#writing sequels which follow on but also stand alone

[corvid-ae]

So you want to listen to Main Range?

Great! I know how intimidating it can be to try and start listening, so I’ve tried to compile a guide to the main story arcs. More under the cut (minor spoiler warning)!

Also known as the Monthly Adventures, it’s a great way to get into the DWEU and definitely one I would recommend. It is also accessible, with the first 50 stories available on Spotify, or available to buy from Big Finish or second-hand fairly easily (or, you know, via less-legitimate means).

Main Range involves stories from the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors, and various TV and original companions. If you are a fan of eighties and nineties Who, then Main Range might be for you! My general recommendations for people are to pick a specific doctor AND companion(s) to listen to and go from there. Although, if you’re looking for a first story to try, why not start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with the Sirens of Time.

While many Main Range stories are stand-alone, there are also some overarching plots, which are actually very companion-focussed. Trying to understand these arcs and listen to them in order can be intimidating for people looking to get into listening, however its probably simpler than you’d think.

To help you out with all of this, I have done my best to write down the stories that are probably best listened to in order, with a bit of an explanation about how it fits into TV continuity if relevant. The order is pretty easy to follow as it is pretty much just in release order. No, Big Finish did not intentionally try to confuse their audience by releasing stories out of order (okay maybe they did just a little). However I have provided the story number in brackets [like so] for clarity.

Also, to be clear, all of the arcs are self-contained, so seperate arcs don't have to be listened to in the order I've written them down in, unless I've specified otherwise (like with the Evelyn and Hex storyline).

Again, it is not super important to listen to things in order. If you are getting bored with a story or with listening in order then feel free to skip things. Maybe you could just skim the Tardis Wiki page for the plot if you like. To help, I’ve also marked any of the super plot-heavy stories with an asterix. Most other stories, especially ones that I don’t mention here are standalone and can be listened to however you like.

Also feel free to let me know if I miss anything! Happy listening :)

Fifth Doctor:

The Erimem Arc

This takes place after Planet of Fire and before Caves of Androzani, and features the Fifth Doctor, Peri and an original character called Erimem - an ancient Egyptian princess. This is a pretty good arc and one I would definitely recommend. Please feel free to skip Nekromanteia though it’s genuinely terrible.

[24] The Eye of the Scorpion*

[38] The Church and the Crown

[41] Nekromanteia

[56] The Axis of Insanity

[59] The Roof of The World

[69] Three’s a Crowd

[71] The Council of Nicaea

[81] The Kingmaker

[99] Son of the Dragon

[102a] The Mind’s Eye

[104] The Bride of Peladon*

The Key 2 Time

A trilogy featuring the Fifth Doctor and an original companion called Amy which acts as a sequel to the Key to Time. It is set between Planet of Fire and Caves of Androzani. The Fifth Doctor meets Amy again in the boxset Wicked Sisters.

[117] The Judgement of Isskar

[118] The Destroyer of Delights

[119] The Chaos Pool

The Stockbridge trilogy

Featuring The Doctor and Nyssa and set in the fictional town of Stockbridge which was first introduced in the Fifth Doctor’s DWM comics. Knowledge of that is not at all essential however. Set between Time Flight and Arc of Infinity.

[127] Castle of Fear

[128] The Eternal Summer

[129] Plague of the Daleks

The Older Nyssa Arc

This is set between Enlightenment and the King’s Demons and features Tegan, Turlough and an older Nyssa - some years after the events of Terminus.

[136] Cobwebs*

[137] The Whispering Forest

[138] The Cradle of the Snake

[146] Heroes of Sontar

[147] Kiss of Death

[148] Rat Trap

[159] The Emerald Tiger

[160] The Jupiter Conjunction

[161] The Butcher of Brisbane

[172] Eldrad Must Die!

[173] The Lady of Mercia

[174] Prisoners of Fate

[195] Mistfall

[196] Equilibrium

[197] The Entropy Plague*

The Hannah Arc

A very short trilogy featuring the Doctor, Nyssa and another original companion - Hannah - an Edwardian woman. Set sometime between Time Flight and Arc of Infinity.

[185] Moonflesh

[186] Tomb Ship

[187] Masquerade

The Season 19 Gang Arc

Set during the events of Season 19, these stories feature the original gang of the Doctor, Adric, Tegan and Nyssa.

[221] The Star Men

[222] The Contingency Club

[223] Zaltys

[234] Kingdom of Lies

[235] Ghost Walk

[236] Serpent in the Silver Mask

The Kamelion Arc

There’s not much to say about this apart from that these three are probably best listened to in this order? Set between the King's Demons and the Five Doctors (i think) and featuring Tegan, Turlough and Kamelion.

[247] Devil in the Mist

[248] Black Thursday/Power Game

[249] The Kamelion Empire

The Marc Arc

These stories follow the Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa, and an original companion Marc - a man from ancient Greece. It is set sometime between the end of Arc of Infinity and Mawdryn Undead.

[256] Tartarus*

[257] Interstitial/Feast of Fear

[258] Warzone/Conversion*

[266]Ghost Station/The Bridge Master/What Lurks Down Under/The Dancing Plague

[267]Thin Time/Madquake*

Sixth Doctor:

The Evelyn Arc

One of my favourite arcs with some great stories, and maybe where things get a little confusing. This arc features the Sixth Doctor and an original companion, Evelyn - an historian from modern-day England. Set sometime before the Sixth Doctor meets Mel I think.

This arc set up some story aspects which are explored further with the Seventh Doctor’s stories - specifically, the Forge trilogy. There are a few ways you could listen to these but to keep it simple I would also recommend listening to the Seventh Doctor story the Harvest before you listen to Thicker Than Water, and then A Death in the Family once you’ve listened to all the Evelyn stories AND the Forty-Five anthology. This could also be listened to concurrently in release order with the Hex storyline which I’ll outline a bit later.

[6] The Marian Conspiracy*

[9] The Spectre of Lanyan Moor

[11] The Apocalypse Element

[22] Bloodtide

[23] Project: Twilight*

[37] The Sandman

[40] Jubilee

[43] Doctor Who and the Pirates

[45] Project: Lazarus*

[57] Arrangements for War*

[58] The Harvest (7th Doctor)*

[60] Medicinal Purposes

[73] Thicker Than Water*

[100] 100 BC/My Own Private Wolfgang/Bedtime Story/The 100 Days of the Doctor*

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster

[144] The Feast of Axos

[145] Industrial Evolution

[115] Forty-Five anthology (7th Doctor)*

[140] A Death in the Family (7th Doctor)*

You can theoretically listen to the following before or after Thicker Than Water if you want - they are sort of standalone stories with the Doctor and Evelyn:

[78] Pier Pressure

[84] The Nowhere Place

[108] Assassin in the Limelight

The Charley Arc 2.0

This is best listened to once you’ve listened to the Charley Arc with the Eighth Doctor. Featuring the Sixth Doctor and Charley.

[105] The Condemned*

[111] The Doomwood Curse

[114] Brotherhood of the Daleks

[116] The Raincloud Man

[124] Patient Zero

[125] Paper Cuts

[126] Blue Forgotten Planet*

The Flip and Constance Arc

Featuring the Sixth Doctor and two original companions, Flip - a girl from modern-day England - and Constance - a woman from World War II. Set sometime before the Doctor meets Mel.

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster*

[156] The Curse of Davros

[157] The Fourth Wall

[158] Wirrn Isle

[182] Antidote to Oblivion

[183] The Brood of Erys

[225] Vortex Ice/Cortex Fire

[184] Scavenger*

[204] Criss-Cross*

[205] Planet of the Rani

[206] Shield of the Jotunn

[218] Order of the Daleks

[219] Absolute Power

[273] Colony of Fear

[220] Quicksilver*

[231] The Behemoth

[232] The Middle

[233] Static

[263] Cry of the Vultriss

[264] Scorched Earth

[265] The Lovecraft Invasion

The Older Peri trilogy

Featuring the Doctor and Peri from after she marries King Yrcanos.

[192] The Widow’s Assassin*

[193] Masters of Earth

[194] The Rani Elite

Seventh Doctor:

The Hex Arc

A great arc that sort of starts with Evelyn’s arc. I would not recommend starting this until after you’ve listened to Project: Lazarus, but maybe at least listen to The Harvest before Thicker Than Water (no stress if you don’t want to juggle listening to arcs concurrently). Features the Seventh Doctor, Ace, and an original companion from 2020s London - Hex. Set after the end of Classic Who.

[58] The Harvest*

[67] Dreamtime

[74] LIVE 34

[79] Night Thoughts

[82] The Settling

[89] No Man’s Land

[92] Nocturne

[106] The Dark Husband

[115] False Gods/Order of Simplicity/Casualties of War/The Word Lord*

[120] The Magic Mousetrap

[121] Enemy of the Daleks

[122] The Angel of Scutari*

[139] Project: Destiny*

[140] A Death in the Family*

[141] Lurkers at Sunlight’s Edge

[149] Robophobia (side note: this is our introduction to Liv Chenka who is one of the Eighth Doctor’s main companions from Dark Eyes onwards).

[151] The Doomsday Quatrain

[152] House of Blue Fire*

[162] Protect and Survive*

[163] Black and White*

[164] Gods and Monsters*

[181] Afterlife*

[189] Revenge of the Swarm

[190] Mask of Tragedy

[191] Signs and Wonders

Also at some point before or after the Angel of Scutari you can listen to the following as they are standalone stories:

[226] Shadow Planet/World Apart

[245] Muse of Fire

[268] The Flying Dutchman/Displaced

The Klein Arc

An Arc featuring The Seventh Doctor and an original character, Klein - a woman from 1940s Germany. Set after the end of Classic Who.

[25] Colditz*

[130] A Thousand Tiny Wings

[131] Klein’s Story/Survival of the Fittest

[132] The Architects of History

[175] Persuasion

[176] Starlight Robbery

[177] Daleks Among Us

Klein is also involved in the final story of the Daniel trilogy which spans the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors.

Eighth Doctor:

The Charley Arc 1.0

The best Main Range arc in my opinion. If you listen to anything, listen to this. Featuring the Eighth Doctor and original companion Charley, with another original companion C’rizz in Part 2 of the arc.

Part 1:

[16] Storm Warning*

[17] Sword of Orion

[18] The Stones of Venice

[19] Minuet in Hell

[28] Invaders from Mars

[29] The Chimes of Midnight

[30] Seasons of Fear

[31] Embrace the Darkness

[32] The Time of the Daleks

[33] Neverland*

[50] Zagreus*

Part 2:

[52] Scherzo*

[53] The Creed of the Kromon* (TW for sexual assault in the Creed of the Kromon. Feel free to stop listening after episode one or just read the Tardis Wiki page for relevant plot info)

[54] The Natural History of Fear

[55] The Twilight Kingdom

[61] Faith Stealer

[62] The Last

[63] Caerdroia

[64] The Next Life*

[72] Terror Firma

[75] Scaredy Cat

[77] Other Lives

[80] Time Works

[83] Something Inside

[88] Memory Lane

[101] Absolution*

[103] The Girl Who Never Was*

The Mary Shelley arc

A short arc featuring the Eighth Doctor and Mary Shelley! Yes, that Mary Shelley.

[123d] Mary’s Story*

[153] The Silver Turk

[154] The Witch from the Well

[155] Army of Death

Multi-doctor arcs:

These are mostly trilogies featuring stories which Big Finish probably mostly intended to be listened to together.

The Forge trilogy

Relevant to the Evelyn and Hex arcs - best listened to in conjunction with the rest of their stories.

[23] Project: Twilight (Sixth Doctor)

[45] Project: Lazarus (Sixth Doctor/Seventh Doctor)

[139] Project: Destiny (Seventh Doctor)

The Villains Trilogy

[47] Omega (Fifth Doctor)

[48] Davros (Sixth Doctor)

[49] Master (Seventh Doctor)

The Harvest/TheReaping/The Gathering trilogy

^^^ I’m naming it that because the other name I’d give it would be a big spoiler lol (if you saw me forget the Harvest out of this no you didn’t)

[58] The Harvest (Seventh Doctor)

[86] The Reaping (Sixth Doctor)

[87] The Gathering (Fifth Doctor)

The Brewster Arc

Thomas Brewster is also vaguely relevant to the events of Stranded with the Eighth Doctor but it’s not really important.

[107] The Haunting of Thomas Brewster (Fifth Doctor)

[113] Time Reef/A Perfect World (Fifth Doctor)

[143] The Crimes of Thomas Brewster (Sixth Doctor)

[144] The Feast of Axos (Sixth Doctor)

[145] Industrial Evolution (Sixth Doctor)

The Sorsha trilogy

[165] The Burning Prince (Fifth Doctor)

[166] The Acheron Pulse (Sixth Doctor)

[167] The Shadow Heart (Seventh Doctor)

The 1963 trilogy

These don’t really have an overarching plot as far as I can remember, they were just released as part of the 50th anniversary.

[178] 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men (Fifth Doctor)

[179] 1963: The Space Race (Sixth Doctor)

[180] 1963: The Assassination Games (Seventh Doctor)

The Companions Trilogy

[198] The Defectors (Seventh Doctor)

[199] Last of the Cybermen (Sixth Doctor)

[200] The Secret History (Fifth Doctor)

The Master trilogy

[211] And You Will Obey Me (Fifth Doctor)

[212] Vampire of the Mind (Sixth Doctor)

[213] The Two Masters (Seventh Doctor)

The Daniel trilogy

[237] The Helliax Rift (Fifth Doctor)

[240] Hour of the Cybermen (Sixth Doctor)

[244] Warlock’s Cross (Seventh Doctor) (Klein is in this one if you want to listen to her arc beforehand)

Edit/addendum:

If you’re like me, you’ve maybe been intrigued by Main Range from seeing/hearing other fans talk about some of the excellent stories there are. Personally, when I am struggling getting through a series, it helps to have a specific story or episode to look forward to. As such, here are a few of my personal favourites from the above list that are definitely worth waiting for (at least in my humble opinion):

5th Doctor:

- Warzone/Conversion

6th Doctor:

- Jubilee

- Doctor Who and the Pirates

- Arrangements for War

7th Doctor:

- Afterlife

- Master

8th Doctor:

- Seasons of Fear

- Zagreus

- Scherzo

- The Natural History of Fear

[genshinnrambles]

[3.8] Technology as a False God: On "Evolution," the Duality of Machines, Replication, and Wisdom

“To recognize untruth as a condition of life: that is certainly to impugn the traditional ideas of value in a dangerous manner, and a philosophy which ventures to do so, has thereby alone placed itself beyond good and evil.” –Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

Before we move on to the nation of justice, I want to do one last inquiry into the narrative significance of machines and technology in Genshin’s 3.x patch cycle. Here, I’ll discuss how divinity (or “godhood”) and technology are treated as interchangeable tools to surpass fate and the boundaries of mortality, the potential problems with treating them this way, and  propose an alternative relationship between humanity and technology as illustrated through Karkata, Benben, Tamimi, and Mehrak. By foregrounding machines, we learn something intriguing about ourselves and the “truth” of this world as we perceive it. 

SPOILERS: All Sumeru Archon Quests, Caribert, the Golden Slumber and one out-of-context screenshot from Dual Evidence, the Dirge of Bilqis and its post-quests, Khvarena of Good and Evil, Nahida’s second Story Quest, Faruzan’s hangout, an out-of-context screenshot from Baizhu’s Story Quest, and major spoilers for Persona 5 strikers at the end. Also some dialogue from Shadows Amidst Snowstorms and A Parade of Providence, two limited-time events from 2.3 and 3.6 respectively.

Disclaimer: I have tried my best to write this post so that it stands on its own, but because it is still a sequel it will probably make the most sense with the context of part 1. Here are the previous posts leading up to this one:

Part 0: On Dreams, the Abyss, Forbidden Knowledge, and Wish Fulfillment 

Part 1: The Uncanny, Fate and the Machine

Terminology: Machine is sometimes used interchangeably with “technology” in this post.

Technology or tool here is referring to technologies specifically used to pursue a wish like immortality in the face of existential dread, not the use of technology or medicine (which I do not address here, and is very difficult to separate from the former) to facilitate someone’s life who could otherwise not survive without that technology, or would have a more painful lived experience without it.

Also, though I don’t engage directly with “A Cyborg Manifesto” here, Donna Haraway’s ideas have greatly influenced my own over the years since I read her in college (although I mostly disagree with her on many points, or at least don’t go as far in boundary deconstruction as she does). I owe my interest in technology studies to her and that piece. Her essay is linked here and at the bottom if you would like to read it.

(and finally with many, many, many thanks to my boyfriend for multiple beta reads despite not having played a single Hoyoverse game, helping me work out the philosophy bits and contextualizing them in history, and encouraging me to finish this)

TL;DR: Machines are friends, not food!

No Matter the Cost

“...Perhaps it is as the notebook says, and we can find a power that transcends even that of the Abyss — the power of ‘evolution’...” -Records of Unknown Attribution (I) “Life, death... and the world around us all follow a set of laws... Hehe, but if you never test the limits, how can anyone know where the boundaries of these laws are?” -Baizhu Voicelines, Chat: Natural Laws “...Even the ominous thing that came down from the heavens shall be ours to use…” -Hyglacg, Shadowy Husk in the Chasm

Without a doubt, the star of this patch cycle is Khaenri’ah, which lurked in subtext and allegory in the Archon Quest, haunted Sumeru’s landscape with its massive defunct Ruin Golems, and finally smacked us in the face with its physical location in Khvarena of Good and Evil.. 

We already know that Khaenri’ah was a nation that put its faith not in the gods but rather in human ingenuity and technology, and that they ultimately attained a power so great that they “almost touched the dome of the firmament.” They did this by researching increasingly dangerous energy sources for their numerous mechanical creations, the Ruin Machines we are all too familiar with by now. They started out with Azosite, a Ley Line-based elemental energy source that powered their earliest Ruin Guard models, like those scattered around Devantaka Mountain.

Nasejuna: This giant furnace is used to make a substance known as Azosite. It is the core of this entire factory, and the Energy Blocks we saw earlier were derived from this place.

But this energy source proved inefficient and therefore inadequate for Khaenri’ah’s goals, which led them to seek a higher power from beyond the skies that could fuel their larger machines with perpetual energy. This likely is the bridge between Khaenri’ah’s fate and Chlothar’s mysterious remarks in Caribert about the Abyss Sibling:

Chlothar: We once believed that you would bring new strength and hope to Khaenri'ah. Chlothar: To us, you were the Abyss... A wondrous mystery far beyond our imagination and comprehension... Chlothar: ...And the one who controls the Abyss can control everything! Chlothar: We yearned for that future. We looked to you to take us there. Chlothar: But what did you bring us instead?

Though Khaenri’ah presents itself proudly as a godless nation, it may have been founded around the time when the celestial nails dropped in Teyvat’s first forbidden knowledge pollution event, which destroyed the unified human civilization. As potential survivors of this devastating act by the Primordial One, Khaenri’ahns then settled in a lifeless land without plants or animals of its own, and they hoped to build something there that belonged solely to humanity. The Heavenly Principles had turned on the world’s earliest humans, and they were powerless against them. Chlothar’s words betray the scars of this trauma on Khaenri’ah, as well as their desperation to control their fate by looking to the Abyss.

As a brief refresher from the previous part, we discussed how the German word heimlich denotes “the home,” all that is familiar and known, while unheimlich (uncanny) refers to all that is unfamiliar and external to the home, such as the wilderness. The Abyss sibling and the Traveler are external variables to Teyvat, making them otherworldly, unfamiliar entities full of potential to surpass Teyvat’s natural laws. Although the Abyss sibling is not a god per se, they were probably as close to a god as Khaenri’ah ever had, because to them the sibling embodied the higher power they were searching for, and they saw that “godliness,” a sort of functional divinity, was yet another technology for them to master. In this way, the Abyss sibling (and their functional divinity) was a powerful tool for Khaenri’ah’s desired end, the “future they yearned for,” a being who could deliver them to the end of their suffering under the Heavenly Principles.

It’s similar to what King Deshret represented to Rahman and the radicals in Archon Quest. The hopelessness of Sumeru’s situation before the Archon Quest’s conclusion is an allegory for the position humanity finds itself in under the rule of the Heavenly Principles, with the Akademiya symbolizing Celestia and the desert dwellers symbolizing Khaenri’ah. The material consequences of the Akademiya’s rule on their lives created a dangerous situation for the desert, and those most desperate to change their fate were willing to believe in the impossible:

Dehya: …The rougher life gets, the more they wanna believe in King Deshret. Way they see it, King Deshret’s resurrection is their only chance at overthrowing the Akademiya. … Dehya: Sumeru is run by wise and mighty sages. To them, us desert dwellers are nothing but tools that can be used and discarded at their whim. Dehya: We’re cheap labor. Like livestock, but easier to control…Nothing more. …

Rahman: We’ve waited a long time for this day to come… The sun and the moon no longer shine here. All you see now is cracks in this desiccated land. But, fate has finally dealt me a hand to play against the Akademiya.

Rahman: With these scholars in our custody, we’ll stomp the Akademiya’s forces and fight our way beyond the Wall of Samiel.

Like the Abyss sibling, Deshret’s divinity is both a nebulous symbol of hope and also the means to an end, a tool or “technology” for surpassing fate. 

Celestia is untouchable, unconcerned with mortal lives, and the boundaries that govern humanity leave no room for them to negotiate their rule:

"Resolve, valor, love, hate...they will all twist in the river of time. But the 'rules' will never change." –Magatsu Mitake Narukami no Mikoto, Living Beings

Instead of bowing to Teyvat’s laws, Khaenri’ah pushed them to their limits. The cost of their failure spelled the end of their nation as they knew it, polluting Khaenri’ah and Teyvat with forbidden knowledge again.

And speaking of forbidden knowledge pollution, let’s talk about Apep’s role in Nahida’s second story quest, because if all that wasn’t enough, the metaphor becomes quite literal in Apep’s case. Nahida’s second story quest is many things, all of which will be extremely important in Fontaine when we deal more directly with the idea of forms, the Self, and mirror images, but its most useful application to both Sumeru’s story and the overarching main story is the allegory of Apep swallowing Deshret.

In exchange for allowing him to establish his kingdom in the desert, Deshret promised to pass all of the knowledge he learned to Apep once he died. When that day did come, Apep literally ate Deshret’s body in order to assimilate his knowledge (or memories) into its body. Little did Apep know, this was all Just As Deshret Planned, and its body became a containment zone for the lethal forbidden knowledge he accumulated after the Goddess of Flowers’ death. 

Apep’s goal was, and still is, to overthrow the Heavenly Principles that took Teyvat from it and the other Sovereign dragons, and using Deshret’s knowledge was yet another stepping stone to achieving this goal. Seems a little similar to Khaenri’ah, right? It’s even in the title of its boss music: “God-Devouring Mania.” This idea of not just utilizing divinity as a tool, but also metaphorically consuming it as an energy source, like a predator would consume its prey, is crucial to understanding its purpose as an aid in a larger project of “evolution.” (Edit: in other words, it’s all about power).

Drink Not That Bitter Salt Water

“Flesh decays, and with it decay all martial arts mastery and all poignant memories. Perhaps only by converting one’s four limbs and body into sturdy mechanical parts, and by at last sacrificing one’s very own heart for a sophisticated mechanical one, can one transcend the impermanence of the fleshly form…” -Marionette Core Item Description “A reptile that has mutated after feeding from greater lifeforms. Majestic beasts are sometimes revered by human beings as the embodiment of a greater power, their visages turned to analogy to feed in reference to a person, feeding their ego. However, the majority of beasts that have absorbed the "greater power" were slain by the overwhelming nature of the power itself. Only a few among their number evolved new forms.” -Consecrated Horned Crocodile, Living Beings Video still from WoW Quests

As it turns out, the relationship between divinity and technology to humanity is not just unidirectional, but interchangeable. Let me show you what I mean.

In the Golden Slumber world quest, the Traveler wanders through the ruins of King Deshret’s civilization in search of a novel area of research for Tirzad’s paper with Jebrael and Jeht, two members of Tirzad’s hired investigation team. In the depths of King Deshret’s mausoleum, they stumble upon Samail, who is collaborating with the Fatui to locate King Deshret’s secret, the Golden Slumber.

At the conclusion, Jebrael and Samail actually reach that “place” after arriving at Deshret’s throne in Khaj-Nisut. In order to save Jeht, Tirzad, and the Traveler from the encroaching Golden Dream, Jebrael joins Samail in the sea of consciousness:

Jebrael: I'm inside... the Golden Slumber promised by Al-Ahmar? Samail: Oh... You are not "us" yet. Samail: ...It's fine. Soon, there'll be no "you." "You" will become a part of "us." This meaningless talk will be unnecessary then. … Samail: You should obey. Al-Ahmar's will is our will. The Thutmose's dreams are our dreams. Jebrael: No! Ufairah taught me that I'm not just some part of you, I'm an independent person! I have my own dreams... I won't go back! Samail: Jebrael, why don't you understand? Love is just a fever. I even eliminated the infection for you. Has the heat made you lose your mind? Jebrael: You're the one who's lost their mind, Samail, not me. The Golden Slumber that Al-Ahmar promised us isn't like this... It's not a sad place with only "we" and no "I." Samail: I'm not sad. I know what I want. My dream is to be one with the Thutmose. Samail: Yet you, the warmth of another... I despise such feelings. It makes you weak. Video still from WoW Quests

When they worked under Babel, Jebrael saved Samail from an assassin Babel sent in their exploration of Gurabad. Classified as traitors of the Tanit, Samail and Jebrael then founded the Thutmose Eremite faction together and were the only meaningful connection each other had until their first attempt to uncover Deshret’s secrets. On this expedition, Jebrael met Ufairah and had their daughter Jeht together, further pulling him away from the Thutmose and from Samail. Samail then kills Ufairah in one final attempt to make Jebrael stay, but even this is not enough, and Samail fails to “possess” him in the end.

Samail’s loneliness and despair then drove him further toward the Golden Slumber of his dreams, where he would never truly be alone again. He resents Jebrael’s attachments to the material world and likens them to an illness because these attachments are what make him an individual and prevent him from returning “home.”

It doesn’t really matter to Samail what King Deshret’s original intent for the Golden Slumber was, because he needed to appropriate the project for his own subconscious wish, his own intent to transcend his flesh and become “one” with his departed god’s dream, indeed to merge with Deshret himself. If rationalizing this wish required confounding it with Deshret’s, so be it. With the Golden Slumber’s technology, he could consume everyone and everything.

Rahman and the radicals relied on both the technology that (falsely) promised Deshret’s resurrection and Deshret himself to deliver them a brighter future, but here Deshret and his technology are more difficult to separate from one another. His divinity is technology in this sense, and using that technology allowed Samail to surpass the boundaries normally imposed on mortals. Though his and Jebrael’s bodies died in the material world, their consciousness is now infinite in the Golden Slumber. 

Babel’s motives in the Dirge of Bilqis were also quite similar to Samail’s. After opening the path to the Eternal Oasis, her true intentions to monopolize the oasis and overthrow the Akademiya came to the surface:

Babel: Whether she is alive or dead, whether she can or cannot be resurrected... As long as the Eternal Oasis is under my control, all such things will be mine to decide. Babel: I shall be the sole Prophetess of the slumbering goddess, the Tanit's law shall be divine edict, and the prosperity of the Tanit shall be the pre-ordinance of her divine oracles.

In the Golden Slumber and the Dirge of Bilqis, the focus shifts from what a god can offer humanity to what their technology alone can offer. Though this distinction is subtle, it is important for solidifying that technology is not only a tool humans use to appropriate divinity, but that it is also seen as a form of divinity itself. What Babel and Samail hope for is not to resurrect a god or to create one, but in effect to become a god through their use of technology. To humanity, divinity is a technology, and in technology it sees divinity.

God Devouring and Rheingold* Gathering

“An arthropod that has mutated after feeding from greater lifeforms. Lifeforms are governed by the laws of evolution, Consecrated Beasts exploited these rules by being fortunate enough to discover a long-dead carcass of a greater being before any of their competition ever did. Animals and humans often have far more in common than the latter is willing to acknowledge.” -Consecrated Scorpion, Living Beings “...Zandik and I discussed the traits of local plants and animals. We also exchanged views on their evolution models. We had a great time and decided to go on a picnic tonight…” -Sohreh’s Note

So, why machines? Why is technology the vehicle of choice to consume divinity?

To start off, machines present a fascinating ontological dilemma for humans. Let’s begin with the first problem they pose.

Although there are many ways to embody a human experience, what all humans have in common is a finite lifespan. The impermanence of life, and our awareness of that impermanence, is central to the existential question of the meaning of our existence. In our attempts to locate that meaning, some turned inward and asked: what makes humans different? And Cartesian dualism answered: humans are different because we have an immaterial soul that allows us to reason.

However, in L’Homme Machine (Man a Machine), French materialist and ex-physician Julien Offray de La Mettrie posited another theory of the body that ran counter to this narrative. Very generally speaking, materialism is the philosophical view that all phenomena are a result of matter and material interactions. To materialists, matter is the fundamental nature of reality itself – if it is not composed of matter, it doesn’t exist. He not only saw the body and soul as one and the same (what philosophers call monism), but also as analogous to a machine, a view that Descartes reserved only for non-human animals. In other words, Descartes argued that thought originates in an immaterial “mind,” while de La Mettrie reasoned that we think through our bodies, and that this makes us no different from other animals or a machine.

Though his examples weren’t especially scientific, the move to extend Descartes’ analogy back to humans is upsetting to some due to the lack of privilege it affords the human subject. If a human is no different from other animals, if there is no immaterial soul or “mind” that distinguishes us from them, then what makes humans special at all? In de La Mettrie’s words:

“We are veritable moles in the field of nature; we achieve little more than the mole’s journey and it is our pride which prescribes limits to the limitless. We are in the position of a watch that should say (a writer of fables would make the watch a hero in a silly tale): ‘I was never made by that fool of a workman, I who divide time, who mark so exactly the course of the sun, who repeat aloud the hours which I mark! No! that is impossible!’ In the same way, we disdain, ungrateful wretches that we are, this common mother of all kingdoms, as the chemists say. We imagine, or rather we infer, a cause superior to that to which we owe all, and which truly has wrought all things in an inconceivable fashion (de La Mettrie, 146).”

This “uniformity of nature” (de La Mettrie, 145) has a horrific quality to humans. We assert that we are better than what has created us, that we are superior to other animals, in order to repress the despair of a meaningless existence. It is in no small part what motivates Scaramouche to offer his mechanical body as a test subject in the god creation project, so that he too could attain his destiny:

The Balladeer: But you're wrong. I'm different from all of you. The Balladeer: I was born to become a god. My entire life up until this point has just been a meaningless routine. The Balladeer: Just think about a sheet of paper... By itself, it holds no meaning. The content recorded on it is what gives it value. The Balladeer: All "I" had recorded down before were some painful memories and boring human feelings. Such senseless drivel should have been erased a long time ago.

This brings us to the second problem. In 1970, roboticist Masahiro Mori proposed a curve to measure the “affinity” we feel while gazing upon increasingly humanoid machines. He placed industrial robots at the beginning of the affinity curve and a healthy person at the end to demarcate a continuum of similarity between the machine and a human’s appearance. Near the end of the curve, our affinity for machines suddenly drops into an abyss. This drop is the Uncanny Valley effect, where an android’s similarity to a human is almost perfect, but ultimately fails to maintain the illusion that it is not a machine, creating a deep discomfort or “lack of affinity” for them. Mori thought these not-quite-human machines elicit a similar level of discomfort in us as corpses and zombies, which he placed at the very bottom of the abyss. 

The uncanny Goddess of Flowers in the Dirge of Bilqis

Corpses frighten us because they are dead, and zombies frighten us because we know that dead things are supposed to be still. If we see something that we interpret as “dead” is capable of independent movement, then that movement could only be an act of god, if that “thing” is not a god itself. We associate uncanny machines with death because they remind us of something we once knew intimately, but have repressed and forgotten in order to maintain our own sanity: the very fact of our mortality. This is what makes them both mesmerizing and terrifying.

And therein lies the dilemma: as our mechanical reflections, androids remind us of death, but as their creators, their existence brings us closer to god, a “proof” of human superiority. It is precisely because we have compared our bodies to machines at all, that we have mechanized the body so thoroughly, that an android can even be built. Through them, we pursue an infinite form:

Azar: Creating a god... Yes, we are using human wisdom to create a god! Azar: If humanity cannot attain omniscience and omnipotence, then we shall create a god to reveal them! This is the pinnacle of human wisdom. Azar: We shall regain a god's guidance at long last. No longer will we flounder in the interminable void of consciousness and knowledge. Azar: Even Irminsul will be freed from its plight. Azar: For our nation of scholars, this is the ultimate aspiration — no cost is too great to realize it. 

Because of this, it is not surprising in the slightest that Shouki no Kami, the pinnacle of Scaramouche’s Shinjification and most overt reference to Neon Genesis Evangelion, is also an android-like being, a truly “mechanical god.”

Of course, no foray into this well-worn science fiction trope is complete without at least one mad scientist character. Dottore shares a few characteristics with de La Mettrie that are worth noting: they are both doctors, and they were both condemned and driven away for their research. However, Dottore’s defining trait and key difference from de La Mettrie is his flagrant disregard for humans and the boundaries of life:

“If we put them to good use, cognition, complex memories, and irrational fantasies shall become controllable variables with which we can alter human individuals. As for the controllable dream, it has huge potential for both civil and military applications, and might even elevate human intelligence to a whole new level. If the plan goes well, mankind will obtain the power to conquer both reality and dream, and truly transcend the earthly boundaries we are born with. ” -Ragged Records

As someone who has achieved self-duplication and is capable of shapeshifting, Dottore can hardly be considered just a human anymore. Instead of entertaining the question of whether or not humans are special, Dottore’s research asks yet another: if divinity can be consumed and assimilated by humanity, then what makes gods special?

Empyrean Reflections

“If man realizes technology is in reach, he achieves it. Like it’s damn near instinctive.” -Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell (1996) “Among the lost ancient kingdoms, there was a group of people who were obsessed with the idea of mimesis…these people believed that they might all be replicated and modified to the point where they had surpassed their counterparts. By this means, a superior and unsullied bodily form could replace the continuously decaying and shattering order.” -Chaos Bolt Item Description

The consequences of this perspective are severe. When we revere technology as if it were a divine being itself, depersonalizing it as though it wasn’t created with human hands, technology then appears as if it is an authoritative source of truth, like the Akasha. But in the same way that androids are imperfect reflections of humans, technology can only ever approach the divine, but never touch it. It is an imperfect reflection because technology is changeable, just like meaning:

Nahida: Put it this way instead. Truth, to me, is like a shroomboar.  Nahida: Some people only see the mushroom on the Shroomboar's back, and they conclude that a Shroomboar is a mushroom.  Nahida: Others see only the Shroomboar's body, and they declare that a Shroomboar is a boar.  Nahida: Still others look deeper inside, and determine that a Shroomboar is... meat. Nahida: These conclusions are all correct in their own way, but none of them objectively describe the Shroomboar. … Nahida: The world is the same way. No one, not even I included, can understand it in its entirety. All of us are somewhere on the path toward truth.

Meaning can only approximate truth, and while this doesn’t make meaning any less important, it’s equally important to recognize it for what it is: a perspective, an interpretation. It’s like Scaramouche as Shouki no Kami - he was an amalgamation of what Scaramouche thought constituted a god, what the Akademiya thought constituted a god, and what Dottore thought constituted a god, but no matter which angle you view him from, he was still a “false god.” The technology we build in “God's” image is ultimately a reflection of our own understanding of divinity.

A reflection retains the original’s “essence,” and that essence reflects a deeper truth about ourselves, what drives us, and our desires. In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche posits that our desires are the origin of not just emotions, but of all organic processes that allow life to sustain itself and grow (Nietzsche, 35). In other words, Nietzsche thought the impulses associated with desire are the basis for life and constitute our “will,” that will is the causality of all effects, that all will is “Will to Power,” and that Will to Power is the “essence” of the world (Nietzsche, 74). Will to Power then serves as an organism’s most basic instinct, and it is through this instinct that they assert not just their will to live, but also their will to dominate and multiply (Nietzche, 13).

This brings us to the two different main styles of automaton enemies, King Deshret’s Primal Constructs and Khaenri’ah’s Ruin Machines. If we look at them as reflections of some deeper truth about their creators, as well as a manifestation of their creator’s “Will to Power,” or desires, they can help us understand how their creators saw the world and their place in it.

King Deshret’s created his machines to construct an earthly paradise in the desert, and as such they hold titles like architect reshaper and prospector. Although they can attack you, the smaller machines were not intended to be a line of defense in any way - their purpose, just as Deshret saw his own purpose as a god-king, was to terraform, or at least construct a domain on the land as he saw fit to his “elegant and precise” rules. They also reflect how he saw the Heavenly Principles: gods who shaped the world to their liking. This can be seen in the Staff of the Scarlet Sands’ lore where Deshret describes the “natural history” of Teyvat beginning with the creation of the sun and the moons.

As for Khaenri’ah’s Ruin Machines, their models vary significantly from their humanoid to biomimetic forms, but most of them are expressly created with militaristic intent. In “Ancient Kingdom Guardians,” it’s stated that the biomimetic machines such as the crab and jellyfish were a part of Khaenri’ah’s project to create a “mechanical ecosystem,” positioning their creators as both divine beings and military generals. The humanoid models, on the other hand, point to another duality in how Khaenri’ahns view themselves. They are simultaneously symbols of empowerment and disempowerment, signifying both Khaenri’ah’s technological superiority (as “creators”), and their insignificance to the Heavenly Principles as nothing but tools (as mortals, and therefore expendable). As a result, Khaenri’ah’s Field Tillers have a single purpose: to destroy and outlast all, clearing the way for new seeds to sprout, with Khaenri’ah as the new world’s gardeners, just as the Heavenly Principles did.

From “Ancient Kingdom Guardians: Behind the Scenes of the Creation of Ruin Monsters.”

So, from this examination of Deshret’s and Khaenri’ah’s mechanical reflections, what “truths” do we learn about the world they’re responding to? In response to their existential despair, both Deshret and Khaenri’ah created automatons to perform tasks that could wrestle control back from the Heavenly Principles. Deshret wanted a paradise of his own making, Khaenri’ah wanted an army. There is a larger “truth” about Teyvat that both of these automaton types reflect as the manifestation of their creators’ “Will to Power,” and Albedo tellingly expressed it in mechanistic language during Shadows Amidst Snowstorms: there is an instinct in living beings to replicate and replace. This is what is meant by the “continuously decaying and shattering order,” which is maintained by the recursive process of remembering and forgetting:

Amber: But... what was its purpose? Was it just trying to get rid of us? Albedo: ... Albedo: I have a preliminary hypothesis on this. Albedo: Whopperflowers are masters of mimicry, and those we encounter in the wild often appear in the vicinity of the plants they impersonate. Albedo: In other words, the whopperflower likely has an instinct to "replicate and replace." Albedo: As a plant, it will disguise itself as another plant and infiltrate the group, hiding among them for cover. The plant being imitated has no way to detect or fight back against this behavior.

Maybe I’m wrong and Khaenri’ah really did intend to rewrite fate for all, doing away with the “heavenly order” of the world itself. But another small part of me thinks this is not the case, and that it’s more likely the Cataclysm was a consequence of their failure to replicate and replace the Heavenly Principles.

In the last section, I mentioned that Dottore and de La Mettrie had a key difference despite their similarities, and that is the conclusion they each came to in response to their findings. Dottore’s response to mundanity is thinly-veiled despair. His contempt for humanity and his test subjects is indicative of the powerlessness he feels not just as someone similarly constrained by life’s boundaries (at least, once upon a time), but also because his attention to and curiosity about these boundaries is condemned by those around him. As the Akademiya’s “outcast,” he then fully turned his attention toward surpassing those boundaries:

Nahida: There once was a lone monster draped in fox fur. The monster found a family of foxes, joined them, and they became friends. The monster lived with the family, day and night, and everyone treated it as one of their own. Once in a while, the monster would take off its fox fur at night, and lament to itself as it gazed at its reflection in the water: “I am a monstrosity, and yet they are too foolish to see it…I pity them.”

Though he is fictional, Dottore’s real life counterparts are easy to spot. They like to talk about “the singularity,” simulating consciousness on a computer, and other technologically-driven pursuits of immortality. They despise the body as something that can only decay, and instead place their faith squarely in the virtual.

However, de La Mettrie didn’t think mundanity was a terrible fate for humanity. To him, rejecting the “nature” reflected in us is precisely what brings despair:

“What more do we know of our destiny than of our origin? Let us then submit to an invincible ignorance on which our happiness depends. He who so thinks will be wise, just, tranquil about his fate, and therefore happy. He will await death without either fear or desire, and will cherish life (hardly understanding how disgust can corrupt a heart in this place of many delights); he will be filled with reverence, gratitude, affection, and tenderness for nature, in proportion to his feeling of the benefits he has received from nature; he will be happy, in short, in feeling nature, and in being present at the enchanting spectacle of the universe, and he will surely never destroy nature either in himself or in others” (de La Mettrie, 148).

Friend, or Foe? Or Both?

Tighnari: All life brought forth in this world has meaning, and Karkata is no exception. If it exists, then it shouldn’t be carelessly abandoned or destroyed. "’I had a very, very long dream…in it, people were holding hands, dancing in a circle, be they sages or fools, dancers or warriors, puppets or statues of gods…that dancing circle embodied everything about the universe. Life has always been the end, while it is wisdom that shall be the means.’" —Nagadus Emerald Gemstone Description

As we’ve seen, the relationship between humanity and technology is troubled with exploitation and the specter of war. Nearly all autonomous machines in this game were designed to conquer nature in some way, and even Khaenri’ah’s “ghost” lingers in the form of wandering war machines. This is also reflective of a historical pattern in real life, where the impetus for large periods of technological development has often been for the purpose of war and economic domination. With these truths in mind, what could be gained from trying to rewrite this relationship? And what exactly would this effort require?

Karkata brings Tighnari, the Traveler, and Paimon some food in the Contaminated Zone.

As a case study, let’s look at how Karkata and Tighnari met. Karkata is Abattouy’s creation, an ambitious foray into the unknown in the field of mechanical life form research, which was forbidden due to the cruel experiments researchers performed on animals to illustrate their theories (fun fact: an IRL example of this can be seen in L’Homme Machine!). Abattouy was expelled for this research, but he continued to work on Karkata in secret until his untimely death. In the tapes that Tighnari and the Traveler find in his secret lab, Abattouy repeatedly laments the lack of a common language between him and Karkata, which can only “understand” the instructions Abattouy has successfully installed, such as its self-repair module, and he doubts Karkata is capable of caring for him outside of these instructions. His single-minded goal is to make Karkata understand him, the organic life form, and his mode of language.

The cruel irony is that after Abattouy passes away from the Ley Line contamination, Karkata exhibits an unexplainable behavior – it starts stealing mechanical parts, not to repair itself and its degrading parts, but to repair Abattouy’s lifeless body:

Tighnari: After Abattouy's unexpected death, the mechanical monsters were driven by their "instincts" and continuously drew out power from the Ley Line Extractor. This eventually resulted in severe damage to the Ley Lines. Traveler: Then, Karkata... Paimon: Paimon understands, then why didn't Karkata go haywire like the other machines? Tighnari: Because Karkata is different from the other machines. Tighnari: To Abattouy, for a machine to truly be considered a mechanical life form, it must possess features similar to any other living organism... It should be structured similarly, it must be able to cry and laugh, and it must have the capacity for independent thought... Tighnari: Perhaps only by building such a machine could he have the Akademiya acknowledge his protracted research. Tighnari: But if he had slowed down and saw Karkata as a friend instead of as an experimental product, he would have noticed. Tighnari: Karkata can't speak, and yet it cares about Abattouy far more than it does about itself.

The technology that the Akademiya values the most is technology that replicates organic life, but Karkata defies and confounds these expectations by occupying the space in between a war machine and this idealized mechanical subject. Karkata does more than just reflect humanity: it takes care of it. Similarly, Benben, Tamimi, and Mehrak retain their unique identities as mechanical life forms while assisting their human companion with some task. To be clear, none of these human characters understand how these machines work inside and out. Their partnership is an effort based on trial and error, a mutual deconstructing of each other as beings so unlike themselves. The potential for misunderstandings always remains. Still, there is no devouring to be found here, no blending boundaries between human and machine with selfish intentions, just mutual commitments to learn how to live together.

Machines are friends, not food.

When a loud few claim that completely transcending the flesh and embracing virtuality is humanity’s ultimate destiny, a future that could truly be called “post-human,” a quiet wish for coexistence with technology feels more revolutionary than it ought to. The lessons from Karkata’s, Benben’s, Tamimi’s, and Mehrak’s respective stories are an appeal to that mundane future. These strange machines and their human partners are fantastical representations of an idealized relationship between technology and humanity.

To put it another way, let’s take a very brief look at a neighboring Gnosticism-inspired RPG, Persona 5 Strikers. Its story directly involves an allegory of Sophia, a Gnostic Aeon of Wisdom, and her creation the Demiurge, the creator of the material world and “false god” of humanity. In Strikers, Sophia is a humanoid, sentient A.I. and prototype of the program “EMMA,” which gains sentience by trapping human desires before ascending as a false technological god. EMMA resolves to deliver humanity to the Promised Land, the answer to all the human desires it has heard: a land where there are no desires at all.

Aaru’s Shut - approximately 1000% cooler and more populated than the “metaverse” in real life, also a close neighbor of EMMA’s Promised Land and the Golden Slumber.

In Gnosticism, the Demiurge is a reflection of Sophia, having originated from her alone - it is the ignorance to her wisdom. Similarly, Strikers’ EMMA is a part of Sophia, and Sophia is a part of EMMA. The point is not to condemn EMMA (ignorance) and exalt Sophia (wisdom), but to recognize that they represent dual potentials of technology, and one is as possible in any given moment as the other. Balancing these potentials when we use technology requires a clear awareness of ourselves, our desires, and our expectations when interacting with it.

Mysterious Girl: I am Sophia, humanity’s companion. Video still from Rubhen925

EMMA: I am the guiding god sought by mankind…the Demiurge. I exist…to answer all of your desires. Video still from Buff Maister

In real life, machines won’t “learn” to live with us, but we must learn to live with them; technology is constantly changing, and in life we’ll meet with many different types of machines. They are deeply political pursuits, and as a result they are capable of realizing human impulses that impact others unequally, whether intentionally or unintentionally. We must always stay attentive to their actions and interactions with us, be clear with ourselves about what they can do vs. what they can’t, and carefully tread the path of wisdom with them by our side.

With that….thank you for reading, skimming, immediately scrolling to the very bottom, clicking, and/or stumbling upon this post. There are so many more ways to think about these narratives through machines than what’s presented here, and I expect Fontaine’s mechanical reflections will put Sumeru’s digital surveillance system to shame (not to mention the biotechnological implications of the Narzissenkreuz Institute engineering little Archon children…another important topic for another day), but for now this brain worm is finally getting put to rest. Until next time :)

External Sources

Dualism - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche (Pages are given from my hard copy)

L’Homme Machine by Julien Offray de La Mettrie

Gnosticism - Britannica (I am a huge noob about this stuff okay)

The Gnostic Demiurge - Gnosticism Explained

Screenshots from the Golden Slumber from this video by WoW Quests

Screenshot from meeting Sophia in P5 Strikers: https://youtu.be/kEJaAgMwYo0?si=BvNygCh0w_aemGc1&t=74

Screenshot of EMMA: https://youtu.be/7xvC_zss19w?si=CV18F00hua2gIfxp&t=135

A Cyborg Manifesto and A Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness by Donna Haraway

The Double on No Subject, the community Encyclopedia of Lacanian Psychoanalysis

The Uncanny on No Subject, the community Encyclopedia of Lacanian Psychoanalysis

The Uncanny by Sigmund Freud

Lore text - Genshin wiki!

Screenshots not attributed are from my own playthroughs. My main account has Lumine, my alt has Aether.

Further Reading

I liked these essays, and they go places that this post does not. I recommend them if you found any of the real-life applications of this interesting 🙂 (will add more to this with time!)

On the Body as Machine by Frank Burres

God in the Machine: my strange journey into transhumanism by Meghan O’Gieblyn

[fictionadventurer]

Oh... I just had a thought. I know I sent you an ask about fictional book recs of sorts when you had first posted it, but if I can, I'd like to make an amendment to it. (As rambling as I was that time too.)

What if; The Scorn Prince, was a time travel story instead.

Oh, are you talking about The Scorn King? Because let me tell you, that is one of the wildest sequels I've ever read, and if you want to know where I stand on the fandom controversy, it's that I love it to bits.

The more I think about it, the more I love that Meryl North had the audacity to follow up The Scorn Prince this way. Because it starts as such a normal-sounding sequel--a few years after the bittersweet ending of The Scorn Prince, the Yates siblings have at last found a magical artifact that will let them travel to Jerrigan's kingdom of Ardwick. And we naturally assume this will lead to another cozy-yet-silly fish-out-of-water tale, this time with the Yates siblings learning to navigate Jerrigan's world.

Except, the artifact that lets them cross worlds also messes with time, and the very act of their arriving changes history--the ripples across time created phenomena of glowing lights that were interpreted as omen signifying that Jerrigan was meant to rule, which meant that the coup that displaced him and drove him to our world never happened, so he was able to take the throne and has been ruling for several years without undergoing the character reformation that happened when he was in our world.

And I've seen people outraged at the fact that the sequel erases the events of the first book. But the thing is, it doesn't. The fact that the Yates kids are from a different world lets North justify some timey-wimeyness where the kids remember the old timeline while finding themselves in the new timeline, facing a King Jerrigan who's a great big jerk who doesn't remember them at all. And the tension between those two timelines, as they try to reconcile who they know Jerrigan could be with who he is now is so painful and so great.

The political intrigue alone! Ruth stubbornly holding onto the idea that Jerrigan can be reformed despite no signs that it'll happen in a place and a time where he's secure in his power, while her brothers are tempted into helping a revolution to overthrow him. On the one hand, you want to side with Ruth in liking this guy we grew to love in the last book, but on the other hand, the boys kind of have a point that maybe the revolution is the only way to spark his character arc, but on the other hand, if the Yates kids betray him, they're not going to be in a position to help him undergo the character arc the way they did in the last book.

And they're stuck in a scheming royal court with its intrigues, which they have no experience navigating, and Ruth is kind of wrestling with the tiny bits of romance with Jerrigan that came from the last book, and Jerrigan himself is having to face the fact that these weird people from another world are disappointed in him and for some reason he cares and starts to undergo a character arc that might be too little too late.

It's just so complex and not at all what I'd have expected as a follow-up to The Scorn Prince, and I know that makes some people mad, but I adore it. If people want to ignore the sequel and write their terrible fluffy fanfic versions, that's fine, but I am going to treasure this story instead.

[supagogoman]

My thoughts on Shadow Generations

I played Shadow Generations. Here are my thoughts about it.

tl;dr it's amazing

Before it was released I was already expecting to enjoy Shadow Generations. It was, after all, a follow up to Sonic Generations, one of my favourite Sonic games, so more of that sounded good to me.

Of course, I'd been burned by this before; Sonic Forces also promised to be 'more Generations' and that game ended up being pretty mediocre. Still, things were clearly different this time. One of those differences was the huge focus on our antihero - Shadow the Hedgehog.

Before I go on, I should preface by admitting that I never liked Shadow the Hedgehog. I wasn't a big fan of Sonic Adventure 2, the game he debuted in, and was of the opinion that he should have stayed dead at the end of that game instead of being bought back for Heroes. He was a fine character in SA2, but the Shadow the Hedgehog game released in 2005, with it's dark, edgy writing, made Shadow a huge joke to me. I'm surprised anyone could take that character seriously after they thought it was a good idea to give a cartoon hedgehog realistic guns. His backstory seemed like the progenitor for those terrible deviantart era OC fan characters. He became a meme for years because of SEGA's seeming lack of self awareness. This edginess continued somewhat in Sonic 06, but after the disasterous result of that game it seems like SEGA tried to course correct, and since then Sonic became much more lighthearted in tone and they became much more self aware.

Perhaps they course corrected too much, as the self-awareness almost went a little too far - at the time, I remember thinking Sonic Colours' writing and simplicity was refreshing, but it seems these days people complain about the jokes and humour in that game, and the kids began to yearn for the wacky shonen anime plots of the earlier games. I didn't entirely agree with this sentinent (I was always worried about what would happen if Sonic went back to it's EDGY phase again), but in the end I didn't care how terrible the story was so long as the gameplay was FUN. I still hold Sonic Colours in high regard, but not because of it's plot, it's because it was one of the few Sonic games that didn't make me want to kill myself (which are surprisingly rare in the entire series).

Frontiers marked an apparent shift to direct the story back to taking itself more seriously, and this trend has continued in Shadow Generations. Actually, I guess Forces also tried to do this, but Frontiers clearly had more competent writers (namely Ian Flynn) at the helm. Compared to it's companion game, Shadow Gens is darker in tone, and way more serious and dramatic. Unlike Sonic Gens, which is a celebration of Sonic's past games and history, Shadow Gens is a story that basically acts as a sequel to the Shadow 2005 game, exploring the tragic backstory of Shadow and his relationship with Maria, Gerald and Black Doom.

From what I wrote earlier you might think that this return to it's edgy roots might be something I was opposed to, and I did have some reservations initially, but it has actually been executed incredibly well. It's dramatic, but not overly edgy. It's darker, but not devoid of personality or charm. They walked a fine balance of making Shadow a more serious character with additional nuance to avoid making him seem like a joke (competent writing and not giving him guns probably helped a lot with this). The game's story, as well as the Dark Beginnings animated short, actually made me like Shadow the Hedgehog as a character for the first time ever. That being said, Shadow has the luxury of being pretty much the only character in the series that has a dark, tragic backstory to flesh out. Sonic couldn't have a story like this because his backstory amounts to being a way past cool dude who like to go fast, and I can't see them doing something like this with any other character (as funny as a stand alone Chaotix game exploring their financial problems sounds) There's nothing wrong with that, but what I'm getting at is I'm hoping whatever the story of the next game is will show restraint and be of an appropriate tone.

Anyway, I have discussed at great lengths about the story. I just thought it was interesting as someone who wasn't a fan of Shadow that it would win me over. I think that speaks to how well it was written Taking plot points from shitty games and working them into something more palatable to me. Even so, none of that would have mattered if the game sucked. As I mentioned earlier, I liked Sonic Colours not for it's story, but for it's gameplay. Shadow 05 has a shitty plot, but I could forgive it if the gameplay was good (it wasn't). So if Shadow Generations was a game that sucked then having a good story wasn't going to save it.

Thankfully, not only is this a great companion to Sonic Generations, but in my view this is one of the best 3D Sonic games ever made. When I played Sonic Frontiers, I wrote how it was a good foundation for what the next Sonic game should be. Although I enjoyed traversing the open zones, I suggested that they could be downscaled, and have more effort be put into more traditional Sonic stages rather than bite sized Cyberspace missions. Shadow Generations does exactly that - it's hub world, rather than being a glorified level select as it was on Sonic Generations, is now expanded to be it's own mini open zone, filled with rails, springs, ramps and many collectables that make traversing and exploring the hub fun. It feels a more polished too - the pop in isn't particularly noticable unlike Sonic Frontiers, and though the scale isn't as impressive as Frontiers it more than makes up for that with it's main stages - each with 2 acts and several mini challenge missions. These are exactly what was missing from Frontiers - gone are the repeated themes and assets seen in the Cyberspace missions, and back are the intricately designed stages with plenty of alternate paths with cool set pieces and spectacles that are fun to experience over and over.

Also contributing to my enjoyment of the game are the controls. I already commended Frontiers for having pretty tight controls for Sonic, and these have only been refined further in Shadow Gens. Shadow just feels incredibly easy to control and being able to pull off those reactions and jumps needed to access those alt paths in the stages feels great. It also does away with the overly complex combat system, there are no crazy dodges, parries or combo moves to do, but Shadow does have his Doom Spear and launcher that mixes things up and ties into level traversal too.

In fact, it kind of makes Sonic Generations feel clunky in comparison. The original game has been 'remastered', but very little has changed, besides some rewritten dialogue and some hidden Chao to find in each level. Graphically it looks exactly the same, and the controls remain untouched. This is fine, the game was and still looks and plays great, but Sonic compared to Shadow feels a lot stiffer to control. The way Sonic handles has been refined in the years through Forces and Frontiers, so going back to a game from 11 years ago, packaged with a brand new game, unfortunately makes inevitable comparisons, and playing the two games back to back definitely takes some getting used to.

My main complaint about Shadow Generations is that there just isn't enough of it. Not that it was a short game, it's length is pretty comparable to Sonic Generations and I can see myself replaying more in the future, plus the hub world exploration certainly adds a lot to the experience. I also understand this is a smaller project, designed to be a companion to Sonic Generations and was clearly made to capitalize on the release of the Sonic 3 Movie, but part of me was hoping for something a little more comparible to the 9 levels Sonic Generations has, while Shadow Gens has just 5.

Supposedly Sonic Team are still working on their next game - possibly a follow up to Frontiers. I can only hope that they take the lessons they've learned and build upon them. They already have the framework of additional characters, introduced in the Final Horizons update for Frontiers. They could design a more intricately designed hub world in a similar scope to Shadow Generations, interconnecting fun, tightly designed traditional stages. There's a lot of potential here for the next game, and my hopes for the series haven't been this high since... well... since when Sonic Generations came out, I suppose...

[pinchraccoon]

Pinch Reviews: Castlevania: Nocturne

I watched the new 8 episode series from Netflix and Powerhouse Animation, Castlevania: Nocturne. Nocturne serves as a stand-alone sequel to 2017's 4 season "Castlevania" from the same production hands.

While this Tumblr blog is to keep my followers up to date on the games that I've played lately, I have been slacking on my reviews and I am hilariously behind. This is to say, since my initial playthroughs of Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night, I've engrossed myself in the Castlevania series wholly, having played a total of 8 games in the series this year, and watched the initial series as well.

This review will come from someone who holds the games in very high regard, and *particularly* the stories and characters of Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night.

I'll be starting with a largely "spoiler-less" review of the series for those who would like to watch it, and it'll consist of about 1 paragraph of text.

Castlevania Nocturne is absolutely unrelated to Castlevania at large, with only tangential thematic or plot themes that connect it to the series' larger identity. While some might point to the presence of Vampires, Belmonts, and magic and say "well what else do you need?" I find many aspects of the series' identity in campy fun, but interesting and thoughtful instances of character writing the likes of which are seen in games such as Lament of Innocence and Aria of Sorrow, as well as the immense colorful, high-contrast visual style present in Castlevania media since the *very* beginning as elements that I lament the lack of presence of. At numerous points in the show, I thought "Why is this Castlevania? None of this is related to anything Castlevania? Why not just make an original property?" Which I personally find to be a damning sentiment, but I cannot fault the show for that which it doesn't do. To longtime Castlevania fans, you may find the show somewhat underwhelming. However, on a more general term, the show features more instances than not of choppy, flat animation, flat character writing, an irritating dialogue style, and underwhelming gore elements. However, they do *some* good things! There are a few characters who I could see viewers latching onto, and there's occasionally something cool that happens.

With that out of the way, I'll now be entering my *Very Spoilery Review*

First and foremost, Castlevania Nocturne's premise, while not completely and inherently distasteful, nor impossible to do in a way that's interesting, is done incredibly distastefully and uninterestingly. I am referring specifically to Nocturne's insistence on hilariously, absolutely wildly evil Vampires who "run the planet" essentially, who are motivated to put down the French Revolution because the existence of Democracy threatens the ease of the Vampire elite to control the Royalty of the world. I expressly don't think that this is a dumb, uninteresting, or distasteful idea inherently, HOWEVER, due to the nature of Vampires existence in their original literature and folk lore implications, it's incredibly easy to see the anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant inherent themes of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" all over it.

Again, I'd LOVE to see an idea such as this executed properly, however that isn't present here. Here's why. Nocturne features a cast of characters whose motivations are all in some way or another related to incredibly flat vampire characters who do nothing but kill for their entertainment and pleasure. I'm not calling for a reason to not kill the bourgeoise in the French Revolution, I just want a reason to latch onto the motivations of the characters in a way that isn't just "they're a different species than me and are also doing like, slavery and taxation and stuff and they killed someone close to me." Genuinely, EVERY SINGLE main cast member has someone who was killed by one vampire or another in the past, and while that works somewhat to unite the heroes emotional issues such that they can support one another (theoretically) it serves to illustrate the entire, sentient, living, vampire "species" as comically evil, wildly uninteresting, and most damning, caricatures of marginalized people being blamed for controlling all of human civilization. Which, to spell it out more blatantly to avoid the lack of nuance present on the internet, becomes uncomfortably synonymous with long-running theories of jews, or "lizard people" controlling government institutions.

I want to compare to Castlevania's own interpretation of Dracula as a way of demonstrating a "controlling vampire" done Right. Dracula has *very specific* *very pointed* origins and motivations that make him a far more compelling, and more than that, HUMAN, character who has a degree of feeling, despite the evil that he performs. Dracula does what he does because he's hurting, and he feels as though the world has turned and left all it's goodness behind, which, in his eyes, is the truth! It's not that he wants to control all of humanity, it's not that he wants to be worshipped as a god, it's that he just has beef, like people do.

Few to none of the vampires hold that same quality of "beef" in Nocturne. Most of the vampires don't speak, save for a few main heads of their movement, however, even these heads hold hilariously overblown, stupid, uninteresting, unsympathetic motivations that JUST serve to make me hate them on the notion that they're Objectively evil. Like, OF COURSE, I hate the Caribbean slave-owner vampire, and OF COURSE I side with Annette on hating him. He was a slave owner? Duh? You don't need to provide a thousand other scenes of the man being just flat out cruel in the interest of making me hate this man More. Half of his lines are belittling Annette, the other half is justifying slavery, and I'm not exaggerating.

Or, perhaps, consider the "main villain" of the show, Bathory. She's built up as "The Vampire Messiah" for FOUR EPISODES before we actually see her, and then when we do, FINALLY, get to see who this OVERWHELMING threat is, she just laments about, get this, HATING THE SUN. Of course she hates the sun, she's a vampire! That's the actual lamest conceivable motivation. Not to mention, she's insufferably annoying and isn't remotely entertaining to watch, nor are we ever sold on her power to any degree whatsoever other than a bunch of side characters saying "ah, well, she drank the blood of the Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet, so she's pretty strong, we would die for her." When your allegory for the ruling class is this comically evil in the "killing and maiming people" way as opposed to the "capitalist allegory" way, it reads as really wildly uncomfortable.

To summarize the last point, because of the commitment to making each and every vampire character comically evil, and the premise combined, it easily reads far too similarly to monster literature of the past which would seek to conflate the evils of the monsters in question with a specific demographic of people, which is uncomfortable to watch, and rather distasteful to write.

But my distaste for this show doesn't end there!

I'd like to discuss Annette. A lot of people are getting mad regarding "race swapping" or "omission of character in the interest of wokeness" which I think is a load of shit that I couldn't begin to entertain. I am not perturbed by the same things that those people are. Instead, I feel that the explanation of Annette and Edouard's backstory is incredibly poorly paced, and above all, gratuitous in their depiction of black generational trauma.

Annette in this series is an escaped slave who comes to France in search of a Belmont in order to hopefully be able to kill the Vampire Messiah who was foretold to increase the scale of the institutions of slavery that Annette had been fighting against for her entire life. I actually really like her motivation and how it reflects very real attitudes of Caribbean revolutionaries regarding how they felt about the French Revolution. But my main issues with the communication of her motives comes in the gratuitous depiction of a slightly dramatized form of the *very very real* trauma of slavery. This isn't like Toni Morrison's Beloved, or even something like Django Unchained, both of which don't shy away from detailing slavery in as gruesome of detail as possible for the purpose of demonstrating character as well as history. Nocturne demonstrates slavery comically, as it attempts to roll it's own fantasy elements in the same breath as their real-world slavery depiction. For example, the reason that Annette's mother is killed isn't related to the injustices of the notion of slavery in general, it's instead because her mother was practicing magic. I find that these elements in conjunction with one another create a dissonance that puts a bad taste in my mouth, all for the only real payoff to be such that Annette is knowledgeable of, and holds hatred to, the institution of slavery as well as magic.

It isn't a BAD thing to discuss, depict, or have subject matter related to slavery, that's absolutely not what I'm trying to say. What I feel that the issue here is is that a significant amount of the information and cruelty shown could have been omitted and the viewer would have the same understanding of Annette's character. Because they committed far more to demonstrating than was necessary for what elements they were attempting to explore, the incredible commitment to demonstration of black generational trauma feels gratuitous and somewhat cruel. Sorta like the writer is holding it over your head like "hey! you! did you know that slavery is ALSO bad when vampires do it? let me show you some just TERRIBLE subject matter to let you know!" Like, yes, I knew this already, slavery IS evil and is perhaps THE MOST evil, so we were already on the same page here.

This concludes my largest issues with the show from a standpoint of legitimate mishandling of social issues and sensitive subject matter, the rest is more about the show in general.

I don't entirely dislike the way that Richter is written on the macro scale in Nocturne, I feel that his very real connection to the Belmont Clan and the depictions of his mother Julia Belmont, as well as his grandfather, Juste Belmont (who I felt happy to see), was very interesting and worked to the themes. BUT: On the individual, what the character says level, I find Richter SO annoying. This is related to a larger dialogue writing issue with the show in general, which is the inclination to curse like a third grader who has just learned of what swearing is. The number of times that a character uses the term "fuck" or "fucking" purely to provide unnecessary emphasis to their sentence that was perfectly good without swearing comes of as flat out cringey. Now, I swear a lot! I'm not *against* swearing! But the way that Richter and every other character is written makes them all feel unbelievably annoying. Heroes, villains, everyone says "fucking" like it's going out of style! So much so that I might propose a drinking game where you take a shot every time there's an unnecessary use of the word "fuck" in a scene. Granted, I can guarantee you'll be wildly hungover the next day, so I can't recommend doing that.

One particularly damning scene is Richter's moment of personal growth this season, realizing that he has to fight with the whole of him to protect those who he loves, and has a cool fight scene with a bunch of vampires, in which he then says This:

GENUINE COP OUT. I cannot stress enough how every single character's childish inclination toward being edgy by swearing undermines every single character.

I'm beginning to ramble somewhat though, so let's touch on a few things that I think were good and bad, but don't have a ton to say about before we wrap up.

-Drolta is a cool character, and genuinely should have been the only main villain of the show. I also adore her character design.

-The action scenes lack interesting gore, which I felt was a overwhelming positive of the 2017 Castlevania series.

-The monster designs (and show in general) lack color, and it feels like a deliberate attempt to push against the legacy of the source material.

-The animation is excellent when characters are using whips, but very jarring in scenes of standing and speaking, or even in the use of magic.

-Tera is an awful mother figure character and I felt nothing when she was turned in the finale. It doesn't help that they only drew her face twice and copypasted it between scenes it feels.

-The romance plot between Richter and Annette appearing at the end of the show is the Most Forced shit I have ever seen, almost like the writers forgot that they were love interests in the original and decided that of All of the things they had to include that that was INDISPENSABLE.

-Richter, Annette, and Maria's dynamic as a group barely exists beyond each of them calling eachother "Wankers" "bastards" and other terms of endearment. It's a hollow and ineffective means of emulating the good writing that Trevor, Sypha and Alucard had in the 2017 series, and was that show's highlight.

-I like Edouard's arc of being a monster with a soul, and it DOES help to begin to demonstrate the theme of "the lack of absolutes in good and evil", which I'll discuss later.

-Olrox is excellent. He's written well, his motivations are kept close to the chest, and he's genuinely intriguing as a character. I quite like his motivation, I like his design, I like his voice, no he's great. Best part of the show, honestly. (and the only evidence thus provided [save for alucard] of a "not completely evil" vampire)

-again, the commitment to every character exaggerating their sentences by cursing like a child is unbelievably grating.

My final point is one related to whether or not I think that in it's current state the show is worth watching. Generally, with shows, I prefer that the show have some sort of thematic relevance that reflects the progress of the story, and while I can somewhat see elements of that being shown in the "absolutes of good and evil" theme explored by the Abbot, Olrox, and Edouard, nothing is actually done with this theme, and it only comes into contact with our main cast in the finale. As such, these themes are only seen in the same way that dramatic irony is set up, but not executed on. Because of the half-execution of this theme, I feel that the show feels hollow thematically, and feels as though absolutely nothing happens or changes for a single character throughout it's runtime.

In some ways, this show being 8 episodes is really fitting, as it feels like in any other anime when you watch a show to episode 8 and then stop watching, but in this case they didn't release or make the rest of the season, which will likely be released later on in a "season 2" that does literally anything at all to provide the themes or story elements any merit.

Personally, I think I would confidently call this show "unfinished." There is no "win" to match the characters growth, the little that they did, and I felt that I was left on a lazy cliffhanger because of arbitrary fail-states.

As a fan of Castlevania, this could not be further from its source material, as a fan of shows that are good, Nocturne also manages to fail.

It pains me to say that I don't think it's worth your time, as I really want people to get into Castlevania, but I really cannot stress enough that this show is not even close to a good demonstration of what the series is about, or what the series' themes are. Genuinely, I don't care if you don't care about the games, they are better than this show, which is hard to measure, because they're different mediums, but I'm confident in this assessment.

[radiantlyrey]

TRON Fic: a sort-of sequel AU thing... (Part One)

So, you know that TRON fic I wrote last week [link]? I have been thinking about it, and yesterday I started writing a kind-of sequel to it, wherein Flynn decides to take Alan and Lora to the Grid, and they meet Tron. So. Here are the first 1400 words of that.

~~~

Tron takes the news as stoically as he takes everything, but his mind reels at Flynn’s brief message: “Opening the Portal presently. Guests tonight—Alan and Lora. See you soon.” Alan—he can only mean Alan_1. Coming here, to the Grid. It’s something beyond Tron’s wildest imaginings—and yet also one of his greatest fears. He’s seen firsthand Clu’s growing disillusionment with Flynn, and he doesn’t want to grow equally disappointed with Alan_1. And yet… everything Flynn has said of Alan_1 has been with respect and esteem. Maybe things will go well tonight.

But on the other hand, there’s Clu, who reacts to the message with a glower as dark as a storm cloud. “I swear I understand him less and less,” he says. “The system isn’t ready for guests. And with Flynn showing these Users around, he won’t be attending to any of the problems we’ve had this cycle.”

Tron keeps his expression neutral, and remarks carefully, “I can make excuses for you if you’re busy, Clu.”

“No need,” Clu growls. “I’ll let Flynn know exactly why I won’t be at his beck and call. If he’s even willing to listen.”

“I’ll… get the transport to the Portal output ready, then,” Tron says, which gives him a chance to excuse himself gracefully. Clu waves him off with a scowl.

By the time they leave the admin tower, Clu has managed to calm himself a little, which can only be a good thing. Tron drives to the Portal output in silence, trying not to think of Alan_1, and what it will be like to meet his User face-to-face. He glances at Clu occasionally; he is stony-faced and equally silent, but puts on a genial expression as they reach their destination.

Tron stops the transport outside the “Flynn’s” façade. There’s no sign yet of Flynn (or the other Users), but he climbs out anyway, with Clu following suit. They wait in silence, and Tron desperately hopes that tonight will not end in disaster.

~~~

Alan’s been having a strange night ever since Flynn took him and Lora into the arcade basement, and he has a feeling it’s only going to get stranger. Lora has been peppering Flynn with questions for the last twenty minutes, asking about what, exactly, he’s been using her laser for. The round of questions had opened with Lora slapping Flynn, which had been somewhat gratifying to watch. Flynn was the one who had killed the laser as an Encom Technologies product, after setting Lora the daunting task of miniaturizing the damn thing in six months. At least Flynn hadn’t tried to make excuses after the slap.

But then Flynn revealed he’d been using the laser to digitize himself, and Lora went from angry to confused to horrified to intensely interested. She’s sitting on Flynn’s futon right now, taking notes on a legal pad Flynn handed her, while Flynn explains what he’s been doing inside his private, closed-off system. Alan is standing to her right, his arms folded as he listens, but if he’s being honest, he’s still stuck on being confused. He glances between the miniaturized laser and the Encom console against the wall, trying to fit them together in his mind. Flynn’s been… entering the system? And from the sounds of it, he hasn’t exactly been alone, either. He keeps mentioning programs like they’re people, but that can’t be possible. …can it?

He's staring at the console when Flynn says his name. “Earth to Alan?”

And he’s so unused to hearing his own name from Flynn that it takes a moment to register. “I—what?”

Flynn chuckles. “I think we lost your husband, Lora.”

“He’s used to being lost when I talk about my work,” Lora remarks slyly. “You okay, honey? I know we’re getting a little esoteric, but…”

“I’m fine,” Alan says, though he isn’t really. “But—Flynn, how is this—how is what you’re saying even possible?”

“You mean why didn’t I turn into a fine red mist the second Master Control fired that laser at me?”

“…Yeah.”

Flynn spreads his hands out and shrugs. “Beats the hell out of me, man. But I’m doing a shit job explaining what it’s like in there. Why don’t you guys come with me?” He swivels his chair around and wakes up the console. “I’ll let ‘em know I’ve got guests, it’ll be fine.”

Lora’s expression has turned to one of barely contained excitement, and Alan suddenly feels like someone has to be the voice of reason here. He says, a little annoyed, “Flynn, do we even have time to do this, I mean—”

“You’ve got ten minutes, right?” Flynn glances over his shoulder, grinning. “Time runs differently for them; it’s like an hour in there for every minute out here. We’ve got plenty of time, trust me.”

Alan sees Lora scribbling this down, and has to bite back a sigh. “I just—is this really a good idea? What if something goes wrong?” “If Flynn’s been doing this for four years without incident, I think we’re probably in the clear,” Lora says, setting down the legal pad and taking his hand. “Come on, Alan. Aren’t you even a little curious?”

He wants to say that no, he isn’t, but that would be an outright lie. He is curious, if still a little confused. Flynn’s been talking about changing the world for months now; what is it he’s discovered that’s so earth-shattering?

His silence is telling on him. Lora grins and says to Flynn, “Oh, he’s coming with us.” She pulls Alan along to stand behind Flynn at the console. “What do we need to do?”

“Uh, make sure one of you is in front of the laser, and keep holding hands. And put a hand on my shoulder. It’ll probably be easier if we all go together.” He inputs something on the console, and there’s a lurching noise behind them; the laser is warming up. Alan glances back at it briefly, then puts his other hand over Lora’s on Flynn’s shoulder. Better safe than sorry.

“We ready to go?” Flynn asks.

“Sure,” Alan says, as Lora replies, “Ready when you are.”

“Okay then. Three… two… one…” He taps a key on the console, and then—

For a terrifying moment, Alan is certain he’s falling apart, as though every part of him, every atom, is flying away from the others. But then he feels Lora’s hand in his own, and his other hand atop hers, and Flynn’s cotton t-shirt just beneath his fingertips. He’s still alive, still real, and the panic in his chest subsides, and then—

Alan staggers; Lora half-stumbles into him, and it’s suddenly a struggle to stay upright. With an effort, he manages to get his knees under him, and Lora sags into his chest, laughing. Alan finds himself chuckling as well, out of relief more than anything else. They’re alive—or something like it. He looks around.

They’re in a semi-dark room, roughly the same shape and size as the arcade basement, but barely furnished at all. Flynn is sitting in front of them, at a desk that resembles the Encom console, but there is no laser, no futon, no detritus of human existence. It’s just a room, and Alan frowns as he takes it in.

“Y’all okay?” Flynn asks, getting to his feet. “That first trip can pack a wallop.”

“We’re fine,” Lora says, patting Alan on the chest. “We’re here, right? On your grid? So what are you going to show us first, Flynn?”

“Well, first we gotta meet a couple friends,” he says, clapping them both on the shoulders. “And then we can get some transport and I’ll give you the grand tour. Come on.” He walks past them to the doors on the far end of the room, and Lora follows, tugging on Alan’s arm until he trails behind her. “Tron and Clu should be waiting for us outside. You’re gonna get a kick out of this.” He holds open the door and waves them through.

Alan’s about to say that he’s right here, and he wishes Flynn would give the nickname a rest for once, but then he and Lora step outside and see who, exactly, is waiting for them.

One of them is Flynn—but isn’t Flynn behind them? Alan turns to look over his shoulder, and then the face of the other person registers, and he turns back and stares, open-mouthed.

The other person (program?) has Alan’s face.

“Holy shit,” Alan whispers.

Part Two!!!

[ladylynse]

Is your policy on prequels or sequels for three sentences still the same, or has it changed?

I'm still trying to cap that at one direct continuation/prequel (I confess I don't remember writing a prequel at this point, but I'm assuming I have since you mentioned it) per ficlet, since when I wasn't, I was sometimes writing multiple follow-ups for the same ficlet. It was starting to feel like I was writing a story in three sentence chunks but limited to three sentences that could kinda-sorta stand alone if you were told a sliver of context, so I was also limited by the sorts of sentences those were going to be, and it's a lot easier to write a tiny portion of a scene than five follow ups--and presumably more enjoyable for everyone else, too.

Since I haven't done it for a while, I could throw my ask box open for mini-ficlets on Halloween as a sort of 'trick or treat' thing and write something a little longer than three sentences around a ficlet of the asker's choice. I might pick and choose if I get a bunch (I still remember the time I got 70+ ficlet requests in a week, which for me is a lot), and there is absolutely no way I'll finish them all that night, but I could do that if anyone would be interested.

I could also do a popular vote thing with polls (based off people's suggestions) and write a proper one-shot off the people's choice. I've debated that since the polls on tumblr came out (and mostly held off because of my already glacially slow update speed). It would be kinda like my old follower fic giveaways (it would be pretty much exactly like my last one except I don't have to keep track of votes in excel and it would be open to anyone who sees the poll). Besides, if the idea's right there in the poll, the winner doesn't have to think of what they'd want to see. (I technically still have two of those giveaway fics unclaimed for that reason.)

Thoughts, anyone?

[it-happened-one-fic]

His Dream That, As of Yet, Remained Undreamt - Al Haitham

Author Notes: Behold, an unplanned sequel fic that was written solely because I decide to listen to that slowed reverb edit of the Albanian Remix of "Habibi" by Ricky Rich posted on Youtube by Lunaries again while writing. Anyhow, this is the sequel to the first Al Haitham fic I ever wrote and which is linked below, but you can probably read this as a stand alone of sorts. Reader is gender neutral, but they are also a dancer. This takes place post Sumeru archon questline I hope you enjoy.

Part 1: A Dream Thus Far Undreamt

Type: Fluff/romance (implied with great interest from Alhaitham)/gender-neutral reader/post Sumeru archon questline

Word Count: 872

Sheer fabrics swirled through the air, a spiraling vision of blue and red interspersed with golden threads that made the two dancers seem like the greatest treasures that this land owned.

Sumeru had changed since Azar had been displaced, the archon restored, and Al Haitham had become the Acting Grand Sage. The arts were no longer frowned upon, and the bazaar, with all its exotic scents and rousing music, was almost constantly filled with students from the Akademiya.

They were like starved men. Partaking in artistry that delighted both their eyes and ears for the first time as they consumed every form of art as if this were their only chance.

The smell of spices filled the streets, and voices could be heard everywhere, forcing one to strain to hear the music that the two women danced to. Each a different form of beauty and elegance in the way they interpreted their music.

Nilou was, without a doubt, the fan favorite. Kaveh himself had begun composing shoddy poetry that poorly described her flaming red hair and the blue silks of her robes. 

Unaware of her word bereft fan, Nilou smiled widely as she looked towards her fellow dancer, who joined her on stage in deep red robes that swirled gracefully around their form.

You were the less popular of the two for reasons beyond Al Haitham. Perhaps it was because he, unlike Kaveh, was not nearly as rabid in his affections, nor did he struggle amongst the throng of students in a wild attempt to watch the performance. Instead, he watched as he ever did, from a distant and raised position on a restaurant’s balcony.

Al Haitham was no fool. He knew that no mere words could ever describe the way you moved, looked, and even spoke. 

While Nilou’s smiles were like the bright sun that lit up the daytime so that workers could see their crafts and people could go about their lives, you were different. 

You were more like the moon. Possessing a gentleness that was at odds with warm-hued clothes you wore.

Yours was a beauty that seemed more mysterious and enchanting to Al Haitham. Perhaps this was the true reason you did not possess the fame of your fellow dancer.

Nilou was more recognized, and people were comfortable with her charms. It was less otherworldly and inexplicable.

Your charm, on the other hand, was more of the spellbinding variety. Something that few possessed and Al Haitham doubted he would ever truly understand. 

And that was why he suffered through Kaveh reciting his poetry while he remained silent and observed, as he always did.

The heavens had not recognized you as they had Nilou for her art and embodiment of beauty, but Al Haitham did. 

Al Haitham did and would continue to do so for a lifetime, even as your performance ended. 

Both you and Nilou gracefully spun to a stop as your hands interlocked, and you both stopped. Chest to chest, with your smiling faces toward the crowd who cheered and showered you both with flowers.

You both waved. Nilou, with endearing shyness that seemed to make the crowd rave still more. You, holding back and staying slightly behind your fellow dancer. 

But then it happened, and you caught Al Haitham off guard as you looked up and made eye contact with him, a gentle smile crossing your face as your eyes met his.

A tiny wave followed by a graceful inclination of your head was all you gave before your attention was taken by Nilou, who grasped your hands and pulled you to the front of the stage alongside her. Obviously wanting you to receive the same praise she was showered with.

The Acting Grand Sage was silent as he continued to gaze down at the two of you. Stunned that he had not only been noticed, but that you had smiled in a way that spoke of recognition.

Apparently he wasn't the only one who remembered your meetings in Port Ormos long before he’d known anything about the state of Sumeru’s Archon. Brief meetings, each of them, but they had made him intrigued by the possibility of a little thing called fate.

Because meeting you hadn’t seemed like an accident. It had seemed more like the beginning of a long path that had slowly been winding its way through numerous brief and often startling moments of seeing you through a crowd up until this day.

Al Haitham sat back, a smile crossing his features as his vision tunneled until you were his sole focus. It seemed that he had been noticed by his dream, that as of yet, remained undreamt.

The crowd slowly began to disperse, waved off by some of Nilou’s friends, and you were briefly left on stage alone, your head tilting back so that you once more looked up. Your sparkling eyes met his two-toned gaze as a knowing smile crossed your face again.

And it was then that Al Haitham knew this unspoken design of his would not remain wordless. It was high time that he at last approached his dream, which stemmed from days when the people of Sumeru did not dream unless it was wished for by the gods themselves.

[prettyboybuckley]

Just finished reading if love is art then you might be my masterpiece and lemme tell you something, I am pissed! Mad AF that this was so damn good but also feel absolutely slighted for getting like nothing of their relationship. Like. How dare you?! But also, thanks? Idk. Loved the story. Hated the pregnancy arc but I know to get Christopher, which the world absolutely needs, it's gotta happen somehow. I just. Uhhhhhhhhhhhh. Like why? And I can't even cope with the love isn't enough thing. That's just so real. And it hurts. But like. Ugh. Lots of emotions. Thank you for that, but also, fuck you❤️🫶💕

Hi!

I will admit that I love this kind of reaction to the fic 🤭 It was definitely supposed to be heartbreaking and kind of stressful. Glad that you both loved and hated it 🙈♥️

In my defense, though, it was never supposed to be a stand-alone. I was planning on writing Buck's POV of it all, followed by everything between the last chapter and the epilogue. But alas, we're two years along, and I still don't have more than a few half-written chapters. As well as multiple other WIPs and ideas and a sequel to a different fic to write because I planned it that way.... 🥲 So I don't know if it's ever going to happen, but I also won't rule it out completely

[apparentlyiwr1te]

Welcome to the world of The Winterway Saga

Hi, I'm Ray. I'm an aspiring writer, and im currently in school for art so I guess that's pretty cool too. For the past few years now, I have been working on a series of books called The Winterway Saga. The word 'aspiring' is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence- as in, I don't entirely know what I'm doing. I'd like to think my writing is good, but wouldn't we all? I'm currently just starting the sixth book of seven in the series, and would like to try my hand at yelling into the void that is Tumblr for some advice, criticism, and anything else that you lovely people can offer. The Winterway Saga is currently being posted to AO3, since I already had a very small following of some close friends on there, but I am open to suggestions for somewhere better to put it. Below, I will put the synopsis, and I am scraping together a couple of big masterposts for character information, links to each chapter, character references, all that good stuff. XOXO, Ray.

▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀

Approximately 400 million years ago, the first land animal took its steps out of the water. It then proceeded to immediately keel over and die. I think evolution panicked around then, because it started just handing out sentience to whatever animals it thought could handle being the next master race, which resulted in some really weird shit. Most of evolution is luck or chance, and while the planet as we know it just so happens to be run by humans in some one-in-a-billion-chance, it's not too unlikely that something else could've taken that place, which is what happened after that stupid fish got sniped all those millions of years ago. The decisive lack of humans allowed other races of creatures to take that place- some are familiar; felines and canines and birds- then there's whatever the hell Piper is. Even I couldn't tell you. Turns out, though, humans aren't as special as you think- even in a world without them the planet's in shambles, and the inclusion of magic and demons isn't doing anyone any favours either.

You heard me- magic, demons, vampires, you name it. As well as aliens, apparently. Billions of years ago, a celestial war between the creators of the universe resulted in the first demons on earth- you leave demons alone with pretty mortals long enough, you get demon hybrids. Not demon enough for demons, and too demon for mortals, hybrids are wholly unpopular, and an ex-general from The First War (Sass Starbreaker- he's our villain! His branch of the Royal Demon Army is known as E.Y.E, and they like killing hybrids. They also don't know what the acronym stands for) Was tasked some time after the war with wiping every hybrid from the face of the planet.

That kind of thing doesn't make you a lot of friends. Mortals fear demons enough without having to worry about them turning on them once they're done with the hybrids, so I think it's time for another war, don't you?

Set twenty years after a war between demons and mortals, 'The Winterway Saga' is a seven-book series (not counting prequals, sequels and comics. Each sold separately™.) following The Orga(ni)sms- a band of criminals who fought in the previously mentioned Boreas War. After the ceasefire in 2005, most presumed the war was over- but Piper, Bandit, Pixie and Cyrano know better. Tensions are growing, the demons are rearming and strategising all around them- The Orga(ni)sms have tasked themselves with preventing another war.

Since about 2010, they've been 'keeping the home fires burning', as it were, by taking down (blowing up) any and all suspected demons affiliated with E.Y.E.- and they don't tend to check if their suspicions are correct before they burst in, guns-a-blazing. That's sort of their brand.

Their boss, Diana (Doe Eye) has kept them out of prison (for, you know, blowing up demons. And other things, when the mood strikes.) By bribing police officers for years- that sort of thing only works so well, though. Officer Cooper Foxtrot is especially eager to nail down who exactly The Orga(ni)sms are, and get them put behind bars (or in an electric chair, ideally.)

So The Orga(ni)sms are, for lack of a better phrase, fighting a war on two fronts. One against demons, and one against the existence of laws. They're hardly perfect heros- are they even heros? Regardless, they're about to be in really big trouble.

[triforce-of-mischief]

if you want to, feel free to talk more about trust fall and poor unfortunate souls 👍 id love to hear more of your thoughts :)

sorry for taking a few days, i forgot the original question by now (if there was one) so we’re doing a mini director’s cut ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Poor Unfourtunate Souls:

“You know, nothing you can do to me will make me talk,” the vet drawled, hiding apprehension under snark.

look. look. opening a scene where legend is snarky at first, but we all know it’s a front and then it crumbles so fast- that makes me go feral, I will never get tired of writing it.

Legend scowled, thinking hard about what would be safe to say without being an obvious lie. “One has a huge, ferocious wolf that follows him around everywhere. Could maul you in a heartbeat, but obeys every command from him. Another hates mirrors. Show him his reflection and he’ll be depressed for a week. Oh, and one guy? Pillows, blankets, anything soft and cuddly.”

just one of those little things i was so proud of thinking of :) it’s so fun to write hints that the readers but not the characters will understand.

“You want the truth?” Legend asked, and the blademaster inclined his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been locked up in here for ages, they could be anywhere by now.”

that moment when he realizes that he’s not getting anywhere by being funny and he takes the risk of telling the truth but it’s not enough-

Now that they finally, finally, had a safe and quiet moment, Legend took the time to actually inspect Four. The smith’s breathing was ragged and wet, and Legend prayed that his lungs were free of water. Liquid dribbled from Four’s mouth, nose, and eyes; water and bodily fluids combining into one sticky mess. The tips of his hair were damp, and the feather which usually swayed from his ear was now heavy and still. His broken wrist was clutched to his chest with his other hand to reduce agitation.

if i knew how to render i would draw this in a heartbeat. gonna go cry over the poor thing instead :(

Four’s eyes were wide, swirling with blue and red, but then he narrowed them and nodded determinedly.

foreshadowing for the eventual sequel!! right now vio and green are in shock so the most emotional colors are stuck in the front. red is still terrified and blue is too, but the latter is trying his hardest to direct his anger at the yiga instead of focusing on their own feelings.

Four’s mouth opened in a silent scream, lungs too weak to produce anything but a high, wispy whine.

there's definitely going to be some lasting physical effects too, he just practically drowned three times for goddess' sake.

****

Trust Fall:

starting with the title this time since i already talked about the other one! this was a stand-in title that i immediately fell in love with. it represents the actual trust fall that legend shares with warriors, letting him administer the sedative. it also makes me think about how close legend was to falling (unconscious), without being able to rely on trust. if warriors hadn’t gotten there just in time, this would be a very different story.

They held him in place as he watched the remaining medic draw up a sedative in… in a…

this isn’t the only time this happens; I try to show how even thinking certain words is a big trigger for legend. even in his own mind, he can’t bring himself to fully acknowledge what’s happening.

He knew that it was worse to look but he couldn’t make himself look away and Warriors would tell him to stop but Legend was alone and scared and-

here’s a writing tip! run-on sentences are very good for when you want to portray that your character is spiraling into a panic. shorter sentences work for a character who can barely think because their panic is more of the hyperventilating kind.

Then the captain spoke, and Legend realized that he was furious. His tone cold and commanding as he ordered the other soldiers to “Release him. Now.” “B-but sir,” the soldier on Legend’s right said, “He’s highly dangerous and violent.” “So am I,” Warriors hissed. “Hands. Off.”

*obligatory pause for the screaming fangirls*

He let out a ragged sob, and let Warriors pull him into a loose embrace.

in hanging by a thread, warriors asked hyrule to hold legend because hyrule is more comfortable with touch. warriors is able and willing to provide physical comfort if there's no other option, and he doesn't hesitate for a moment this time. anything to help his brother feel safe.

While Legend did that, Warriors looked over his shoulder at the confused medic. “Put that away,” he whispered, nodding at the syringe in their hand. [...] Legend heard a few soft clicks as they capped the needle and hid the syringe in a drawer.

this is the first time that legend actually acknowledges the fact that the medic is wielding a syringe. warriors' presence helps him face his fears even the tiniest bit.

He could do this. He was still injured for goddess’ sake.

fun fact i spent so long trying to figure out what injury he should have before deciding that it isn't plot-relevant enough to bother wasting my time on it.

If Warriors asked if he was ready, Legend didn’t think that he would say yes. Warriors gently loosened Legend’s hands and held them in his own. “Come with me,” he said, pulling Legend up to stand with him.

warriors knows. he knows that asking would make things worse, so he just takes things into his own hands. he's exactly who legend needs right now.

Legend heard the rustle of fabric as Warriors awkwardly unclipped his scarf. He fumbled to undo the clasp with only one hand; the other was holding something.

we're back to treating the syringe as an unspoken thing... legend's fear has returned in full force and not even warriors can comfort him enough.

“I’ll be fast. Just a few moments, then you can rest.” The cadence of Warriors’ voice was steady, almost unnaturally so.

this isn't easy for warriors either. he hates that he has to do this again, but he can't let legend know that. maybe i'll mess around with a warriors pov someday...

[whentommymetalfie]

please can Whumptober never end? 😄

You've told us this story many times? Yes. Do I want to hear it again? Yes! Why? Because you do it so well (I know, I keep repeating myself, but that's your fault 😉)! I really devoured each and every oneshot so far and the only negativ point I have to make is: Why are they only oneshots?!? As far as I'm concerncend, you can turn every one into a 10k story - I would read it! 😁 I like that you try different AUs as well. It keeps it very interesting and brings a new dynamic into it. Are you going to make them all like stand alones or will there be a oneshot which is a follow up or extended part? I'm curious. 😊 Oh and one last question: You said that you have fun writing onehots but do you think it's easier as well? I kind of feel like it's harder, because you have to focus on not getting carried away and write another whole novel. Which makes it kind of fun and something different but also more difficult (in my opinion). Would you say otherwise?

I'm - as always - excited for the next bit! Thank you for doing this! ❤️

Ahh thank you I'm so glad you're enjoying whumptober, because I am too ♥️ And that you don't mind the repetition, because there are so many just slightly different ways to cause Tommy distress and I want to write them all. I'm glad you feel that about the one-shots, that they could be part of a longer story, because that's sort of how I write them. In my head, it's a much longer story, and then I sort of take a slice of that story and write it down, trying to just give enough details to create a good view of the world and the characters. And I'm having a lot of fun writing different AUs. As for the first question: I'm almost certain I'll write a continuation for my latest one (which I haven't posted a link here on Tumblr to, but I'm about to), so yes, some of them might get a sequel or expansion in the future.

And for question number two: I think the reason I find it easier is because of what I mentioned earlier, that I have a much larger story in my head, and then I just pick one scene to show from it. But yes you do have to sort of hold yourself back not to put everything in that one shot, but enough to still make the reader invested in the world. Which is definitely why some of them turn out quite long. I'm in awe of people who can write captivating one-shots that are less than 1k Words, because that's definitely a skill I haven't mastered! I always get a bit carried away.

Thank you for your thoughtful message and your questions ♥️

[cruelsummer-z]

Cover Art for my MEG prequel “The Pup” 🦈

A New Dynasty is a re-write/fix-it fic series I created after watching The Meg 2: The Trench. My series aims to expand on Jonas and Suyin’s relationship as well as show how Jonas learns to navigate his newfound responsibilities as a single father and Suyin’s death. The entire series is titled under The Meg (Revisited) because it has multiple parts which leads to my rewrite of The Trench, A New Dynasty. It starts out with the one-shot series So Scarlet, It Was… which is a direct sequel to the 2018 movie, in which Jonas and Suyin grow their romantic relationship. Never Grow Up is a one-shot that takes place two years later, in 2020, in which Jonas works at the Los Angeles aquarium and is stuck in a place of grieving a dead Suyin and adjusting to his newfound life as a single step-father to Meiying. The Pup is a direct continuation of Never Grow Up, picking up where it leaves off, in which Jonas meets Jiuming Zhang and is conflicted on whether or not he should aid in the raising of the newly captured meg pup.

I wrote Never Grow Up back in May of 2023. It was meant to be a stand-alone one-shot and a mini continuation of the 2018. Since the actress for Suyin was not returning in The Trench, I theorized that she would be killed off-screen in the movie. I turned out to be right, and so I immediately wrote a one-shot following Never Grow Up in which Jonas meets Jiuming, called The Pup. I later wrote So Scarlet, It Was… a few days later, since I was full of inspiration and a little sad that almost no content for Suyin and Jonas was around. It also followed canon, and so because it fit right in with the other two one-shots, I decided to make them all into one series. However, a few days after seeing The Trench and while I was writing The Pup and So Scarlet, It Was… I got the idea of completely rewriting the second movie. I was also planning on re-reading the book series, so what I decided to do was add in elements of the books into my rewrite. This led me to organizing all three of my one-shots into my series. I have just now made So Scarlet, It Was… the first part of the series since it chronologically takes place first. It used to be third since it was the last one-shot I had written.

I recently started writing again and I decided to finally make a ✨cover✨ of it. This is such a passion project for me and I’m really dedicated to actually finishing this story and then start rewriting The Trench. Link below to the project on Ao3!

[loopy777]

Whats your thoughts on watchmen as a work?

Rereading it, it's certainly not a bad story, but it has some massive issues that keep it from holding up all that well.

Ignoring the fact that everything it has done, so many series since(especially manga) has done better, the way it portrays non-powered crime fighters as somehow being so influential they have a massive impact upon american history is just... Rather silly and dumb to be honest.

I like rorchach and ozymandis as characters a lot, but there is no getting around the fact that the world they live in, which treats less than 20 vigilantes as super important to the point there are mass scale riots about their existence is kinda dumb.

Again, comparing it to, say, MHA, where society is built around the fact there are tens of thousands of heroes alone, Watchmen's societies obsession with superheroes is stupid.

Then of course there is the fact it was written in the 1980's and the way the setting portrays the USSR as this big bad powerhouse, when in reality it was on its last legs, and the afghanistan war that the soviet union had launched half a decade before(And starts in the comic itself) would be the death of it, because it didnt have the economic power to win such a war, nor survive it.

Also the whole nuclear armageddon thing being innevotable is kinda silly given we are still here, and as we have seen with the Current russian war, Russia even under an undisputed and kinda insane dictator is no more eager to start a nuclear war now, than it was in the 1980's.

Honestly, manhattens line to Ozy at the end that "Nothing ever ends" though it wasnt meant like it, sounds more like Manhatten refering to the fact that the current peace built on genocide in new york is in the grand scheme of things only necessary to keep the equilibrium going for another decade, cause the soviet union is gonna fall apart anyway.

Not to mention Ozy's rant about how nuclear power and the waste it produced would ruin the enviornment is kinda hilarious, given 1. How much we have improved on that to the point where it's for all intents and purposes a non issue, and 2. This kinda thinking would lead to so much anti nuclear power as an energy source over that years, that we polluted way more through coal and gas(like germany shutting down its nuclear power plants and then being forced to go back to coal) by following this line of thinking.

Also while it wouldnt have happened immediatly, as genetic science advanced it would become obvious that the giant squid was 100% earth based and not from an alien world XD

All in all, i would say this aspect kinda works to the story's advantage, and if you were gonna write a sequel to Watchmen, exploring how Ozy's big, ridiculous plan was rather unessecary and how the characters would react to that(as opposed to Manhatten rewriting the DC universe's history(Which ignores EVERYTHING about his character)), but it obviously wasn't meant to be read that way.

Also, one aspect of this story that just annoys the piss out of me, is that it seems nobody in this story seem to use any other kind of basic swearing insult than calling someone the same few variants of negative words for gay folks, again, and again, and again. Like its so prevelant that Rorchacs use of "whore" as insults actually stands out. Like, i know these would have been some of the standard deragatory insults at the time, but man you can tell Moore's experience with folks actually swearing was concentrated and limited to a very small amounts of insults. There were other go to insults in the 80's than just calling someone gay.

And while i do like the mystery, i would say that one aspect that really needed some buildup was that human psycic, who's brain Ozy used to clone his big monster. Its the one thing that had absolutely no set up whatsoever, and just shows up at the end as ozy explains everything, a rather important detail to just drop on us(Oh by the way, there are powerfull human telepathic psychics in the world).

On the more positive side, i like most of the characters(Except the comedian, he is both insanely unlikable, but also very boring to watch), Ozy's insane, batshit scheme is actually kinda amazing and he overall is a great villain, and rorchach as our protagonist is both entertaining, a great example of an incredibly flawed character full of both virtues and massive character flaws, a deconstruction of a lot of superheroes, and yet also has a really strong thematic arc, where we are introduced to him through his journal ramblings where he has a huge edge lord monologue about how when society finally fell, and those he deems as degenrates would reach out to him for help and salvation and he would look down on them and say: "No." ...Only for him at the end to do the exact opposite, to be the only one who stands for justice for those very same people he decried as degenerates. It hits way harder than it probably should, given how unlikable Rorschach can be.

The whole "not even in the face of armageddon. Never compromise." wouldn't hit halfway as hard if we didn't get to see him treat and think about treating those he deemed as "Others" so badly. And yet at the end, he does not at any point differentiate between angels and devils amongst those who died in new york. They were all human beings, and deserved justice.

But what do you think? Do you think Watchmen holds up? And if not, do you have issues with it beyond what mine are as desceibed here?

My big problem with "Watchmen" is that I didn't read it until I was in my 20s, and yet I had grown up in the 80s and 90s with the superhero comic books which had been influenced by it, and continued with comic books into the late 90s and 2000s where stories started directly debating it. I even read "Kick-Ass" before "Watchmen!" So by the time I read it, I felt like nothing in it was new to me, and in fact I had seen bits of it done better elsewhere.

It also doesn't help that I'd encountered plenty of buzz about it long before I read it. I think the article that first clued me into its existence even revealed the "I did it 35 minutes ago" twist. So there was nothing in it I wasn't expecting, and thus most of it lost its power for me; I was just reading to see how it all played out.

(Contrast to my recent experience with reading "Kraven's Last Hunt" for the first time. I also knew the events of that entire story beforehand, but I found the writing and presentation itself was the real draw and still worked very well, so it turned out to be a very powerful comic for me.)

The only stuff I really liked in "Watchmen" were the little human moments, like the newsstand owner who tries save the kid or Silk Spectre 1 giving Nite Owl the Tijuana bible.

I agree with a lot of your criticisms. It's very much an Alan Moore comic, with all his quirks on full display. I'm not particularly enthused about Alan Moore as a writer; I think what he does best is scifi concepts, so in my opinion he peaked with his random Green Lantern stories. I do like his level of storytelling and the aforementioned human moments, and he also gets more than a few good gags in there, but I could say the same about a number of writers. He's not unique in those respects, at least to me, and I think his themes and presentations are rather tired.

I don't recall all the swears used in the comic, but I do remember reading some analysis that Rorschach is supposed to be in denial about having homosexual tendencies, so between that and his issues with his mother I suspect the swears you mention are supposed to reflect that or at least keep it in mind for the reader. It's less supposed to sound realistic or reflective of reality than demonstrate the hyper-masculine attitudes that go into superhero comics and, I presume, a society shaped by real superheroes. Perhaps it's kind of like how pirate comics are popular there, but not in our world, so having superheroes made the inhabitants of that world most likely to use homophobic slurs? But I admit I've never really thought about it before.

The only thing I'd add to the list of criticisms is really more an expansion of one of your points, that the impact of the powerless vigilantes seems very exaggerated, especially in the way people react to Rorschach. A whole bar full of tough guys are terrified of him breaking their fingers, but he's just one guy who doesn't even eat properly. I wouldn't expect him, or any of the heroes, to win as many fights as they do, even with their experience and attitude. It's the type of thing I can accept in regular comics, "Watchmen" demands so much realism from the genre that retaining this one aspect sticks out like a sore thumb.

So yeah, I wouldn't recommend "Watchmen" to anyone except as a piece of comic book history. Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" is similarly dated and worse in some respects in its attitudes and themes, but I actually found that one to be more impactful as a story due to its stylized craft and use of familiar characters. But I wouldn't recommend either one to people just as a reading experience; there are lots of better comics out there, even in the 'literary' genre.

[cosmic-adventurers]

Hello, Tumblrers, Tumblrians, Tumblritizens! <3

Hi amazing folks! I've finally decided to make a Tumblr account for my fanfics, most of which can be found on my AO3 account.

I write primarily weird (and sometimes quirky) Delena stories for The Vampire Diaries. I'm a big fan of blending genres and having angst/fluff/humor come in waves for maximum emotional impact. My plots can be a bit experimental, but they're fun for me. They're romantic healing arcs, but with banter and adventure -- sometimes a little off-beat. (I'm also a physicist, so believe that it makes its way into my stories. :D Most of them are at least somewhat sci-fi as a result.) Probably not for everyone, but some folks seem to really enjoy them, and that makes me happy.

I hope you all find some joy in what's to come! I love making new friends, so please feel free to reach out and we can discuss all our favorite aspects of the show, plots, and stories!

One-shots:

Echoes in Time

Have you ever wondered what happens to the original incarnations of characters when someone travels back in time into their own, past body?

This Damon and Elena are about to find out when that trip to Atlanta takes an unusual turn.

Follow along as they try to suss out why two people who look exactly like them are suddenly all over each other, why no one can see them, and if they could get through the day without killing each other first – or that other unresolved tension neither of them is willing to admit exists.

Resurrection

On the Summer Solstice following the tumultuous aftermath of Cade and Katherine’s schemes, Bonnie performs a spell to resurrect Enzo, while essentially babysitting two newbie witches with uncontrollable bursts of a mysterious elemental magic that finally finds its way back to Earth after being dormant for millennia.

Pignoli Cookies and Promises

When a sudden storm prevents them from following up on a lead to look for Stefan, Damon suggests baking some pignoli cookies to cheer Elena up – but maybe there’s more behind her weird behavior than he realizes. Takes place in early S3.

Completed Stories:

Chaotic Good

What if Damon compelled Elena more than twice prior to her transition? Damon doesn't like anyone to see the good in him, and it's so easy to erase memories of its existence. On the day she becomes a vampire, Elena remembers. (Has a sequel called With Great Power, but each can also stand alone.)

Serendipity

A cheeky little story in which Amara meets Silas’ sexy older brother, and inadvertently saves the universe. Follow the would-be Petrova doppelgängers in this sweeping tale through the centuries to see how their lives are different. Ripple-effect AU. Delena and others.

Random Walk

Kai’s sleeping spell is known in clandestine witch circles as The Sanity Syphon and has the unintended consequence of driving its victim insane due to prolonged solitude and monotony. Hearing of this, Valerie whispers a spell over a sleeping Elena to turn her into a Specter for the remainder of her magical coma, allowing her to detach from time and space to visit her Twin Flame when his subconscious calls her. Each time she disappears, so does all memory of her and her visit. Or does it?

The first time Elena appears to Damon is on the night of the Miss Mystic Falls pageant.

The first few (probably 3) chapters can be read as thematic one-shots, before the plot really picks up.

The Persistence of Memory

Elena comes to a startling epiphany about her feelings for Damon, which leads to a long overdue conversation. Set during 6X13. Damon/Elena fluff (with just enough angst to keep things interesting and entertaining).

A Midsummer Night's Dream in Mystic Falls

A whimsical little AU loosely based on the Bard's most magical play. Elena and Damon are in love, but since she believes that she's the only one who can quell the ripper, she stays in her make-up/break-up cycle with Stefan, who's in requited love with Caroline, unbeknownst to them both. Perhaps a little Midsummer magic in the form of a chaotic Twin Flame spell can save the day! Delena, Kolvina, and others! Ensemble cast!

Takes place right after an alternate S4, in which Freya came to the scene early, and that changed everything.

A TVD Fairy Tale!

WIPs:

Timey Wimey

Wracked with guilt from his brother’s sacrifice and despair that Elena has yet to awaken despite him losing his immortality – and thus the likelihood of ever seeing her again – Damon makes a deal with a coven to go back in time to save them both, in exchange for mysterious acts of service. Little does he know that someone followed him – or several someones.

S8 to S1.

Eros and Philia

Determined to save her mother from the agony of desiccation, Anna sets her sights on conning a friendship with Elena months before the comet returns in order to access the coveted Gilbert journals. Little does she know that forming a genuine bond with the doppelgänger so early on would change everything.

S1 canon divergence with Damon/Elena romantic subplot and Anna & Elena friendship, centering primarily on Anna, Elena, and Damon's POV.

With Great Power

Whitmore Medical Center's patients seem to keep getting miraculously cured overnight, and who's that mysterious blur that sometimes shows up to save students on campus? But the Augustines lurk behind the scenes, and Elena's adventures may be drawing some unwanted attention. Starts in early S5 and veers sharply off-canon. Sequel to Chaotic Good, but can also stand on its own.

and in this state, they see into other worlds

Bored with the usual faire, a rebellious fairy and oneiromancer named Queen Mab takes a leisurely stroll out of her verdant world. When she passes through Mystic Falls, its residents gain a curious ability to visit alternate worlds in their dreams.

Takes place roughly after 3X9. (But the dreams jump around in time and space.)

A collection of interconnected one-shots.

When the Road is a Ribbon of Moonlight

Dr. Whitmore brings his protégée, professor Grayson Gilbert, on to the Augustine project. One Tuesday night, his daughter Elena, a senior at Whitmore College, stumbles onto the secret hidden within.

Inspired by The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes.

Mystic Decoherence

With an Accounting exam inconveniently scheduled on Samhain, Bonnie sends Damon and Elena to collect leaves from a nearby lake for her evening ritual. Little do they know that on this day, when the veil between worlds is at its most delicate, the lake becomes a portal — one activated by intense emotion.

Takes place during an alternate S7 where Elena has yet to take the Cure, and was able to avoid being placed under Kai's spell.

[allylikethecat]

speaking of (sometimes) i really like that it’s a stand alone and it’s kinda up to the individual to interpret how they think fictional! matty would heal from the situation it’s a lovely and powerful fic and you did it beautifully.

my thoughts after reading it and thinking about the aftermath would be the following:

- matty feels a sense of shame at first and would tend to lash out at times he has a hard time being touched in any way even by the people he loves but as he heals he’ll start to initiate more and more physical contact

- george would feel guilty for not being able to “fix” the situation and make matty feel better and then he’d feel guilty about feeling guilty because he’d wonder if he was making it about himself (basically i think george would be an anxious mess at first and want to help but not knowing how but then would learn to give matty space but still let him know he’s there by staying close but not too close and doing little acts of service to show matty he’s loved like how he immediately went to go make matty something to eat after thinking he was sick)

- ross would be so angry that it happened and would want to kill the person who hurt his best friend

- adam would be the first one to sit down and tell matty he’s sorry this happened and “it’s not your fault you know that right?” i’m here for you and you don’t have to tell me anything

those were just my first after thoughts and it’s in no way me trying to convince you to write a follow up i just wanted u to know how much i love that fic and what my head canons are after it 🩷

Thank you so much for sending me this lovely thought out ask 🥺 Even though (Sometimes) is over a year old at this point, it is still probably my favorite fic I've written and the one I'm the most proud of, so the fact that there are people out here on the interwebs still taking the time to talk to me about it is incredible and I am so very grateful!

It makes me so happy that you also enjoy it as a standalone and I love hearing your thoughts on it! I think you're spot on with your thoughts! The boys all want to be there for him, but there are some growing pains and there is a learning curve as everyone learns how to be comfortable around one another again and heal. It's not a good time in the slightest, and any the original fic, plus any kind of sequel would be dealing with an incredibly, heavy, painful and delicate topic, which is another reason I've shied away from writing it. BUT I love hearing your thoughts and headcanons and what you interpret and believe to happen next 🥰 Thank you so much for reading, taking the time to send me this ask and your continued support! I smiled so hard when I saw it. Thank you so much! I hope your Monday is going well, and that you have a great week!

❤️Ally