part of Nina’s story mirroring Leoni’s, and how she is from Novyi Zem and being a part of the Second Army meant that she had little to no connection with her past, her culture etc. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part that Leigh went for that arc.

edit: 05/07/2021 | I don't agree with my point anymore about Nina not having the kind of ending I assumed she might have, considering that it is very well possible for Nina to treat her identity as Mila as a fresh start, as a Grisha with a command over the the dead and begin a new normal that is suited for her. You can read more here.

b) Zoya

For one, white passing Zoya is not canon to me. I simply pretend I do not see it.

See, her race was handled very badly. Making her half-Suli was supposed to show the struggles and the trauma that the ridiculing of her identity by other people has caused to her. Except, not enough time nor text is given to thoroughly discuss it. Not to forget how problematic of a narrative in itself it is to make Zoya white passing.

It would have made more sense to make her dark skinned and predominantly Suli-looking than whatever yt bs she was put through. Her not being white-passing would have led to conversations about tokenization, or people caring little about her and not giving her any respect because she is Suli. Or being called beautiful to the face and praised just for it or a harmless tumble in their point of view.

So like, instead of making the ‘mistake’ of seeking for acceptance, seeking appreciation and love, from her mother at first and then the Darkling, Zoya instead makes herself someone to be feared, if respect was not what she deserved. The iciness is a part of her and has always been, but all of it soon became a shield, an armour that she vowed to harden her heart with. Just the sheer impact of this narrative and her reluctance, and seeing Nikolai love her for beyond who she thinks she is… if all of this was canon, I’m pretty sure I’d have built a shrine for this duology.

Let’s now talk about her grief, and...

…

Okay it’s not for me to point fingers at how Leigh chose to write about grief because there’s no one way or one proper approach to go through that pain, and if that’s how she chose to write about grief for Zoya, fine! But I really wish we’d have gotten a little more into her head to see how the trauma has affected her thoughts and how she struggles against why and what exactly it is that Juris wants her to do. That enough time and text was dedicated to Zoya’s feelings and the mayhem it caused her, as a result of which the dragon’s eye took its cue and made things more unbearable to her because she was the only one to bear them all.

Like, I feel like Zoya was overwhelmed throughout the book and in between she had some skyhigh responsibilities to discharge and it’s all so inconsistent and poorly woven,,, it completely dissolved her character from KoS and made it 10000000x more miserable for me to read her POVs. And honestly, what even were her assignments that the Kirkus review mentioned? Never an inch of text in RoW is given to decipher her complications of her mind, the muddled sense of hopelessness and fear that grips her time and again. Why overwhelm her so much that you fail to do her mental state and capacity any justice?

I’m not going to be harsh about how much David’s death bothered me-- no actually fuck that; what’s the point? Fine, he died. All because you wanted to make his death a plot device to make Zoya reconcile with loss and deal with it? Where was Genya’s grief? Literally no point of having a death in the book at all, and it didn’t even achieve anything. (I’m still trying to wrap my head around why David’s death was important and maybe if I find some straws, I’ll consider…)

There were so many other ways around it; could have brought back Lada and killed her off, or have the Darkling piss her off so badly or just. Something. Instead of whatever happened with David. I think this is too harsh and insensitive of me to say about Leigh, but still… there’s a myriad of other ways to have gone about it. Helping Zoya deal with her grief with Nikolai at her side, to understand that the rage that was fueled from her loneliness, like it had been in the past, could now be a weight that Nikolai was willing to carry with her… Helping someone with their grief, staying and choosing is also a love language you know?

So in that regard, I won’t regret saying how flat the garden scene was to me. Zoya’s lines, though tinged with grief, were so out of what I would expect KoS Zoya to say. Maybe it’s also because of how bitter I was reading about David's death, despite that part being spoiled for me.

The cost shouldn’t have been David’s death, especially not when his death too wasn’t properly handled at all, and Genya’s grief was never spared a second thought beyond bringing Titanium.

Now let’s talk about how Out of Character Zoya was throughout the book. Her punchy attitude was missing, and even if she was warming up to her friends, we see little of the iciness she continues to retain. Another part of this is about exploring her relationships, particularly with Nikolai and her growing feelings for him. I wish we’d have seen them grapple with more of their confusion and propriety, if only for the yearning™. Besides, no matter how cute their scenes were, they were mostly (like maybe some. 70%) awful to read them, simply because it felt so odd to see Zoya be so open with Nikolai, all of a sudden.

A part of this definitely has to be the fact that we don’t know just how much time has passed between the end of KoS and the start of RoW, and we never, never see any description of they regarded their feelings for each other and how they understood it themselves. I don’t actually know how exactly I can put this into words in a manner that will make sense, but the only scenes where I appreciated Zoyalai were in the Ketterdam chapters, ONLY. The rest was… bleh lmao. Their scenes were so cute and brilliant, and if only we’d seen more of the internal conflict and had given some more time for them to practically approach their feelings but still end up in the puddle of it. If only.

Their scenes apart were the good ones, because that’s where we finally see Nikolai feeling the loss, no matter how temporary (on the verge of being permanent since it’s the war), of not having Zoya with him, of not being there with Zoya because who else would it be if it wasn’t her? Zoyalai had good scenes but they barely lived up to the mark lol. Their feelings are never thoroughly explored, nor their mental capacities.

While we’re talking about Zoyalai, let’s also talk about how lame it was for Zoya to say that Nikolai was the golden spirited hero all along, from the very start, when canonically we know Zoya had little to do with him in the earlier books, that she may have only been physically attracted to him and never saw him as more than just some guy with a responsibility to manage, and had sooooooo much distrust about him. And that it was only in the next few years of working with him and alongside did she grow to recognize his efforts and relish in the hope that he was building for Ravka, inadvertently making Zoya hopeful too.

Nope. Instead, we’ll just throw in some destiny bs that he was the one all along rather than show that the beauty of their relationship did not stem what they perceived of each other, but was instead built on strong respect and admiration for one another and their capabilities. 100% destroyed their relationship for me.

Some good parts about Zoya’s arc in RoW was how she acknowledged her past mistakes, and the nuance that was touched upon in seeing sense in becoming a soldier from the start, that offered her a chance to be anything other than a bride. That some part of her was grateful for the Darkling for teaching her how to fight, while still keeping Genya’s words in mind about how they were mere kids, children who had only one path to traverse because the Darkling (who wanted their acceptance and loyalty) nor the Kings of the country let the Grisha be anything else other than pawns of the war. That she recognizes her mistakes as a teen and how self centred she was, that her being snotty had at times cost some peoples’ lives too. And she doesn’t take the blame all up on herself, because it’s not hers alone to bear. Super good.

Also, the way Zoya comes to view power as responsibility instead of merely as protection was something cool to read about. It’s not clear in the books, but Zoya actively tried to not be the Darkling while still continuing to build an army for the war out of necessity, and actually sharing some parts of the dream that the Darkling had for the Grisha. I can’t articulate this so perfectly, but the point is, Zoya trying to avoid becoming a tyrant like the Darkling was an active process that she was constantly trying to change, and where Zoya could not recognize her own feelings and inherent thoughts about warfare that in some ways did mirror the Darkling’s, by the end of book, Zoya is much more self-aware and conscious of herself and her power than she was at the start of the book. And this was well done.

Now, what is up with YA and making people turn into giants or animals lol wtf. Why couldn’t we have seen Zoya use her dragon powers in a way that symbolizes the conditions of her dragon amplifier and the power of the knowledge she obtained from Juris? She is a Saint, and we’ve seen that their powers allowed them to cause ‘miracles’ and such, as we see at the start of KoS and at the end.

Why couldn’t we have seen Zoya dabble with her newfound powers and completely lose her shit in anger during the wae, only to rein back in mercy, just as someone from Fjerda begs for forgiveness since they see her then as a Saint? Adrik and Leoni used their powers in Fjerda, so having Zoya bring about a conundrum of all orders and do something about it would also have been cool, wouldn’t it? In the funeral scene we see her turn water into ice, thereby making a path for Genya. Why couldn’t we have had more exploration of the importance of the dragon’s eye and the general nausea of being overly empathetic every. damn. time? Why didn’t we get to see her powers? Why couldn’t we have seen her fail in them and realize that the reason she was not perfect was because she was trying to be strong on her own and was not relying on others and joint effort?

Her turning into a dragon was genuinely the most baffling part bc here’s a war that’s so serious and dire with metals and bombs, and then here’s this magic that will solve all of it entirely. Like I’m not saying it was bad, (I am actually saying just that) but I also don’t know what I am saying, except that the ending felt like a fever dream.

…?

Not sure if I’ve managed to convey it properly, but well. Zoya felt out of character throughout RoW, and that the only place I saw KoS Zoya was in the final Os Kervo scene where Zoya finally agrees to be the queen.

c) Nikolai

Nikolai’s arc was very satisfying and brilliant to read about in RoW. In KoS, he seemed very much like a passive character, one of the reasons why his stunt with the Shu in RoW was appreciable, no matter how ill-timed of a plot turn it was. His journey throughout this book was also introspective to see why others deemed him unfit as the King, and even if they were his enemies who thought that in want to dispose him from the throne, Nikolai realizes that him being on the throne is not of much value and that this book was entirely about him seeing his privilege and making decisions to counter and correct the mistakes he’s made. That was nice. Oh, also his father not being an antagonist was a pleasant surprise.

I don’t have many complaints about him, except perhaps wanting some more internal conflict and elaboration about his feelings for Zoya. Them being apart was where it was satisfying, and then in the Ketterdam chapters. His arc could have been better in KoS, but that’s to blame the plot for the characterization.

d) Hanne

Now, from the very start, their arc was super good and it only got better and better until… the ending. Except it’s so odd that Hanne, a poc, has to now live as white person, while feeling comfortable in their transmasc identity. Icky, no? That you need to eliminate one part of your identity in order to feel safe and comfortable about another? Add to this the whole white-passing Zoya thing,,, doesn't exactly send off the right message.

Together with Nina, the ending seems uncharacteristic for both of them. Them coming to accept their powers and knowing to use their powers on their own accord was brilliant, though the entire husband business felt very,,, eh to me, even if it did make sense. The ending about their name and their new identity was too vague.

e) Genya, Leoni and Adrik, Kuwei, Mayu,

Genya is the one who faced the most disservice along with David. While there were exceptional parts to both of their plotlines, it's still sad that even if David's death was necessary, we don't get to see the entirety of her grief and the possible anger, and that her kindness is simply used as the justification for lack of portrayal of grief.

It really did take me by surprise, mostly because I wasn't a fan of the original Shadow and Bone book, but seeing David's conscience and self-awareness, along with Genya's (and Zoya thinking of how she wouldn't let any harm come to them, which shows a bit of her development towards her character development), was plenty refreshing. David and Genya were genuinely the highlights of the book and to kill David off was just. doesn't sit right with me.

Leoni and Adrik deserved more page time. They’re saints and immensely capable (no wonder they’re now the Triumvirate), but a few more pages for them to shine would not only have been nice, but also a necessity.

And now, Kuwei...

....

I mean,,, parem should have been the plot, alongside the entire weaponry and the discussion of making a city killer. But uh… that didn’t happen.

There's not much I have to say about Mayu, Tamar and Ehri, except that their plot was superb, only very badly timed.

There's more to talk about them in the remedy tho.

IV. Remedy

Here’s the deal. Before KoS release, there should have been a Nina novella.

Nina is a very important character. All of her potential, alongside many other parts of her personality--from dealing with grief, to accustoming to her powers, to growing stronger--there could be so much to do with her as a protagonist, alongside another character: Mayu.

A whole book dedicated to Nina in Fjerda with Hanne? Brilliant. Show Stopping. Mind blowing. It gives SO much page time to explore not just Nina and Mayu, Hanne, but also Zoya, Leoni and Inej. All together.

How?

Nina’s plotline carries the entire medical effects of the use of parem, just as Mayu’s will carry the pain she feels about her brother being a part of the khergud program. The novella will give ample time to flesh them out as characters and protagonists, each dealing with plot problems and problems of their own--like the loss of ones powers and newfound responsibilities, and the shared loss of a beloved person in parallel, even if neither Nina or Mayu interact on page.

Fjerda and Shu Han could be tied together with one chapter as a POV from Zoya (or maybe two), who, along with the Triumvirate and Nikolai, are completely at loss with the political scenario in the country, and are debating over what should be the course of action. Zoya receives news from the scouts, and missives from Nina, and Tamar takes care of the information she garners from the rest of the network, including Shu Han.

Like, the entire surprise of finding a Zoya POV, from a character whom until CK we’ve known as cold hearted and stern and not giving a fuck about anything or anyone, be humanized in that one chapter, thereby building up the anticipation for her arc,,, the very potential,,, *chef's kiss*.

And by the end of book, we could have an POV--or maybe a cameo if not a POV--of Inej meeting Nina on one of her travels of slave hunting. Inej could help take care that the women that Nina has rescued (as Nina does in KoS) reach the Ravkan shorelines safely. But, for a price.

The entire parallels between Leoni and Hanne and Nina could be set up, while also building up the narrative for the Saints’ plotline with Adrik's, Leoni's and Nina’s powers (like it was at the end of KoS). KoS and RoW would thereby continue it by tackling the weaponization and the antidote, Sainthood and the rest of the politics of it all.

Coming to Shu Han: one key aspect that I’d love to have explored would be the importance of art, during or despite the war. Of how war or pain chips away culture, while detailing on the ill effects of it from the commoners' perspectives, from the soldiers etc. Art is integral to Shu Han and could be portrayed by Mayu’s pain finding balm in poetry, of seeing glimpses of Ehri poring over poetry also mayri ftw, of politics that Makhi is weaving against Ravka, etc.

Or also add some more length to Zoya’s POV and explore a bit of Tamar and Tolya and Kuwei’s interactions and perspective added to it, of missing a home that they seemed to not know, or know; of discussing culture and differences on the basis of where they’re from (maybe the twins are from the borders, while Kuwei grew up near the capital or somewhere distant from the borders etc.), all while directly pointing at Zoya’s heritage and how it ebbs at her conscience, no matter how much she wants to bury it.

POTENTIAL !!!

Like,,, Nina novella would have been too powerful. It would have been perfect. I think I’d excuse bringing back the Darkling too if this was the case. (Or maybe not).

But welp.

Hey, thanks for reading! Not sure if you could make it this far, but if you have, you honestly deserve a medal for sitting through this all. I can’t imagine how tiring it must be to read through this, considering it seemed to take it more than month to compile this there’s also me procrastinating on it too so i’,mbhbdhshfsdn

Drop an ask if you want to talk more about this!

Sincerely, thank you!!!

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aspoonofsugar · 4 years ago

Text

Your Power...Your Theme

This post is born because of @waywardtravelerfart asking about a comparison between Semblances (Rwby) and Quirks (BNHA).

In general, I am not a hardcore BNHA fan, though, so I decided to drag other magic systems in this comparison.

So, I will be comparing...

1) Semblances:

2) Quirks:

3) Nen (HxH):

4) Abilities (BSD):

5) Magic (WHA):

Body and Soul

1) & 3)

Pyrrha: Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt you were being watched without knowing that someone was there? With practice, our Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals.

Nen and Semblances are very similar ideas. Both have their root in the concept of aura aka life force and are trained through specific exercises that are based on martial arts.

More importantly, they are manifestations of a person’s soul.

This is why in both series they are linked to one’s individuality:

Ren: A common philosophy is that a warrior’s Semblance is a part of who they are.

And both Nen and Semblances grow and evolve with the person.

At the same time, both stories focus not only on the soul, but also on the body.

In HxH Gon and Killua must train their bodies just as much as their nen. No matter how much stronger their auras become, they would still be left defenseless if they forget about basic training and if they do not take care of their bodies.

Similarly, Huntsmen and Huntresses in Rwby have both Semblances and Weapons:

By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura. You protect yourself and your soul when fighting.

Weapons are linked to personalities just like Semblances are:

Ruby: Just weapons? They’re an extension of ourselves! They’re a part of us! Oh, they’re so cool.

It is only through the combination of weapons and semblances that one becomes strong and whole.

In order to experience humanity to its fullest, one needs both a soul:

And a body:

In short, Semblances and Nen are representative of the Soul. They are a physical projection of it. Moreover, they need to be completed by the Body to properly work.

BSD abilities are similar because they clearly symbolize characters’ coping mechanisms.

They are linked to people’s personalities and their effects are highly variegated and impossible to explain through biology alone (for example, a character is able to materialize a whole room in another dimension).

At the same time, they seem to have some physical properties.

For example, it is possible to create artificial abilities and to implant them into people. The process has yet to be properly explained, though.

This can be compared to the research on aura made in Rwby.

That said, this specific research is framed negatively by the narrative because it is an attempt to control what it should not be (a person’s soul).

Similary, in BSD, such experiments are criticized as well because they violate human rights and are an attempt to weaponize abilities, which is an ongoing topic explored by the story.

Quirks are instead framed as the result of biological evolution. This creates an interesting inversion compared to the other stories. Quirks are not simply physical representations of a character’s psychology, but they are a part of the reason why that character develops a specific coping mechanism.

Toga is attracted to blood because her Quirk is about drinking blood, so she naturally likes it.

Shigaraki’s destruction traumatizes him because it leads to his family’s death.

Touya’s weak constitution makes his power difficult to use, hence he develops self-hurting tendencies.

Finally, Magic in WHA is something that exists outside the characters.

It is not something people are born with, but an art they can master through study and dedication.

Its origin is still unknown, but it is explained that it works thanks to specific materials:

And even human blood can be used to strengthen it:

In short, Magic is a human art that makes use of specific natural resources and a specific knowledge to create several effects. In a sense, its logic is similar to both art and programming. It is similar to art because the witches need to exercise on drawing and to be creative on their approaches to things. It is similar to programming because they must use what is basically a specific language made of symbols to create different effects.

So, Magic is not linked to a person’s soul in the way other magical systems are, but a character’s personality still emerges from the kind of magic they specialize in. This is something unavoiable... after all this is how personality works in real life as well... we all have different approaches to problems and beliefs that will emerge in our art and in our jobs.

In conclusion, all these magical systems are connected in different ways to characters’ personalities, to their flaws and to their symbolic roles in the narrative.

In these metas, there are some examples of how this happens for HxH, Rwby, BSD and WHA.

Power and Privilege

3) & 5)

Nen and Magic are similar:

With enough training, both powers can be used by everyone.

However, both HxH society and WHA society choose to keep them secret because the damage that could come from sharing this knowledge is potentially devastating.

That said, both stories also show how there is hypocrisy behind this stance.

HxH does so in an indirect way.

Nen is supposed to be secret, so that dangerous people can’t use its power for wrong reasons.

However, many hunters are not really moral people. If anything many are violent and ready to kill. The exam itself encourages these tendencies since it does not punish murderers. Moreover, it turns out that very dangerous people already know about nen:

WHA explores this theme more directly:

The secret behind magic creates inequality. Magic could be used to help much more people, but it is limited by the law that imposes witches to keep the secret and forbids them from using magic to heal.

The result is an unjust society and a paradox. Isn’t there another way to use magic that it is less elitarian?

2) Similarly, quirks create inequality in BNHA. However, the mechanisms behind it are slightly different.

Not only people without quirks are discriminated, but also people with specific powers are considered less than others.

This happens either because the power is considered weak or lame or because it is considered a villain power.

In other words, BNHA society nurtures a simplicistic and black and white vision of quirks and people. This leads to some being discriminated for their quirks and to others being excused of everything because of their abilities.

4) In BSD, we have a similar yet partly opposite situation.

Ability users are mostly dehumanized and weaponized by society.

Basically the series explores how society makes use of its more vulnerable members and objectifies them.

So, in BSD having an ability is not really a synomim of privilege, but it is rather something that can set you apart and make you a victim of your country or your organization.

Because of this,the characters struggle to both accept their powers, but also not to be defined by it.

1) Finally, the case of RWBY is interesting because even if society is founded on privilege and inequity, semblances are not really a pivotal part of it.

It is much more common for people to be discriminated because of their bodies (like the Faunus) or their social status than for their semblances. Surely, cases like those exist, but they are not particularly explored by the story.

This might be because semblances are just one of many factors that determine a personal’s stance in society. Moreover, it is not even that clear how much common people know about semblances and aura. I would not say it is exactly a secret, especially because semblances can manifest themselves in a variety of situations. Still, it seems to me that they are mostly aknowledged and accepted by common people, but not exactly pursued or studied.

Symbolically, semblances are linked to an ancient magic that has been forgotten by people. This could tie with why some people, especially in Atlas, have been dismissive of them to an extent. Whitley dismisses his own and is not interested in developing it, while Watts is one of the few characters who fight without a semblance.

It might very well be that human technology and dust make so many different effects possible that a semblance, even if important for a warrior’s own strength and individuality, is not really the only factor that determines the place of a person in society.

In conclusion, all these power systems are linked to privilege in different ways. They are used to explore social inequality or parts of the society that are either repressed or not aknowledged.

Choices and limits

1) 2) & 4)

Quirks, Abilities, Semblances and their limits are not chosen. You are born with them and the most you can do is to try and overcome the limitations or to come up with clever ways to use your power.

You can train your Quirk, so that it becomes stronger.

When it comes to Abilities instead, characters usually must train to control what are potentially dangerous powers.

There are also abilities that help other people to control their powers and modify how these powers work. For example, there is a character whose ability is about summoning a fighting avatar. However, to do so, she needs to be called on a specific phone and it is actually the one calling that commands the avatar. Still, thanks to the influence of the above mentioned ability, she becomes able to summon the avatar at will and does not need the phone anymore.

Finally, in the case of Semblances, you need to meditate and to train your semblance, so that it can evolve. At the same time, though, semblance evolution can happen also because of specifical psychological conditions.

For example, Ren’s Tranquility both activates and evolves not because of physical training, but because of stress (the first time) and emotional growth (the second). This is fitting because his ability has mostly to do with emotions, so it is telling that it evolves as he grows emotionally rather than physically.

Ruby’s semblance is instead a physical one since she is super fast. So it is fitting that it mostly manifests and evolves with her training at using it.

Finally, when it comes to semblances, you do not really choose how they evolve and what new effects you gain. They are mostly an unconscious part of yourself that grows with you.

3) & 5)

The kind of magic you specialize in and the nen power you are gonna have are things one chooses.

To be more specific, they are influenced from one’s talents, but then they evolve according to a person’s choice.

For example, the protagonist Gon has an aura which is particularly good to strengthen things, so he chooses to use it to strengthen his punch. Moreover, he really likes Jankenpon, so he comes up with a power that uses this game. It is a technique that creates different effects depending on what he chooses to “play” (scissors, rock or paper).

Similarly, Coco is good at drawing straight lines and this makes her good with basic magic, that she uses in original ways because of her thinking outside the box. Her teacher Qifrey instead specializes in water magic because he used to be scared of water when he was little and wanted to overcome this fear.

At the same time, both nen users and witches must face limitations.

Nen has limitations that are self-imposed and decided by the users.

Magic has limitations that are imposed by society and codified through law.

Nen works with the idea that the stronger the limitation you set, the stronger will be your power. Similarly, if you sacrifice something, you can obtain a more powerful effect.

For example, another character called Kurapika creates chains with different powers. One of his chains has the limitation to only work on the members of a specific criminal group. Moreover, if Kurapika breaks this rule, he’ll lose his life. Since the sacrifice Kurapika has decided is pretty extreme, that chain is basically impossible to break.

Of course, limitations do not need to be so extreme. The protagonist’s jankenpon is limited by the fact he says out loud the name of his technique and takes time to use it (both goes against him, since it gives his opponent time to prepare). In this way the power gets stronger.

Magic is a very dangerous force, so it is prohibited to use magic on people’s bodies. This includes the idea that you can’t heal bodies directly or that you can’t change the way you look. It also forbids people from using blood to make magic stronger and to put glyphs on a person’s skin.

These limitations challenge the characters and force them to think outside the box. For example, Coco wants to save her mom who became a stone. The best way to do so is to use magic on her, but this is prohibited hence Coco keeps brainstorming about how she can do it and even thinks about breaking the law multiple times.

In conclusion, powers are often linked to the self and the degree of control and choices characters have on them is symbolic of which part of the self we are talking about.

In the case of semblances and abilities, they mirror an unconscious part.

A Quirk is a biological factor that influences one’s self instead and that everyone can try ot develop in a way they like.

Finally, nen and magic are a conscious part of the self that still mirrors unconscious tendencies.

Not only that, but abilties have limits that come from either outside the person or inside them.

POWER SYSTEMS AND THE FIVE KINDS OF CONFLICT

In stories, there are at least five types of conflict.

1) Man vs Self

2) Man vs Society

3) Man vs Man

4) Man vs Nature

5) Man vs God

The magic systems we explored are linked to at least three of these five types.

Man vs Self

Supernatural abilities are linked to a person’s interiority and personality. Often they are representative of the character’s flaw and their limits can be overcome only by the person’s growth.

Man vs Society

Power systems end up being influenced and influence fictional societies.

They can represent privilege or some wrongdoing in society itself.

Alternatively, they can be limited by society’s rules and imposed laws.

Man vs Man

It is not uncommon to have special powers used in fights. In this case, they become symbolic ways to explore characters’ relationships, themes and different value systems.

This is something that BSD, HxH and Rwby do a lot. WHA has had less fights as for now, but it is definately something that has come up and will come up more in the future. Finally, I am not too much into BNHA to comment on the series, but I would be surprised if it is not the same there as well.

In conclusion, I do not really have much to say on the onthology of powers in different narrative worlds and tbh I do not think this is really what many writers think about when they design them. I think what writers focus on is how to make interesting powers that convey a character’s personality, can be used to explore the world and give life to entertaining fights.

#hxh #bnha #rwby #bsd #wha #waywardtravelerfart #meta #my meta #magic system

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thepapergirlandthespiegelman · 4 years ago

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Castlevania Season 4: I’m not mad, just disappointed

Season 4 is poorly written fanfiction, which is...better than a lot of things could be, I guess.

Spoilers below the cut.

Content warning: trauma, sexual assault, psychological manipulation

The Gods Have Had a Change of Heart

Or, “Season 3 Blocked and Ignored”

Season 3 felt like the fabric of the universe had been twisted just to inflict additional pain. Season 4 overcompensates in the other direction; trauma evaporates, and good things happen for no other reason than to make our favorite characters happy.

The Season 3 finale left two characters in particular totally devastated: Alucard and Hector. Alucard is violently betrayed in a horrifying sexual assault by the first two people he’s spoken to since Trevor and Sypha left. He ends up killing them in self-defense and puts their bodies on stakes outside the castle, alluding to his father’s habit of doing so and potentially hinting at a turn toward evil. Hector is seduced by Lenore and then enslaved using a magic ring.

Yet at the start of Season 4, it’s as if these things never happened. Alucard is troubled, but not totally devastated, certainly not evil. Taka and Sumi are referenced in exactly one conversation with new character, Greta, in which she says the rather tactless throwaway line, “I had a boyfriend and girlfriend at the same time once. But they never tried to kill me.” Hector is nominally imprisoned, but immediately seems highly agentic, perhaps even more so than before. He studies, lays traps, and makes secret plans with other people. Furthermore, his relationship with Lenore is completely transformed. From falling to his knees in abject horror and despair at being enslaved, he suddenly switches to light banter, in what is apparently a basically okay, mutually enjoyed romantic/sexual relationship. Manipulative, selfish Lenore is now a sympathetic character struggling to reconcile her own role and feelings with Carmilla’s plans.

The events of season 3 happened, remaining canon in the most basic, literal sense. But the emotional weight attached to them has disappeared into thin air.

Not gonna lie, I did breathe a sigh of relief when I saw that Alucard and Hector were okay. I’m soft-hearted! I don’t like seeing characters I like suffer! I mean, conflict is important, and I can deal with (or even enjoy in a certain sense) seeing characters suffer if it makes sense and serves a narrative purpose. But as far as I can tell, the season 3 finale was nothing more than lurid, meaningless violence. I probably wouldn’t have continued watching the show if it devolved into nothing more than finding novel ways to torture the characters.

Still, it doesn’t feel quite right to pretend like nothing happened either. Or, really, not that nothing happened, but that those things didn’t matter, didn’t hurt, didn’t leave lasting scars. That’s...almost kind of worse.

But, I thought, I can sort of forgive this sudden shift in the stars, given that there may have been some sort of change in creative direction relating to Ellis’ decreased involvement with the show.* Plus, season 3 was insanity. It’s not like it was full of great writing choices, so if we quietly ignore some of them, maybe that’s for the best.

*I only later learned that Netflix actually chose to continue with Ellis’ season 4 scripts. It is not lost on me that maybe Ellis doesn’t know how to write about the lasting effects of traumatic sexual experiences or how power dynamics can make a sexual relationship problematic because he doesn’t understand that those things exist.

Characters Being Nobody and Nothing Happening

Pretty Pictures, Not Much Else

Unfortunately, the disconnect between seasons 3 and 4 isn’t the only problem with this season. Although I felt that season 4 was a bit less boring than season 3 (I particularly enjoyed some of the earlier episodes of season 4), it suffers from the same basic problems of Characters Being Nobody and Nothing Happening.

None of the characters experience any significant development, let alone any sort of coherent arc. Sypha has changed slightly, becoming more rough and jaded. I did really like the scene where she talks about becoming the kind of person who says “shit.” I think it really speaks to how entering into a relationship with someone means taking on aspects of their lifestyle, and how that can change you in ways that you can’t predict and therefore can’t exactly “agree” to. Sometimes those changes are good, sometimes they’re bad, sometimes they’re neutral, and sometimes it’s difficult to know. But you have to accept that you’re sacrificing some aspects of the person that you could have been if you chose to live completely independently, or with someone else.

Trevor really hasn’t changed since season 1 when he first decided to take up the mantle of hero again. Likewise with Alucard. Hector and Lenore change, as previously noted, but that change is sudden, jarring, and occurs completely off screen in between seasons 3 and 4. Carmilla dies as exactly as she lived: bitter, angry, and violent. Saint Germain just kind of...gets fucked over in a nonsensical subplot, which is its own whole can of worms.

We also get several new characters in season 4, none of whom have developed personalities or motives, nor do they develop any of those things over the course of the season: Greta, Zamfir, Varney, Ratko.

And nobody. Does. Anything.

Trevor and Sypha spend the entire season trying to explore and aid Targoviste, which comes to absolutely nothing. They’re unable to help anyone, Zamfir dies, and they end up just jumping through a magic portal to the actually relevant subplot in the finale. Carmilla literally does little more than draw maps until she’s ultimately killed. Hector plays a minor role in Saint Germain’s extraction of Dracula from Hell; otherwise, he and Lenore basically just exchange banter. Saint Germain does sort of do some stuff? But it’s often unclear how he’s made his connections, who the people who are helping him are, or what exactly he’s doing in terms of his magic beyond “whatever it takes to get back to his lover.”

Sure, there are fight scenes, but they feel meaningless. There’s no context, no stakes. There’s also a LOT of dialogue, and it is. Not well written. Exposition is embarrassingly clumsy at times, and the philosophical musings are cliche at best, muddled and confusing at worst. There’s just not all that much going on.

That is, except for Isaac. But more on him in a second.

What Kind of Show Is This?

When the plot line adapted from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse ended with season 2, the show struggled to establish a new identity.

Despite nominally dealing with themes like whether humanity is inherently good or evil and how to cope with wrongdoing and loss, seasons 1 and 2 ultimately boiled down to a pretty generic action-adventure/fantasy plot with found family/power of friendship elements. Main characters Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard don’t really wrestle with big philosophical questions or suffer any major defeats. They know that they have to take down Dracula for the good of the world, and they work together as a team to do it, with a little character development relating to their various backstories sprinkled in.

Then season 3 happened, and things got weird. The trio is broken up for what feels like a pretty trivial reason—Alucard has to protect the castle and Belmont hold, I guess? And the result of that decision is that the dynamics for the three main characters are completely unbalanced.

Ellis openly admits that he basically went feral with the writing of season 3, and it shows. The messaging in seasons 1 and 2 was cliche, but consistent. The message of season 3? Anyone’s guess.

Season 4 reversed the darkening of tone from season 3, but shares its inability to pick a story and tell it.

Isaac is the Main Character

Always has been.

While I can’t say that his character or arc are perfect, I can say that he actually has a character and an arc. He starts off motivated by his fierce loyalty to Dracula, then has to struggle to find his purpose once Dracula is gone. He goes from subservient to agentic. He goes from fully endorsing the genocide of humanity and not caring about his own life to seeing some worth in humans and genuinely wanting to live. He has an interesting moment that deepens our understanding of what night creatures are, while also serving as an exploration of the meaning of one’s fundamental nature. Most importantly, these changes happen naturally over the course of the show. They never feel forced or out of the blue, and while I feel like even more could have been done with Isaac’s character, there’s a lot to appreciate about what is there.

If there’s any thread holding Castlevania as a single, coherent work together, it’s Isaac. Not only is his character the best executed and the most coherent over the course of the show, his character explores themes that are larger than himself and relevant to the show as a whole, like those mentioned earlier: misanthropy versus a belief in the value of humanity; the ability to go beyond one’s “nature” or initial circumstances; and how to respond to being wronged or losing something important to you. Exploring the individual lives of characters is great, but really good writing usually requires going beyond that to reflect on broader questions and ideas. Isaac is the only character here that serves that larger purpose.

Sorry...I Just Don’t Buy It

The season 4 finale is crazy, although in a different way from season 3′s.

Varney being Death makes no sense on several different levels. I’m not going to spend a lot of time picking that particular plot twist apart, but I will talk about why I think it doesn’t work at the largest scale, and how I think season 4 might have been done better.

Last minute twists with zero foreshadowing are rarely a good idea, and this is no exception. Why introduce this “Death” entity at the last minute to be the most important battle of the season? The finale of the entire show, even? Besides the lack of logic or emotional buildup, this robs the show of the opportunity to make use of the antagonists that it already has. Since Dracula died, Carmilla has been the obvious choice for a new big bad. Why hasn’t she done more?

Season 4 feels crowded with characters and plot lines that amount to nothing. Why not bring some of these characters together? If Carmilla is the main antagonist, how come she never meets any of the protagonists (except Hector, who is a pretty minor player in this ecosystem) or even affects them in any way?

Season 4 feels like maybe it was trying to make something out of season 3 and the model that it presented, but it ultimately fails to do so. The writers throw the trio back together at the end anyway, so why not have them rejoin sooner and work together? Maybe Sypha and Trevor’s past experience with Saint Germain could have helped Alucard and Greta piece together what he was plotting sooner, rather than all four of them being completely blindsided by it in the penultimate episode. (Sypha and Trevor know that someone is trying to resurrect Dracula, but they fail to find out any actual detail about the plans, despite their supposed attempts.) Have characters actually do stuff, figure stuff out, advance the plot!

Likewise, maybe Carmilla becomes aware of Saint Germain’s scheming, sees it as a threat, and tries to take him down. Maybe she tries to get involved and somehow use alchemy or the Infinite Corridor to her own benefit. What does it look like when power-hungry Carmilla, who wants to rule the world, finds out there’s an entire multiverse out there? That could easily set her up to be a foil to Saint Germain, causing him to realize that what he’s doing is wrong.

What actually ended up happening in the show feels disjointed and often empty. In particular, most of the events that happen in the last two episodes just don’t really work for me. I didn’t like Trevor suddenly sacrificing himself to this random, new, super powerful enemy, or how the gems and dagger that he found just happened to be the perfect weapon to kill this new enemy, or how he inexplicably returns from the dead.

This kind of thing is what I mean when I say that this season feels like fanfiction. Trevor comes back from the dead for no discernible reason other than that it would really suck if he died. Greta as a character seems to literally only exist to be Alucard’s girlfriend and support him so that he doesn’t have to continue to be alone and potentially turn evil. Alucard’s trauma from Taka and Sumi and Hector’s trauma from Lenore are both conveniently erased. Even Dracula and Lisa are resurrected somehow and get their happy ending. And it’s like, I guess I prefer deus ex machina to the opposite (Does that have a name? When everything is going well but then something terrible happens for no reason other than to make things worse for the characters?), but they’re both bad writing.

God. This isn’t even getting into what happened with the Council of Sisters. And I don’t even really like those characters, but that doesn’t mean I want to see their characters handled poorly.

I’m not sorry that I watched until the end, but I can’t in good faith recommend the show as a whole. If you’ve yet to watch Castlevania, just stop at the end of season 2. While there are some shining moments in seasons 3 and 4 (4 more than 3), it’s just really not worth it.

#review #thoughts #television #animation #adult animation #video game adaptation #fantasy #Netflix #Netflix Original #Castlevania #storytelling #writing #characters #plot #character development #vampires #Isaac (Castlevania)

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