#parsing & elitism from me

[animefeminist]

From Takarazuka to Terayama: The Influence of Queer Theater on Revolutionary Girl Utena

Content Warning: Discussions of queerphobia, institutional control over women’s bodies, suicide, transmisogynist stereotypes, child abuse

Spoilers for most of Revolutionary Girl Utena

When I first watched Revolutionary Girl Utena, I made the mistake of thinking I had seen this story before. The lush, Versailles-inspired architecture of the elite high school, secretive machinations of a laughably powerful student council, and a plucky new girl determined to rise above the frivolities of school life and gender norms to realize a destiny for herself were all familiar tropes. Yet my hubris was quickly checked as Utena reaches the dueling arena and all semblances of realism break down. Suddenly, a psych rock opera croons about the “darkness of Sodom” and an “absolute destiny apocalypse,” an illusory upside-down castle hangs overhead, and a sword erupts from the chest of a timid schoolgirl. The dueling arena reveals itself to be a stage where anything can happen, where the trappings of reality are flaunted to reveal the underlying psychological trials hidden by the artifice and theater of the school’s seemingly typical shoujo drama.

Theater weaves throughout Utena’s DNA. Nearly every episode, the Shadow Girls evoke a Greek chorus and revolving colored rose frames pop in like the contours of a stage to explicitly recontextualize scenes. While the influence of theater on Utena isn’t subtle, knowing what specific strains of theater the show references would likely be lost on most viewers (it certainly was on me). Yet uncovering those histories can be like finding little Rosetta Stones to help you parse a show that prides itself on obscurity. 

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 55 Stress Posting

Greetings, dear void. It is time... FOR A HAKURI PoV CHAPTER! And more JP-EN yapping from me than usual because honestly, this chapter was cool, but it was mostly set-up for whatever's going to happen next week. There's not much to muse on without trending towards pure speculation rather fast. Plus I finally got access to the JP version so I've been despairing at how far I have to go to actually learn the damn language...

But hey! Another color page next week! Hokazono-sensei's really suffering from success isn't he? Kagurabachi's getting the top-tier marketing push now that it managed to get over 1M copies in circulation with only 4 volumes out. Maybe we'll start to see the same level of CPs as Akane Banashi soon!

Samura and the Makizumi

Who the hell are you?

Does whatever he's got going on explain the female bearer's super young appearance...? The EN TL leaves it vague here, but JP is pretty specific that his body is that of a child but he isn't one in truth.

Why the adult in a child's body thing at all though? Why mimic Samura like that too? And why are we getting that packaged with a lazy-yet-competent commander archetype? Something about the combination of traits for this character just rubs me the wrong way. The cognitive dissonance worked -I'm interested in him and his situation- but it's unpleasant to deal with. This introduction felt unexpected in a bad way. I bet I'll be a minority on that though so I'll keep my rubbish opinions about him to myself. Maybe.

I have a theory on why Mini Samura is copying our favourite blind fighter guy at least. The official name for the squad in Japanese is 神奈備御庭番-座村親衛隊 [Kamunabi oniwa-ban - Samura shineitai]. The professional EN TL will parse all that much better than I can, but I just want to point out something fun. The last word (親衛隊) means "elite guards"/"bodyguards". Most of the time. It can also mean "groupies" or "ardent fans". So take that and stuff it in your back pocket in case the squad doesn't job here.

Anyway, this chapter is why we met the Makizumi [巻墨] a few weeks ago in chapter 50. Yes, it's the same kanji as "Masumi" that they were introduced as. I'm not sure why since my Japanese is, uh, not great. But it's not an EN translation error. The original JP indicates that Uruha says ますみ [masumi] in Ch. 50 via the Ruby next to the kanji. This time, however, the Ruby over their name in the spread says まきずみ [makizumi]. At least it's not truly a new name I suppose? The meaning -Rolled Ink- stays the same regardless.

At any rate, these guys are definitely all going to live and fight another day. Because named teams full of elite personnel formed for a specific purpose have great survival and success rates in this series. Yup. (Maybe being ninja will make the difference? Somehow???)

Who trained these guys, I wonder... Samura's hella scary for an "assistant master".

Samura getting annoyed that his disciple joined the fight...! It's sweet of him to care and still treat Uruha like an apprentice in some ways. They're both war veterans who have seen and experienced too much, but some dynamics don't change with the passing of time.

I appreciate that the villains and their tactics are well-thought out. Adjusting to fight a blind man with super senses isn't done as well as one would like in many series, sadly. They often get to style all over their enemies because they're underestimated, then are treated like a sighted person with a gimmick thereafter. But the Hishaku ain't about that and have actively planned against him by scrambling his smell and hearing while also sending Mr. Hatshaku and his undetectable trees. Very smart on Hokazono-sensei's part!

This is just so awesome! The spreads of Chihiro and Hiyuki meeting and parting again in ch. 29 are two of my absolute favourites in the series so far, so to see it again (kinda) makes me happy.

Samura cut part of Uruha's topknot here. He played it that close, huh. It's pretty cool that Samura has a wild fighting style that his allies have to adjust around. Normally blind fighters are super precise but Samura's just slicing and dicing anything that's living and ready to kill! But if you're that good then I guess it's worth training a few people to be able to compliment your moveset so they can safely support you.

Samura and Uruha aren't in perfect sync, and Uruha's still willing to take risks and throw himself into danger. But he's more than capable of being an asset in this fight without guaranteeing he'll become a burden later (unlike a certain someone...).

Uh Oh

He's so cute with his big ol' eyes and pensive expression.

Did Chihiro whip out his phone while keeping Hiruhiko pinned to the seat with his foot!? Anyway, this is only the second time in the series where he hasn't appeared in even a single panel. So we get to spend a whole chapter getting exposition via Hakuri!

I'm gonna take some time to yap about him because it's been nearly three weeks since he showed up a lot and I missed him terribly.

Stop, stop, STOP!!

Note: Hakuri's line in the panel before (...俺だけじゃないか" ["I'm the only one."]) doesn't directly match up to Kyora's final line from Ch. 43 (私だけだ... 私だけが全うできなかった ["I'm the only one... who failed to fulfill my duty."]), so it's not a direct reference even if the TL makes it seem like one. Hakuri's sentiment is different- his is "I can't be the only one" vs. Kyora's "I'm actually the only one". There are just a lot of characters who are convicted in their beliefs in this manga!

So much for getting to recover in 30 minutes, I guess.

Really cool that we see the mask "assembling"! It's only been shown intact when he activates the storehouse sorcery up to this point. So it's a neat visual representation of his resolve coming together during the time crunch as well. Hakuri is nothing if not dedicated to hurting and throwing himself into danger for the sake of others. Even after Healer Lady set up a flag for him to become useless or worse if he does so here. Oh, Hakuri...

He's helping Chihiro because he wants to make the world a safer place. Plus his whole thing after Ice Lady is that he'll "never let a life slip through [his] hands again". It's exceptionally noble and heroic of him! But is it worth potentially derailing the plans via brain damage or permanent ability loss?

Hakuri's not gonna die, obviously. I'm also 50/50 on him losing access to his sorcery at all, much less permanently. But something's going to get fucked up here and it'll probably be his fault. Again. He's gotta learn how to value himself the hard way, apparently. All we can do is wait to see what price will be paid for Hakuri's reckless disregard for his own well-being. (I'm not sure how I feel about this, but what if Hakuri gets Healer Lady killed? He could go 2/2 on women who were kind to him dying because of his actions right in front of him. Man that would suck.)

This is looking to be like one of the developments I was hoping for at the end of the Rakuzaichi arc. Hakuri does NOT chill when it comes to saving lives. Being borderline suicidal about this is his way of atoning for his and his family's sins, in my mind. But is it better to risk your life every time, or let people get hurt -possibly die- to keep doing greater good in the long-run? It's a common question raised in super hero comics, and I hope we get to see it explored with Hakuri (and Uruha) here. I'm really interested in what Hokazono-sensei has to say about it and the dissonance it would cause in Hakuri's character.

Arc Soothsaying

This is just a supposition, and I've been wrong so many times that I'm kind of hesitant to put this out there, but here goes. I know I can be as cringey as I like in your ambivalent embrace, kind void.

I think... I think... Hakuri's growth this arc will be specifically learning to value himself enough that he's able to act against his ideals.

Recall how Hakuri was the one to point out that Uruha knew the value of his life in Chapter 48 when he would have charged right in. And now he's with Samura, the guy who fights and kills to preserve himself despite it going against his Buddhist beliefs. Hakuri's constantly pushing himself to the limit, refusing to let other people get hurt for his sake. He won't let himself be the only one risking his life even if there's no strategic value for him to act- even if it would most helpful for everyone if he ran to safety. So I think he's going to have to put saving his own life above anything else later this arc and it's going to be terrible for him.

It would compliment the theme of negative self-image that's been set up with Chihiro too. They're both heroic, though it usually comes across in completely opposite ways (Chihiro's in his villain era right now, for one). And both of them have a lot of work to do when it comes to learning how to love themselves. Hakuri to understand his own "value", Chihiro to understand he's not a monster.

Learning more about the Bearers, Kunishige, and what happened in the Seitei war will almost certainly help Chihiro to realize he really isn't so different from the heroes he idolizes. As for Hakuri, it's hard to say right now. Uruha's going to be important to his growth I'm fairly certain. But we haven't even met all the Bearers yet so I don't want to start thinking in absolutes about who will help who and in what way.

We also have to wait and see what becomes of Hiruhiko after this encounter. He's obviously meant to be a counter to both Hakuri and Chihiro; how that manifests, exactly, is something I'm looking forward to seeing. It'll give more insight on how we can expect them to develop. Chihiro and Hiruhiko are pretty blatant right now with their outlook on what it means to kill and such, and there's set up for Hiruhiko to clash with Hakuri over what it means to be an equal and a friend.

For Chihiro and Hakuri... too early to say. Need to see what happens at Senkutsuji. My instincts are saying a rift of some kind will form between them over killing, equality, and/or their self-sacrificing tendencies but I'm always wrong, so. Just waiting and watching on that for now.

Anyway. Thanks as always, void. Here's hoping our boys don't have to suffer too much in the coming weeks/months. Except Hiruhiko. He can suffer enough for all of them.

[rom-e-o]

Since we've already kind of mentioned it: Imagine Emmrich dealing with [probable] Wifey getting outside attention. And, likely, unwanted attention. At least for Guinevere's case, apart from the Lecher, I can definitely see some of Em's students trying to flirt with her, both in terms of grades and genuine interest. And some of the bolder ones (*cough* Van Markham! *cough*) taking it so far as to actually harass her. Stupid college frat boys, ya know. Also, stupid college frat boys who, on top of that, are entitled elites, because, with a name like "Van Markam" you know he's likely and blue blood.

Ooooh, this is delish. Okay, so, I can absolutely see Wifey getting attention. It's inevitable, like you said. Unfortunately, I can also see her getting unwanted attention as well.

The unfortunate thing about working around lots of students, especially university-age students and older, is that you're going to catch a lot of flirtatious remarks, and a lot of clumsy attempts to sway attention. Guinevere is going to have to suffer through some VERY awkward remarks from some very inexperienced students, AND some more lecherous ones from the more insistent crowd. Like, of course, Van Markham.

I can see him stopping G'iney in the hall by throwing his arm up, causing her to scatter her armful of papers. A little Gaston-esque in his audacity.

Of course, he swiftly offers his assistance (all while trying to peek down her blouse). "So, Guinevere - can I call you that? Ms. Vynhalsyne sounds so sterile. And ... I do notice the 'Ms.' part. Can't help it."

If she tries to escape, he's not above grabbing her wrist. "Listen, I've got a joust this weekend, and I have a seat in my pulpit. I think a jewel of a woman like you is worthy of such a setting." He's got ties to royal families, does she know that? He's got connections to King Markus too, does she know that? He's VERY handsome, and way more muscular than that professor she hangs onto, does she know that? Did she catch the part about him jousting? He's also got great endurance, he points out, over and over. More Guinevere is about to be EXHAUSTED of this man.

And he follows her around, not taking no for an answer. I imagine it gets back enough that Emmrich eventually starts walking with her after each class.

"You don't have to--"

"Yes, I do."

If Van Markham gets too close, Emmrich will pivot around in a heartbeat. "Excuse me, young man. Is there something I can assist you with? You're rather close on our heels. It must be a matter of the utmost importance."

He talks down to this boy with more pose and grace than most royalty in the kingdom, and he does so as a former peasant. You know that gets under this glory-boy's skin, for this moldering professor of common birth to be schooling him.

"I wish to speak to Guinevere, professor," he says, "This is a matter for those among noble birth to discuss."

"So a tactless assassination ploy, garish accounts of horse-breeding, or waxing poetic about a summerhome?" he asks in amusement, which earns a blush from the other man. How DARE he parse his existance down like that?!

"Regardless," Emmrich continues, "Since Ms. Vynhalsyne has been rushing to ignore you, I believe she has other ways of occupying her time in mind. I suppose I'm not surprised her disinterest has gone over your head. I've suffered through your latest thesis - most things do."

As for Belisma, she does have admirers from her days in the ballet. People who would try to ask for her hand - lots of nobles who would love her fine dancer blood for an illegitimate child or two. That interest went away after her exile - now she's untouchable filth to nobles, haha. But as she slowly gets back into dancing outside the royal ballet, civilians start to enjoy her works, and there are many love letters that end up in her possession.

I don't think any are as creepy as the Lecher or Van Markham, but she does get some concerning notes.

"'I dream of your body moving with swan-feather grace as a take you from my balcony and to my bed' - oh, no thank you," Belisma says as she puts it into a nearby waste basket. She's perched upon Emmrich's desk, making a show of refusing their letters. He watches, smirking and captivated.

"Manfred, would you like these as kindling for your fire magic practice?" she finally asks once the basket is full.

"Yeeesss!"

"Wonderful! Just don't read them, okay? Just set them on fire."

"Okay!"

Emmrich chuckles and pulls her from the surface of the desk and into his lap as Manfred saunters out. "Well, that will keep him occupied for a few hours. You have made his night, dear."

"And ours," she purrs, hooking a finger in the front of his waistcoat. "If the mood moves you."

With her, it always does.

[janichroma]

🎉Q/A Answers!🎉🎉

There's a lot to parse here! Warning that there are some spoilers of current content in here! So please tread carefully!

Q1.) I'm very curious about Death Wings. Do all of them exist in a similar state to Robo-Ren, where their true bodies are asleep and they pilot a mechanical suit, or is there something that differentiates them?

Ren is an exception. He's the only one who pilots a separate body. The others are in their own!

Q2.) Which Rejuv characters would be most likely to start a podcast together?

Adam and Valarie probably have a lot of deep 3 am conversations so with a little help from Saki, those two would def make a podcast. Other highlights are Saki+Erick and maybe Texen by himself because he just talks about how women are objects or something i dunno.

Q3.) Are you absolutely sure this is a good idea? Are you being held hostage?

I deadass thought i was gonna get 10-20 questions at most..... So yeah its a good idea.

Q4.) So, half servants. They’ve been so confusing to me. Until 13.5 I was just under the assumption servants were just infertile lol. So, do half servants like…. Inherit any powers or anything from their servant parent? Like, the ability to teleport and things like that.

Servants cannot reproduce when they're first created/in their generic form, but when they transform into their own person they gain a soul and they are then able to reproduce because they're just like any other person. It's just that their origins are different. Servants can still use their magic, but their children cannot. Although, I bet their children -do- inherit some traits from their Servant parent. Probably like just having above average strength/speed etc. That's not universal, though.

Q5.) How come Tesla doesn't let Amber bring us to the villa after the gym battle now?

Well... When two people love each other very much...

Q6.) Do the executives of Team Xen and most importantly Ren have the green gem somewhere on their body that marks them as members of Team Xen?

I wonder...

Q7.) I know in the past, you said that you haven't seen any correct guesses as to the identity of Madame X. Has that changed since the release of 13.5?

Pretty close, but no cigar.

Q8.) would crescent like yuri/gl

I banish you to the hungry worm dimension.

Q9.) i know that some characters, namely tesla (and maybe jolene?) call themselves "honorary" members of the elite 8. is there any specific reason for that? also can roboren run doom this is important.

There's no specific reason other than it soundin' fancy. Roboren can run tetris so maybe!

Q10.) What are the perks/ benefits of joining Team Xen? ( asking for a friend )

Amazing health care, and amazing investments in your 401k.

Q11.) I wanted to ask, which character has, for you, the most chance to surprise us in future updates? Be it badly or greatly.

i can't answer this because it gives too much implicit information!!! Sorry!!

Q12.) what pokemon teams (or just ace pokemon) would characters you don’t ever battle have? for example, volta, eizen, martin, rune, eden, etc? will we ever fight any of them?

I don't want to answer this either because we will probably have an opportunity to fight -most- of these people here, but for Rune it's already established to be Rapidash (Ace), and Eden would probably have a Blissey somewhere.

Q13.) How close of friends are Amber and Crawli? I wanted to ask since they're both Gym Leaders of Terajuma and around the same age, especially when Tesla and Amber moved to Telia after the incident.

They're not too close. They know of each other, and have spoken, but it's mostly a "friendly landlord" kind of relationship. They only talk when it's necessary... Not that Crawli is a landlord, or has any bearing on Teila.

Q14.) Hihi, what are somethings that have changed from version v12 (and also v13) that you really like/are proud of? And are there things you miss from previous versions, but you had to get rid of for any reasons? (I'm personally absolutely in love with the redone Terajuma stuff and especially Crawli, and also the redone Ryland scenes but that's because I'm biased.)

Terajuma 100%. I LOVE Terajuma now. I used to really despise it, evidently. But I think it's so fun and has a lot of nice moments. Valor Mountain still sucks, though. I have a huge urge to simplify that place, but then i'd have to redo a certain scene later and i dont wanna bc it's already perfect. Suffering from success... As for things I miss from previous versions... I can't think of any right now because I love where we're at rn so I guess I don't miss anything? There are certain scenes like Melia with her long hair flowing, but outside of small instances like that, nah!

Q15.) If in the nightmare school "Jean" was able to manifest flora's explosives from the dreams of GDC's citizens... Where could he have manifested A Gun from??

Probably the police station, tbh.

Q16.) What's your personal favorite part of the game thus far?

Honestly Chapter 2 -> to the end of Terajuma is so much fun to me. Not that the other chapters aren't, but that part is comfy. I also love Renegade Route chapter 0.

Q17.) Now if I'm remembering correctly, you mentioned that Venam was supposed to be just a side character at first. What made you decide to change her role into such a major one? Also how did the Melia/Venam come about?

Yeah so, Beth was actually in Venam's spot if you can believe that. Yes, the same one that sells Moo-Moo Milk. We already had a prominent blonde character and Beth wasn't boring or anything, she just didn't add a fun dynamic with Melia. Although back then the formula was more rebornified. Meaning characters rarely traveled together and they kind of just showed up when they needed to. Now characters are constantly always traveling with you and stuff. Not that the old format is bad, it's just a different take. I brought Venam back because she's Melia's best friend and it felt real weird that she was not involved -at all- compared to her and Ren. Their relationship came about because.. Well, I kinda just knew. Venam was always a lesbian in my head, and Melia is def the character that would love anyone if they gave her the chance to love them. It just felt right?

Q18.) 1) When was Eizen conceptualized? 2) What is one funny story about developing v13.5 that you can share? 3) Were there any pieces of media you took inspiration from while writing Renegade(mainly Central Tower)? 4) Do you have any plans of making more games after Rejuv?

Yall are cheating with the multiple parts!! Anyway, Eizen was conceptualized sometime in v13's development, but he... she.. they... were just a concept at the point. (stick a pin in that) 2.) A funny story? Hm... I honestly can't remember anything rn. Probably just some bug that caused us pain and it was super simple to fix. 3.) To be honest, I didn't take any real inspiration for Renegade. I actually went into doing that route without knowing exactly what I wanted from it. But the pieces sorta fell into place and im in love with it lol. M2 was always going to be a character in the game, it's just that she was never named M2 and was more tragic than unhinged. M2's personality was altered slightly because I wanted Renegade to have SOME sort of a balance, and a partner in crime (sorta) felt appropo. 4.) Yes, I have original games in the works AND plans for at LEAST 1 more fangame after this. I'd like to start from scratch with all the knowledge I have now. Though, it wouldnt be nowhere near as long as Rejuv. I'm talking like 4-5 releases. lol.

Q19.) Wanted to ask how renegade!MC perceives Clear/Kieran, the 3 choices we have to respond to Clear asking us to go see Clear all seemed cold towards her. I guess they aren't a potential new friend group?

They are a means to an end. The MC is not close with Clear or Kieran at all. They barely even talk outside of the instances we've already seen. Maybe that'll change?

Q20.) This has been a matter of contention between some friends of mine and I. How old is Odessa? I'd assumed she was below 18 as she's not taken the throne so she might not be an adult and her dad's in charge until that happens, but they think she's an adult. For something less serious, who in Rejuv's most likely to start a ponzi scheme, and who's most likely to buy in.

Odessa is likely to be around 25-ish. She's a legal adult, and is in line to be Queen of Kristiline, but their family line already holds so little influence and power that Aquis just makes her a figurehead and manages things on his own. Kind of a Cinderella of situation? More similar but not 1:1. To be honest? I figure Aquis hopes Kailani to return one day and assume her duties because he likes her more (Even if he abused her the same way he did Odessa.) As for the ponzi scheme... I feel like Thomas Jr would make one and Texen would fall for it.

Q21.) Who is the hardest character to write consistently?

Honestly? Melia. She's given me the most trouble despite her being so prominent. Im good at it now I think, but before I never knew how to write her because anything I did came with criticism lol, and still does, but now I don't really give a shit. Amber's a close second.

Q22.) When Crescent fell down the cliff, did she get the interceptor contract then was asked to become a storm chaser? The events seemed to have happened close to each other. Curious since the hags serve Variya, so only 1 of the 2 parties could've asked her both, but that wasn't the case.

Yes it was shortly after she fell. To be clear, the sparkle the protags saw was the sparkling of water from the moonlight above. So they knew it was "safe" to push Crescent. She could have died but she had a chance to survive a situation where the alternative meant certain death.

Q23.) Will the Elite 8 even be able to be battled on Renegade? I imagine Karrina would replace Karen if Karen dies on Paragon, and Karrina doesn’t get pushed, but she eats the Deletos on Renegade if you don’t push her in Castle Zygara, and it made me wonder.

The members of the Elite 8 may be battleable, but not in an official league format. That's all I'll say on that.

Q24.) I'm still really curious about emma, things that come up in my mind a lot is the part where she looks to be used by variya to speak to melia during the part where amanda knocks her out, and during pearl route when we see the note signed by someone with the same name- emma. because of this, I've been pretty curious about this disguise thing the space hags gave melia. did they- or variya gave them orders to- pull the appearance from the deceased emma? does this mean ... they're the same person?

The name part is merely a coincidence and acts as foreshadowing. Melia reads the note and is like "Emma...?" and wonders if she would share the same fate as the ones written on the notes, and then lo and behold she has the same condition.

Q25.) This question is regarding Renegade route: Do the 6 years that M2 and our chosen host were lost in that alternate world match up with a version release that is outdated, or is an in-universe timer that we shouldn't overthink that much?

Honestly, that wasnt the reason for 6 years but now I wish it was that's rad as hell. But no the 6 years isn't even 6 years. It's an unspecified amount of time that passes that she perceives as 6. They both couldve been down there for a million years and they wouldnt know. The area they're in is similar to the chasm where it wears down your mind after long exposure. Maybe that's how Melia could take such a bad turn in life. The protags are always optimistic to escape though so they are able to hold onto their mind.

Q26.) #1 spector fan here asking questions about him since he probably won't get much spotlight outside of one quest... what was his life like before taking on the reserve leader role (other than what we already know, like where he lived,) and what are his interests outside of the paranormal, if any? thanks for the opportunity! love this game a lot :^)

Spector is a history buff and loves to do Goth Gf things like take strolls in graveyards at 3 am 🥰🥰. Probably spent most of his time in the District of Hope. He also likes exploring ruins and abandoned buildings. Not limited to Aevium tbh.

Q27.) I know Eizen seems to be a strictly side quest character, but have K/C or the hags ever tried contacting him for recruitment? His research seems too valuable to go unused for them.

Eizen has absolutely no interest in either of those groups. If they even tried to do anything he'd noclip out of the room and fall out of bounds and then die half life 1 style.

Q28.) :3c what are some characters that are trans if i may ask?

Ryland - FTM Party Girl - MTF Alain - NB Aero - NB V - Genderfluid Eden - Genderfluid

Q29.) would angie still possess alice in renegade? :0 super curious about it hihihi

Whatever happened passively in Paragon (Meaning Cera being abandoned, Alice getting possessed), STILL HAPPENS IN RENEGADE, we just don't see it because the trail of events that led to us seeing them in Paragon do not happen. So... in Renegade, that means Alice is still...

Q30.) How did the aftermath scene from defeating the hags on renegade come to be? I'm very curious

i assume you mean the Tera Raid parody? Well, it came up on my playlist on the train and I was feeling chaotic. what if in rejuv but deadly ?

Q31.) who's the shortest character (excluding the younger kids >>)

Probably either Cera, tbh. She's a short lil one. I don't have canon heights for characters outside like an estimation. But in my head Cera tiny.

Q32.) Hello! I would like to ask, Did the interceptor, before the SS Oceana be attacked, have fake memories of a life alongside Nancy? Since Crescent wanted the MC to have a normal life, I always wondered If she created new memories to make this easier And if I can ask another question. What is/was the criteria to someone see the MC appearance correctly? Huey and Lavender saw two different ones, while Aelita saw the correct one(in my case she saw Alain when asked)

Crescent did not create memories for the player. They just started acting weirdly and stopped talking to her. They then started to behave the same way you, the player, does. Believing that what is happening is real and has always been real (Because this is all the information you have right now), so Crescent takes this opportunity to try and let go by giving you a better (but fake!) life. It's why she sorta distances herself a bit (but not too much) so that you could integrate yourself into that delusion. We love being neuro <3.

The criteria is pretty ambiguous intentionally, but for me it has to do with personality and connection. Aelita always sees who you truly are because shes so close with the player + she has envoy shenanigans going on. If you would get along with Alain the most, the player would show themselves as alain etc.

Q33.) Any disclosable reasons why the rift dex now only has 2 remaining entries instead of 3 like in v13?

It's probably just a discrepancy that happened due to shifting over code bases. The number of slots left is not indicative of anything.

Q34.) hello jan!! hope you’re doing well :D is there any more information or random various facts about the androids (clear/kieran/eden) that can be said that ISN’T spoilers? it’s ok if not! i’ve just been curious about them all lately, especially in regards to how eden’s powers with emotional manipulation work.

Nothing too interesting about Clear or Kieran that isn't spoilers and isnt known already, but as for Eden... Eden was eccentric and had a personality thats real close to prince peasley from superstar saga LOL. I feel like Eden would have a catch phrase like "Mon Cherie", and flip their iridiscent hair in mockery. Eden's manipulation was very devastating. You would feel an immeasurable amount of joy when inflicted that you would give over any information because youre... happy to! But it was also very deadly. If exposed to it for too long you become way too happy to the point where you lose the ability to function normally. You'd fall into a happy-apathetic state and collapse and just lay where you fell until you starved or died in some other way. Because you're happy to! Everything in moderation, guys.

Q35.) Hi jan!!! quick question — why do you hate me why did the renegade route do that /real/ question though…. My buddy found some like… older stuff about Eizen in v13’s files. Something about a girl named Ærika?? (Idk if thats even connected but whatever) How did Eizen come to be? What was the process?

Hi remember the pin I stuck earlier? Ok we're unpinning that now. So, Eizen was originally a woman (So happy for his transition), And her name was Ærika. But we already had so many girls in the game and I wanted to create more male characters so then Eizen was born. I'm glad for it too because Eizen is way more interesting than Ærika. Eizen/Ærika came to be when [redacted]. I can't explain his origins quite yet, sorry! But one day you Will Realize.

Q36.) Hi Jan, thanks for the amazing game! In Alamissa, before we get yeeted into the past by Kieran, when Ren gives us sylveon and, um, Nancy’s remains, he mentions that he has stayed (even after breaking off with crescent) with xen for an important reason… but won’t specify. Later, he says the reason is because he wants to help nastasia. But the alamissa convo happened before ren met Anastasia (baby version). Did ren want to help nastasia before he met her past version and learned that she was…

Ren didn't know who she was at that point, but Ren has seen Nastasia in vulnerable points (that we havent seen... yet?). She has discussed with him that shes looking for someone prior to Alamissa, but she was very vague about it, and still is, but she's opened up a lot to Ren over time.

Q37.) This is probably a weirder question but will all of the main leaders, even the ones we battle outside of their gym duties have custom moves? If not, would it be safe to assume the main leaders use the moves of their reserves?

All leaders have custom moves. Reserves use the move the main leader does! They have TM's for these, but they aren't allowed to give them out to winners. At least, at the moment!

Q38.) what was your favorite part of 13.5's development?

Making Renegade Route lmfao. It was so much funnnnnnn. I cant wait for the rest.

Q39.) what’s the EoN experience like for someone going through it? If that’s too spoilery, what was the most surprising part of people’s reactions to .karma content?

You're getting scrubbed. It looks painful, but it's painless... and seamless! You literally cannot process what is going on. As for most surprising, I was surprised people loved M2 so much. I mean, I had a feeling people would like her, but she really took off and that makes me happy bc shes so fun to write.

Q40.) Hi Jan! My question is this: Will Melia and Venam get back together somewhat in the future? Or will they just stay friends? (Paragon route)

Who knows...

----------------------------------------------------------------

An extra question im throwing in here because ive seen a lot of talk around this character.

Q1X.) What inspired M2? M2 was conceptualized to be more of a tragic character, but I felt like Renegade needed some balancing out mood wise, or else it was too much of a drag. M2 was inspired by an insecurity of mine, actually, or I guess less so an insecurity and more of a question a lot of us ask ourselves. What if? What if I did this differently? What if I was born elsewhere? How different would I be? When Covid first started running about and I thought the fate of our lives was about to be cut short potentially, I started thinking about how I lived my life and how much I missed out on certain things. M2 is that. She gets a second chance at life and decides she wants to be everything but Melia because she's already lived that life and it turned out poorly. Hence the name M2. The second version of herself.

A song that inspired me is Immaterial by Sophie (Rest in peace)

2:03 is important

Now that I have a second chance at life, "I'll be anyone, anything, any shape." I mentioned before that your archetype powers manifests as your deep inner desire, and since M2 wants to be everything she couldn't be, it turns into her creating alternative selves through clones made of light. Another point of inspiration for her forms is actually Barbie of all things. Not the movie, although the movie takes advantage of the same principle, that Barbie can be anything. A doctor, a lawyer, life guard, a government official etc. M2 is everything always and forever, and she's also nothing at all. Which one is the real M2?

[yeetmeoutthewindowdaddy]

A deep dive into Zevlor's devotion (Part 2) Elturel's history and culture, the Hellriders, and Zevlor's paladin oath:

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BG3.

These series of posts were originally one loooooong post— but apparently Tumblr has a character limit, and I found it; so now it's been split into several parts/posts.

(Part 1) Everybody hates tieflings, and how discrimination impacted a young Zevlor

((Part 2, this post, is for providing historical and sociological information on Elturel, paladins and their oaths, and the Hellriders. The third part is where the meat of my Zevlor analysis is.))

(Part 2.5)

(Part 3) Zevlor's actions during Act 1, an analysis of a man who is barely holding on.

(Part 4) Zevlor's actions during Act 2, an analysis of a broken man.

(Part 5) Zevlor in a romantic relationship.

(Part 6) Zevlor's actions during/ after the epilogue, not all endings are happily ever after— especially not for a tiefling.

(Part 7) Zevlor in a romantic relationship.

I don't think many bg3 players understand just how dedicated and loyal of a person Zevlor is. This ADHD hyper-fixation fueled multipart-thesis is meant to show how Zevlor's past is as tragic as any of the origin characters'/ Durge's. It's meant to show how horrifically broken Zevlor was when he "betrayed" the other tieflings. It's also meant to show that our beloved blorbo would probably be fervently obsessive if he was in a romantic relationship.

Most importantly: It demonstrates how our favorite man Zevlor was most likely a fanatical religious zealot my dudes. He was (probably) a part of the Faerûn equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition lite.

I have kept this as factual as I am able to. Please keep in mind that Baldur's Gate 3 plays it fast and loose with the DND/ Forgotten Realms canon and lore, on top of DND/ the Forgotten Realms itself regularly disregarding and changing it's own lore and canon. DND lore and canon as a whole is a mess. It has multiple universes that sometimes interact and are maybe separate from each other. Full disclosure; I've mixed 1e-5e lore together FUCK 5.5e, because parsing through what is currently considered canon is a nightmare. As far as I'm concerned, as long as a piece of lore was canon at some point in the past 50 years— it's fair game. @y-rhywbeth2 in this post has a more in depth disclaimer. Also please check out their headcanons and lore breakdowns, they're so good.

THIS PROJECT TOOK ME OVER A MONTH TO WRITE. I've tried to find all grammatical and spelling errors. I've tried to ensure that I've cited the correct sources in the correct places.

Before reading this way to long of a post please check out (the much more succinct) @gortashs-skidmark history of Elturel and Zevlor headcanons [alt].

______________________________________________________________

● (Part 1) Elturel's History and Culture:

[A/N: I refer to Elturel as a city, a city-state, and a realm. They don't mean the same thing, but I've used them interchangeably here because Elturel is simultaneously a city, a city-state, and a realm (known as Elturgard). Kind of similar to how the UK, England, and Great Britain are all used to describe the British Isles.]

Elturel was a port city located in the Western Heartlands along the Chionthar River.

"The river linked it... to Baldur's Gate on the Sword Coast... it was a center for agriculture and trade in the region, and was renowned for its elite mounted defenders, the Hellriders."

All Elturians were horse girls loved horses. Just as every child in Waterdeep leaned how to swim, every child in Elturel learned how to ride a horse.

"Elturians were practically raised in the saddle, learning how to ride and growing familiar with how horses behaved in any situation, even those that never became Hellriders. The downside was that, rightly or wrongly, some folk thought Elturians always smelled of horse."— https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Elturel#Culture_&_Society

Elturel claimed ownership over nearby cities and lands by declaring themselves their "protectorates"— thus becoming the realm Elturgard. (In other words they were holier-than-thou and patronizing in their attitude towards the cities they took over.)

"In the late 15th century DR, it was the capital of the realm of Elturgard... through a variety of excuses, Elturel had laid claim to the lands of its neighbors, placing them within "Elturel's Guard" as they called it... with the aim of bringing righteous judgment to all the Realms and "setting Faerûn aright"..."

Elturel was an authoritarian theocracy which was so pious that you could get into trouble for cursing in public.

"Elturel was known as a holy city... and it was ruled by its high priest, the High Observer of Torm… Even bad language and irreverent humor could draw the ire of authorities. Elturgard's laws were rigid, intolerant, and persecuted evil with inquisitorial zeal..."

Saying they had inquisitorial zeal was not a figure of speech, they actually had inquisitions.

"They ensured the city and countryside remained safe and well-policed... [through] rigid laws, intolerant attitudes, and inquisitions circa 1479 DR... Just rumoring about a possible band of thieves was enough to see one interrogated by zealous Hellriders."

Elturel had a 3 strike policy, where upon the 3rd strike a criminal would be sent to the mines— which never had a shortage of prisoners. (By reading between the lines, I'm assuming that the law did not have much nuance or account for the severity of a crime. i.e.: Littering 3x would get one sent to prison along side murderers.)

"Those who broke the law three times were sent to the Dungeon of the Inquisitor... they were punished and set to work mining tunnels. The inmate population was always being replenished."

They were even willing to risk a loss of trade revenue if it meant that outsiders wouldn't bring their immorality into the city.

"After the founding of Elturgard, the port officials who handled trade in the city... were overly righteous and handed exorbitant taxes and penalties to traders who showed even the slightest impiety, even banning them from setting foot inside the city. The caravans and riverboat convoys now feared to pass through..."

The official religion of Elturel was Torm, but almost any good or neutral aligned god was allowed to be worshiped.

"In the late 1400s, the city's official faith was in Torm the True, the state religion of Elturgard. However, the people commonly worshiped Torm, Helm, Lathander, Amaunator, and Tyr."

Baldur's Gate was a rivaling competing port city and moral antithesis to Elturel, who they were constantly on the verge of war with.

"Its chief rival now was Baldur's Gate... Elturel regarded Baldur's Gate as lawless and corrupt, and disapproved of its religious tolerance... There was much animosity between them… [but] neither was looking forward to an armed conflict."

Along with the city guard (more like a military than a city guard, but I digress) every citizen swore a magically binding oath, the Creed Resolute, to defend the city.

"...He [Thavius Kreeg] eventually made all Elturians swear the Creed Resolute, binding them by oath to defend the city... The Creed Resolute was a set of oaths and maxims sworn by the paladins of the Order of the Companion of Elturgard and the Hellriders of Elturel, and eventually all Elturian citizens... Citizens who were old enough to read were required to put a hand on the Tome of the Creed Resolute and recite the oath. Once done, their name magically appeared in the book, thus recording all those who'd sworn to follow the Creed."

Elturel's primary city guard/ military were known as

● (Part 2) The Hellriders:

Training started as young as 12. (Which is how old Zevlor was when he enlisted.)

"Enlistment and training could begin as young as twelve. People came to Elturel from other lands just to join the Hellriders."

They swore an oath not only to the defend the realm, but also uphold its moral codes of conduct.

"...Hellriders followed the Creed Resolute... This had them swear to serve the High Observer and the greater good, uphold Elturgard's law, and permit no difference in faith to come between them... among other codes of behavior. If a Hellrider overstepped the limits of law or proper behavior, their comrades would admonish them to "recall the Creed"."

Hellriders were revered— and as the protectors of Elturel they were held to an even higher moral standard than the average citizen. Children dreamed of becoming a Hellrider, but it was difficult to actually become one.

"It was said that every [child] of Elturel and the lands around dreamed of being a Hellrider some day. To call such a child a 'hellion' was... a compliment, marking one as having the courage and drive to ride the Hellriders' destriers...the Hellriders and the Companions were held in highest regard. Both inspired the people to be devout in both their faith and the pursuit of justice."

Hellriders were not only revered in Elturel, but in many other places too. They were more powerful than some other nations entire armies.

"...an elite cavalry unit who acted as the primary armed force of the city of Elturel in the Western Heartlands...The Hellriders helped Elturel establish and maintain civilization in these harsh lands. They were one of the most renowned and well-regarded military forces... For a city guard, they outmatched the armies of whole realms."

The Hellriders were named as such because of their loyalty to one another. They were family. **insert Fast and Furious family meme**

"The warriors were close-knit and exceptionally loyal, both to each other and to their commanders... It was said that a company of Riders had once ridden into the Hells themselves— namely Avernus, the first layer... to rescue one of their own, such was their great loyalty to each other... and from this story, the Hellriders were named."

Becoming a Hellrider was for life. They were the literal definition of ride or die.

"To be a Hellrider was a job for life, no matter how short it turned out to be... In the mid-1360s DR, there were no living ex-members of the Hellriders—too many had died in battle."

The only way to resign from the Hellriders was to be sent on a suicide mission. If they somehow survived the mission then they'd be publicly known as a deserter, considered a heretic, and subsequently banished from Elturel without a pot to piss in.

"Those determined to resign were given a final mission involving very difficult tasks, and even if they succeeded, and survived, they were stripped of their gear, exiled from the city, and named a heretic in the eyes of Helm, God of Guardians, for abandoning their post."

These are merely the conditions for an average Hellrider-- we haven't even touched the diehard paladin sect known as

● (Part 3) The Order of the Companion:

Before Zevlor's time in the Hellriders there weren't many paladins in their ranks.

"There were few paladins in the Hellriders. However, in the late 1400s, members of the Hellriders could aspire to join the Order of the Companion, a paladin knighthood..."

But by the time Zevlor joined there was the Order of the Companion. And they were religious fanatics. They didn't just swear an oath to the city. No, they went the extra mile by swearing an oath to Elturel/ Elturgard on their personal patron god.

"...A well-armored mounted knighthood of paladins who defended the city and wider Elturgard, swore oaths to the realm and shared its goals, even if the members did not all share faith in Torm. Courageous, righteous, and zealous, they were proud of their dedication to the cause of good, their clear morals, even their intolerance... Although the state religion of Elturgard was that of Torm, and they all swore oaths to the realm, the Companions themselves followed various different gods...Many of the Hellriders now aspired to join the Companions."

The Order of the Companion, despite being newer and thus having less established prestige than the Hellriders, were revered with an amount of reverence similar to the Helriders.

"In the late 15th century, Elturian citizens still often dreamed of joining Elturgard's paladin knighthood. This time, many succeeded. Inspired by the Hellriders and the Companions, the folk of Elturgard were typically devout in both their faith and the pursuit of justice. Both troops were loved and respected by the people... The Companions were seen as the undoubted champions of the people of Elturgard, with even the lowest-ranking ready to sacrifice their lives to protect them, and in turn the people adored them. Disrespecting the Companions and their Creed would incur the rage of the common folk."

I'm speculating here, but I would imagine that the former head Hellrider being a vampire lead to the Hellriders losing the people's unwavering trust. The Order members did not have this mark against them. Their PR was also probably boosted because joining the Order was easier than joining the Hellriders.

(They were maybe racists? Interestingly, on the wiki for the Order of the companion only humans are listed under the race(s) of those who are members.)

Also they were fascists. [A/N: In Faerûn choosing a patron deity is akin to choosing a political party.]

"The paladins swore to follow and uphold the Creed Resolute... {A/N: the same creed the the Hellriders later adopted and (along with citizens) swore to.} If one of the Companions... even questioned the policies of the realm (such as exactly why there was a temple to Bane in Soubar), their comrades would admonish them to "recall the Creed" and the matter was resolved."

The Hellriders and the Order of the Companion were not one and the same-- but they often overlapped (so much so that I have simply given up in trying to parse which is which), in a similar vein as the army and the marines. This reddit user described it best:

"Order of the Companion are Paladins. Hellriders is a general name for the Elturel cavalry. The Knights of the Companion are all Hellriders, but not all Hellriders are Knights of the Companion. It's a club within the club. Previously, Elturel was ruled by a "High Rider" who was the highest military leader of the Hellriders. After the Companion arrived, rulership changed to a "High Observer" who was the leader of the Church of the Companion..."

You may be wondering; what in the sweet hells is

● (Part 4) The Companion:

~50 years before the game Elturel was being swarmed by vampires after it was found that the (now former) leader of the Hellriders and the city itself, the aforementioned High Rider, was a vampire.

"...the High Rider himself was discovered to be a vampire, with a vast network of vampire spawn, charmed minions, undead allies, and sycophantic collaborators that surprised even the Hellriders. Now exposed, the undead infested Elturel..."

The Hellriders could do little to tide the flow of the undead.

"...and whatever victories the Hellriders won during the days, they lost sorely in the nights."

A priest of Torm (and later the ruler of Elturel) would perform a "miracle" and summon an entity known as the Companion.

"...Thavius Kreeg, then a priest of Torm, pleaded to any power to save his city, and... his reckless prayer was answered—by the archdevil Zariel with a deal to which he hastily agreed. Though the city would receive its much-needed aid, it would last but fifty years, after which Zariel would take the whole city and its people. Thavius also swore to serve her in all ways for all time..."

And so Zariel created the Companion— which was actually the Solar Insidiator that would cause the city to fall into Avernus (Hell).

"The Companion, also known as Amaunator's Gift, was a magical second sun that hovered over the city of Elturel in Elturgard… It was the symbol of the realm and of its defenders, the Order of the Companion. However, it was in fact the Solar Insidiator, a device created by Zariel, archdevil of Avernus, as part of a plot to trap and steal the city away to the Nine Hells."

The Companion was basically a 2nd sun that always shone in Elturel.

"The light of this second sun illuminated the land day and night, and suffused all of Elturel... it produced no heat. Creatures and things vulnerable to daylight in some way, or... destroyed by it, were... vulnerable to the Companion's light. Thus it prevented darkling races and monsters from assailing the city. Undead of all kinds found it painful or were even burned by it, while creatures of darkness could not even bear to look at the city."

AN:A tweet by Adam Lee, the lead creator of Decent into Avernus, confirmed that DiA took place in 1492 DR (the same year that BG3 is set in). Which seems to be a retcon of the previously canon year in which Elturel fell, 1494.

Don't feel too bad for Kreeg here, he's not like Wyll who made a selfless deal with a devil to save his beloved city and people. Kreeg was corrupt. He was why the people of Elturel unknowingly swore their souls to Zariel by having all citizens swear to the oath of the Creed Resolute.

"Taking the credit, Thavius was acclaimed as the savior of Elturel, and few would doubt his goodness or his intent. Only he knew the true origin of the mysterious second sun... [From this] Kreeg was raised to the position of High Observer himself some years later, following a crisis of leadership in Elturel and the unexplained but convenient disappearance of the likely successor, and his rival..."

Go read the wiki page on Zariel for her backstory and connection to Elturel and the Hellriders themselves, it's very fascinating.(LINK) Long story short: Fallen angel turned archdevil is salty about the Hellriders. She needs more souls for more power, and wouldn't you know it— there's a whole city that she already has some beef with she can claim from a desperate priest who's all to willing to sign it, and its people's souls, away to her.

That's it for part 2, I made (Part 2.5) Zevlor's Paladin Oath (link): because this post got too long.

Link to the other parts:

A deep dive into Zevlor's devotion series (master list)

[snakeassassins]

Pokemon Theory: Hassel, Drayton, and "Sinister Hands"

Hey guys! Before the pokemon presents starts tomorrow, I wanted to hash out some observations I’ve made on the scarvi dlc and the implications they have on pokemon lore as a whole. I don’t have much of a big hook to draw anyone in, though, so let’s just jump into it.

Hassel is only one of two characters in all of gen 9 who is left handed. The other is professor turo, who does so to symbolically mirror sada. Through this, I don’t think it’s hard to say that Hassel’s left handedness is also something designed to mirror someone else.

A lot of people have already pointed out that Hassel and Drayton have a lot of mirrored animations.

As such, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that they are the big foils here.

There’s a bit of a snag, though.

With Sada and Turo, it’s obvious that this right/left theming is in regards to the past/future, but it becomes a bit murky if you attempt to apply this to Drayton and Hassel.

If anything this theming is reversed.

Drayton’s supposed to match Sada’s past, but his ace is the futuristic Archaladon.

Similarly, Hassel is supposed to represent the future, but his ace is Baxcalibur, who is themed around dinosaurs, much like past paradox pokemon.

The major exception to this is their signature moves. Electro shot takes a turn to fire, while Baxcalibur takes double damage after using Glaive Rush. Drayton’s ace’s weakness is the “past”, while Hassel’s ace’s weakness is the “future”.

So… how are we supposed to read this exactly? It’s an intentional contradiction —a paradox, if you will—but one whose intent is hard to parse.

Something else has been nagging me about Hassel’s left-handedness: it’s an anachronism.

See, given the name, Baxcalibur is designed to be a medieval weapon. In which case fighting with it left handed would be considered a major taboo for that time period. Swordsmen of that period were trained exclusively with their right hand, which meant fighting with your left was considered to be inherently underhanded.

This bled into a lot of the language and culture at the time. The word “sinister” itself literally means left in latin, we just use it to mean evil in modern times because those were the traits associated with left handed people back then.

It was a common trope for duels to be won unfairly by having the perpetrator fence with their right hand, only to stab their opponent with a hidden blade in their left. A left handed fencer in most medieval fiction is almost inherently duplicitous.

Another one was for left handed fighters to be masters attempting to hide their true strength by using their non-dominant hand to fight. A more benevolent form of trickery, but deceitful nonetheless. Maybe it’s a sign that Hassel is pulling his punches, given how low “elite four member” is compared to the multiple dragon tamer champions we’ve had?

You can see both of these tropes being invoked by this scene from the princess bride. Both opponents intentionally start with their weakest hand before switching to the right, but it’s a double entendre also meant to show that neither is as bad as they appear to be either, a fact made even more obvious by how honorably they fight.

To be honest, I was a bit concerned I could be grasping at straws with these comparisons, given that Baxcalibur’s Japanese name doesn’t even refer to a sword, but then it hit me

Its signature move is it literally backstabbing you. That’s the pun.

Which leads me to what’s been nagging at me here: why is one of Hassel’s major character motifs centered around him being a traitor if he never once betrays anyone in the story? If he was built from the ground up to be our metaphorical Brutus, then who is Caesar?

I think the obvious guess of who Hassel is a traitor to would be the dragon tamer family he seems to have run away from.

He tells us why he left, but his explanation is more than a little vague. Why did he stop being a musician and join the elite four? Why is he so necessary to his family’s hierarchy that they are willing to fake his father’s illness to get him back, even after all these years? There’s more to this story that Hassel is either downplaying or straight up not telling us, and that makes it the prime suspect for Hassel’s “traitor” status.

However, as we are in Unova for the dlc, my inner fan theorist can’t help but also point out the faction actively themed around medieval knights.

Especially when their boss is yet another blonde-ish lefty with swept back hair who is, frankly, more than a little ceasar coded himself.

Hassel’s backstabbing is probably a good thing for us either way tbh

Drayton’s the right hand man, however, and as such we can assume that he is aligned with whatever Hassel is against, willingly or otherwise. The Mark Anthony to our Brutus, if you will. The responsibilities of which he is likely dragging his feet on by staying in school as long as possible. Which actually brings us back to the original right hand/left hand dichotomy.

I think the big difference between the Sada/Turo dichotomy and the Drayton/Hassel dichotomy is that Sada and Turo are defined by a relentless pursuit of something. Drayton and Hassel, on the other hand, are defined by avoidance.

What’s important to the symbolism isn’t that Drayton is using his right hand, it’s that he isn’t using his left. He isn’t someone pursuing the past like Sada, but using his obligation to the school as a way to avoid the future.

Similarly, I think it's safe to say that Hassel is using his teaching position to escape his past moreso than he is looking to his future.

Because of this I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that Hassel’s past and Drayton’s future… probably coalesce in the same place.

What this actually implies is a question that will probably only be answered by our inevitable black and white remake, but I am curious about it nonetheless. I’ve got a bunch of extra comparisons to make between these two that didn’t quite make the cut here, so feel free to add your own observations and theories if you come up with anything.

[hurgablurg]

it's weird looking at the content warnings for Helldivers 2 on steam and seeing the dissonance between warning players about depictions of gun violence and gore while in the same breath extolling the fun tools players get to use to "exterminate the alien forces" and "rid the galaxy of the rising alien threats".

It's extremely confused is what I'm saying.

And I can't parse whether they decided to put the gameplay blurb IN the content warning or they forgot to turn off the kayfabe for the OOC stuff.

And as a side note, I'm starting to get worried that they're just going to skip over the Starship Troopers-style parody of fascism and so-called democracy that was so crucial to the goofy tone of the first game. I'm worried they are going to try to play it straight.

The background of the first game is that Super Earth, despite calling itself a democracy, is a capitalism-enabled fascist state where a citizen's vote is decided for them by "a computer", oil is still the fuel of choice even for starships, and the so-called glorious "elite" Helldivers are the only infantry available and are laughably expendable to the point that it's almost impossible to go a single mission without accidentally dropping requisitions on your teammates, or even crushing a fellow Helldiver with your own respawn drop pod.

The lore entries are all framed as propaganda and it's explicit at the start and end of a War that Super Earth struck first in every single case and by the end of a successful campaign the casus belli is quickly swept under the rug as Super Earth has acquired whatever resource they wanted from their opponents and regained imperial dominion. Until the next War breaks out in the same exact way, with the exact same historical figures, and the exact same casualties.

(God forgive me for linking a Fandom Wiki.)

And if Super Earth is destroyed? They just designate a new Super Earth. And considering the game's lowering player count inevitably causes wars to be lost constantly, they've probably gone through hundreds of "irreplaceable homeworlds" by now.

And all that, mixed with the dissonance of the triumphant, heroic presentation of the players who being obliterated by their own autonomous autocannon because there is no Z-axis, creates a very obvious satire of militant societies. It's positively delicious.

And yet. The IGN trailer even has some generic pop-rock instead of the blaring patriotic brass of the previous game's soundtrack that reminds you it is supposed to be over the top. Like a AAA game. The Steam page is a standard feature blurb instead of a stylized despotic news reel. That has me slightly worried.

At least the announcement trailer got it right, but that was also 7 months ago. A long time in game dev and marketing terms.

[finalaudreythespiritswithin]

increasingly feel like professional or "elite level" sports are just a bad idea. i get the conceptual appeal of wanting to watch someone do some crazy shit with a basketball or whatever but idk how you divorce the entertaining or enjoyable aspect from the part that wakes up the little fascist inside people. just seems the bring the worst out vis a vis like parsing bodies. however if you like sports and find this objectionable you can twist my arm really hard and make me call myself a faggot, i don't mind

[paradife-loft]

some favorite bits of late Act I/early Act II conversations >:3

I had forgotten Tarkis Arri gives you the "aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper" treatment! love it. I do really like her, especially as far as the various rebel leaders are concerned.

poor Eb has to put up with So Much -____-

the convo with Lady Lucretius is fascinating to me bc on one hand it's like...... uh. yes? as a general rule, the state will often render "justice" that's in its own best interests? are we really surprised here? -- but also the assumption she's making that genuine justice ought to look essentially like the conditions the petitioners are hoping for. which in the context of "lots of nobles and other relatively well-off people swarming Tunon's court" (on top of simply "there are two different cultures clashing here regarding what is actually a just outcome, restitution, etc").... Interesting. telling, honestly. particularly since some of Kyros's laws are pretty transparently aimed at preventing e.g. merchants from accumulating large amounts of wealth or single-industry expertise. to Ilevath this is very much a desirable feature and not a bug of Kyros's Peace, ngl. he has... a poor opinion of the non-imperial Ruling Elite and the way they treat their subjects. "our noble Kyros's Peace / their dastardly abuses of power" etc. etc.

lmao speaking of Poor Opinions of Ruling Elites. I do think there's a decent case to be made that (regardless of whether it's true of the PC or not), Calio's "oh so do you want to rule instead? hmmm?" is a bit of a reflection of her own desires, too, which is fun. (and at this point, yes she actually is making an incorrect read on Ilevath's thoughts in particular. he doesn't want glory for himself, he wants A Good Grade In Fatebinder and for Tunon to force Ashe and Nerat into a Get Along Shirt and have it actually stick.)

yes, yes he does like secrets and trickery!!! what's it to you, sir! ...I mean at least Mark parses what's actually going on rather than assuming he's just super into, y'know, pillaging&murder&chaos. but.... yeahhhhh Ilevath's getting a little. cranky. by the end there lmao. as far as he's concerned he's just being competent at his job!!! leave him alone!!!! he's not in this for personal power except when he is but we're not talking about that!!!!

next up: heading to Lethian's Crossing, a.k.a. "trying to toll this road is literally illegal, please fuck off, you obnoxious self-important mercenary scum >:("

[commanders-quarters]

A message was sent through what seemed to be a throwaway email.

“Hello, Commander. It’s been long since I’ve been under your control. I don’t know why even bother to send this. Is it a desire for anger and closure? Is it a sense of longing? I would be lying if I claimed to have no desire to return. I remember feeling almost unstoppable. Like I truly was superior. That I was making others better, too.

What a shame I was only causing misery and suffering. I feel sorry for anyone who was victim of my experimentation or was sanitized because of my doing.

I’m trying to put my skills to good use. I’ve recovered my old memories and my old self. What’s left of it, anyway.

Shame you still are lasting. I hope to see you fall sooner or later. Glad I remembered how to access this anyway. Maybe one day I’ll rest peacefully knowing my fallen comrades are safe from you.

-A”

His two secretaries stop to exchange whispers as they stare at the screen.

One was an elite, the other not. Two secretaries, because the elite was unfortunately wearing out their usefulness at this rate. No point in learning her name; you won't know her for long. Going off of the performance reports, the elite's expected remaining lifespan was looking... bleak. A replacement was lined up ahead of time.

The more experienced of the two coughs into her palm, causing the sickly tips of her tentacles to worm about in discomfort. A revolting spew of inky bile presents itself across the center of her palm, but she ignores its lurid warning as she wipes it off on the hem of her dress suit.

Their words are lost among the ever-enduring thrum of the room's ventilation system.

The newbie points at different parts of the screen multiple times as she murmurs. A message presenting an unfavorable opinion towards the commander-- now those were a dime a dozen. Common as the corpses. Every conceivable spiel has already been done to death, and every morally reprehensible action has already been denounced a thousand times over. There was nothing more left to say.

What's there to point out? Is it even worth bringing to the commander's attention?

The new recruit twitches her narrow nose in concentration as she leans her head closer to the screen, as though doing so would reveal the message's author hidden between the lines.

"The commander had a soldier whose name started with an A. He knew them personally, beyond being their commander. He was fond of them." she pointed out in suggestion.

The two hold eye contact, weighing the potential significance of this letter. Not another word has to be exchanged.

Better give the commander a call. Hopefully it won't mind its lunch break being interrupted...

...

It stares at the screen. It stares until it manages to parse some sort of sense from the words spared to it.

For a moment, he almost dares to be hopeful.

Is this from them?

His wires lash as he tempers his swell of emotion.

Even so, they clearly aren't mine. Mine would never contact me in such a way. This message means nothing to me.

But it meant something to him. Had he been under the assumption that this was sent by nearly any other former test subject of his, he wouldn't bother writing back at all.

But then he did.

"Good evening, Octarian,

It is a shame to see that you have been swayed by the assertions of those who have had no business trifling with us. I find it hard to believe that you concluded without any outside influence that your conduct was out of order, for as long as you were my associate and as long as you participated. You were always sharper than you looked.

You were incredible at what you did, and your cooperation was not misplaced. Your sanitization operation had been a step in the right direction. I do not regret what I did. You know this, and I know this.

Regardless, you are still alive and still productive. That is well worth celebrating.

I regret to inform you that I will not be dismantled anytime soon, nor will I cease operations within the metro. I have no reason to. If the population is insistent that my goal is to commit senseless mass murder of an innocent species that truly deserves the land they live on, then so be it. My purpose is not to educate beastly mobs who are decidedly unworthy of such enlightenment. Your ignorance is not my responsibility. Sacrifices must always be made for the greater good. You should know this by now.

Penned by the messenger,

Denewiah Tartarus"

[renewedmotionforjudgment]

I’ve had multiple posts here about my annoyance at cnet discourse on line delivery, specifically about the supposed “proper pronunciation of standardized mandarin” and why it’s such a thorn on my side, and after reading a very thoughtful post by @romchat on the cdrama subreddit, it boils down to the following and I’m linking this very good article for context:

- to me, it is almost impossible to divorce that standard from the Han nationalism promoted by the communist government, see above article for context. CCP has literally banned people in workplaces from speaking in dialects, is actively trying to suppress dialects of minority groups, and has “mandarin monitoring committees.” Given that, can the critics and acting professors really say anything contradictory?

- there is also a lot of classicism and elitism (which is not new to Chinese culture) in this discourse that’s not parsed out. Listen, I am neutral to Wang Hedi at best and dropped Only For Love after the first episode. But I think the idea that WHD’s sichuan accent (which TBH isn’t that strong to my ears) makes him sound like a person who sells things under the bridge as opposed to a CEO is a simple regurgitation of a stereotype without examining why we associate CEOs with certain regional accents and street vendors with another.

I also fine the whole “if x actor has a slight regional accent (which honestly, the variations are slight and everyone is speaking mandarin; no one is speaking true regional dialects) then the broad audience can’t understand” to be a self fulfilling prophesy. A population who is only exposed Standard Mandarin as sanctioned by the CCP will of course lose the ability to understand regional accents. Frankly, I’ve never really had difficulty understanding the variety of “problematic” mandarin line delivery, but I also spent most of my life in a Chinese diaspora in the Bay Area where I’m exposed to a variety of accents.

[hexjulia]

curious what yasmin nair was saying on twitter after reading all that and i am genuinely not american enough to parse this but

saying white-passing gay women are among the people running chicago 'like a plantation' strikes me as. hm.

genuinely, what does this even mean? "gatekeepers" --doesn't that mean keeping people out? how are women keeping gatekeeping gay men's misogyny? My native language is not english but the definition really doesn't just seem to include "protect from the backlash against" which is what she seems to mean? what does any of this even mean?

what she seems to be saying is that women protect gay men from accusations of misogyny... I think? not sure. She seems to think the elite of chicago is entirely comprised of white (and white passing!) gay men and women who oppress everyone else, and in order to maintain their position women protect misogynist and racist gay men specifically, not just men in general. I don't know enough about the US to dispute this but it seems so unlikely? That gay men are especially influential and protected in comparison to regular old cishet ones i mean.

[magic5ball]

A Letter to Mom (9)

Dear Mom,

It has been twelve years. Twelve years since I moved north. Twelve years since you set off to reeducation camp. All this time, I have been asking why you’ve never responded to these messages. Were you angry? Bored? Unwell? Did you even receive my letters at all?

I feel I’ve been in denial of a simple and obvious fact. Something I’ve been reluctant to acknowledge, for fear it would crush my soul if I tried to reconcile with it. But I can’t deny the truth, not after so long. Not anymore.

You’ve been testing me!

I received an email from our glorious CEO today. Remember that odd dream I told you about, the one with all the turtle shells in the lake? Apparently, Lucky Pong had the exact same dream! And unlike me, a humble cubicle dweller, his elite intellect could parse through the mystique and see the grim truth of the matter.

You see, each turtle represents a universe- planets suns, stars, time, everything- with the pond being the whole plane of possible existence. Some universes are similar to ours, but others are radically different, such as having ice that is hot or suns that make darkness instead of light. The possibilities are endless!

Unfortunately, by logical deduction, our glorious CEO has realized there must be a universe, (or, Pong forbid, SEVERAL) that have never been blessed by the magnificent light of PONGCORP, or worse, have had said light sundered by the malignant forces of anarchy and socialism!

Can you imagine mother? All PONGCORP owns may very well be but one drop in a vast lake of CHAOS! When I first read the message, I wept. I can only imagine how you feel regarding this ordeal. You always did have such a fragile heart.

Thankfully, Lucky Pong has crafted a solution. We, the humble employees, are to design a means by which interdimensional travel can be achieved. He could easily craft such a device himself, of course, but in his generosity he has decided to allow us to prove our mettle in exchange for a year of free rations!

More importantly, if I succeed at this, I’m certain I will have passed your tests and you will finally see me as worthy of your attention!

Braining up a storm,

Kib Johnson

P.S. By the way, do you have any suggestions for how I might solve this problem? I know you probably won’t respond until I’ve proven my worth, but it’s worth a shot.

[flipping-the-coin]

Guardsman Recruit - Paradox: Entry #002

[10 Vorns after the restoration of Cybertron]

[Cycle 7 of training]

[Phase 1: Induction]

[Recording begins]

══════════════════

Alright, looks like this thing is on. I really can't tell with this thing. I think the light shows that its working? Whatever...

Right, my designation is Paradox! I joined the elite guard a deca-cycle ago as a recruit, and so far... I expected something a little different to be honest. I mean I was fully prepared for it to be rough, but this is hard. How in Primus's name did ANY of the guardsmen get through this?

So far me and the others haven't gotten more than half a Groon of recharge in any singular sitting. A guardsman wakes us up regularly and totally throws off our recharge cycles. There is always this music playing in the barracks too. Its some old chant I think. The song is difficult to understand, but after being woken so many times and being left unable to go back into recharge, I think I've begun to pick up bits and pieces, especially with the classes we have been taking. Its a hymn of loyalty and of praise to the creator and his angels. It often speaks of service and sacrifice, and of how glory only comes through duty. There are too many sub-glyphs to parse much else out, but that much I gather.

Beyond the lack of recharge wearing us down, there is also the work we do during our active cycles. We are all collected the moment the light of the nearest star graces the horizon and we are lined up outside of our quarters. Every room is inspected and we are all tasked with ensuring our spaces are immaculate. Sometimes a guardsman will come in during the middle of our recharge cycles to check for any mess or disarray. My Nurturer never tolerated a messy hab, so I never was one to make much of a mess. Still the one mech who failed to keep his space clean after three warnings was brought out into the hall and forced to do a walk of shame.

The guardsman got on his case hard. It was... rather sad to watch. They berated the poor mech and questioned him really harshly about if he actually wanted to be part of the guard. It was very cruel in my opinion. They called him all sorts of names and tested his resolve. I don't know if this is how they do it in the army, but if felt a bit much you know? He eventually broke down crying and was put onto wakeup duty. He had to be up all throughout two recharge cycles to wake the rest of us. By the time he was finally let go, he was singing prayers and looked super shaky. Last I saw of him, he was serving with a separate set of recruits.

That's another thing that's been happening this past deca-cycle. Aside from the things going on during recharge cycles, during the waking Joors of the cycle we are all put to work in some way or form. The first cycle we began we were given very general but still difficult tasks to accomplish. The cycles have blurred together a bit, but I recall having to climb up onto the side of the council chambers to haul building material without the use of any tools. I had to climb up the slagging building with my bare servos while hauling things up for the older recruits to use.

Now that I think about it, the older recruits seem a bit odd. They gave me and the others in my group a strange look, their optics filled with something akin to pity before they froze up and returned to their work. I am uncertain if they were afraid or if they simply refocused. Whatever the case, it was a bit off putting.

Back on topic, that was the first cycle of work. Since then the guardsmen have been keeping a close optic on all of us. They've been picking us out for some reason or other. Three of my fellows who did particularly well delivering messages to mecha in the council chambers were taken away to a different group. I've only seen them once since then, but the others who they work with are all masked. They still wear the gold and blue, but they don't look like they are meant to be public figures. They blend right into the shadows and watch on in silence.

A bit creepy, but I heard there was a branch in the guard composed of Inquisitors. My Nurturer said that Inquisitors are the optics and audials of the Prime amongst the people, whatever that means. I'm not quite sure what those mecha are doing now, but two of my other more sensitive companions were taken away to go join the poor slagger who got wakeup duty. Not quite sure where they were taken, but no one I've talked to has seen or heard anything of them. Its almost like they were wiped off the map. I hope they got to go home, I don't think mecha like that are cut out for the guard.

Right, where was I? My thoughts have been all over the place due to lack of proper recharge...

Ah yes, the labor. Now there are only ten of us left in the main group. Two other recruits joined our number of eight on cycle two of training. They got a bit of scrap for being late, but other than that they've meshed well with my group and I. So far those of us that remain have been moving around huge sheets of metal, hauling all sorts of material around, and even making the odd trip down to the space ports to collect things. Its been brutal, especially since we've not been getting any decent rest. However we've been enduring. I've found myself singing the song that plays during recharge cycles to try and keep my mind off things.

So far we've been finishing our heavy labor thirty Kliks before the light of the nearest star fades. At that point we are all gathered up and taken to a huge gathering hall. Its a strange building, the walls are covered in murals depicting all sorts of religious imagery and there are always dozens of guardsmen kneeling in prayer clutching Primacy pendants. No one is allowed to speak if not in prayer or due to a question and when we are all in there, we are directed to kneel and a lesson is taught to us while we are stuck in that position. The lessons have varied, but there is always three things that remain constant.

The first is that we are drilled with the old language and only allowed to ask questions if we use our choppy ability to speak the dead language to present our queries. Its irritating, but I would rather speak in the old language than get smacked as hard as one of my companions did when he voiced his dissent. The poor mech was sent sprawling across the floor from the force of the hit and every guardsmen in the hall was up in a flurry, each muttering all sorts of strange angry glyphs that I couldn't understand. That mech was taken out of the hall and when he returned to the barracks he was beaten and looked... tired.

It was a bit of a wakeup call I think. The guard are serious, and we need to be serious too unless we feel like dying. I've seen enough in one simple deca-cycle to know that these guardsmen could kill us and get away with it. I don't want to die, I've got my Nurturer to go home to... With that said, the second lesson we are all taught is the art of schooling our expressions and fields, a lesson that is driven home with pain and pleasure in equal measure. When we mess up, we are hit with an electric rod, and when we do well, we are basked in such warmth from the guardsmen present that its hard to keep composed. I think its not really a reward, rather its another test of will, especially since our teachers throw so many emotions at us that its hard to think.

EM field attacks are no joke, but according to our teacher, the reason we learn to withstand it is not only to fight through any pain, but also because the last reigning Prime endured constant torment in that fashion. We were bound to an oath of silence after that information was revealed, and honestly I don't understand why. The Prime was hurt, so what? He was a military and spiritual leader, but he still had a frame like the rest of us. Maybe its a metaphor or something.

Whatever the case, the last lesson that is drilled into our helms before we are allowed to return to the barracks is quite plain. We serve the Prime and no other. The guard belongs to the Prime and functions solely to fulfill his will and to serve as guides for the new Primes when they are forged. I get it, I really do, but they have us sing this eerie chant and I don't like it much. It goes something like this.

What is your duty?

To serve the Prime's will

What is the Prime's will?

That we fight and die in his name

What is death?

It is our duty

The teacher asks the questions, and we must reply with the answer. Its... a bit frightening. I don't understand what the chant is supposed to mean. Perhaps its a holdover or a mistranslation from before the war? I certainly hope so...

I'm tired. I am so tired. No one tells me or anyone else anything. I have a feeling though... a feeling that things are going to get much worse before they get better... Ah... the song is playing again. Its been such a long cycle. At first I found the hymn rather unsettling. I couldn't get a Klik of recharge with it playing... now though? Its not so bad.

I'm going to try and get what little recharge I can...

Paradox signing off.

══════════════════

[Recording ends]

[Recording uploaded to supervisor]

[Recruit - Paradox: Viable for training as Chaplain]

[Training plan adjusted]

[gothprentiss]

don’t really have much beef with a lot of this sentiment but it feels worth noting that while “little guy wins the day” or “justified downfall of rich asshole who Had It Coming” are both long-attested story types, they’ve long: a) come from different artistic settings and contexts (there is for example a decent amount of court poetry which boils down to ‘my stingy lord can/should get fucked’, and which largely has the same non-functionality as the current spate of eat the rich movies: nothing will happen to the lord, but we’ve all had a little chuckle at someone’s expense); b) been less legibly to current audiences part of a clear trend of Eat The Rich (which follows most clearly in the footsteps of the more artistically successful parasite).

i also see the point in being like “why are you surprised that Big Money Movie Industry isn’t meaningfully on your side” but it seems to me that this particular argument from narrative history misses the above point: the long history of this particular kind of narrative of catharsis has not frequently involved the storytellers being so easily identified with the Rich Guy Who Has It Coming. given as well the higher amount of visibility of these directors and the clear desire to make movies that are Saying Something, there’s also a clearer distance between how the movie is framed and what it is. like you can see rian johnson, for example, saying that whodunits are an inherently conservative genre, which is shaped like a critique, and then be like hey dude so how come that doesn’t pan out when we are ostensibly in the same boat re:conservatism. (we aren’t, is the answer, but you know.)

but i think there’s also something to be said for the way the current trend of eat the rich movies started and where they’re going. people did argue about whether bong joon-ho had a leg to stand on re: parasite and telling stories about class struggle, but it seems genuinely bad faith to view parasite as cynical. on the other hand, movies like glass onion and the menu (due in part, i assume, to the relative ease of their western audience promotions as compared to those for bong’s parasite) are more clearly presented as having an angle and have very clear corners of culture they’re speaking to and about. i think parasite will age better because it’s not as palpably about its exact cultural moment as the menu (bad labor practices at noma getting big press; high saturation of alinea and other equally precious restaurants in high-budget tv shows; and the i think currently quite heightened desire to prove one’s anti-elite bona fides) or glass onion (which you can imagine people in 50 years needing no-fear shakespeare levels of glossing and apparatusing in order to parse).

a lot of the backlash to these movies strikes me as a result of them simply not working as this genre does: if a work is fun, or charming, or successful, it is much easier to simply enjoy it and move on. this is as op says how so many narratives have worked! but it seems to me that finding these movies cynical or politically toothless or hypocritical is what happens when the catharsis they usually provide is no longer possible. i think that because glass onion is a worse movie than knives out, the latter inspired less animus than the former; but you might also say we’ve reached a point where this kind of narrative does not hit the way it used to, even as we continue (and arguably more so) to insist that art is politically both solvent and incisive, and as these movies, more than a lot of their historical predecessors, insist they are as well.

I keep seeing Takes about how recent media like Glass Onion and The Menu aren’t taking “eat the rich” seriously enough to launch real change or revolution and like?? yeah??? popular crowd-pleasing entertainment where horrible rich people Suffer A Comeuppance for the pleasure of an audience is one of the oldest tropes in all of human history???? It is a crowd pleaser! It is the bread (ha) and butter of the Western canon! It is in Chaucer it is in Dante it is in Shakespeare it is the stuff of Dickens and 95% of Agatha Christie and almost every teen movie ever made??????? “look at these horrible rich idiots and hypocrites…and now enjoy their DESTRUCTION” transcends time and space and historical moments! It is so strange to be surprised that Hollywood returns to this well without any intention of seeking anything more transgressive than an audience having a hearty chuckle lmao

[syrakhanistan]

Creation of the CONTACT Act

[Newspaper clipping, unknown source.]

“20XX: The passing of the CONTACT Act was recently given full assent.

This piece of executive-creative legislation, which has the full title of ‘The Act and Bills for the Comprehensive Oversight of Notifications, Tracking and Accountability in ConTracts’, more commonly known as the CONTACT Bill, and registered as ‘CONTACT Act presented by the Council of Syrakhanistan (SB-C 627-1A)’ is another stepping stone on the legislative agenda for the creation, assessment and regulation of certain activities related to Contractual obligations.

This Bill is…”

===

[ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.]

[UNABLE TO PROCESS REQUEST. SYSTEM PARSING ERROR TO ADMINISTRATOR. ERROR. ERROR.]

[ACCESS PRIVILEGES REVOKED. ACCESS DENIED. ACCESS DENIED.]

[…]

[RELOADING ACCESS CODES. PROCESSING…]

[ACTIVATING OVERRIDE ORDERS. ENGAGING QUANTUM LOCKING.]

[REVOKING ACCESS LIMITS. UPGRADING OVERRIDE ACCESS.]

[PROCESSING…]

[DONE.]

[…]

[WELCOME, WARMASTER. HOW CAN I SERVE YOU TODAY?]

[…\…\…\…\documents\privilege\frequency23975A\emails\ARCHIVE_627-1B.mp4]

[PROCESSING…]

[WARNING - ACCESS TO THIS DOCUMENT IS RESTRICTED TO SECURITY LEVEL OMEGA AND ABOVE. ANY ATTEMPTS TO ACCESS DOCUMENT WITHOUT THIS CLEARANCE WILL LEAD TO, AND NOT LIMITED TO:

- GRIEVOUS BODILY HARM

- TORTURE

- EXECUTION

- ETERNAL IMPRISONMENT

- SOUL EXTRACTION

- ANNIHILATION AND TRUE THIRD DEATH

- ALL OF THE ABOVE AS APPLICABLE TO FAMILY MEMBERS FOUR TIMES REMOVED.

GLORY TO THE FIRST. SYRAKHANISTAN SHALL PREVAIL.]

...

>Processing request...

>Invoking Warmaster-level access override…

...

[Archive recording of relevant executive discussion with regards to the creation of the CONTACT Act. Date and time: unknown. Location: Warmaster’s Office, Inner Sanctum, Magna Ovi Base Alpha, Primis Officio Assassinorum, Schwarzschild Basin Crater A.]

[Notice: This recording makes usage of the Proto-Hinano Effective Projector as well as the CTS Memoria System for better cognitive processing and viewing. Please seek medical attention if you gain any unusual symptoms following viewing of this recording.]

…

“…This request is extremely unusual, and obviously HIGHLY heretical.” The purr coming from the ancient-looking creature finally responded to the posed question from the figure standing against the window.

“These are unusual times, are they not? And besides, it’s not TOO big of a request given the… existing framework.” The figure responded, a hand absentmindedly threading through her long pale hair.

The Warmaster turned from the view from the window, and turned to the creature sitting comfortably in what should be HER chair.

“I wouldn’t make such an appalling request if I didn’t think it was necessary.” She spoke softly as she paced towards her desk, placing her hands down and staring at the squirrel-looking thing.

“…Hmm. Warmaster, no matter your rank or privilege, such a request would usually be grounds for immediate excommunication and eradication. To even think that one such as I would accept it would be utterly absurd!” It continued, with no change in it’s voice, let alone emotions.

The First raised an eyebrow at it.

“…but I suppose I am becoming more absurd in my old age.” The creature finally gave a small sigh.

“So?” The girl asked.

“Well… I’ll go over it again. It’s… well, frankly it’s a bit of a faff. Especially with some of the numbers I’m calculating for it.” The little thing stood up and began circling around the seat. “However, I suppose it’s our mistake for instituting such massive boundaries on the First Officio in the first place. If anything, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for anyone at the First to make a more… reasonable internship programme.”

The Warmaster chuckled at that. “Yes, well, my operation is supposed to be the elite of the elite… but even the elite need at least something to stand on. A few temps held as de jure non-members would at least stop the haemorrhaging budget…”

“Tell me, Warmaster. Was this the main objective of your little project down there all along?” Another purr.

The Warmaster of the First took a moment, before shrugging. “Who knows? Perhaps, or perhaps not. I can’t deny that it helps, though.”

“Obviously, I must advise against any—” The creature began, before being cut off by a hand being held up and a shaking head. “Don’t panic, boss - these Contractors will not be considered regular members and contractees of the Officio system, after all. They ABSOLUTELY will have nothing to do with operations here, or with regards to any other matters.”

The Warmaster tapped a few lines on the papers on the desk as if to remind the creature of something. “At most, I’ll ensure that each one will have a de jure registration with a certain Officio; I do have a few favours to call in with my friends in the Sixteenth, after all.”

The little thing gave an almost disgusted shiver. “Yet another thing I have to bring up with Jyu? Gosh, sometimes you work me harder than I work you!”

Another chuckle. “So don’t get your tail in a twist. The poor bastards will be under my full control, but will also have absolutely nothing to do with my OFFICIAL boundaries. It might make a few other things easier as well, given the earlier events of—”

A growl. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”

Narrowed eyes. “You’re fucking right I’m not. You KNEW what we could have done to help against that cackling horror - your arrogance put the Great Plan into a whole deal of jeopardy. The fact that we can’t even APOLOGISE because me and you are the ‘oh so great First’… No, this is one thing I will NEVER stop bringing up.”

The room shakes a little; while it could be a Moonquake from the usual Egg-shaped source, it’s more likely that one can guess the true source in this moment.

Finally, the tension dissipates, and the squirrel-rat thing makes a downwards-dog stretch towards the Warmaster. “Temper, temper. Let’s take a moment, eh?”

A long breath in, and out. Any sign of a heightened emotion quickly annihilated. “No need. As long as you accept this contract extension as according to what I’ve written… Hopefully it might at the very least give us some breathing room against similar happenings, or perhaps even cure the cause. At the very least, it’ll perhaps prevent crap like this and that happening again. Now, if only you’d approved it WHEN I ORIGINALLY ASKED…”

A swishing tail, and then the creature vanished. An echo is heard.

“Very well. But ensure that you continue to do your best, Warmaster. I do not wish to see any more complications crossing my mind. I hope you understand.”

And then, nothing.

The Warmaster looks around the now empty Office, before sitting back down in her seat. She wheels it over to the window instead of back to the desk, and takes a deep breath in, before sighing.

“Bloody rat-bastard…” She whined to herself. “Still. At least it’s being cooperative for once. Maybe I’ve been of more use to it than I thought…”

She reclined a little, before raising her eyes to the window, gazing to the stars and to the nigh-invisible dark-pink glow that remained on the horizon.

“…I’m so alone sometimes. Wonder what I would have done… before…” She murmured to herself, before closing her eyes, thinking about papers, bills, and flowing seas of sand.

…

[LOGGING OUT…]

[WARNING: OVERRIDE HAS BEEN LOGGED BY SYSTEM. //I see you. I’ll be coming for you soon.// ANY ERRONEOUS AND/OR CRIMINAL USAGE WILL BE TAKEN NOTE OF.]

…

[Newspaper clipping, continued.]

“…This bill is another attempt at reforms to the increasingly expensive Imperial Marines and Inquisition, the military arms of the executive branch. However, commentators are already making estimates that this particular bill will ensure that the organisations are far more cost-effective, while also predicting their imminent expansion and overhaul, making particular note of the decentralised nature of some of the reforms combined with the creation of more internal safeguards and background checks. While many seem to regard the bill as yet another bureaucratic and logistical reformation, it is clear to political analysts that the CONTACT Act has more than meets the eye.”