halcyoniawrites

[halcyoniawrites]

I don't think Reddit gets enough credit for how hilariously buckwild the subreddit system is.

Like it makes sense on the surface. The subreddits are all topic-focused independent message boards, each with their own moderator teams, and you can curate which ones show up on your feed. Subscribe to the ones that suit your interests and bam you're good.

Except the question of WHO is in charge of every subreddit is an objectively hilarious system. Anyone can create a subreddit. Under any name. Who holds the keys to the kingdom is strictly determined by whoever managed to camp the name first. It's like tumblr URL wars except if whoever managed to grab the URL "homestuck" got to be defacto in charge of the entire homestuck fandom.

Or at least they get to be in charge until they anger the populace and get ousted, Julius Caesar style, by the team of fellow moderators they brought aboard, or until they voluntarily sign the deed over because they don't want to deal with 600,000 angry homestuck fans every single day, or they get mutinied against and all the REAL homestuck fans flock over to "curatedhomestuck" or "homestuckcirclejerk" or "homestuckcirclejerkcirclejerk".

You get seemingly benign subreddits about things like baking or kittens that have absolutely batshit rules because the whole thing is being run by a paranoid and power-hungry 23-year-old from Arkansas. You get inter-subreddit beef where the mods of r/cutekittensdoingcutethings will ban you from their subreddit because you have a history of posting in r/genshinimpact. You get subreddits that fall to ruin and spam because the moderators in charge vanished into the night without passing power along to anyone else.

Redditors love to complain about Reddit moderators and this surprises me not at all because there is simply no possible way that the Reddit moderation system could be a smooth-running machine when its defining underlying mechanic is First Come First Serve. And that's hilarious to me. That's hilarious. Political system where the King is chosen from among the populace of people who comment "first" on Youtube videos. You can't beat that.

[halcyoniawrites]

Oh, yeah? Well, what if I disguised myself as a wretched old beggar-woman and came to beg for food at your royal feast and then invoked the laws of hospitality to beg a small favor from the king and when you said "If it is in my power to grant your request, it shall be granted" I unmasked myself and said "Ah-ha! I ask for your throne and your daughter's hand in marriage!"? What would you do then? You wouldn't do shit. You're devastated right now.

[halcyoniawrites]

Giann doesn't have a sprite and I have thoughts about that (+ theorizing about plot)

WC: 1.1K (I had a lot to say, haha)

Many of the key characters in ToT get sprites, particularly ones who are important to the main cast. Celestine, Vincent, Aaron, Kiki, etc. are all examples of this. Characters who are important to the plot also get sprites: the Baldr trio, the Lost Gold NPCs, Estelle, etc. (Zangr is an interesting exception, but maybe that's for another post.)

Giann von Hagen stands out, however, because he is arguably both important to the main cast (mainly Marius) and is likely to have some importance to the main plot. And yet -- he doesn't have a sprite to represent him.

And at this point, Giann not having a sprite is mildly concerning in the sense that he may not be needed in the future (and by sprite here I mean a full color image, not the blank/silhouetted figure that I think is currently being used for him).

Because I'm wondering: why do Payton (butler) and Austin (dad) both have sprites, but Giann doesn't? The CN server is ahead by approx. a year but still there is no Giann.

Mom von Hagen -- the exception -- is allowed to be faceless, in fact us not being able to see her makes sense in a meta way because it emphasizes the divide between Marius and his mother, not just in a life/death sense but in a "we never really got to know each other because there was no time" way as well.

In this sense, Giann not having a sprite also emphasizes to us that he's not here at this point. Where is he? We don't know. But even when he appears in Marius' flashbacks, he doesn't have a sprite of his own.

It's possible that Giann is still in the character design phase and that we'll get a sprite for him in the future, when he's much more needed for the storyline. In that case, my theory probably doesn't stand.

But here is a question I have: why is it that between him and Neil, it's Neil who gets a sprite? Both of these characters -- who have gone missing -- only show up in flashbacks. Both of these characters are important to their apprentice and sibling respectively. Does Giann's lack of a sprite imply that, perhaps, he isn't coming back (i.e. no need to create a set of sprites for him because we're not going to see him)?

While I certainly hope mhy isn't going to pull the "out of these two missing characters, only one gets to return alive" (and in this case I theorize that it's Neil who comes home alive because he already has a sprite), it would be devastating. Because not only would we get Marius having to deal with the loss of his brother, we're also going to get him dealing with the "Artem got his loved one back and I didn't; why?" conflict.

Marius and Artem are already vaguely at odds with each other because they don't trust the other guy's missing loved one. Marius doesn't trust Neil, Artem doesn't trust Giann. To have Artem get Neil back at the cost of Giann's life would allow for an interesting character moment as to how Artem and Marius see each other.

And the other thing about Giann is that he's not just connected to Marius, but to Vyn as well. Killing Giann off means that both Marius and Vyn have to deal. Killing Neil off only affects Artem (between the current five NXX members). While ToT doesn't really focus on what each boy thinks of each other, Giann's death has the potential to bring Vyn and Marius closer together (unless they both choose to grieve separately and not talk about it because I could see that happening, too).

As of now, Neil and Giann are both in a Schrödinger's cat type situation: they're essentially both alive and dead until canon proves otherwise. The best case scenario would be for both Neil and Giann to be alive. But from previous cards/events, we also know that the writers aren't afraid to go down the route of tragedy (Symphony of the Night and Skadi instantly come to mind). Killing both Neil and Giann would come with its own angst for Artem, Vyn, and Marius (Luke can sort of look on sympathetically, although he has problems of his own). But killing one of them off, specifically Giann, also has the potential to create an NXX schism (that is, if they are left unchecked and MC is unable to bring them together).

But the other theme that seems to keep coming back is memory.

This can be seen most clearly through Luke, who might as well be a symbol of the past. He's the childhood friend; his history with MC is mostly in the past. And more than anything, he wants to remember. He has keepsakes in his room, the locked/memory box, a camera he uses to save moments to remember. He's missed out on so much of MC's life and memories that he wants to make it up to her in the present. His personal story ch. 2, SSR 'Perfect Partner', SR 'Radiant Sunlight', and perhaps SR 'How I Remember You' also touch on themes of memory and the past.

These themes are also vaguely touched on by the other boys: Marius (doesn't remember Mom but can still honor her memory), Artem (recalling who he used to be vs who he is now; his memory of Neil and his guidance), and Vyn (the past he is determined to leave behind: kingdom, family, and various lore/backstory things).

The idea of memory also returns in the actual gameplay: the concept of visions, for one, as well as the prologue hinting at something happening in the past that MC needs to figure out.

But the theme of memory is also carried forward through the story and events. @actualbird has an excellent post on how ToT seems to handle justice and memory.

And so this leads me to argue: instead of death, are we going to get memory loss from Neil and/or Giann?

Having dead brother is one thing.

Having a brother who doesn't even remember who you are is another.

Because where do you go when your mentor, your brother, your friend who has been missing for ages -- cannot tell you what happened? There is no memory, no "here's what happened, we have to do something about it." How do you find the truth when it seems to elude your every step?

And if we are indeed going with the memory loss route, suddenly Giann's blank sprite makes more sense. If he doesn't remember Marius, doesn't remember who he is or his past or anything like that, who is he but a blank slate -- someone who you thought you'd recognize but now don't?

I know I got a little rambly as I wrote this (and it all sprang from Giann's lack of official art, haha) but ToT has laid the groundwork for a lot of plot potential and it'll be interesting to see where the NXX Investigation Team is taken next.

[halcyoniawrites]

oh my god. amazing. i will go read the post wow damn so maybe zangr is right,,, am i an npc??? would i have the shadowed white sprite i can't handle this because my life has never been that colorful

also how dare u hide this in the tags ksjhdkjdshf

top 3 things that have happened to me and my fanfic that i still cant rlly believe actually happened

got my fanfic cited in somebody’s english masters thesis at georgetown university

back in high school i had a big huge crush on a close friend and years later, i used that experience as reference for a fanfic where theres two high schooler characters and one of em has been pining for the other, his best friend, for a long time. the close friend who i had a crush on back in hs found the fic, messaged me about the fic and said they read and loved how i wrote it. up to this day, i am unsure if they knew it was partly inspired by them

got my fanfic reviewed on a podcast. i tried to listen to the episode but i stopped the moment the people said “the fic switches from past to present, like in the Little Women movie—” because oh my god, please, i wrote that when i was 15 years old

life is frigging stranger than fiction, i tell ya

#npcs of the world unite #wait who is the mc tho #if its jeff bezos i will riot

[halcyoniawrites]

This exactly. artem’s entourage is #1 entourage, op gets it

also let’s not forget permanently-done-with-life darius morgan and definitely-dated-once ingrid rosworth like they’re all such excellent additions to this universe

i love how thoroughly chaotic the two most prominent side characters in artem’s story are, it’s like mihoyo knew artem was this repressed nerd who would fully benefit from having them as foils and ran w it.

you got celestine, which like – the devil works hard but celestine works harder. she’s a family friend who founded themis law firm and is fully content with her own life but gets such a kick out of investing her time into playing matchmaker with mc and artem. does not hold back on taking the piss out of him. has canonically confiscated his phone and car keys at one point.

and then you got neil who is this like, disheveled dilf guy who was artem’s mentor but also his father figure bc his parents were constantly busy and also neil went missing which explains why artem is Like That – anyways neil canonically filming artem bc “omg you expressed concern i’m so proud of your growth” is so fucking funny and i will be so upset if mihoyo ends up killing him off bc i’d love to see him interact w mc and artem more

#artem and ingrid have major ex vibes #it’s so funny #darius always looks so tired and #same tbh #honestly all the supporting cast are so interesting and colorful #celestine ditch jeremy and marry me instead

[halcyoniawrites]

[halcyoniawrites]

#tears of themis #tears of themis memes #marius von hagen #luke pearce #tell me this isn't marluke dynamics

[halcyoniawrites]

Marius: I’m literally always joking except when I’m not

Luke: Okay but 9 times out of 10 I’m not really flirting, I just like making people feel loved :)  

Rosa: 98% of my life is ????? with a little ¿¿¿¿¿ 

Vyn: There is a thin line between being sassy and being an asshole and I cross it everyday. 

Artem: You stare at your coffee hoping it gives you perspective and sanity and the ability to make sense of it all and that’s a lot to ask of your coffee.

[halcyoniawrites]

I’ve never really thought about this before but man, now I can’t think of anything else.

Thinking back to my law classes, and there was this one about a lady who slipped and hurt herself at a Walmart, and she was trying to prove negligence on the part of the company. Can u imagine Artem Wing in one of those cases. Replaying pixelated footage of a lady in slippers falling on her butt to try and establish Duty of Care.

Or like. I remember from Buzzfeed Unsolved or smthing where there was this dude who ended up falling out of an airplane and dying (or something similar idr the details), he and his wife were married bc he wanted a pretty trophy and she wanted money, they slept in separate beds and it was all good but apparently the dude really, really loved horses to like. A concerning extent and can u imagine Artem Wing, soul just leaving his body in a marriage dispute where the wife is trying to divorce the man and Artem has to learn that apparently the man was cheating on her with a horse. God, imagine she had photo evidence and he had to look at that djgshsbs it probably would never happen but IMAGINE the secrets this man will have to take to his grave. His eyes, haunted with Forbidden Knowledge.

sometimes i remember that senior attorney artem wing is good at every branch of law, meaning he's had to sit through divorce proceedings and divorce negotiations and it makes me cackle in delight every single time

like obviously it's a little bit sad but i'm talking about like the wacko fucken cases. like artem wing has probably had to sit there with a straight face while the broken couple just fucking going at it yelling at each other.

and these are people who have the money to fucking hire artem. like, lawyers make bank big deal, but also it's like artem is a name brand cereal? you're gonna end up paying more bc he's senior attorney.

so imagine this fucking rich ass couple who's going through a messy ass divorce after a month of marriage and artem has to sit there. stone faced. because he can't break because it's not professional.

and that makes me hella crack up 😂

#bwahahaha sorry artem #torturing my faves is my only goal in life #artem wing did not become stellis’ youngest senior attorney to help a lady divorce her horse-fucking husband

[halcyoniawrites]

nxx + handwriting

(note: I'm fairly new to tumblr, came here after twt sold out to nft nonsense, so forgive me if the formatting here is terrible.)

my friends and I were recently talking about our handwriting and how we used to shape our letters as children, and since my brain is currently obsessed with tears of themis, I got to thinking about the nxx team's handwriting. quick note that these are all just my opinions and overthinking, certainly in the headcanon territory. and if there's anything canon about handwritings currently, my brain has forgotten it whoops anyhow,

--

rosa: neat print

- slightly curved, rounded letters; the letters every young lady was attempting to perfect back in middle school. neat, easy to read, absolute teacher's darling.

- the simplicity and organized nature of it all obscures the painful amount of time she spent trying to get it just right (though she herself rarely considers this when she marvels at the far more distinctive-looking letters of the other nxx members), as well as the insane effort that was trying to retain it when college lecturers would speak lightning-fast.

- uses shorthand at times to make up for it, but her handwriting. will. be. neat.

luke: chicken scratch

- everything's online anyway, he can type just fine, but luke never bothered to really sculpt his handwriting.

- his E's are just four sharp lines, W's and M's exactly how children are taught in kindergarten because, hey, if it's legible then who cares? (his teachers disagree. sometimes they would give up on trying to decipher his test answers and just assumed he was right because he's luke pearce.)

- rosa used to want to strangle him for his mysterious notes (detective tie, maybe?) when they would study together. they used her notes instead.

vyn: calligraphy-cursive

- forced to take handwriting lessons as a child due to his family's social standing, so his signature is absolutely beautiful. embellished cursive, can use fountain pens and studied calligraphy, the whole shebang.

- vyn admires the aesthetic of it all, but it's yet another reminder of his childhood, a sore spot. so he doesn't think much of it until rosa spends like a full ten minutes admiring his flowy, calligraphy-cursive handwriting.

- and then he is the smuggest smug who ever smugged.

- he hides it, of course, but he quietly leverages any potential opportunity to show his handwriting off to her. roses + instagrammable handwritten notes. bc he's a shameless opportunist (affectionate)

marius: ALL CAPITAL LETTERS!!!

- but only on vyn's exams, and solely because marius knows it annoys the hell out of him.

- otherwise, his handwriting is "normal." tilts a little to the right, letters mostly connected for efficiency. generally prefers typing because it's faster,

- though he has molded his signature to perfection. everything that he is is constantly on display, and he knows better than to take that lightly.

- sometimes he might play around with different writing styles, sharp or curved, angled differently, extra embellishments etc., just in case "z" might need them in the future

artem: mix of cursive and print (and the real reason I wanted to write this post)

- artem has beautiful, flowy handwriting, when he has the time to make it so. he's careful to make it all legible, and uses a print style when he wants to make things especially clear.

- artem enjoys manually writing! one of his skill materials is a lovely fountain pen!!

- but.

- despite always having been curious about different kinds of calligraphy, he never really got into it because he's just... not a creative person, and calligraphy is for creative people

- besides, it's not really functional, now is it? it sounds really interesting, don't get him wrong!! but it doesn't really make sense for artem to spend a lot of time on something that probably wouldn't amount to much, something that isn't for him. he's terrible at art, and calligraphy is an aspect of creative expression.

- or so he tells rosa when she asks about it, promptly shattering her heart into two

#tears of themis #im not sorry #tot mc #luke pearce #vyn richter #marius von hagen #artem wing #I really want a fic where vyn teaches artem the basics of calligraphy #like #I imagine it to be such a loaded thing for both of them #and to turn it into something that can bring joy #that can heal the wounds of the past? #found family... #sobbing