#additional ideas are not canon no matter the source | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

leportraitducadavre · 3 months

Note

How do you feel about Haku and Zabuza, and what was introduced in the Land of Waves that contained elements of genocide and the purging of the Hidden Mist? I'm just curious to know your thoughts on them and the structure the first arc provided

Haku introduced something that was later deepened with Sasuke's character and story. While Haku's experience is similar to Sasuke's, both contexts differ in that Haku knew from a young age the persecution of people like him (and his mother), while the discrimination of the Uchiha clan was much more specific as it was focused on one particular family.

The first arc introduces such matters, yet it does little to bring light to Konoha's particular case, which will become the plot's main focus later on. While it's established that Tobirama was the one that created the bureaucratic system that Konoha follows and which was used as a model for the rest,

Source

each village's relationship with kekkei genkai users varies, although every single one persecuted or discriminated against those with such techniques.

Kekkei Genkai are feared -therefore, those who possess them are persecuted/killed. While what he says is solely linked to Mist, the weariness towards those with such bloodlines is clearly universal as these individuals possessed the most "natural advantages" for combat out of most (likely, hidden techniques were created for a similar purpose).

Tobirama’s reason for discriminating against the Uchiha was because of how their doujutsu developed and evolved, and nothing of his weariness was overcome by those who came after him, as we see Haku, from another village and generation, suffering the consequences of a fear born on the Warring State Era. Kakashi is particularly accepted because he has the Sharingan but not the blood/chakra of a Uchiha as he’s not part of the bloodline.

Furthermore, Sasuke is directly mentioned in the exchange, Naruto even links Haku’s words to Sasuke’s goal: To kill someone (Itachi who killed his clan because of the fear they installed in the power-ups: they were accused and punished for controlling the Kyuubi without a shred of single evidence, Itachi even canonically states later on that there’s “no hope for this clan” meaning, those who carry the bloodline).

Haku's admission of feeling lonely and unwanted can be directly reflected in Sasuke's character and it's a comparison that Naruto makes for himself; all three children were shunned and abandoned for something they had no control over nor chose to have, and there's a system that not only turns a deaf ear to such issues but also encourages it.

There’s an interaction between Tazuna and Kakashi, where Kakashi mentions that a previous Hokage (we aren’t told whom) taught his people to “fight for what is right”, selling the idea to the civilian in front of him that his hidden village (specifically) is the “good” side against the “evil” side (Zabuza, Gato -even other hidden villages). However, this particular speech of Kakashi, which he gives solely to Tazuna and not to his subordinates (who, by Tazuna’s standards are children), clashes with the prior idea that “missions’ feuds are high and we do what we are paid to do” (assassinations or babysitting). Meaning: there’s a narrative to be told to civilians to shape their view of shinobi (particularly Konoha’s), and the actual reality that only Team 7 (as ninjas), gets to see. In addition, during Kakashi’s second fight against Zabuza (CH 30), Kakashi states that Konoha (therefore, he), knows about the swordsman’s attempt to coup and kill the current Mizukage -alongside his wish to raise funds to attempt another coup after his failure. We learned previously thanks to Haku’s background that there’s a bloodline cleansing currently happening in Mist; a genocide on such a large scale can’t be kept secret that long -furthermore, there’s no indication that the murders are happening quietly either since those who possessed Kekkei Genkai were pushed to hide their bloodline; and if Konoha knows about Zabuza and his attempt to take over the government, then they surely know about the reasons behind it. What I mean by this is what follows: Kakashi and Konoha claim that they fight for “the right thing” to those civilians they encounter, but do nothing -neither military nor diplomatically, to stop those massacres from occurring (nor do they take a stance against them either, as it reduces Mist numbers and weakens their military power). They’re still pretty much in touch with the Mizukage that carried out/ordered such killings, for his government was the one that told Konoha about Zabuza’s attempted coup when declaring him rogue.

Source

The first arc is a great introductory arc; it establishes the notion of blood cleansing, discrimination, how shinobi fight for whoever pays their feeds, how uncomfortable many are with the idea of being tools, who the main characters in the dispute are (Naruto and Sasuke) and upon which ground they stand to carry out their respective actions against the system that aggravated them.

Naruto, even by the end of the arc, never disputed the idea of moving to reach his goal outside Konoha's system, as he never stated he wanted to stop being a ninja:

We are also shown how shinobi who go against the system are considered rogue (Zabuza), so Naruto stating that he'll create his own ninja path (fighting alongside the system) automatically puts Sasuke, who'll become the antagonist, outside that political bubble, turning him into a missing-nin.

I really like this arc and I'm glad it's the first one, I don't think it's the best one in the manga as many inside the fandom claim.

#naruto #naruto meta #haku #zabuza

26 notes · View notes

antianakin · 1 month

Note

So this post has been floating around my brain for a bit https://www.tumblr.com/coupleofdays/746467882552180736/in-the-republic-commando-books-author-karen?source=share

where op mentions force induced HRT. What are your thoughts on the idea? Do you think the jedi even considered bio sex as important considering their luminous beings who don't really value crude matter as much? Granted, Star Wars doesn't really handle gender issues that well, but the core of jedi beliefs seems to be firmly based on ideas that are very pro-lgbtq and anti-discrimination. Sorry if this is out of your usual area of expertise, but I figured you know a lot more jedi lore to confirm if it's accurate

I wouldn't consider myself a massive expert in Jedi lore or lore about the Force, but Karen Traviss's books are pretty non-canon at this point, so we have to start from there.

Force healing is something of a controversial topic as some people feel like it makes a lot of sense for them to be able to do it given what ELSE they can do and other people feel like it makes the narrative a little nonsensical to introduce the concept of healing with the Force when we never see Jedi in Lucas's canon being able to utilize that skill even when it would be pretty helpful to do so. Obviously the Sequels chose to bring it in, but they were able to sort-of give the caveat that these two people were the ONLY ONES who could do it because they had a dyad which gave them access to additional power for healing or something like that. The Mandalorian then also tossed it in where it was used in a more GENERAL sense, so at this point you can argue that it's canon in Disney's canon, and more specifically it's canon to the Mandoverse canon. But it was not and has never been a part of Lucas's canon.

As for what the Jedi would've actually thought about things like being transgender, I firmly believe the Jedi were very open-minded about all of those kinds of things. The Jedi are the most diverse organization in the entirety of Star Wars, bar none, and like you mentioned, they have a focus on who a person is beyond "that crude matter" of the physical body. Yoda says something similar to the clones in episode 1 of TCW where he tells them your eyes can deceive you and that, regardless of what they look like, they are each different in the Force. We see the Jedi consistently respect the clones as individuals throughout TCW, too, indicating a respect for the clones' personhood that goes beyond just what their body looks like. We also know from TCW that the Jedi encouraged the clones' "independence" and expressing their individuality, which we see includes things like different hair cuts and hair colors, different painted designs on their armor, tattoos, etc. Among their own members, we see plenty of differences in personal expression among the Jedi, too, from hair styles to clothes to tattoos. The Jedi are demonstrated within higher canon to be very accepting of how people choose to identify themselves and don't see the physical body as the primary defining trait for a person's identity.

I also honestly find the concept of transphobia and homophobia in the GFFA a little ridiculous given how normal it is to be interacting with multiple different alien species, some of which aren't even really humanoid at all. So while I imagine the Jedi themselves would be quite open-minded about all of this, I tend to headcanon the GFFA as sort-of free of transphobia and homophobia just in general. There's never any indication that it exists in higher canon, which is primarily due to a lack of any representation in higher canon and straight being the default, but there's no indication that Vel and Cinta are treated differently or have to hide their relationship specifically due to homophobia.

#star wars #jedi

22 notes · View notes

dokidokitsuna · 1 year

Photo

I came up with the idea to add these two to the AU a long time ago, but I initially thought they’d just distract from the dark tone. It wasn’t until recently that I (a) came up with these too-cute-to-not-use designs and (b) figured out a way for them to add to the Master Crown’s story despite it all.

In general, within this AU, Dark Matter are considered ‘inferior life forms’, basically giant space bugs that get in your way sometimes. ^^; Like dark matter IRL, they seem to simply exist out of sight, filling in the spaces between the realms that no one cares about. They can’t really compete with the big dimension-conquering supervillains, and they don’t try to.

Despite that, they’re probably due a little more respect. I mean, you might think of yourself as superior to a bug, but meanwhile the bug doesn’t even care that you exist, and its kind will probably still be around long after yours is gone. That’s the worldview the Dark Matter are working from, pretty much. ^^

GONE.Dark Matter Swordsman

I have a bad habit of drawing Swordsman designs without the swords…whatever; you’ll see it later. ;]

Anyway, this Swordsman is the MC’s primary henchman, being the most combat-ready specimen it managed to capture during its conquest. Over time, it’s been molded into a powerful mage in its own right, and with a Dark Matter’s regenerative ability, essentially unlimited lifespan, and (seemingly…) low intelligence, it makes a perfect subordinate.

In reality, though, it’s just a good actor. ^^ It’s not a secret genius or anything, but it knows enough not to show all its cards while it’s learning spells and gathering information for its true master. Besides that, it tries to keep a smile on its face to serve as a source of hope for its little partner. It doesn’t mind taking all the Master Crown’s abuse and pretending to be a happy slave if it’ll give Gooey one less thing to be sad about.

GONE.Gooey

A mere “appendage”, as far as the Master Crown knows. It doesn’t seem to do anything but stay near Swordsman and follow it around.

In reality, Gooey is actually Swordsman’s boss, in a way. It relays messages from their true master, including its initial order to pretend to be captured and stay with the Master Crown for observation.

Its canon-based origin as a Dark Matter-esque thing that used to goof around in Dream Land is still in play here-- unfortunately, that was eons ago, and now it is one of the only beings still in existence that can even remember Pop Star…as well as the planet’s slow death at the hands of the Master Crown. So it decided to re-assimilate itself into the Dark Matter collective in order for a shot at revenge, no matter how long it might have to wait.

In terms of the narrative, this duo’s just here to serve as one additional thing to help send the MC over the edge. :9 The revelation that it doesn’t actually control them and never did would definitely shake its faith in its own abilities much further, and I imagine Gooey would have some choice words for it before they finally leave it behind~.

Additionally, and most humiliatingly…they are actually a match for the MC in power. ^^;;; Partly due to all the time Swordsman spent learning from it, and partly because Dark Matter have much more latent potential than anyone realizes (i.e. everyone else is LUCKY they aren’t interested in conquering dimensions).

So yeah, imagine you’re already going through a rough time mentally, start suspecting that even your pet bugs might be acting against you…and they reply “oops, looks like you caught us” and then rise up and beat you within an inch of your life. So then your rivals can laugh at you for getting wrecked by a couple of insects. Not fun. XD

#kirby #gijinka #au #GONE.#dark matter swordsman #gooey

81 notes · View notes

cocogum · 1 year

Text

Leorio is NOT CANONICALLY bisexual.

It is 100% CANONICALLY CONFIRMED that Leorio is NOT bisexual. This is not a theory nor a headcanon. This is a fact.

This also goes for every other sexuality from the lgbtq+ community that has ever been attributed to Leorio. I’m simply talking about the bisexuality flag since it’s the most popular one that has ever been ascribed to him.

Despite what others may think, this Leorio situation is a bigger problem than it may seem. Some fans have decided to fully believe at the bottom of their hearts that their headcanons are facts. This is never a good thing and due to their assumptions, they have voluntarily spread disinformation in the HxH community that Leorio is part of the lgbtq+ community.

Leorio Paladiknight is a major character in the HxH universe who strives to become a doctor to heal those who cannot afford to pay for their injuries. His down-to-earth attitude and honest reactions are what makes him relatable to the audience and in addition to his saddening backstory, this has helped him receive more love from fans and made them understand his decision better for wanting to become a healer.

His immense popularity has led people to create headcanons to extend his character even further than the anime and manga have let on.

However, despite the huge amount of love and appreciation for the future doctor, a distinct headcanon attributed to him by the fandom turned into something more than just what should’ve been considered a simple headcanon.

This specific headcanon that many fans have come to accept as a fact and not just a headcanon anymore is the fact that Leorio is a true bisexual.

Now, there is nothing wrong with headcanoning a character from any source of media as a member of the lgbtq+ community.

Many have repeatedly done this to characters they especially took interest in for the sole reason of creating new ideas and concepts for this said character. This practice is also put into use so that the headcanon creator may feel comfortable or related to their favourite character in some way shape or form.

But as much as making headcanons can be fun and harmless at first, they may turn out to become a bother and obvious disinformations if the user in question takes it too far.

We have this same situation happening in this case here.

Throughout the HxH fandom, you’ll come to find out a repeated Leorio sexuality headcanon. By only barely scratching the surface, you’ll know that fans often like to portray Leorio as a bisexual man and not a straight one.

The problem, in this case, is NOT the fact that these fans have considered him to be bisexual. Lots of them are aware that he is not what they truly claim him to be and understand the difference between his canon self and his fanon self.

Unfortunately, some don’t understand the difference.

In this big group of fans, two types of people fully believe that he is canonically bisexual and will not stand that claim down under any circumstances.

The first is the delusional one.

They are stubborn people to a painful degree and will most likely call you a homophobe if you try to explain to them that the doctor in training is not a bisexual person regardless if you yourself are part of the lgbtq+ community or not.

The second is the major and popular one, the ignorant one.

They are aware that the headcanon they are presenting is just a headcanon but they will also at the same time consider their headcanon to be a canon possibility and state how there is no actual evidence that Leorio is straight OR bisexual. They will say this by choosing to phrase it in a convincing matter so that they can make anyone think that their headcanon has a chance of becoming a possibility.

Which is why you’ll come to find out now that these two types of fans are completely wrong no matter if they do these kinds of practices willingly or unconsciously.

Throughout the whole story, here are the only moments of pervert Leorio we have come to witness with our very own eyes.

And it just so happens that all those moments where he acted like a literal simp were targeted at women and women only.

1) He’s mainly based on an already straight character from Togashi’s past work Yu Yu Hakusho named Kazuma Kuwabara.

2) As soon as we first get to see him at the beginning of the hunter exam arc, he was reading what looked like a playboy magazine which is a type of publication mainly targeted at men to display the female body as erotic.

3) In the Trick Tower, the second he sees the female prisoner named Leroute taking off her cloak, he gives a surprised expression in addition to a blush implying that he’s attracted to the convicted woman.

However during their brawl, when Leroute bets on whether she’s a man or a woman, Leorio immediately starts to stress and looks at the woman in a rather confused matter wondering why she would bet that when it is obvious she’s a female. This reaction also gives us the fact that Leorio was hoping she was a female and NOT a man but as soon as she tells him that if he guesses her gender wrong, he may “examine” her to be sure she was telling the truth, Leorio immediately starts to lie and wanted to assume she was a man just so he could find an excuse to grope her feminine parts.

The important part about this scene was that he fully knew that the answer was obviously female but still took the trap even when he knew he would lose time for his team because of his perversion.

If Leorio was bisexual, he would have seen no problem guessing her gender and would have immediately told the truth without wasting any time or would have still wanted to grope Leroute no matter if she was a man or a woman.

4) At Yorknew City, Leorio was planning an arm wrestling scam to gain some quick cash for profit. When the first female challenger who just so happens to be a phantom troupe member by the name of Shizuku wishes to arm wrestle Gon, Leorio persistently tries asking Shizuku her personal infos which would usually be asked when a person is interested in another person.

If Leorio was bisexual, he would’ve done the same thing to a man who he found equally attractive by pestering him with the same questions.

5) During the Election arc, he confessed right at the microphone that he invited girls over to his place and was having fun while Gon and Killua were out risking their lives.

If Leorio was bisexual, he would’ve said ‘people’ or ‘guys and girls’ or anything else that implied both genders but he only mentioned girls meaning he’s officially confirmed to be straight.

Many of those disinforming fans would make you believe that these specific moments you are seeing of Leorio are only the ones you, the viewer, are seeing which means that he might also be doing the same thing with men while we’re not looking.

This is an obvious lie since this way of thinking can be solved with only one sentence: If many scenes of the same type of behaviour are aimed at ONLY ONE specific gender, then chances are, this means that this lewd behaviour is only specifically restricted to ONE gender. Which is in this case, the female.

However, there is one so called ‘explanation’ that they seem to like to use to prove their case and this one comes from the second group of people of fans who’d do anything to claim he’s anything but straight: they would make you believe that since Togashi hasn’t confirmed from his mouth that Leorio is straight, there is no proof that he is one therefore he may be bisexual.

This is also an obvious lie because this way of thinking is what people call “the appeal to ignorance”.

To ignore the clues that make up the answer and instead wait for the solution from the source is what you call an appeal to ignorance.

Leorio is painfully obviously straight.

All the given clues answer it for us.

There is no need to overcomplicate oneself and believe that we have to ask the direct source for the exact explanation when the story has already given it to us.

Plenty of shows and movies had situations that solved a question from their fans without needing to confirm it from the creator.

But, in HxH, plenty do have a problem understanding what they’re seeing and choose to ignore the obvious signs to disinform people and make them think as they do for the sake of “diversity”.

Nevertheless, this should not stop you from making headcanons to characters you like.

Whether they’re from HxH or any other shows/animes/movies the possibilities are endless and no one can tell you to stop.

The unlimited creativity and potential your ideas can have is immeasurable compared to the negative comments people can make about them. You can do anything you put your mind to as long as you don’t believe you have the critical right to say that what you believe in is the right thing to do when fully knowing that that is further from the actual truth.

At the end of the day, Leorio Paladiknight is a bold and loyal man who deeply cares for his friends and would do so much for them.

Ever since his closest friend Pietro died due to a debilitating illness, this taught the man to never leave a life behind no matter if that individual doesn’t care about theirs or not.

He cares for his friends as well as their well-being and doesn’t want to lose them like how he easily lost his first.

That is one of his deepest fears.

To lose someone he loves when there could have been a chance of saving them.

This explains his worries for Kurapika and his clear frustration towards the fact that he could’ve helped Gon and Killua in his own way during the ant extermination.

He will not give up and will not care if he looks relentless or hot-headed to the general public because of his constant worries for his reckless buddies.

In the end, Leorio is a perverted moron who simply cares for his friends’ well beings and we love it for him.

75 notes · View notes

yamayuandadu · 2 months

Note

Are there any Japanese mythological examples of undead beings or youkai gaining high station in the Afterlife's government, like Lady Yuyuko in Touhou canon?

Somewhat of a tricky question to answer considering how imprecise the terms you've used are. The short answer is no, an attempt at a longer and more nuanced treatment under the cut.

If you mean yōkai as in creatures from night parade scrolls and similar Edo literature, the answer is no. These occupy a niche more or less comparable to American “fearsome critters”. Many are quite literally illustrated puns and nothing more. If you mean yōkai in the way Shigeru Mizuki, the guy who is responsible for the modern use of this term, used it, then anything supernatural is by default a yōkai and thus even king Enma counts. If you mean the in-between sense Touhou uses, the answer is still pretty firmly no. There is clear iconographic overlap between depiction of oni in illustrated editions of Shuten Dōji legends and the like and the assorted hell jailers from hell paintings but there are no actual narratives involving moving between these categories. It’s also important to stress that while Japan did adopt the notion of an afterlife administration from China (see here for a survey of relevant beliefs), this doesn’t mean adapting the full scope of it. There is a fairly limited small “canon” of figures who appear alongside the ten kings of hell, and while some of them, like the clerks Shimei and Shiroku or the trio Tenkan, Chikan, and Suikan (officials of heaven, earth and water), were imported from China, many others were part of Yama’s retinue basically for as long as Buddhist authors dealt with hell, and didn’t even play a particularly big role in China. Some additions, like Datsueba, developed in Japan, but they were created with this purpose in mind, they were not preexisting entities. The Chinese vision of a bureaucratic afterlife developed as the natural extension of the belief in the possibility of ghosts being elevated to the rank of afterlife officials, which predated the introduction of Buddhism. First examples come from funerary texts from the late third century BCE. However, in most cases this phenomenon basically reflected the continuation of official duties after death. While not exactly incompatible with the Buddhist views on reincarnation, it represented an originally distinct tradition. For more details see here.

Marshal Wen (source; reproduced here for educational purposes only)

Many of the ghosts turned underworld officials were originally simply local heroes or deities, like Wen Qiong (“Marshal Wen”; for more info see here) associated with Wenzhou in Zhejiang. On top of that there was also a widespread phenomenon of assigning afterlife-related roles to various local chenghuang figures, deities protecting the walls and moats of specific settlements. The worship of such deities didn’t spread easily outside of the immediate surroundings of their cities, unless a big part of their population moved - and there wasn’t much in the way of large-scale migration from China to Japan in the time periods in which the Japanese vision of hell formed (ie. Heian and the middle ages), obviously. There was therefore little opportunity for them and theological ideas related to them to reach Japan, in contrast ex. with figures tied to esoteric Buddhism or astrology. While through the Heian period and the middle ages vengeful spirits came to occupy an important role in Japanese religious landscape, they were quite distinct from the deified local heroes and city gods who commonly joined the ranks of afterlife bureaucracy in China. They emerged from the era of Heian court intrigues, and as a matter of fact most of the big names in this category are simply figureheads of factions which lost in them. While the most important among them, Sugawara no Michizane, in medieval sources takes the role of a supernatural official after death, this is a way to essentially pacify him, differs from his position in life, and in Buddhist cosmological terms subordinates him to Taishakuten and Bonten (Indra and Brahma), not to the kings of hell. The closest case to importing the Chinese phenomenon of ghosts turned underworld officials to Japan was Zhong Kui - who, as you’ll quickly notice, offers probably the best parallel to Yuyuko’s position. Since there’s a lot to cover, proceed here to learn more. Last but not least, there is a legend about a mortal, Ono no Takamkura, becoming an official in hell while still alive. You can read more about it here. For analogous cases in China see here. There’s also the thematically related but more abstract story of judge Lu written by Pu Songling.

#japanese miscellanea

8 notes · View notes

xalygatorx · 5 months

Text

Worthy (2015) | Chapter 15, "Close Your Eyes"

Disappearing sporadically in public spaces quickly becomes Cora Dempsey's least concerning problem when suddenly she captures the attention of the forming Avengers Initiative, the World Security Council, and Asgard's fallen prince all in one week. And the universe is only just getting started with her.

Worthy is a slow-burn SFW Marvelverse (films) romance between Loki and a female OC. For additional details on what canon is used, see the Prologue post.

Summary: Cora finds the source of her inner power under Frigga's guidance, and some answers about her ancestry. The princes return to Asgard.

Pairing: Loki x Fem!OC

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 3.3k

Cora's noontime magic-test with Frigga turned into an all-out training session that left her wiped out, but exhilarated, and glad that her wounds were healing efficiently. Sif had accompanied her after they'd hit it off so nicely, which had honestly surprised them both. Sif wasn't generally one to make fast friends because of her low tolerance for the majority of folk she met and the fact that she was intimidating as hell. Cora was undaunted though and the more the two talked, the more they realized how alike they actually were.

"So, are all Asgardians also gods?" Cora had asked on their way to meet Frigga, the both of them gaining curious looks from passing servants and guards.

"Yes and no," Sif answered, eyes ahead with a relaxed posture. "Every Asgardian has their gift. Some of those gifts also bear titles."

"What's yours?" she asked, her inquisitiveness getting the better of her, and not for the first time since her arrival.

Sif smiled and glanced at her as she said, "Battle. I am the Goddess of War."

Cora nodded slowly, a smile of her own gradually curving her lips. "That's pretty badass."

Sif grinned as they entered the courtyard, where commenced multiple attempts by Frigga and Sif, both, at getting Cora's ability to manifest. Cora was prepared to give up when Frigga unexpectedly told her, "Come here."

Cora hesitated, but walked over, letting Frigga guide her to turn around, the queen's hands resting upon her shoulders. "Close your eyes."

"What are we—"

"Shhh, dear one, just let your thoughts go," she murmured behind her.

"I have no idea how to do that," Cora admitted, her lips pursing into a small frown.

"Just one at a time. Let them cease to matter so much as finding your true gifts," Frigga coaxed.

Cora closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, her brow creased as she tried to no avail to empty her mind of all the questions, all the background noise, anything hindering her from doing as Frigga requested of her. It wasn't working too well, but she heard Frigga speak again before she could express how much difficulty she was having. The queen took Cora's hands and brought them up toward her chest, Frigga's arms a circle around her. "You are in a hallway."

Cora opened one eye and glanced at Sif, who tried not to laugh at her expression and gave an encouraging nod for her to play along. Cora closed her eyes completely again, imagining a hallway. It was a hallway in her childhood home. Frigga next murmured, "Walk down it until you reach a room."

"What am I trying to find?" Cora asked quietly.

"Your source," Frigga said softly. "You told me your powers rise out of fear. The trick is not to strike fear within you to evoke your power; then it is only a reflexive reaction. You must find where it stems from."

Cora pursed her lips and walked down her mental hallway, coming to two rooms at the end of the hallway, hers and her parents'. "I see two rooms."

"Then you have a choice to make."

After a moment of deliberation, which frustrated her because she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be looking for, she stepped into her old bedroom. It looked just as it had while she was growing up: the periwinkle walls, the bookshelf her dad had made and her mom had painted which held a multitude of books she'd accumulated throughout her young years, the twin-size bed nestled against the far wall, and the colony of stuffed animals lined up on it, side-by-side. It felt like she'd never left.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, slowly easing herself down; her feet hung over the end of the bed frame and she sighed, realizing for likely the millionth time how much had changed. She closed her eyes and rested, even the familiar sounds of a passing train dancing through her memory.

"Cora, come back to us," she heard Frigga say and her voice almost sounded like it was coming from the other end of the hall. Cora hesitated, but got up and walked out of the room, back down the hallway, soon to open her eyes again.

She first saw Sif, who had taken a seat on a nearby rock, and then she turned her head to look back at Frigga. "So, now what do I do?"

"You already did it," Frigga smiled, Cora blinking at her bemusedly. "Go down the hall to the room you found again, but keep your eyes open this time." Frigga adjusted their hands so they were in Cora's line of sight. Cora wasn't sure what she was talking about, but she dropped her gaze to their hands and once again put herself in that hallway, going into the room and, this time, picking up one of her old books, a novel she'd obsessed over in middle school, to leaf through the pages.

Though she was half-consciously in this little world built by her memories, she was also very aware of reality and the more she indulged in what nostalgia had to offer, the faster she faded out of sight in the real world. Cora felt the current of energy pulsing through her and she held onto that as she left the room and went back down the hallway in her mind, amazed to find that she was still invisible by the time she'd let go of the dreamworld. "How am I…"

"You went to where you grew up, did you not?"

Cora frowned and murmured, "Well, yes…"

"Everything is symbolic. Connected. Meanings cross and tangle up in each other. That you went to your first home also meant tapping into your origins, into your bloodline. You drew comfort from it, which translated to what you needed to bring your magic forth."

"Will I always have to go there to access my power?" she asked as she let the magic fall from her form, reappearing.

Frigga let go of Cora's hands as she shook her head. "No, that will simply serve as an access point until it becomes instinct to reach for them. Until you're comfortable with those abilities, you could always carry a weapon if you're concerned."

Cora laughed as she shook her head. "I've never handled a weapon in my life."

Frigga's brows rose in surprise before her gaze slid past Cora to Sif, who wore a similarly startled expression, but was already getting up from her perch. "Well, it is about time then that you begin," Sif said with an excited smile as she walked over. Frigga sent one of the lingering servants to fetch some of the training implements so Cora wouldn't have to start off on a real sword.

That was where the little meeting had turned into what Cora had a feeling boot camp might feel like. That is, if the one training you was also a friend. Cora didn't argue that she couldn't foresee herself needing to know how to handle a sword because, for one thing, she thought swordsmanship might be a cool skill to have and, for another, when would she ever get the chance to learn combat technique from a war goddess again? The entire situation was surreal, but part of her was geeking out in a big way.

Hours later, Cora was a bit roughed up and more than a little worn out. She was a natural, according to Frigga and Sif; she personally didn't feel like she'd made much progress, but she figured she'd take their word for it. Hopefully she'd graduate from the wooden training sword in due time.

They went inside to eat and Cora's stomach grumbled as hearty portions of roasted meat, bread baked with a perfectly golden crust, seasoned and seared vegetables, and a decanter of wine were placed upon the table. A servant filled their goblets halfway with wine, looking a little startled when Cora thanked him outright, which made her realize once again just how this world was proving to be so different from hers.

Cora sipped from her water glass and glanced up as she heard the doors open. She saw an old man walking into the dining hall, a large spear-like scepter in his hand and a metal patch over his right eye. When Frigga and Sif rose from their seats, Cora followed suit, only able to assume from his regal manner and their treatment that he was the king she'd heard so much about, even before coming to Asgard.

"My queen," he greeted Frigga fondly, though wearily, as he kissed her cheek. "I—" He paused when his gaze found Cora. "And who is this?" He had deduced quickly enough that she was someone of importance, at least to his wife; servants and palace residents did not dine together.

"Cora, my lord," Frigga said with a small smile. "She is a new friend. She hails from Midgard, but she is of Asgardian heritage far back in her ancestry."

"How did you come to be here, then?" he asked Cora directly, surprised at the information his wife gave him.

"Heimdall rescued me from Jotunheim," Cora said, trying not to feel intimidated by the king. He carried an air of power about him and she got the feeling that he was merciless as well, save maybe for his wife and oldest son. Loki had given her the impression that he'd fallen far out of favor with this man and there would be no going back. She'd have to tiptoe around this one. "I don't know how I ended up there though. Last I remember, I was on Earth."

"Quite the unpleasant awakening, I expect," he said, something in the undertones of his voice that may have indicated personal experience with the ugliness Jotunheim could offer.

"I was fine until the Frost Beast happened," she remarked and it brought a chuckle out of the elderly king.

"Ah, awful things," he reminisced with a tired smile. "I am Odin, King of Asgard. I hope you will enjoy yourself here."

"Thank you very much."

"Frigga," he said, his attention back to his wife. "I would speak with you privately a few moments."

Frigga nodded and left with Odin, the two linking arms as they walked from the dining hall. When Cora's gaze turned to Sif, she saw a mixture of surprise and apprehension on the warrior's face. "What?"

"Oh, it is nothing. The king just does not usually take to people."

"So quickly, you mean?"

"In general," Sif admitted hushedly, which caused both to laugh in muted tones.

"Everyone seems so nervous tonight," Cora noted, thinking of Odin's expression when he'd walked in, how Frigga had been at times throughout the day, the look of anxiety Sif had been wearing just moments ago as she watched the royal pair leave the hall.

"There have been developments with the pri—," but she stopped herself, glancing at Cora and seeming startled at her own words. Cora was getting ready to ask what was wrong when Sif excused herself from a half-empty plate and said she would see Cora later and, if not later, "on the morrow."

Cora nodded, bewildered, and finished her dinner, not finding anything out even after Frigga returned because she did not have the heart to bother the queen about whatever it was that was etching such sad worry lines into her face.

A few days passed and everyone in the palace seemed to get antsier and antsier with each rise and set of the moons. Cora hadn't gotten a single answer from anyone because the only one she felt comfortable asking was Sif and the lady goddess didn't seem keen at all on divulging any information at the time.

Since no one was talking to her—at least about one of the things she was intent upon discovering—and she had massive amounts of free time, Cora ventured up to the tower library Frigga had told her about, wanting to actively get at least one mystery off the proverbial table. She held up the hem of her steely grey gown as she hurried up the spiral staircase and, the moment she thought she might never reach the top, she saw an ornate door with golden hinges and veins of gold riddling the wood.

Cora turned the handle and it made a grand click as she pushed it forward, thinking that if unlocking a secret had a sound, it would sound just like that. It was a wonderful sound, indeed.

She walked inside and closed the door behind her, awed at the interior of the library and the sheer vastness of it. It smelled like dust and old pages and even some fresh ink somewhere; it was heavenly. Books of all colors, sizes, and girths were ordered carefully along the shelves and piled upon desks, but the most glorious of them that she could see sat upon a podium toward the window opposite of where she stood.

The volume was glowing. Not from the light of day outside, nor from any of the torches lit within the room, but it was literally glowing with magic between the pages. Cora approached it having a very sure feeling this was exactly the book she was looking for. It was about a mile thick with gold-leafed pages in a binding the color of mahogany, every inch of it in perfect condition though it had to have been centuries upon centuries old. Likely even millennia. That fact made it intimidating when she decided that in order to read it, she had to open it.

Cora's hand shook as she reached for the cover and gingerly eased it open, carefully turning the pages in sections to get to where she needed to be, considering the organization was by date of birth. It would be a while until she got to hers, judging by the years marked down by symbols that looked positively ancient, even by Earth's archaeological standards.

She was starting to give up by the time she was two thirds of the way through the book. Because Asgard had been recording its history so much longer than Earth, the timeline was entirely different and any hope she had of correlation was botched, though she was learning some numeric runes along the way.

Cora sighed and shook her head murmuring, "How hard is it to find 1987…"

She'd barely murmured the final digit when the pages all but slapped her hand away and began turning of their own accord. Cora stepped back with wide eyes, watching the pages fly past until they abruptly ceased, the book having nearly reached its end with twelve pages to spare. Her brow furrowed faintly as she stepped forward, glancing over the runes on the page until she saw a sequence she recognized; the same sequence in black ink upon her wrist. She looked briefly over the runes above it before suggesting faintly, "And… Maybe in English?"

Before her very eyes, the runes on the shimmering pages rearranged themselves into stocky, but legible, capital English letters.

Enthusiasm returned and Cora rested her hands against the edges of the podium as she grinned and exclaimed, "My god, you're amazing!" and found her name again, now spelled out completely. Her eyes followed the connecting line to read who was on the same panel, which she took to indicate a bloodline. She skimmed the list until she found names she didn't recognize; apparently the Asgardian heritage had been in her family for generations. She'd just been the only one—that she knew of—to glean something from it. It was around the time of her great-great-great-great grandmother that she came across names that were undeniably Asgardian.

"Sindri and Brokkr," she read aloud, her brow furrowing. Sindri was linked to the line as her great-great-great-great grandfather and Brokkr seemed to be his brother. She repeated the names a few times to commit them to memory before she smiled and shut the book with a whispered, "Thank you!" and then turned to head out in hopes of finding who and where these men were. She was definitely interested in meeting them.

Hurrying from the tower, Cora was prepared to find Frigga if she wasn't busy, but that wish was put temporarily on hold, as there seemed to be some sort of commotion in the hall.

Glancing around, she caught recognized Sif by her raven-black hair ahead, talking to a burly man with a rather impressive red beard. Cora wove between a few guards to get to them. "Sif!" she called when the woman started to get lost in the crowd again. Sif turned and stepped against the wall to wait for Cora, who made it there a few seconds later. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

She hesitated before sighing and explaining, "The princes have returned."

Cora waited for the rest, but she did not elaborate. "Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Sif smiled bitterly and there was an undertone of anger present when she spoke next. "Maybe once. No longer."

Cora scrambled a little before she asked, "Where is Frigga, is she okay?"

Sif frowned softly and shook her head. "I don't know, but I can't imagine she is. She is likely near the throne room by now."

Cora nodded quickly and thanked her before hurrying down the hall, seeing Frigga pacing outside the tall entrance to what she assumed would be the throne room. "Frigga, are you all right?" she called as she slowed her pace, the Queen glancing up at the sound of her name.

"Ah, Cora, I… I am not sure, honestly," she said with a faint smile that looked weakened by uncertainty and nerves.

"I don't understand what's going on," Cora told her, hoping for some kind of explanation. She knew she was missing something big, but no one would tell her what it was.

Frigga searched her eyes, her sadness almost becoming sympathy as she looked down at the Midgardian girl, which confused Cora more than anything. "You were frozen for months, were you not? And when you woke you were not in your own realm?"

Cora's brow furrowed. "Yes, exactly. Why, what's happened?"

She sighed. "I am sorry, but I could not give you the full story if I tried. Thor may be able to give you an ample explanation, but…" Frigga shook her head and looked Cora in the eyes. "My son has done something unspeakable to your home and upon his behalf, I apologize to you."

Cora frowned. "I don't understand. What could he have—"

Frigga glanced toward the doors before Cora could finish, hearing Odin order "the prisoner" in. She looked back to Cora. "I must go and see what I may do to help him," she seemed to fret to herself. "You may listen, but be hidden, for your own safety. And know…" Frigga seemed on the verge of tears until she swallowed her sorrow and regained her queenly composure. "And know this is not reflective of Asgard… Nor is it reflective of Loki, himself." Her smile was genuine, but it was sad. "I simply refuse to believe it."

Cora nodded dazedly, wondering what could have possibly happened back home that would strike such sadness into the Asgardian queen's heart. And, there it was, confirmation that Loki had made some kind of move, had followed through with a plan of his. But why Earth? His target when she'd last spoken to him had been Asgard, what interest could he possibly have in a world he looked down upon? None of it made sense. Especially considering she just couldn't convince herself that the troubled man she'd met would do something so terrible that everyone in his own realm would be shaken by it.

She watched Frigga slip through the door, purposely leaving it ajar for her. Cora hesitated and then moved toward the gap, looking into the throne room as the rattle of chains slowly seeped into the hall.

Next chapter: Chapter 16, "A Universe Away"

#loki laufeyson #loki x fem!oc #loki x oc #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki fluff #thor odinson #thor movies #thor the dark world #avengers #marvel cinematic universe #angst with a happy ending #slow burn

8 notes · View notes

meatbricks · 7 months

Text

THIS IS THE INTRO POST.

howdy, folks! this is your admin (@scarycranegame, aka chevron) speaking! welcome to my brandy-new sideblog dedicated entirely to my UrbanSPOOK AU, "MetaSPOOK"!

now, first and foremost, much like my main blog, this is an 18+ blog. much like the source material it's based on, this AU and the content i post that relates to it may contain sexual, violent, taboo/"problematic" elements that may be disturbing to some individuals and are unsuitable for minors. again, i'll say it real loud and bold...

IF YOU'RE UNDER 18 YEARS OLD OR CAN'T HANDLE GRAPHIC, UNCOMFORTABLE CONTENT, DON'T FOLLOW OR INTERACT WITH ANY OF MY BLOGS.

this is your only warning. if i get any messages regarding the censorship or removal of my own original content, i will not respond to them. i'm not responsible for your reaction or any harm caused if you choose to ignore this warning.

with that being said, what the hell is a MetaSPOOK?

i'll give you a run-down:

the basic premise of this AU is that the analog horror series exists in-universe as a series of "indie horror" videos made by another serial killer who was inspired by the Painter's case and wishes to find out more about the killers involved.

this AU takes place in the late 90s-early 2000s in the town of Urbanspook, Louisiana (very original name, i know)

the videos themselves are uploaded onto the creator's own website, which is entirely dedicated to the project.

the videos are uploaded in chronological order, i.e., the in-universe real-life crimes that were committed correspond to the order in which the videos based on them are uploaded (FACES-LIGHTHOUSE-IN THE WALLS-THE CLUE-WITNESS-PIGS-FAMILY-MEAT, basically)

the vast majority of the events portrayed in the videos are accurate to the killers' crimes, but some details (such as some info about the killers themselves and some of the codes hidden in the videos) are fabricated to throw people off

there are also promotional social media accounts (eg. MySpace and Facebook) connected to the videos and the overall "indie film project" they're supposedly part of, and the creator regularly interacts with their audience in the form of Q&A sessions held on AOL or IRC chat; both of which are meant to provide even more false info about the killers (and avoid suspicion, for that matter)

merchandise for the series also exists in-universe

the phone number (985)-455-9560 belongs to the creator of the videos and is included in the videos both in order to find out more about the killers & their crimes and to locate potential victims of his own

the killers are aware of these videos and are amused by them, regarding the creator as a friend of theirs

the Painter is a man, he just has low testosterone (be nice to him okay!!!!! god damn!!!!!/j/lh)

mask guy is referred to as Bruteforce, still has his arm (and his face for that matter), and is at least a little bit more intelligent than a dog (not that much, though, he's still a fucking dumbass for the most part, dw—)

they're uhh. they're gay and they livestream on the dark web sometimes occasionally. yeah no that's it, that's deadass what i have written down in my notes for this

...alright, so that ended up a little longer than i expected, but nonetheless i hope that at least gives you some idea of what the hell is going on here. if not, then you can always ask, either in dms on my main account or in the inbox here!

before we finish up, though, i'd like to clarify a few additional things:

if you're looking for my general headcanons about the killers, you can find them here: https://www.tumblr.com/meatbricks/733417177763414016/id-love-to-hear-some-general-hcs-about-the?source=share

this blog isn't just for headcanons, fics, art, and other works related to this au, but it also doubles as an ask blog! if you send in an inbox message addressed to a specific character, an in-character answer will be provided!

this au also includes ocs of mine! none of them affect canon all too much (besides maybe one of 'em), so if you have any questions or requests regarding them, don't hesitate to ask!

speaking of which, this blog does, indeed, take fanfic/headcanon/art requests! this includes reader insert fanfics, so if you have something you wanna see, again, don't be afraid to ask!

these characters, aside from my ocs, are all the property of UrbanSLUG. please support his work on Instagram and YouTube. I do not claim the rights to any of these characters; these are only my personal interpretations of them that are separate from canon.

unless specified otherwise, none of the events of this blog are canon to the actual series, and none of the elements of this au (such as the social media accounts, website, livestreams, etc) exist in physical reality.

...aaaaand the n/s/f/w tag for this blog is "this is the NSFT", so block that in case you don't wanna see any of the weirder stuff i post here.

that's all! enjoy!

#intro post #pinned #urbanspook #the painter urbanspook #urbanspook analog horror #tag list ->#this is the writing #this is the art #these are the headcanons #this is the fanfic #this is the answer #this is the answer (ooc)#this is the answer (ic)#this is the shitpost #admin rambles #will add more if needed!

7 notes · View notes

outofangband · 1 year

Text

Angband World Building and Aftermath of Captivity Masterlist

So I’m working on a huge rewrite of my post on complex trauma and food to better articulate the canon information we have from The Wanderings of Húrin among others topics and organize the topics better as well as to cover more characters

Anyways consider this a note page/outline for topics and ideas I want to cover, no obligation to read though if you do please let me know if you have feedback!

Most of this is covered in the previous post but this is an outline for the areas I want to explore more of as well as a few new additions

cw: mentioned starvation and food as control and related things, disordered eating, nothing graphic but discussion of all these

-Characters used for case studies: Maedhros, Húrin, Gwindor, Celebrían. Only Húrin has any canon information relating to this as some of the physiological and psychological effects of prolonged starvation are discussed or implied in The Wanderings of Húrin

-Like in the original post I’ll talk generally about the issues faced and make connections to my world building for Angband and how this relates to that area of trauma

-For Maedhros this is ultimately purely speculation, the amalgamation of well, several years of research and thought about this. his relationship with basic needs including food and water is probably one of the topics I’ve covered most regarding at least the immediate aftermath of his rescue like the first few years after.

I try to divide it into a few categories which can apply to any of the people used as an example

These I explore a lot with Maedhros but I intend to explore it with other characters too!

One the physical consequences of prolonged starvation, potential nutritional deficiencies effects on the body taking into account the differences between elves and humans, etc.

Two, The psychological and neurological consequences of prolong starvation for example inability to regulate hunger, no longer feeling hunger or responding to it.

Three the psychological effects of food being used as a source of control for example anxiety and paranoia around food, hoarding and hiding food, fear of not having enough or of it being taken, etc (this is an area I’ve been able to explore for captives in general on some of my world building posts)

And four, the effects on cultural and social aspects of food for example dining among other is no longer being a source of terror and torment this also does get into a few neurological and physical things such as just a simple matter of having to relearn to use utensils and to relearn that you’re allowed to use utensils, etc

-Celebrían has if anything even less about her trauma in canon than Maedhros hence her paragraph being the shortest on the original post. Again it’s pretty much entirely speculation as even the length of her captivity is somewhat unclear. For her part I’m mostly going to elaborate on what I discussed in the initial post. I need to do more world building for evil fortresses beyond Angband

-Likewise with Gwindor. Most of my thoughts on him are related to my world building for the mines of Angband so I’ll talk more about that

-Húrin as I’ve said has the most canon information so I’ll be going through my posts on the Wanderings as well as the story itself making and making sure my explanations are clear and organized

-Perhaps exploring more about Morwen, even though the form of trauma is not exactly the same. Actually there are two areas of exploration here; post Dagor Bragollach related trauma and post Nírnaeth trauma where Aerin (who’s trauma will also be explored) is literally beaten for trying to protect Morwen and Niënor from starvation

I have lots of headcanons for the ways Aerin’s trauma manifests including relaying to food

Update: I have a post about this here

#the silmarillion #the children of húrin #the wanderings of húrin #maedhros #Húrin #Morwen #Aerin #Gwindor #Rog #musing and meta #in the iron hell #post Angband

18 notes · View notes

sitp-recs · 2 years

Note

Hey Liv, I’m in a bit of a moral dilemma.

So I know that in the Drarry fandom, it’s mostly canon that Harry is brown as opposed to the white character that JKR made him out to be. But for some reason my brain refuses to accept that.

And that is absolutely not because I’m racist since I’m an Indian residing in India right now, and I’m very happy with my skin colour. (And trust me I’m not saying this to prove the fact that I’m not racist, I promise I am an Indian and am brown myself)

I’m not quite sure how to explain it but it’s basically something related to me reading Harry Potter when I was a kid and NEVER once being able to relate to anything. Because as weird as it is, having someone of your own ethnicity in a major book series as an important character (not ones with very exaggerated names like Parvathi and Padma or Cho Chang who were so obviously just put in for diversity; and before I offend anyone, I know that these names do exist but also if a white woman in that time were to look up Indian or Asian names with minimal effort, these would be the ones she found first. However all the Parvathis and Padmas I know in India are at least 60+ years old which doesn’t fit in well the HPs time frame.)

Books that were super popular in India, such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, Divergent, TMI among many others barely ever had any Indian characters of significance and I assure you, every time someone of the same ethnicity as me was even mentioned, I’d be over the moon.

But Harry Potter was white as JKR made him to be. I loved him all the same but that personal touch that an Indian ethnicity would give the character was missing for me. I mean his name too, Harry Potter, is one of the lesser used names in India. I’ve never heard of a Harry that isn’t Harrypreet , Harbajan, Harshit etc. So in my pea sized brain Harry was always (and not to focus so much on the skin colour or race but here we are) white. And accepting anything except for that fact is very hard for me because if Harry was originally brown, the connection I’d have had with the character would be something else. Now though when it’s almost widely accept that Harry is some shade of brown, I’m so torn because it just doesn’t coincide with the view I have of him.

And the thing is, it’s not just me. A lot of my friends here who I’ve spoken to about this agree that it’s very hard for them to accept Harry as Indian specifically. Black, hell yes. Latino, sign me up. Asian even, go for it. But Indian, I’m not sure about that.

Just as an additional note, I’ve literally died with happiness just seeing Indian representation in books. Like when I read first about Parvathi Patil, I screamed to my friend who introduced me to the books about how amazing it was that Harry took her to the Yule ball (basically Indians getting some kind of privilege in a predominantly white setting). And as stupid and juvenile as this is (not even sure how many people know about this) but in the series Geronimo Stilton, Thea Stilton and the Ice Treasure, there was a mouse named Ashvin referenced who was crushed on by a lot of people and just seeing that an Indian was the source of everyone’s attraction was enough to make me land on the seventh heaven.

So my point I think is, I’m not sure exactly why but I’m not able to accept Harry as Indian specifically (I realised this when I read The Devils White Knight which btw is an incredible book) and I don’t know what to do about it.

Hi anon, I’m so sorry you’ve been feeling like this. I can see how this sense of disconnection affects the way you interact with both canon and fic, and as a white (Latin, but still white) woman I’m not sure I can provide the advice and guidance you’re looking for.

My two cents about this would be the gentle reminder that “representation matters” and “I appreciate that this headcanon exists but it doesn’t really work for me” are two ideas that can coexist. You’re not (or shouldn’t be) obligated to adopt headcanons any more than I, a white woman, am. Anyone who requires that based on your origin or skin color is being cruel and completely missing the point imho.

Now, I do think that those who are interested in exploring these headcanons could put in the effort to make it realistic, respectful and truly representative, but I will never expect creators to write/draw Harry the exact same way, just as I’ll never force myself to read something I’m not personally into as a way to convince myself that I’m doing the ~right~ thing. This is not how I see fandom at all, I’m not here to perform but to have fun during my free time. Again, I LOVE that fandom has become so much more representative and is spreading awareness over topics that canon never really cared about, but not everything will work out for everyone and that’s okay as long as we all remain kind and supportive among ourselves. This is why I’m here, but that’s me.

Sorry, I probably wasn’t helpful at all but unfortunately I don’t think I’m in a position to offer any insights on this matter. Maybe my followers can help with better advice! Take care.

#asks #anon

43 notes · View notes

bionicbore · 2 years

Text

I’ve been thinking about bionics and how the show provided several different versions of the tech, so I wanted to brainstorm a bit, featuring a mix of Canon and Headcanon

So YEAH here’s that essay I mentioned

All we’re told about Adam, Bree and Chase is that their abilities stem from the bionic chips implanted in their necks. And other than this image,

the show never says anything otherwise about them having legitimate components inside of them. It’s primarily implied that they only have the chips, since once the chip is destroyed, they are essentially normal humans

Which... how? How could strapping a tiny little circuit board to your cervical allow you to shoot lasers from your eyes? Or run at 300mph without hurting yourself. Or... do anything that Chase has going on

Not to mention that anything like the diagrams above would require regular upkeep if implanted in say, a baby, ‘cause said baby’s gonna outgrow any physical modifications

Then it hit me

Nanobots. They’re noninvasive and wouldn’t be affected by things like growing, so giving these to a child wouldn’t require regular updates or replacements

We’ve seen that, without direction, the nanobots are capable of physically enhancing biological traits. So Douglas may have designed the chips as directives to guide the nanobots. And each chip is programmed with a specific set of abilities that correspond to avoid over-exertion

So that begs the question, what's shown in the diagrams?

I think they might be Marcus’s bionics, and the pictures simply reference who shares what abilities. He doesn’t have a nervous system or any sort of biology, so nanobots wouldn’t apply, he’d have to rely on traditional mechanics

It’s also implied that his power source is in his neck, which makes me think that his version of the chip works multipurpose: energy source and a directive. But rather than bionics, it simply directs his overall functions, since bionics would just fall under that umbrella.

And this is how the tech was originally designed before Douglas got his idea. So Marcus doesn’t glitch, but considering his lifespan, maybe the downside is the more bionics, the quicker an android is to burn out? It’s no easy feat to keep a machine that complex up and running- something’s bound to fry

So we have the Rats (and the Soldiers) with the chip/nanobot combo and Marcus with the classic, albeit likely improved, built-in approach. He’s not even bionic by definition but the show says he is so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Then there’s Krane and Leo. I don’t think it’s ever said whether or not Krane has a bionic chip, but Leo definitely doesn’t. Leo’s got what is likely a full-blown prosthetic with limited abilities, so that probably requires regular maintenance

But Krane... Krane is a Lot. He’s got a plethora of implants and abilities, BUT unlike the Rats and Soldiers, he apparently doesn’t have to deal with his bionics going haywire from the excessive amount. This could mean either,

A) Krane does not have a chip, and his bionics are solely driven by physical implants

Or B) Krane has multiple rudimentary chips to disperse the strain, and physical implants for additional support

Both are feasible for overlapping reasons: Douglas no longer having his original schematics after losing the Rats. He’d have to start from scratch no matter the amount of funding Krane provided, and depending on the amount of time given, Douglas may have been forced to cut corners

Downside is they probably hurt like a bitch. I mean look at these things. Ow

#Lab Rats #Adam Davenport #Bree Davenport #Chase Davenport #Leo Dooley #Marcus Davenport #Victor Krane #Should I really be tagging everyone?? Marcus and Krane get the most here but Idk #Anyway #I didn't even touch liquid bionics 'cause like. What even are those. They show up once right before the finale and that's it #Anyway I hope this is coherent <3 to anyone who takes the time to read my ramblings

75 notes · View notes

scifihobbit · 7 months

Text

Yuletide Letter 2023

I’ve been participating in Yuletide incredibly sporadically since 2009. I love it here! It's such a fun look at what we as fandom care about and such an incredible labor of love from everyone involved.

I'm scifihobbit over on AO3 as well. I am very open to treats. Thanks for reading my letter! (I didn't get this posted in time to include it with my sign-up, but maybe you found it anyway.) We all know the mantra, optional details are entirely optional, so, if you even see this letter, don't feel beholden to it, just use it as a jumping off point if you're so inclined.

I enjoy yuletide for so many different reasons. The gift work isn't the end-all be-all of it. (It's about the friends we made along the way!) So, if you're feeling anxious, know that I'm going to have a great time no matter what, so, have fun with it!

Things I'm a sucker for in general

Character studies

World-building

“There was only one bed”

Found families

Angst with a happy ending

Hurt/Comfort

Broken characters finding ways to heal each other in general

Using smarm to hide wildly low self-esteem

Extremely close, to the point of being unhealthily codependent, friendships

Playing with genre conventions. (i.e. Something that couldn’t be easily shelved in a bookstore that insists on having a literary fiction section and a sci-fi/fantasy section and a thriller section etc.)

Canon compliance. (This is not to say that I wouldn't enjoy a story that takes canon in an unexpected or unusual direction. Like I said, throw genre conventions out the window, but I would love the story to have emanated from somewhere in canon.)

Queers and queerness and queering

DNWs:

PWP (I'm not particularly prudish, I just like me some plot, or meandering conversation.)

AUs

1st person narration

2nd person narration

Major character death (that isn’t canonical)

mpreg (well.... Lower Decks pulled it off, but, in general.)

A/B/O

Non-canon unrequested romantic relationships

Rape/non-con

Fandom: Star Trek: Lower Decks (Cartoon) Characters: (any combination) Kayshon Samanthan Rutherford Shaxs Dr. T'ana

Request: It is hard to explain how much I adore this show. I was raised on Star Trek and this show never disappoints. Every episode leaves me with a smile plastered on my face basically the entire time. I love the entire crew (and especially the main 4), so I've just requested a FEW of my favorites, but feel free to write about anyone on the Cerritos and mix and match! A few prompts/ideas for my requested characters below. (But really, all of these prompts/ideas could apply to just about any of the crew. I just want to know more about them!)

Kayshon: I am still not over the concept of Kayshon! I love him as an addition to the crew so much. The Universal Translator is a constant source of fascination for me, so of course I love the Tamarians and their whole deal. Anything you want to do to explore that would be amazing. I'm also curious about how Kayshon navigates life on the ship and in Starfleet in general. (I love the little moment where Ransom uses a Tamarian phrase and Kayshon is touched.) What does he miss about Tamarian culture? What is he surprised and delighted by on the Cerritos? How does he spend his free time?

Rutherford: My perfect cinnamon roll of an engineer dealing with more trauma than any everyman ever should! I love his energy and optimism and eagerness, and am of course fascinated by his backstory. (If you want to explore that more you should absolutely feel free! But, also, it is a giant can of worms and if you would prefer not to touch it, completely understandable.) Despite what we've learned about Billups, I won't ever be able to stop shipping Rutherford with him at least a little bit, so, if you want to explore that, be my guest. (At the very least Rutherford has a competency crush on Billups and it is adorable.) Whatever engineering adventures you want to send him on I am thrilled to follow. Whatever downtime activities you want to drop him in I'm delighted to read.

Shaxs: I love Shaxs as grumpy mentor to all the floundering ensigns. I love his one-up-manship with Kira. I'm curious to know about his time in the resistance and what brought him to Starfleet. I'd love to see him interacting with other members of the crew (lower deckers or not.) His speech to Boimler about how security's there to protect the crew's emotional well-being too was so wonderful and I'd be delighted to see more of those "missions."

T'Ana: I love a grumpy doctor! (Bones is my fav. I'll be a Pulaski defender for life.) I want to know everything about T'Ana's backstory and what she gets up to in her off hours. What was her time at the academy like? So Caitians used to hunt Betazoids?? Does she indulge in some "most dangerous game" time in the holodeck? Who are her heroes in Starfleet? Who inspired her to be where she is? (Even if she'd never admit it.) What are her friendships with the rest of the crew like? Just give me T'ana content!

More Feelings: I asked for Lower Decks last year, too. So you can check out my 2022 Yuletide letter if you want even more of my giddy delight. Also, my Star Trek and LWD tags are overflowing on this blog.

In general, Vulcans are not my jam. And I find Jennifer kind of irritating... I'm usually annoyed by the mirror universe and section 31, but if there's any place they could be properly skewered, it's in Lower Decks. My Star Trek knowledge runs deep, but I'll admit I gave up on Discovery around the beginning of season 4, didn't finish Prodigy, and have never seen The Animated Series.

Also, since Star Trek essentially invented the AU, there is certainly some wiggle room here around my AU DNW.

Fandom: Severance (TV) Characters: Irving Bailiff Burt Goodman

Request: Irving and Burt ran away with my entire heart and I want so much more about them. This was one of those rare delightful times where I started shipping something not believing the show was going to go there, and then it did!

I would be happy to read about some of their innie's stolen moments. It would be interesting to know more about their life on the outside. (How did Irving take up painting? What kind of solace does he find in it? Why did either of them decide to go through with being "severed"?)

More Feelings: This show is just so good. I love all its weird mysteries (the goats? the green house?) Its aesthetic. The found family of the MDR division. This is another show where I'm incredibly fond of all the characters, so if you want to bring in more of them, please, feel free! I would love to see Irving talking to someone else in MDR about his relationship with/burgeoning feelings for Burt. Feel free to go wild hypothesizing what might have happened after the terrible-awful-no-good-very-bad cliffhanger of season one, or set things firmly within season one.

Fandom: Oppenheimer (Movie 2023) Characters: Leslie Groves J Robert Oppenheimer

Request: Leslie's fascination with Oppenheimer was so interesting to me. I did not expect to come away from this movie with warm feelings about the military general played by Matt Damon, but man, did I.

Anything you want to write exploring their relationship (platonic or romantic) I'd love to read. They're just such an extreme set of opposites that their begrudging admiration of each other is so interesting. Their dynamic is endlessly compelling. I love how intrigued Leslie is by Oppenheimer. I find Leslie's pragmatism vs. Oppenheimer's naivete fascinating.

What was day-to-day life for them like at Los Alamos? Did they ever run into each other years later? (I'm going to be honest, I know next-to-nothing about the actual history around these people, so feel free to play it fast and loose. But also, if you're the sort of writer who likes to get lost in the nitty-gritty, don't let me stop you!)

(Do I think they had "the world might end" sex before the first test? Yes. Yes I do.)

More Feelings: Are you detecting the theme of incredibly driven, rather geeky people being drawn to each other despite/because of their differences in these requests? (I might have just noticed it myself...) I've had a soft spot for Cillian Murphy for a long time now and he was stunning in this movie. Everyone was. It was incredibly well acted and I just feel like the scenes between Groves and Oppenheimer crackled. (Well, most of the movie did.) Again, thanks for reading this letter! Have so much fun! Happy Yuletide!

2 notes · View notes

silkling · 2 years

Text

Supplemental materials in fandom are….very interesting to me. I don’t know how to quite express my thoughts on the matter, so please bear with me, but I want to say something on the issue.

So, first off, what do I mean by “supplemental materials”? In simplest terms, supplemental materials are materials of a franchise, or piece of media, that are not the actual main source.

An example of this is art/concept books. These types of books often have concepts from a show or movie that didn’t make the final cut, or things that are expanded upon within the book because there wasn’t time to include it in the final show or movie. Most of the time, these types of books don’t add or subtract too much from the show. They might add neat little tidbits, but the things they include are so minor that they don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. They’re fun, but not very significant. Think, Studio Ghibli art books. They add little pieces to the movie but don’t change the greater understanding or enjoyment of it.

Another example of supplemental materials are novels that are written after a movie/series is released to tell a part of the story that wasn’t told by the movie/series in question. One example of this that comes to mind are the novels that act as prequels to the Transformers: Prime series. They’re called Exodus and Exile, and they were written to tell fans the story of what happened to the characters before the show started. These are a lot more significant than the Transformers: Prime art or concept books, because they have a substantial impact on how certain characters within the Transformers universe might be seen, and they also tell fans a little bit about the fates and stories of other characters from the franchise who didn’t make it into the series. These types of supplemental materials are…interesting. In my experience, most fans generally agree that they aren’t “true canon”, which basically means that if you have read and enjoyed them, you can use concepts of them in your own fa works and discussions, but it’s also understood that most fans of a given media piece may not have read these additional novels.

Of course, book series can also have supplemental materials. These can come in the form of character guides, concept books, even stand alone character novels. One example of a series that does this is the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Aside from the “main” series, there’s also several dozen field guides, manga, short novellas, and super editions that expand on characters or stories or concepts that weren’t able to be explored in the main series. These types of supplemental materials are super interesting, but they also come with one, fatal flaw: they are canon. So if a super edition or novella is disliked, it doesn’t matter because it is still considered canon by the larger story and plot of the series. So these supplemental materials tend to be very much a hit or miss.

Then, you have what I consider to be the worst kind of supplemental materials. Interviews and social media posts by the authors/creators. Think, a twitter post retroactively declaring a character is LGBT after the series is over, or an interview in which a character who was single in the original series is given a tragic romance by the author. Personally, I don’t like that form is extra material very much. To me, it feels a bit…cheap.

Granted, it also depends on the “severity” of detail being revealed in this type of material. Something that is a core character trait or foundational aspect of story setting are bad details to reveal this way. An author stating that a main character is a pacifist after they’ve written the book is always a bad idea, because that sort of character trait would influence how that character views and reacts to the world around them, and adding that retroactively can very often sour the way a character was written in the original material. On the other hand, if all the author reveals in that tweet is that a main character really hates spicy food, that doesn’t matter as much because it’s less of a core character/personality trait and more of just a minor quirk.

So. We established all the main types of supplemental materials and their strengths or drawbacks. But what is the point of this? What really makes or breaks a piece of supplemental material?

Honestly, I think it comes down to fandom reaction. At the end of the day, supplemental material is just that. It’s extra, and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. The problem comes when some fans will, occasionally, take these minor scraps of extra material, declare it canon, and then proceed to harass fans who haven’t consumed that material, or who just plain don’t agree or like the material. It’s fine to not consume the extra media that was created for a show or movie or book, and for the fans who don’t, they aren’t going to know those extra details or lore pieces. And that shouldn’t be an issue. Unfortunately, a lot of modern fandom spaces do have this as an issue, and it’s something that makes me pretty uncomfortable whenever I see it.

Fandom is, at its core, supposed to be a space for enjoyment. It’s supposed to be a space where different people with different views and tastes can come to together and share things they love. Of course, with that, you always have people who enjoy their media content in different ways. You have the people who make fan art, those who write fanfics, and those who just like to sit back and make headcanons and theories. There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy a given thing. That also means that if you don’t want to consume a media’s supplemental materials for whatever reason, that’s shouldn’t be held against you. If you don’t get enjoyment from those extra details,it’s not a bad thing, and I think more people need to understand that while a piece of supplemental material might technically be considered canon, it isn’t necessarily going to be part of the popular fandom canon.

#silkling rambles #just talking #rant post #fandom #let's discuss #feel free to add on #share your thoughts #also please forgive the me if this didn’t make any sense #I just wanted to get my my thoughts out

7 notes · View notes