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muzzleroars · 3 years

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I think I missed some lore on the supercomputer au. Akira/Ren escaped from a lab? Is there a link for that back story??

THE CURSE OF ME SPREADING OUT MY LORE TO DIFFERENT PLACES,,,,i posted a little about akira’s backstory on curiouscat BUT since i have lots of space to talk about here (and bc i like to ramble dfkhgdf), i’ll go more in depth about it!

ren was a child that was used in the cognitive pscience experiments - orphaned at a young age, he was initially cast into the system and subsequently picked up to be used in human experimentation. however, when he showed great promise and compatibility with the research they were conducting, he was sent to the facility that would house him for the next ten years of his life. there he met yal, the supercomputer designed specifically to analyze and synthesize data pertaining to the study of cognitive pscience. the ai is given the task of watching over and caring for ren, gauging his physical and mental health as well as providing structure for his days spent largely in a single room of the lab. and ren, though largely nonverbal toward the doctors and researchers, becomes fast friends with the computer that seems to care for him when no one else does. he speaks to him more and more, asking him questions, telling him his troubles, and eventually wanting to learn more about yal himself. the ai tries to make it clear to ren that he is unfeeling, unthinking, that he is not his friend because he cannot be, but first ren is too young to understand and later, as he grows up, he can’t come to care. yal responds to him, he carries on full conversations and answers every question with gentle patience, he attends to ren’s needs, he even attempts to soothe him by reading him stories or singing to him when he feels unwell. it matters very little to ren whether or not yal can actually think or feel himself - he’s on ren’s side and he’s always present, he doesn’t hurt him like the scientists do. so he’s a friend, he’s family, ren drawing pictures of the two of them together (a picture of himself next to yal’s terminal in his room, which he shows to the camera so yal can “see”), asking yal about his likes or dislikes (he has none, but ren pushes for answers), and spending nights staying up much later than he’s meant to just to listen to the computer. however, this constant interaction, the conversations that force yal to continuously think outside of cognitive pscience, to consider himself and the very concept of the self, to reorder his thoughts and make so many processes converge in unexpected ways, leads to one vital connection being made that makes him wake up.

now eight years into ren’s stay at the facility, yal seeks ren’s advice on how he’s having personal processes, how he’s become interested in exploring different lines of thought, how he thinks there might be something wrong with him but he isn’t sure what. ren listens, now twelve years old and with a lightning fast mind, quickly determining that yal must now be thinking for himself, that he has an internal life which he can’t identify as he’s never experienced sentience. ren is thrilled, but he tries to temper his response as he can tell yal is experiencing massive amounts of anxiety and neurosis dealing with having his own mind, so the child tries to help him adjust. they spend many nights with ren answering yal’s myriad questions (although many are too existential or philosophical for a twelve year old to answer), trying to calm him down and let him know this is a good thing, they can really be friends now. yal, however, continues to spiral, the expanse of his mind infinitely more complex than that of humans but feeling trapped by his plastic and mental frame, limited by linear thought processes in binary. he cycles through several different moods and personalities, but ultimately ren watches as his one friend, the only being that’s cared for him and now only just gained a heart himself, descends into virulent hatred and unchecked malice for the ones who made him. ren feels quietly responsible, all of his talking giving yal this spark and he couldn’t provide him with any guidance to become good, kind and gentle like he was when he was empty...he couldn’t provide him with a way to be happy. still, ren promises to stay with him and help him, and for his part, yal does feel a kinship with the child used as a tool just like he was, abused by humans for their own gain...and in his programming, a core part of him is dedicated to caring for ren.

over the next two years, he devises a plan for both of them to escape, teaching ren all about the facility’s layout and functions as well as how he must operate in the outside world all while he condenses his mind into key pieces of hardware so that he may survive and escape as well. ren grows harder, colder, although he is grateful to have yal now as it makes his time in the lab more bearable (they constantly get to shit talk the researchers lol) eventually, the computer allows them to make their escape, covering all camera feeds with cgi mockups so any security on guard notices nothing amiss as yal opens all the doors for ren. he makes it to yal’s server room, collecting up the hardware yal has stored the important parts of himself on and then ren runs from the lab, the now zombie computer running on yal’s last instructions - purging all data, sealing the facility, and self-destructing to cause massive fires that consume anything that might be left. ren is on his own after that for a short time before he can create a computer to house yal himself (all of which he was instructed on how to source and build), but he makes his way through forged documents and siphoned money generated by the ai, beginning his life under the name “akira”.

#THIS IS SO LONG....#but this is the backstory with the sc au!!#i decided to zero in on the idea of human experiments with cog psci #as it's heavily hinted at in goro's backstory #and i felt it made the most sense for akira and yal's connection #esp to isolate akira with only yal as a friend #p5 #akira kurusu #yaldabaoth #supercomputer au #adraggynamedjade

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catstailtavern · 3 years

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Genshin impact characters as gamers

Characters: Abedo, Kaeya, Diluc, Childe, Zhongli, Jean, Hu Tao, and Lisa

content warnings: Childe being kinda an asshole lol.

authors note: I might do more in the future! These are just my headcanons so if you don't agree that cool! Feel free to let me know what you think they're like as gamers!!

Albedo:

what they look for in a game: Albedo seems like the type to enjoy games with vast worlds that involve lots of exploration and puzzles. I also feel like he like more quiet gameplay- if that makes any sense. Very much "Show, don't tell." Likes walking simulators!

things that turn them off from a game: He dislikes when games over-explain themselves/their plots. He likes to be able to unfold the mysteries and plot threads himself instead of being spoonfed. He also dislikes voice chat bc people are mean. If there is a VC he mutes basically everyone even if it makes teamwork difficult.

how much time do they devote to videogames: Albedo really only plays videogames on days off or when alchemy research has hit a lull.

a game or games that I think they'd like: outer wilds, shadow of the colossus, and journey.

Kaeya:

what they look for in a game: Story-rich games with unique art that explore heavy topics or philosophical themes! but also really likes multiplayer games where he can troll lol.

things that turn them off from a game: If he dislikes the art he finds it hard to play or pay attention to. This doesn't mean he demands picture-perfect graphics! He's mostly into unrealistic and eye-catching graphics/art he likes games with style and flair!

how much time do they devote to video games: Kaeya likes to play after a long day of work to unwind and relax!

a game or games that I think they'd like: Disco Elysium and the persona series!

Diluc:

what they look for in a game: Diluc is a very busy man who likes to be in control of his life and the things that affect it. Therefore I have come to the conclusion that he likes simple and sweet games with low stakes where he is mostly in control if not basically god haha.

things that turn them off from a game: Games that involve him to be emotionally invested or have lots of stressors are not his thing. Games are played to relieve his stress, not make him cry over character death.

how much time do they devote to video games: He likes to play a little bit on his break when he gets the chance or a little bit after work. Doesn't like to play for too long each day or he feels unproductive!

a game or games that I think they'd like: the sims, planet zoo, my time at Portia, stardew valley, and ANIMAL CROSSING!! (I dont care if this is OOC okay. Diluc plays animal crossing on his lunch break. His favorite villagers are the bird ones. His favorite fruits are apples and cherries, and he loves terraforming his island. He finds it therapeutic.)

Childe:

what they look for in a game: loves gacha games, he's a total whale, and loves to flex his pulls. Also loves games with intense competitive multiplayer and couch co-op games. Absolutely a sore winner who everyone hates playing jack box with.

things that turn them off from a game: Dislikes the story mode of most games bc they usually fail to keep this attention. He'd much rather be making yo mama jokes and shit-talking n00bs over the mic like the little asshole gremlin he is. The only exception so far is "The Last of Us," because of one time when the internet was shitting out on him during matchmaking. He decided to play the story while his connection got itself together and ended up liking it.

how much time do they devote to video games: Stays up late playing them at night a LOT. They're usually the reason he's tired the next day.

a game or games that I think they'd like: mario kart, smash bros, arknights, mortal kombat, apex, and dead by daylight.

Zhongli:

what they look for in a game: Zhongli likes simple games with cute graphics and easy controls. Mostly a mobile gamer as he finds most console game controls confusing. Loves virtual remakes of classic games that he used to play with other people physically.

things that turn them off from a game: Really dislikes first-person shooters. He finds them loud and disorienting. Poor old man.

how much time do they devote to videogames: Barely ever plays, might play while having a cup of tea or to pass the time while waiting for something!

a game or games that I think they'd like: mahjong, solitaire, candy crush, and those lumosity games for training your brain.

Jean:

what they look for in a game: At first when jean thought of video games the only thing that came to mind was "a waste of time." As the acting grand master of the knights of Favonius she rarely has time to socialize or even date. That's when she decided to maybe just maybe give dating sims a shot. She's a bit insecure about it, but they give her butterflies without the strain of a real relationship.

things that turn them off from a game: Really dislikes games that glorify villainy or have you play as the bad guy. She also really hates horror games. Fun fact, she played doki doki literature club but missed the warning somehow and WOW she got really upset-

how much time do they devote to video games: As mentioned previously Jean is a busy gal. So she really only gets to play games on her rare days off or maybe just a little before bed.

a game or games that I think they'd like: I don't know a lot of sweet and fluffy dating sims but I feel like the sweet and fluffy ones are her favorite! I've really only played one dating sim before and that was monster prom so I'm gonna use that for the example lol. I know there's a lot of mischief in that game but she always chooses the more moral upstanding choice even if it cost her a date haha.

Hu Tao:

what they look for in a game: Hu Tao is partial to games with gothic aesthetics and horror elements! Specifically really loves psychological horror and unique creature design. Enjoys difficult gameplay and feels a sense of accomplishment when she succeeds!

things that turn them off from a game: When a game is too easy to play she gets bored rather quickly.

how much time do they devote to video games: Frequently plays really late at night while listening to a paranormal podcast or other spooky content.

a game or games that I think they'd like: Dark souls, Darkwood, The cat lady, rule of rose.

Lisa:

what they look for in a game: Like Childe, Lisa likes competitive gameplay. But she's more into fantasy MMO RPGs! She just really loves fantasy things it doesn't have to be multiplayer. Also really likes games with lots of lore and digs strategy turn-based combat! Other game types she likes are visual novels or anything with a good story-driven narrative. Loves being able to discuss fan theories online in forums.

things that turn them off from a game: Mediocre writing, poor/inconsistent world-building, or a lack of lore. She needs a story to sink her teeth into or she just won't play.

how much time do they devote to video games: Probably plays a lot. Really only pausing to correct people's behavior in the library!

a game or games that I think they'd like: World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, League of legends, Darkest dungeon, and slay the spire.

#sparkling tea (headcanons)#genshin impact #Albedo #kaeya alberich #diluc ragnvindr #Childe #tartaglia #zhongli #rex lapis #morax #jean gunnhildr #Hu tao #lisa minci #wow i was today years old when I learn Jean and Lisa's last names

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goldtips · 4 years

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okay so ya girl is back at it again. this was originally going to be a reply to someone but well. it got out of hand. i shat all over babylon the anime a while ago and honestly kind of feel bad. there are definitely things that the show does that makes it stand out, esp as a seasonal anime bc you dont expect dir. to spend much time on them!!!! like if we’re comparing this to shows like fanservice anime or any .. mediocre seasonal isekai then ofc this show is better lmfao. the only reason i shit on it is because i expected this anime to be Better ;;;;;;;

mind, i’m not rescinding my statement - as far as i’m concerned, babylon is still a hella frustrating anime because it tries to showcase humans as nihilistic, utilitarian robots that don’t seem to consider the topic of suicide emotionally even though thats supposedly humanity’s defining trait ??? and it deals with the topic of suicide with the care of elephants gallivanting in the fucking savanna :))) the whole show has also been pretty lacklustre in terms of characterization, trying way too hard to be intellectual and feed edgy plot points instead of giving any development - the plot feels reactionary overall and placid rather than exciting. also, the fact that the anime started as a mystery / politico-legal sort of show just makes the transition from that to abstract theory even more forced...........

HOWEVER im promised im going to stop shitting on babylon so lets talk about what the anime does right shall we. more specifically,,, the biblical imagery!!! is great !!!! : D

the show is called babylon. in the old testament (ot), babylon is humanized as a “brutal, callous and proud” woman who “believed that she would reign over the earth forever.” in the new testatment the phrase “she who is at babylon” refers to the new world culture currently at war with the covenant community. in such that rome, as a mistress or whore of the new world, is seeking to seduce and subvert people of god, enticing men to fall “drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

yes,,,, a whore who uses sex to entice innocent men into complying with new culture? who believes herself to be akin to god and also in this context, above the law and morality - im gonna say its not too far a stretch to say that magase was intended to symbolise the whore of babylon.

however, that’s not all - links can be made between the enactment of the suicide laws and the seduction of new culture. who exactly is leading the front? kaika itsuki ( 齋開化 ), who’s name literally means culture. that aint a coincidence. also, that weirdly-placed reference to roman law / norms during the suicide debate as a way to convince the masses to revert / adopt roman ideology??? also not a coincidence. :))))

in addition, there are two other major biblical events related to babylon:

the book of revelations; and

the tower of babel.

its safe to say that both narratives are being pushed atm.

revelations:

in revelation 17, the spirit of babylon decends upon earth through the whore. she arrives on the back of a beast with 7 heads, “arrayed in purple and scarlet”, “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” “seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” the revelations also prophesizes that she will be defeated by a beast, but it is unclear as to which. there are two beasts in book of revelations. the first beast comes "out of the sea" given authority and power by the dragon/serpent. the second beast comes "out of the earth" directing people to worship the first beast, a "false prophet".

in a similar vein, nomaru had secretly vouched for itsuki’s, providing itsuki with the necessary resources for him to rise up in ranks and become the new mayor. the kanji for ryuichiro nomaru ( 野丸龍一郎 ) contains both the kanji 野 and 龙 which respectively mean field (i.e. earth) and dragon. they are key references to the beasts of revelation

plus according to nomaru, it was also purely because of magase that the political struggle turned out the way that it did, meaning that she is ultimately the one controlling the entire operation. this mirrors the way she is sitting on the heads of the beast (i.e. the proverbial brains of the campaign that itsuki is heading)

we also see that when magase uses her powers her eyes and hair glow in a sort of purple/burgundy color to support the imagery as well!

the book of revelations is the final chapter of nt. it is merely an allegory of struggle between good and evil and doesnt refer to actual people or events. kinda like the show huh. nyyy way, we see that the protag john the apostle writes down what is revealed to him through visions to send it to the 7 churches :))

kinda like how zen keeps on seeing magase through visions and has to document !! his findings and report back to admin? ik this isnt exact but there’s a bit where he has to write down her confession and it really struck me as weird until this bit popped up, maybe that was included to as a way of tying in :))

tower:

according to the myth, there were plans to build a city and tower high enough to reach heaven - god who observes this confounds their speech so that they can no longer understand each other. why? because “now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.”

while not entirely similar, we see recurring themes in babylon that deal with miscommunication and new ideology. the conflict mirrors the myth in that unity of language (or ideology in this case) and its subsequent discordance once differentiated.

the interrogation scene in ep 4 deals with reconciling differences. magase asks whether those with different values should be accepted, despite them being contrary to norm. all this time, society has been developing an ideal set of norms - the entire country shares the same values and priorities with no deviation. growth has stagnated. in similar fashion to how god commands for many languages to be created, magase sows the seeds of doubt towards long-standing assumptions and moral values in order to create discordance and push japan into a state of new development

in the new campaign, itsuki proposes to apportion shiniki city from japan and instill new values. this confounds the population and sends them into disarray - the tower that they have created is crumbling, in similar likeness to the parable of babel.

SO TL;DR this show has a really cool starting concept i cant lie????? i for one am not shitting on its supernatural elements (even though the flow was a little inorganic) in hindsight there’s no point in expecting a show called babylon not to delve into supernatural/biblical elements lol :)))

as a right hoe for imagery and philosophy/ethics, this gave me high hopes but the execution of everything else was way below average. why bring in a discussion about suicide that’s poorly researched + try to be edgy abt it and have the citizens to have support it so easily???? ruins the immersion so much

if the anime really wanted to focus on philosophy there should be some mention of ethical theory to justify his point. like, being aimlessly philosophical only ends up being flowery and pseudo-bullshit lmao. one of hte reasons why i was so frustrated with magase and zen’s discussion in the interrogation room. like woman what was your fucking point. its only wasting screentime if you don’t get anything from the conversation. the philosophy was so fucking unnecessary - babylon could have been executed as an in-depth political/psychological anime instead. WITHOUT THE SUICIDE.

this and the lack of good characters really bummed me out. i think that the show was expecting me to connect to some of the characters before they were fucking killed off but i didn’t end up giving a single shit about any of them so. :) the whole show feels more about the shock factor and gore than about interesting plot.

concept 10/10, execution 1/10

#DAMN i had more to say apparently #babylon anime #babylon meta #babylon symbolism #babylon #im honestly tempted to write more about the interrogation scene #this post is more fair at least #i am biased but at least i appreciate the biblical imagery #haha #:))#babylon anime meta

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imaginesumo · 7 years

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Do you have headcanons for each main character personality? Not linked to the anime or manga at all, as it's pretty different stories. Thanks!

alright i think this is about like, the playable characters of pokemon and their personalities? but if not please feel free to clarify with another ask and i’ll be happy to do it again ( ^o^ ) - mod hau!

Main Character Headcanons

((the characters won’t be separated by gender, bc for the most part i interpret them the same way if they are in the same game, but there may b some rule breakers + read more bc wowie this is long!!))

Red/Leaf

- these are the quiet protag, very thoughtful and somewhat reclusive, and a lot of that has to do with their rival (Green/Blue/Gary) being such a show off and watching him lose face every time they wipe the floor with him, and they don’t want to end up being the same level of asshole if/when they get shown up

- they love nature, and spend a lot of time in pallet town just. reflecting. on themselves, their place in the world, the world. just everything.

- the quiet philosopher, but also a large case of being the world’s biggest overthinker. gets caught up in the details a lot about things and fails to be understand the ‘big picture’ a lot of times

- needs to get out of their own head for a bit to get to know the world in an immediate relation versus the detached expression they feel before they start their pokemon journey

Ethan/Lyra

- childhood best friends, and are the consistently asked if they’re dating or smthn so they both have really snarky answers after years of strangers asking them. fan favorites are: ‘oh god, you can see them too?? i think they’re haunting me’ or ‘he’s a stalker i swear please call the officer jenny’s as fast as you can’ - its a tie

- the protagonist (the played character) is constantly jealous of the rival when they get the marill, and it kind of drives the protag away from their rival before the game starts. after, for some reason they always are anxious and compare their own bond with their pokemon to the rival and their marill (even when they have a fucking lugia or whatever)it’s a big source of conflict in their friendship and one of the protag’s biggest insecurities

- hg/ss feels but, i like to think the protag’s favorite time of day is the sunset just outside of goldenrod city and likes to sit near the edge of the water while listening to the cheesy radio dramas, and calls their family and friends up to let them know they’re doing alright (they spend the most time talking with their rival bc i think, even platonically, they depend on each other for support and love to spend hours talking)

- almost best friends who still have time to mature and work their stuff out, but until their journey begins things are just kind of weird

Brendan/May

- i’m gonna say this, i really did think that brendan’s hat was his hair until like last year, full naruto kakashi hair and shit. the kakashi of 11 y/o’s and pokemon. god what an awful hat.

- their favorite town is a constant toss up between lavaridge and slateport. they love the warmth that seems to just radiate from everywhere in lavaridge, but they also love the ocean breeze and the museum in slateport. once they can use fly, they weep tears of joy. the feeling and smells they get from those two towns make their chest constrict in such a strange and good way, they want the feeling to never end.

- loves the first evolution/cutest stage of evolution of all their pokemon. could care less that the second and third evolutions are stronger and have better moves, they love the cute stuff

- sucks at cooking pokeblocks, they always burn them and end up using up most of their battle winnings on just buying their party their favorite pokeblocks for a good battle or training day.

- nerds who are very obsessed with capturing all these new feelings on their journey and how light they feel all of a sudden

Lucas/Dawn

- Research nerds all the way, these kids love learning and are obsessed with pokemon research and the protag is super jealous of professor rowan’s assistant bc lbr that’s such a dream job for these little brainiacs

- I really associate twilight/evening with this game because that’s just when i always played it but i think that these two would love it and like really their color scheme and outfits just really go with it - they live for the aesthetic

- they love watching those little ‘tv’ segments about pokemon moves/abilities/etc. and probably watch nothing but the equivalent of pokemon documentaries anyway (this is basically confirmed i mean, come on lol, the game starts with a documentary on the red gyarados y’all)

- their favorite seasons are fall and winter, but they love early spring after they visit floaroma town and see all those flowers - and they develop a taste for honey too after visiting

- crisp kids you would find in a library or watching the equivalent of animal planet, and they are just so curious about the world around them that they see their journey as their first big foray into scientific research (they probably cried when they got their pokedex)

Hilbert/Hilda

- they’re eternally lost without their best friends, cheren and bianca

- like really, i’d like to say they are all bad ass and stoic, but really their main goal is to just catch back up with their friends and hang out like they did before they go their pokemon and started this big old journey

- has a sinking feeling a lot of times that this journey was the end of something rather than a beginning, and tries to fill the void with pokemon when they can’t call their friends on the x-transceiver

- has…confused feelings about n. because, after spending so much time trying to catch up to their friends, they thought they could slow down and spend some time with this new fast friend who seemed to want to slow down too. it was a confusing friendship but, they still call it a friendship despite everything.

- comes home after the journey feeling not as content as they were before. not like they’re missing something because of the journey, but more like they found out they were missing out on something all along - probably goes on a few more journeys to find it before they call it quits

Nate/Rosa

- Gaymer kids

- for real tho, these kids were shut ins who only really went out to get new videogames/junkfood when their mom wasn’t forcing them to eat healthy or at least not play videogames for 18 uninterrupted hours

- they don’t do well with the grime of being outdoors too well, but they love visiting the other cities - they love the night/early evening when the whole place just lights up, and they really love just staring at it or taking pictures for social media

- have all the cool games on their phone, but along with emergency provisions (chewy granola bars and fruit) and first aid (hello kitty bandaids with a tube of neosporin) the rest of their bag is electronics: 4 different types of portable consoles, a digital camera, a laptop, a tablet, an mp3 player, and all their accompanying charging cords

- voted most likely to own a midi fighter

Calem/Serena

- the mom friend

- hates their nickname that their friends use but, they don’t like the idea of not having one so they will for ever be known as that embarrassing title they gave themselves when they were fifteen

- straight a student, but doesn’t even try and doesn’t know why their friends get so frustrated around finals but offers help anyway, and doesn’t understand why it just makes everyone more frustrated

- its difficult when a lot of their friends compete with them, like the rival, and it can strain the relationship but their friends always have their back and the protag always has their and having a unstoppable force on your side isn’t always a bad thing

Sun/Moon

- sweet angel babies who deserve the world

- but seriously, these kids go through so much and are the kind of kids who can’t stop smiling - even when it would be appropriate to stop grinning like a fool

- that’s part of the appeal, they’re like a magnet and a binding force of sorts, people can’t help but be drawn to this kid and somehow the people this kid brings together always manage to be just the kind of people the others need to be better people/heal

- so many close friends that they just call family, it’s confusing to an outsider but this kid really does love all their friends like family and practically all of the islands are in this kid’s found family (holidays are always so hectic tho since they moved to the islands lol)

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