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warsmith-38 · 3 years

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How I would do RWBY Pt. 0

Disclaimer: It is easier to improve what already exist than it is to create something new. Boy howdy do I know that. That being said, I believe that RWBY has more than its fair share of flaws and this is how I would do it differently if I was behind the reigns. This is just a collection of my opinions and ideas which in the end will probably amount to nothing. I felt the need to do this because my brain just decided ‘nah motherfucker, you ain’t thinking of anything else from now on’ and this is the end result for nothing else would satisfy my rage.

I wouldn’t quite call this a complete re-haul, but more rather a rework with some of my own brand of polish. It’s not a compete rebuild from the ground up in a different world with different concepts and themes, but how I would go about a second go around with the series from the base that is already there. If a detail is missing from my musings then assume it is either unchanged or removed, depending on context.

If some of my complaints were addressed after I stopped watching, I honestly don’t much care. If it takes longer than 4 seasons to fix what I view as fundamental problems, then it’s far too little too late for me. I paid scant attention to the series post my stopping point and liked little to none of what I saw.

Please do not take this as a specific attack on anything other than the writing of the show itself. This is not directed or targeted against anyone, regardless of position or feelings on the topic at hand. If you ignore what I just said and decide to take this as an insult, then I say that you need to be more self-secure in your tastes and interests.

Things I would remove + reason why

Silver eyed warriors as a concept- it’s more or less the same concept as dojutsu from Naruto. It’s the fucking sharingan (rubygan). It’s not quite chosen one level, but crap like this is the blight of good protagonists. It’s fucking eugenics that makes you awesome not your own skills or training but on your bloodline. No need for personal development or life-changing hardship when you have a built in power that can be cultivated like a fucking bumper crop.

Maidens- Wasn’t intended originally and only made the overall story more cluttered with power creep and plot device. It’s a similar problem as above. No need for training or anything if people can just kill the person who has the power currently and take if from them. Which, at that point, why do you want that power if you’re already strong enough to kill and take it from the person who has it to begin with? It’s something someone just shouted out and they rolled with it because it sounded cool in the moment.

The Relics- McGuffin dragonballs that serve as plot device and little else. A story can be told without needing to monotonously race for Excalibur or the holy grail. Considering the Maidens, I doubt that the relics were intended in the first place and as such if you can’t tell a story without throwing something in after a few seasons because you realized that you didn’t have a plot, then you’re not that good at telling stories.

Oscar- The show didn’t need more main protagonists when what was already there wasn’t being given enough characterization to begin with. For that matter-

Quite a few characters- The cast is cluttered and convoluted enough as is with seemingly important characters getting the shaft in favor of yet another new character that would barely do anything. Time and effort seems to be put into one-off schmucks that would be better served making the story not need poochie the dog, let alone several. Character integration is not ‘create a character to do one thing and then pretend they don’t exist’. There’s already plenty of characters than can be used wherever.

The overt shipping bait, especially if it’s just going to be taken up or abandoned on a whim- I don’t mean relationship building, I mean the obvious baiting of a relationship that, in the end, might not even happen. All it does is dumb down characters and character arcs, draw out pointless scenes, and make the fans have conniptions one way or another. People are pissed off whenever things don’t go their way with shipping so the only winning move with these people is not to play their game. Looking at you Klance and Zutara. Either don’t do anything or have a fucking plan and stick to it and not make complete swerves when fans get uppity. If it genuinely matters to you, then pretend whatever ship happens at whatever point, I don’t care.

Changes to the world that I think would go over better-

Everyone has a level of aura with a naturally high level generally meaning that they might be able to unlock a semblance. A semblance is unlocked through some sort of specific event, typically a stressful one IE: Yang and Ruby are caught in the woods by grimm and Yang gets frustrated and scared at not being able to defend her sister before getting angry and her rage mode semblance unlocking. Not everyone who unlocks a semblance goes into combat schools but it is a requirement for acceptance into most of them. Having the potential to unlock a semblance seems entirely random but has a higher chance with genetics.

There are two types of semblances: 1 is hereditary like the Schnee glyphs, changing only slightly, if at all, through the generations. 2 is a random personal power like Yang having her rage mode as compared to Raven’s portals. Whichever you get tends to be random with the occasional exception depending on genetics and the specific semblance.

Every 1 in assumedly 10 people who have semblances have the potential to have two semblances, often times, but not necessarily, being one hereditary and one random. The process of unlocking the second semblance involves immense emotional distress and in some cases might not even happen for the individual who has the potential, period, thus skewing data. This gives an enhanced type power but isn’t protagonist exclusive. It shows a higher than average power capacity, but isn’t a gamebreaker to the same level as a fucking kekkei genkai or getting the powers of a fucking demigod. A good amount of characters would only have one semblance and be considerable badasses despite it and even be able to beat a couple of the few that have two.

Establish Menagerie as the official Fifth Kingdom, the newest of the great kingdoms. Maybe not the singularly strongest or most influential, but make it so Menagerie and its people, the faunus, have a considerable role in the world’s affairs, if even from an isolationist standpoint. Don’t have them as even a semi thriving entity that isn’t a kingdom because that only begs the question as to why the kingdoms are so important to begin with then.

Make the White Fang a faunus supremacist group that has very little support, if any, from the faunus people as a whole. Faunus right issues are history for the vast majority of the world and the White Fang as a whole is only using the problems in Atlas with the SDC as a means of trying to gain power. There are actual faunus rights groups trying to make things better for their race in Atlas and other marginalized areas but the White Fang dislikes them on the grounds that they go against their goal and it makes them look even worse.

Fucking pronounce names correctly, I mean, Christ. Weiss, the word, is pronounced like ‘Vice’. It’s an actual fucking word. It’s the German word for white. It’s like saying tor-till-uh not tor-tee-ah. Blake is Bella-doe-nah not Bella-dawn-uh. Shit like that. No you don’t need to put on a heavy accent to say these words but pronouncing things so inaccurately just makes you look like an ignorant rube (no, that was not a pun). I don’t fucking care what your reasons are. Why use these words in the first place if you’re not even going to try to say them right?

Ozpin is order to Salem’s chaos. Ancient demigods of both archetypes vying for power across the ages and the innocent peoples of the world be damned in the crossfire. Neither are entirely good nor evil but both are not exactly helpful to the free peoples on the world and the continued livelihood thereof. Their progenitor god created them to try and guide humanity in a balanced way. That seemed to work at first, but then failed like a bad marriage and they waged war ever since like a bad divorce. The grimm are a creation of Salem’s to test humanity and make then stronger through conflict. Ozpin ranges from the lawman to the fascist fairly duplicitously. The two can only be permanently killed by each other but neither wants to get too close to the other because of that exact same reason. If killed by other means, they will resurrect after a fashion no worse for wear.

Overt changes to (and complaints about) Ruby Rose- It is a crime that the titular character has so little actual character beyond just being ‘Hyperactive Anime Protagonist #235’. Most of her (few) character traits are tell not show, and of course she’s got the fucking rubygan bloodline ability crap. She has next to nothing that isn’t allotted by default to most anime protags on the grounds of the stereotype. For the main character to have less character than any of the members of the fucking B-team is a travesty.

1. Give her a clear rebellious streak, a distinct problem with authority, and a headstrong attitude. Daddy doesn’t want her to be in danger, so she decides to become a huntress. She’s told to stay put, so she hunts down Roman. She’s told that she needs to stay home and recover, so she sets out on her own not thinking about the exact consequences. Make her the impetus for the team’s involvement with the problems of the world in the early seasons. Make her a driving part of the plot, not just being along for the ride or because someone else said so.

2. Give her blood knight tendencies. Make her VERY willing to get into a fight with the bad guys, not just fights in general, but fights against bad guys. Nothing over the top, but enough that she has a scene or three where she says “Shut up bad guy, skip to the part where we get to kick the crap out of you,” or something of that nature. Hyper combative characters are fun and ethical.

3. Give her more traits as a mechanic and weapon nerd. Include scenes of her fixing everyone’s weapons for fun or being able to analyze an opponent’s fighting style based on the type, design, and/or wear & tear of their weapon, make her a polyglot of weapons that can be at least proficient in using just about any weapon. Come to think of it…

4. Anything that could give her actual character traits. They don’t even have to be all that major traits, just give her enough so that we actually have a character with more definition than printer paper. She’s the main character, the titular character at that. This isn’t a video game with a blank-slate protagonist. If the main character isn’t even really a character, like, at all, then what’s the fucking point?

5. Convert silver eyes power into a second semblance for white fire vision that kills grimm like nothing else. Gotten as a hereditary semblance from Summer. Which is also why Summer was specifically targeted by Salem on the grounds that it makes her just a little too dangerous for her long-term plans. This makes it so she isn’t just the fucking chosen one, but still has a clear definitive reason to be involved against the big bad because, y’know, dead mom. Yes, this kinda goes into the whole ‘bloodline is what determines importance’ thing I wanted to be rid of, but it’s only a chance two generations instead of a massive lineage of nonsense and keeps more of the onus of involvement on Ruby herself.

6. Give her a very clear motivation that’s deeper than surface level. ‘Oh, I want to do the right thing’ is a flimsy as balls motivation especially compared to the rest of her team that has that AND an actual reason for thinking that way. Why does she want to be the good guy? What happened in her life that makes her this motivated to doing the right thing? Yang has her desire to find her mother (which, come to think of it, doesn’t necessitate being a good guy), Blake has wanting to make up for being a terrorist, Weiss has her desire to step out from under the shadow of her family’s reputation, even fucking Jaune, the b-team protagonist, who wants to live up to his family reputation, has a proper motivation to be involved in the story. WHY is Ruby involved beyond ‘I’m the main character’ level reasoning? As much as admitting it makes me wish to commit Sudoku, even SAO has better main character motivations. Good god, I need hooch after typing that.

Overt changes to (and complaints about) Yang Xiao-Long- Her arc was mostly fine, barring some of the pacing. Raven being a maiden undercut the message of ‘screw that deadbeat bitch, go to your real family’ by making her important to the overall world state and confirming a measure of later relevance but that’s more a flaw with Raven than Yang.

1. Keep her motivation about getting strong enough to find her mother but add in the clear desire to kick her ass for leaving her and Tai. Of course it’s more about just getting the answers to her questions, but the ass-kicking should also be a major component.

2. Amp up the rivalry between her and Mercury. Mercury was designed as an opposite to Yang, I mean for fuck’s sake, look at him. Consider their respective backstories too; both raised in a single father home yet one was supported and loved (if a little neglected) while the other was horrifyingly maimed and abused. Punch vs kick. It works.

3. Make her more protective of her little sister, explicitly going along with her personal crusade to keep her safe (safer, rather). If she’s supposed to be the good older sister, maybe just maybe, something more than lip-service to that idea should be done. Hell, maybe she can be overprotective like their father, or even the exact opposite, not really giving a shit and then learning to give one. That might lead to a little tension and growth between the two of them.

4. Make her semblance consistent. Is she supposed to have super saiyan rage mode or is it energy buildup and dispersal? Is it supposed to be both? Just make it rage mode, for the sake of fuck, and don’t flip-flop. Speaking of…

5. Give her anger issues. Flesh out her being the kind of gal that would start a fight in a nightclub when she doesn’t get what she needed with little justification. This would stem from abandonment issues from Raven, Summer (inadvertently), and Tai and her general thrill seeking personality. This could lead to tensions and dramas until she overcomes it and learns to use her aggressive feelings and not let them use her.

Overt changes to (and complaints about) Blake Belladonna- Shitty-kitty is shitty, here’s why.

1. Do something with the hypocrisy of being, more or less, princess of Menagerie, a world power albeit a minor one, and joining a band of terrorists that do more harm than good for the people they claim to represent. It’s like a trust-fund baby joining some charity organization in Africa for a few weeks, doing jack-shit to help, joining some jihadists, and then acting like she’s Mahatma Gandhi.

2. Make her arc less about running away and fighting Adam, more about realizing that running is for assholes and try to find her team to at least apologize for cutting and running like she did. Doing that and stopping Adam are not mutually exclusive. The friend thing should be the priority. As it stands she is almost rewarded for abandoning her team just to focus on her own problems.

3. Make her arc involve going from ‘There’s no such thing as pure evil’ to ‘Okay maybe some people are just too evil to work with’. Some people are too far gone and, despite still having good traits, will only ever continue to do evil things and don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. Not everyone has some sort of good motive beneath the surface and, even then, does that matter when the only action they do is objectively evil? Still, y’know, save who you can, like Ilia.

4. Have Belladonna not actually be her last name. If she’s the daughter of a the chief of Menagerie, the closest thing the faunus have to a unified racial leader, then how the unholy shit does nobody recognize her name? She is, again, princess of Menagerie, yet nobody recognizes the name in a grander context. Have ‘Belladonna’ be a cover name so she can hide her identity better so that she’s using what should be a very recognizable real name in a tournament that is broadcasted worldwide. Her real family name could be “Nightshade” or some shit like that.

5. If she’s supposed to be ‘The quiet one’ maybe actually have her be quiet and not make big speeches every season or have loud arguments with her team. Just a fucking thought. If she’s still supposed to do that, then make her ‘the opinionated one’ or ‘the kind of mean one’ or even ‘the one who doesn’t shut up’. Blake, as seen, or rather heard, is not the quiet one.

6. Have her actually fucking interact with Ruby. Maybe they have a two-person book club. Maybe Blake teaches Ruby to meditate or something. Anything, anything at all would be fine, anything more than nothing at all. Blake’s whole interaction with the team shouldn’t just be through Yang and cursory scenes with Weiss.

Overt changes to (and complaints about) Weiss Schnee- You can’t solve racism with like two scenes.

1. Make the racism thing a much more gradual decay rather than more or less disappearing after a single conversation. Hell, make jokes about it, ‘oh, no, one of my best friends is a faunus,’ stuff. It’s hard to unlearn an upbringing of hate, but she’s trying type stuff.

2. Involve her at least a little with the White Fang plot. It only makes sense that the heiress of the company that still more or less has slave labor is at least semi-involved with the plotline involving terrorists that want that company destroyed. Make her subject to assassination attempts at a young age, or even have her been kidnaped at a young age and held hostage, getting her scar in the process.

3. As evident by some of the intros, her rival was supposed to be Emerald. This could be serviceable, at the very least. The street rat pickpocket that had to learn life lessons the hard way and was taken in by the baddies VS. the rich heiress born with a silver spoon but raised by a dickhead. There’s potential there and it is a crime that it is not explored in the slightest. Even Yang and Mercury had a minor fight.

4. Like Yang, make her semblance consistent. Is it supposed to be summoning or physics altering magic symbols? These are two completely different powers, it’s not like super speed also giving super reflexes or whatever. Just make it one or the other, don’t bullshit us on these things. Or, hell, make it a second semblance she gets during the course of story.

5. Emphasize her loneliness. Make the main onus of her personal arc be about how she goes from this prickly, spoiled, opinionated, brat to a warm and caring friend who only wants the best for everyone. Yes, this might be the main intention in canon, but I feel it could have used a little more refining.

Overt changes to (and complaints about) Cinder Fall- If she’s supposed to be Ruby’s chief rival and foil then she needs a lot of work to even be close. She shouldn’t be nothing but the rival, but at that same time she should have that be a considerable part of her characterization and role in the series. I feel the best way to do it is to have their similarities highlight their differences in both character and design. Basically, make her the Vergil to Ruby’s Dante.

1. Make her Ruby’s age. Being the same age as Ruby while initially outclassing her, and even veteran hunters, provides risk and contrast between the two. Throw in an evil sadistic streak compared to Ruby’s happy-go-lucky personality to further the contrast and you’ve got a good little yin-yang thing for them. It also shows just how bad someone can turn out if raised to be a killing machine.

2. Keep her using the bow/twin swords as a comparably simple weapon in contrast to Ruby’s, even in universe, overcomplicated Scythe/Sniper rifle. Both weapons are long range marksmen’s weapons as well as vicious close combat weapons but are still very different in essence. Also make sure she keeps the red with black and gold color scheme is contrast with Ruby’s Black with red and silver. Even minor visual cues can work to the rival schema.

3. Make her one of the people who have two semblances. Pyromancy (pyrokinesis? Fire bending, she has fire bending) and dilated perception (bullet time) so that Ruby’s super speed and the dilated perception cancel each other out, adding a little extra tension to the fights now that both parties’ signature abilities are moot points against each other.

4. Make her competent. She kills Ozpin and Pyrrha and then she either fails or draws every fucking fight she has afterwards baring nameless jobbers here and there. Even before that, she needed help to take down Amber and even manages to fuck that up. The more failures she has and the less intimidating she is. Too much of that and she’s just a jobber that makes you wonder why she was ever seen as intimidating in the first place. When that happens then Ruby beating her is just the status quo and not a triumph of any sort.

5. Make her Ruby’s long lost fraternal twin sister. Incredibly cliché, I admit, but siblings make the best rivals, especially twins. Once again, it’s all about adding the similarities and the contrasts. In this case it creates the ‘there but for the grace of god go I’ idea with the two of them. Ruby seeing it as how evil she could have turned out and Cinder seeing it as how weak she could have been (Eventually becoming how good she could have had it because I’m a sucker for redemption arcs) Who said that?

Overt changes to (and complaints about) Team JNPR- JNPR was fine-ish but the over focus on Jaune and the underutilization of Ren + Nora early on are both issues. B-team should not get jack shit before the A-team gets the lions share.

1. Downplay Jaune’s screen time. I doubt this is a particularly controversial statement. Jaune is not the titular character. This is (technically) a shoujo not a shounen. It’s supposed to be about the girls more than the guys. It kind of undercuts that idea when the guy (the side guy at that) gets the lion’s share of characterization, attention, and growth before the girl (the main girl) does.

2. Make Ren and Nora actual characters earlier on. Comic relief is all well and good, but either extend that to the whole team or make these two characters more than just comic relief in the early parts of the story. Make them, y’know, actual characters. They ain’t gotta be all that important, but they do have to be actual characters.

3. Make Pyrrha’s deathflags less blindingly obvious. We all knew Pyrrha was going to get clipped. The self-sacrificing type, all the musical and visual cues throughout, being based on Achilles, and ‘oh she just confessed to the boy she likes’. Homegirl was waving deathflags like an insecure redneck with the confederate flag. When you foreshadow obvious things that much it’s not a surprise to the audience when it happens and the reaction of the in universe characters seems overdone. If it’s not supposed to be a surprise then, whatever, but that’s clearly not the case if you’re going for just shock value. It’s fine for a character to die, but for the love of Jaysus you got to do something with it more than ‘this character’s sole purpose is to die for the angst and to up the stakes’. Pyrrha was just a plot jobber.

4. Make them a little more independent in the overall plot. Give them their own full sub-plots, have them go on their own little adventures, have them do things completely separate from RWBY that has plot relevance but not overtaking the main story in grandeur or importance. B-team gets B-plots and are cool in it of themselves.

Overt changes to (and complaints about) Qrow Branwen- Take or leave this, I just felt the need to include this because reasons.

1. Just make him Dante from Devil May Cry. Just make his personality the same as Dante from Devil May Cry. Make him stylish and cool but low-key a massive dork. He’s too cool to drink or smoke or anything harsher than PG-13. This series could use a guy like that, says I.

2. Make his semblance something that makes sense and isn’t just an angst generator. How do you even quantify ‘bad luck aura’ as a power? Make it short range teleportation as a connection to Raven’s portals. Make it so that he can direct the bad luck at will. Do SOMETHING with it that isn’t just an excuse for mostly pointless character angst.

3. This technically also counts as a Raven change but whatever. Make the Branwen family old nobility and not a loser bandit tribe from nowhere. Or at least make it so they used to rich or something. They come from a family that had a good amount of cash and even a chateau in Mistral. After the money dried up and the chateau ransacked by grimm, the Branwen twins had differing opinions on how to proceed. Qrow fully integrated into the hunter thing while Raven ran away and became a bandit, using it as further excuse to skedaddle on Tai and a recently born Yang.

#RWBY #RWDE #I guess #Ruby Rose #Weiss Schnee #Blake Belladonna #Yang Xiao Long #Ozpin #Cinder Fall #Tagging this as much as I please #Team JNPR #Jaune Arc #Rewrite #Hate if you wish #How I would do...#Pyrrha Nikos

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cthulhubert · 4 years

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Thoughts, not even a review, of Terra Ignota

recently finished Will to Battle.

(Book 3 of Terra Ignota, preceded by Too Like the Lightning and Seven Surrenders. The sequel and finale, Perhaps the Stars, is expected in 2021.)

So I wanted to post some thoughts, not even a review, really.

The take away is that despite many of its major, fundamental features leaving me cold or even actively repulsing me, I overall very much enjoyed reading it.

This is perhaps a higher recommendation than unalloyed praise. The more I like something, the more I complain. For one thing, it's a kind of eustress: the perfect thing has no flaws to catch interest; for another, if I just plain dislike something, I wouldn't spare much thought on it to begin with, much less linearize so many of them into words.

So my mostly negative venting (consisting of immediate and thorough spoilers) beneath the cut

So right off the bat: I HATE the genius serial killer trope; and I detest SFF trolley problem analogs.

I was so irritated by the one-two punch of these big reveals in the first book that I actually let my hold on Seven Surrenders and read several other books in the interim. (I knew I'd be back though, I put a new one on both 2 and 3 next.)

Mycroft Canner... one who believes themself "free" merely because they can kill. It reminds me of something that's stuck in my mind for a long time: a guy calling other peoples cucks because they used alarm clocks to wake up. "I can't believe you let a machine boss you around."

Because I otherwise liked the writing so much, I kept trying to dredge up another layer of meaning to the treatment of Mycroft as torturer-rapist-murderer. For instance: "Oh, so many people around him being sympathetic and liking him is actually the narrative sneakily reminding us that the core trait of serial killers like this is a manipulative personality, which his savant abilities would only feed." Carlyle Foster even brings this up specifically in the scene where we first learn the specifics of Canner's crimes, but of course, their portrayal in that scene (which, reminder, is literally by Mycroft) is of one hysterical and unreasonable.

Palmer did achieve one of most author's highest goals in emotionally transporting me to one of their scenes, but it just really made me wish I was in Carlyle's shoes. To react with, rather than panic, the cold disdain merited by a creature so broken it is wrong about the ways in which it is broken. To spit on them and denigrate their feelings of uniqueness and specialness, arising both from the murders and from their oh so pitiable martyrdom and servitude now. "If only we could mercifully lobotomize away your personality and still use the savanthood modules so unfortunately stapled to them."

Mycroft: "Everybody seems to have one murder they thought was the worst. I thought yours would be []" Me instead of Carlyle, snidely: "Is that a fun game for you, that speculation?"

(In another scene, the Major's sympathy to Mycroft and Saladin as "fellow killers" somewhat raised my hackles; my experience is military people expressing exaggerated disgust for "civilian" killers, perhaps as a way of mental separation between their acts. Though the revelation that the Major is Achilles, with an ancient's attitudes, perhaps ameliorates this.)

As for OS... if you've invented prophecy, there will be heaps upon myriads upon multitudes of miraculous ways to reshape the world before you reach a best value intervention of cold-blooded murder. I was, at least, amused by considering the linear combination of this limitation between the author and the characters. Palmer was quite clever in making sure that the mystical demographic math must be facilitated by humans (and the very odd set-set humans at that).

I admit I hold this philosophy a bit more strongly than my time investment in the fields merit, but I see it this way:

In physics, infinite, friction-less planes in perfect vacuums occupied by inelastic, spherical cows are a useful tool. They approximate things that are theoretically possible, absent the various extra forces.

In ethics, and in any system that is so truly complex, everything you remove makes for a completely different system. None of the elements are basically orthogonal to the circumstances the way air resistance is to a bullet.

These philosophical sorts of thought experiments are, at best, emotional exercises. They are not simplified tools to build a foundation for more complex issues, they're figments born of the phantasmal conditions possible only in the interior of the brain, and too much work with them will only foul both logic and intuition with garbage data.

As for what merely fell flat:

While I deeply enjoyed so much of the speculation about cultural changes brought about by technology, and travel technology specifically, the "no proselytizing" law felt quite forced. I can definitely believe such a law would be passed after the Church Wars described, but holding so strong for centuries?

There are all kinds of supernatural thoughts and beliefs people accept, and there simply isn't a neat threshold between those and religion. Even in the counterfactual world where there was one, it would be quite concealed by the sophistry that's metastasized through the entire discussion space around it.

I can think of a dozen questions off the top of my head that they'd have to decide. And while flipping a coin or an attempt at a definitional framework could answer them, it couldn't do it in a way that's strong enough to stand the test of time. Imagine Laurel/Yanny, the Dress, or if a hot dog is a sandwich, but with material-security level of investment in them!

I'm areligious (to put it... mildly) but for personal, psychosocial reasons, when I sit down to eat I spend a moment in mindful gratitude towards the plants and animals that gave their life for mine. Is that religious? Are ghost hunter shows illegal because they're proselytory for any animistic religion? Would acupuncturists be able to work, or is that a daoist superstition? Could my neighbor's still paint the ceiling of their porch haint blue? Are scientists allowed to register trials for psychic powers? Can schools teach the arguments for dualism?

That doesn't even get into the subjects that, in real life, yank out all the stops on linguistic-conceptual inventiveness! Europe has had a pestilential outbreak of sophistry around head scarves! Would the Alliance ban them for being religious garb? If so, would they ban clothing that covers the ankles as Calvinist religious garb? Or that covers the nipples? (Oh wait, showing the nipples is of significance in some religions! can't allow that!) Should they ban clothing that contains unmixed fibers for being a religious display!? They don't seem to do any of these things, but that's just as much a choice about the First Law as doing so.

Someone proposes personhood begins at conception; I claim that this is fundamentally a supernaturalist belief. Is one of us in violation of the first law? If a hive outlaws birth control, how are they investigated for whether this is a cultural or religious condition? What happens when, I dunno, a Cousin run campus has somebody that wants to put Intelligent Design in the biology textbooks? Most people (well including the people pushing it) know that it's religion wrapped in plausibly deniable words. So is that proselytizing, or is someone pointing it out proselytizing atheism?

Speaking of, there's a pretty good correlation of peace and prosperity with movement to non-religioun. It honestly doesn't seem like sensayers should have much work.

But we meet Bridger and his miracles right at the beginning of the book, before we know a thing about the Church Wars etc. And it's obviously a central tension of the story, intended to be coequal with the brewing war, and yet it quite failed to rouse my interest. The book would've been stronger without it.

Perhaps this *is* just a me thing, since my mind has held miraculous intervention as a solved problem for most of my life. If I were convinced of an event's miraculous character, the most parsimonious explanation is in the vein of, "We're in a simulation that's only been running for a week or so, either as a game or as an experiment, and now we're running under different rules than the ones our (artificial) memories imply." The probability of that happening is too low to waste time processing any other ramifications or possibilities ahead of time.

There is another, related layer of enjoyable consideration, which is of course the reliability of the narrator and his evidence. In Will to Battle, our author is revealed as explicitly delusional, suffering regular, presumably PTSD (and/or anti-sleep drug) related hallucinations. I wish I'd had the patience to do a very close read, or to do a second read—especially given the revelation that 9A edited some of the delusions out of the first two books. Diegetic skepticism is a regular part of the narrative. And there are lots of "rhymes" in the text to mundane circumstances. We're told Bridger looks like Apollo and Seine, and shown the artificial, parentless children, Ganymede and Danaë (crafted to be such a degree of hyperstimulus that among other things, Ganymede has an entire school of art dedicated to him). We're shown that perceptions are malleable, with Thisbe's "witchcraft" and Cato's magician like showmanship. We're constantly exposed to griffincloth and know that just its presence at JEDD's assassination spread skepticism. We're told that scientists proclaim Achilles to have Ancient Greek DNA and an adult's bone structure, but we're also constantly shown an incredible variety of artificial animals and related wonders, and told Apollo was a great scientist.

And yet, over and over the narrative rebukes skepticism. 9A endorses most of what Mycroft has written, and if we go so far as considering them (along with, eg, the officialese headings and warnings) as Mycroft's delusions too, we're at the point where we have to step back so far that the unreliable narrator is actually this "Ada Palmer" character, who is writing about things that don't exist in a year we haven't reached yet!

I was bothered that nobody who learned about it seemed ready to express the proper amount of disgust at the extra-incestuous politics of the world leaders, and honestly find it simply hard to accept that their consortium worked so altruistically.

Finally, ultimately, the central themes of the novel, about peace and war and complacency seem awfully poorly considered for the current era, where voting age children have never known a world without an official war, and the just grown generation is the first since the industrial revolution to be poorer and less healthy and more stressed than their parents. Not just this novel, but the world in general seems to be sorely missing the concept of the important qualitative differences between distress and eustress.

#terra ignota #pls share your thoughts if you disagree I'm bored

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kbrown78 · 5 years

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Monthly Wrap Up: July

July didn't quite go how I planned it to. First, there was my families vacation to South Carolina. I brought several books with my because I thought I would just be able to crank out within a few days, but our stay was much shorter than usual and even during traveling I wasn't able to read as much for various reasons (fear of planes and driving in the dark). So in that time frame I was only able to complete 3 books, which was good but nowhere near what I was hoping. Than work started getting busy, and I had to deal with some graduate school stuff, so I didn't have as much time for reading. That all being said I was still able to complete 10 books, most of which were good and I gave 3 or 4 stars to (there were a few notable exceptions), and accomplished various reading goals, like completing the Reading Frenzy's Runaway with the Circus Readathon (which consisted of 6 prompts) and did my classic of the month. I will also say this month had a huge variety of books, both in the genre and status, and while I still definitely gravitate toward adult fantasy, I feel like picking up books outside of my preferred genre is becoming easier as I end up liking more and more of those selections. To summarize, despite not getting to all the books I wanted to and the three 1 star reads, this month was really solid and I definitely found some books that I could add to my favorites of the year.

Morning Star by Pierce Brown: Darrow must complete the mission of the Sons of Ares, to break the chains of Society, but the events of the previous book have completely changed things. With dwindling resources and allies, Darrow and the Sons of Ares make a final stand against the tyranny of the Sovereign and the Jackal. Upon rereading this book, I'm definitely glad that Brown is continuing the series because I don't think this works well as a finale. When I read the last book in the series, I want to feel that full emotional impact and want a sense of resolution from the ending. I'm not saying everything needs to be completely fixed, I like having a few loose threads, but this ending leaves me with such a sense of uncertainty that I almost feel anxious, which is not something I want from a finale. My biggest issue with this book was probably the pacing of the book, and how everything was just rushed so it could be crammed into one last book. I know there's a lot that this book had a ton it needed to cover, and without a doubt one of this series strongest feature is its action, but something was off and this seemed to produce a ripple effect that tainted other elements of this book. The stakes didn't feel as high, despite the fact that they were potentially world ending stakes. Characters arcs were incomplete, with only Darrow and Sevro having really progressed in any way (and even then I have mixed feelings about Darrow's arc), and romances were really forced into the narrative with little chemistry between the couples. New characters that were added in honestly had little impact. There was, however, 1 major highlight of this book, and really the whole series. That was the villain, The Jackal. As a villain, he is terrific. He's terrifying, amoral, cunning, and deceptive. He isn't a fighter, but that's what makes him so dangerous, because he knows how to get others to do the fighting so that all opponents underestimate him. His petty grievances against his family, and self worth issues make him human, but he is anything but humane. He's honestly one of the best villains, ever. Morning Star was a fun, enjoyable read, but it really lacked the development that it needed to elevate and complete it, and as a finale it really is disappointing. Morning Star received 3 out 5 stars and for the Circus Readathon was my pick for the Flyer prompt “a book set in space.”

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys: When I completed Sepetys novel Salt to the Sea, I loved it so much that I decided to read the rest of her books. I took this one with me when I went on vacation because I would be in South Carolina, and since this book is set in the south I thought it would be the perfect time to read it. This is a historical fiction set in New Orleans during the 1950s. Josie is the daughter of a prostitute with big dreams of leaving behind all the prejudice and brothel that she has grown up in and starting fresh with a college education from a prestigious college. I admit I had high standards going into this one because of Salt to the Sea, and while Out of the Easy wasn't as good, I still liked it. There were a few hiccups however. This narrative lacked direction at times, to the point where things just stalled, with no action or quiet moments. I also didn't like the romance. It wasn't awful but very predictable and just didn't have enough substance or development, especially when compared to almost every other relationship. The one other thing I struggled with was the setting itself. The writing just didn't convey the vibrancy of New Orleans, which is shame because New Orleans has such a colorful reputation. Most of these complaints, however, were minor and this book managed to pull of a really solid, more mature narrative without being depressing. Characters were the highlight of this book because all of them had a life like quality to them, but the best one was probably Josie. Watching as various relationships shape who she is, working hard to achieve her dreams, and having to tackle disappointments and harsh realities made her She's definitely a flawed individual, but I think that at least makes her relateable and sympathetic. Still not as good as Salt to the Sea, but a decent good and one of the better historical fiction novels that I've read. Out of the Easy received 4 out 5 stars.

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang: Since I was going on vacation, I just wanted a nice quick read, and I tend to overall like short story collections. I wasn't sure what I expected going into this, I think I was hoping for something like Ken Liu's Paper Menagerie anthology, but that wasn't what this collection was. It was exclusively science fiction stories (though there were a couple stories that blurred the lines) but the most surprising aspect was definitely how many hard SF stories there were, which is a sub genre I'm not comfortable with yet. Those stories were definitely my least favorite because not only did I disliked what they focused on, physics theorems and mathematical proofs (which I've always struggled with) but also from a writing stand point these stories were the weakest. There were several issues present in most of the stories (weak endings, cold tone, impersonal characters, and disjointed narratives) but they were just really all present and emphasized in the 2 hard SF stories (Story of Your Life and Division by Zero). On the bright side, there was some very good stories that I really loved that I think nailed everything a short story should be. My favorite 2 stories were Tower of Babylon and Seventy Two Letters, both of which would get 5 stars. The individual stories get mixed reviews from me, ranging from poor 1 star, to average 3 star, to excellent 5 star, and despite the fact that execution felt weak in most of the stories, most of the stories at least had some interesting themes. Overall thought it was a decent collection and I'm glad I read it, but I wish I had known it would be just SF stories. As a whole, Stories of Your Life and Others received 3 out 5 stars.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle: This is classic fantasy story that somehow managed to stay under my radar until a couple years ago. I honestly didn't expect much out of it, but at the very least it would be a quick, easy read, with a simple premise of the last unicorn going on a quest to find the rest of her kind. After completing this one, it actually managed to exceed my expectations. It definitely hit all the beats of a classic fantasy: a long quest, medieval European setting and myths, wicked king, magic and prophecy. There's a lot of elements about the book that could make me dislike it, because I have struggled with several epic fantasy novels in just this past year. The difference is that The Last Unicorn is significantly shorter than the other books, and that is without a doubt what makes it work for me. Instead of dragging the story out as long as possible to make it seem grand and epic (because everyone's trying to emulate Tolkien), Beagle gets right to the point and keeps everything at a smaller scale. This pays off because almost every scene feels worthwhile and I'm actually invested in the characters, who were all interesting and well written. Even things I would normally irritate me, I thought was well done. Specifically the prophecy aspects of the narrative. Prophecies are so overused, and rarely done well, they usually make the story feel cheap. In The Last Unicorn, the prophecy wasn't a fundamental part of the story, but it did add layers and the way it played out was done in such a poetic way that it really was a satisfying addition to the narrative. There were also some great themes in this story, in fact the whole thing felt like a mystical allegory for growing up, and I personally love finding good coming of age narratives. There was a lot about this novel that just worked for me and I thought was well executed, but there were a few missteps. Most were minor, like one filler scene (that was a bit weird), and the juxtaposition of modern pop culture reference being present in a medieval setting, but the biggest issue I had was the ending. It was a vague and just felt like I was missing something (though I can't pin point exactly what), but the ending definitely dropped the rating a little. All in all this was a solid fantasy that stands the test of time, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good stand alone fantasy novel. The Last Unicorn received 4 out 5 stars and was one of the books I read for the Reading Frenzy's “Runaway with the Circus” Readathon.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini: Long books can be a struggle to get through, especially if you become increasingly frustrated with the story, and oh boy was that the case for this one. Over 700 pages, and I'd say about 600 of those pages was just filler. Most of the story was dedicated to sub plots which I think were supposed to add to the characters and the world (like the Dwarves electing a new king) and the only events that tied the book to the rest of the series was at the very beginning and end of the book, which makes the entire book feel unnecessary. To add insult to injury, this tome of a book was almost exclusively in the POV of people I didn't care about. Eragon was annoying at first, but now he's just bland because his purpose in this book seemed to just be a mouth piece to spew exposition. There's also the detail of him having made allegiances to everyone he comes in contact with, and while this could have been an interesting plot point and character flaw (since everyone points out that he's basically spread himself to thin) nothing really comes of it. Roran got a lot more screen time in this book, and I hated his POV in the second book and I disliked it even more in this one, because he doesn't do anything and doesn't deserve all the leadership he gets. He's basically a discount Eragon, his chapters were so grating that I just started skipping them all together. The ultimate slap in the face though, was the removal of Nausada's POV. She's my favorite character, by far, the most complex, and I really felt her absence. In general I was so disconnected from the story and the characters, that after days of finishing it I honestly don't remember most of what happened. It sucks because not only was this a favorite series of mine as a child, but also because I see glimpses of potential for this series to be elevated for adult audiences but nothing is done with it. I'll read the last book at some point, just to finish the series, but I'm in no rush to get to what will probably another disappointing tome. Brisingr received 1 out 5 of stars.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson: For a little over a year I've wanted to read this book. Granted it's a mystery which falls out of my usual genre, but it was receiving enough attention to make me curious. Almost immediately I had issues with this book, and those issues stretch through the entire narrative. First is the writing style. Larsson (or at least the translator, since this was originally published in Sweden) seems to use a very dry style, utilizing the precise words that are needed. I have a history of disliking books with a dry style and this one was no exception. The result was that I was honestly bored, felt like I was reading a lot of filler that focused on what exactly everyone looked like and what they were doing, and just in general very detached from the narrative. The other part of this book that was off putting for me was the sexuality and sexual violence. Like this is definitely a novel I would only recommend for an adult audience. I already knew there was going to be a rape scene with Salander, but there was more than just that, which I was not expecting. It just builds up, from the male protagonist constantly having casual sex, to the way men regard Salander, to Salander being explicitly raped twice, then a missing person case turning into a hunt for a sexual sadist with a trail of bodies. It was so bleak and really turned me off from the narrative. Combining the writing style and sex, and I ended up skimming the majority of the book, because every time I tried to fully read, I just felt worn down. Speaking of which the mystery narrative wasn't that good. I've seen worse but I wasn't invested in this one at all, there were some notable holes in it, and toward the end it was pretty obvious who was the killer. I wasn't invested in the characters because they basically felt like archetypes that I either disliked or had seen way too many times, although Salander did manage to have a few shining moments. Basically there was nothing that I liked about this story: the tone, the writing, the violence, the characters, and the story itself. I personally would recommend just watching the movie if you're curious about this one, since I could see it potentially being better in movie format. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo received 1 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar prompts: “set in Scandinavia,” “published post humously,” and “features an amateur detective.”

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: The only reason I read this book is because I wanted to knock out some challenge reads. I didn't expect to love this one, it's not in a genre I gravitate towards and Rowell's books strike me as a mix between John Green and Nicholas Sparks novels, neither of which I have any interest reading. However, this novel fulfilled 2 prompts, so I really needed to get this one done. Honestly, this one felt like I was reading fanfiction. The writing was choppy and juvenile, the dialouge was awkward and unnatural, the characters were card board cutouts made from a collection of cliques, there was no chemistry with the romance (love interest was a bit of creep at times), and whenever there was a plot it was melodramatic moments that the author was trying to force. Even though this was supposed to be a coming of age book, with the protagonist going off to college, and being in a fandom (with the fictional fandom being a blatantly gay Harry Potter), it delivered on none of that. If you want a good book on fandoms, with a well written protagonist with social anxiety, I would skip this book and just read Eliza and Her Monsters. Everything about this book was lazy and awkward and was even uncomfortable at moments, and I'm just glad I got it over with quickly. Fangirl received 1 out 5 stars and was my pick for the PopSugar prompts: “set on a college campus” and “author whose 1st and last name start with the same letter.”

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss: This book was in a word, fun. All this book wanted to do was tell a fun story, and I think it delivered on that. The whole story focuses on Mary Jekyll as she discovers that her late father was part of a secret organization of scientists that might be connected to a recent string of murders in London. Along the way she meets several other women in the same predicament as her, and together they work to stop the mysterious Society of Alchemists before it's too late. Loved how the whole book is just a nod to several iconic literary figures, especially of Victorian Literature, but it really focuses on the females and the effect that their “fathers” had on them. The way the book was written, as a sort of memoir with each of the girls adding in their own commentary, worked well because it gave us some insight to each of their personalities as well as making slight commentary on the Victorian Era. Surprisingly I also liked how the mystery was handled, because that's usually where a story comes crashing down for me. I think that's because it took it's time to develop and arise naturally, kept the stakes relatively small, and set the groundwork for a series long conflict. I thought Mary was a pretty good protagonist, a practical minded leader and good hearted individual. While the book keeps the plot simple, which worked, its also kept most of the characters simple, which did not entirely work. For most of the girls, and even other side characters, I felt like they weren't developed much outside of their original context. Which meant that I didn't feel much attachment to them, nor did I get a feel for their inner dynamics, which is rather important for group based stories. Granted the book didn't suffer too much from it and we have the whole just of the series to further develop them. In my opinion this book is ultimately just a fluffy story that's great for reading slumps. The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter received 4 out of stars and was my pick for the Circus prompt “Cotton Candy: a fluffy and light hearted read.”

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff: Hyped books always make me skeptical, because more often than not I've been burned by them. Initially I got this one as a gift for my sister because it seemed like the type of book she would enjoy, but I was intrigued because of all the praise it had been receiving. If the premise of this book sounds familiar, a young girl training to take revenge on a corrupt government that executed her family, that's because it is. At the start this book does feel just like a copy of Arya Stark's narrative, and even the rest of the story features overused tropes that I don't like (Mean Girl and Mean Teacher) but I think everything else about this book makes up for that. The world was really interesting, a blend of various real world time periods and cultures but injected a healthy amount of fantastical elements. Loved the Red Church and the various classes, aka Halls, because you actually get to see what the acolytes learn and how it would be useful. “Truths” was definitely my favorite because that was the class with poisons and chemicals. I also appreciate the fact that while this definitely is an adult fantasy, and has dark and grim elements, it never steps over the line of being bleak to an absurd degree like a lot of fantasy (adult and YA) currently is, which is nice because I hate grimdark books. Characters were all interesting to say the least because while each was unique, with their own quirks and motivations, they all have a cut throat streak to them since all are either assassins or training to be assassins. While I did like Mia and found her to be an excellent protagonist, she wasn't actually my favorite character, which speaks to how good the side characters were. All the relationships in this book were artfully done and really tugged on my emotions. Like I wanted to trust others and for true friendships to be developed, only for the rug to be ripped from under me and those relationships only to end in death or betrayal. Even liked the romance, which is saying something because it's hard for to find a romance I think works well (still didn't need the sex scenes though). As for the plot, I've already stated that there were some tropes and the story did drag at times, but overall I liked the story. I liked seeing the various twists and turns that it took, I thought the flashbacks were well utilized, all the pieces just clicked together, and by the end of the story I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation. There's also a matter of the footnotes, which I know some people don't like, but I personally liked them because of how they added world building but also conveyed the narrators wit. This book wasn't super original, but everything about this book was really solid and I honestly loved it. I'm eager to see where the rest of the series goes. Nevernight received 4.5 out 5 stars, and was my pick for the PopSugar prompt “religious setting,” and for the Circus Readthon prompts: “Big Top” (red, white, black colors on cover), “Grandstand” (hyped book), and “Ringmaster” (first book in a series).

The Art of War by Sun Tzu: Over the years, I've read a variety of books. Mostly fiction, mostly fantasy but I've also read plenty of non fiction and classics, yet this one is really isn't like any other book I've read. A blend of classical writing and non fiction, above all it's a book on military tactics. While the concept is good, and I did find this insightful, I don't read books that focus on military. It's such a dry, technical form of writing that I struggle to visualize and can't connect with, and as a result I just tend to glaze over battle scenes, even in fiction novels that I'm really liking. I also didn't like how the supplemental notes and translations were placed within the book, to the point where the writing felt very choppy, and I honestly struggled with getting through the last 50 or so pages. On that note, I think Art of War is an interesting read, that illuminates the delicate relationship between peace and war, and does make the subject of military strategy approachable and understandable, but the subject still isn't something up my alley, and there were times I was just bored when reading it (both due to the subject and the writing itself). The Art of War received 3 out 5 stars and was my classic read of the month.

Thank You Everyone

Keep Calm and Keep Reading

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la-knight · 6 years

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Books I Read in 2018: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

“Maybe that's why superheroes wore capes. Maybe they weren't capes at all, but safety blankets, like the one Aru kept at the bottom of her bed and pulled up under her chin before she went to sleep. Maybe superheroes just tied their blankies around their necks so they'd have a little bit of comfort wherever they went. Because honestly? Saving the world was scary. No harm admitting that.”

“It is not failure to fail.”

“This is what we get for thinking that scaley orange skin and fake hair could keep that former demon out of elected office.

“You are the Daughter of Death," hissed Aru. "You don't walk into a telephone pole because of a boy.”

“Aru was twelve years old. Even she knew that half the time she didn't know what she was doing.”

Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she'll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again. But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them. The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that

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I first heard about Roshani Chokshi when her novel The Star-Touched Queen debuted back in like 2016. The elevator pitch I’d heard for it was “Hades and Persephone but with Indian mythology.” I’m a HUGE sucker for Hades & Persephone, always have been. So of course I snatched that up, and fell in love with Maya, with the beautifully lyrical and poetic prose, and with Roshani Chokshi’s way of painting her different worlds. Out of the four books she has out right now, I only have one left to read (A Crown of Wishes). She’s brilliant, and when I found out she was expanding to Middle-Grade, I knew I had to see what was up with her newest book

So what can I say about Aru-Shah and the End of Time? Well, some people might compare it to Percy Jackson - it’s a somewhat similar concept, the children of gods fighting monsters to save the world. Probably why Aru Shah is the first book from Rick Riordan’s new imprint from Disney Hyperion (the man is doing the Lord’s work, not gonna lie). But if I were to compare Aru Shah and the End of Time to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief...it’s better. It’s SO MUCH better (no offense, Rick).

See, I like Percy. I like the series and I like him. But the first book was a bit shallow. To be fair, it came out at a time when middle-grade was still fighting to be allowed to hold the same depths as some of the “more risque” YA of the time, like having queer characters, or characters with mental health issues, or what have you. At the time PJ:LT came out, most middle-grade fantasies weren’t allowed to have that kind of stuff. Thankfully Rick Riordan helped pave the way for publishers to realize, oh, shoot, middle-grade can have a lot of the same depth as YA, holy gosh (other helpers in the cause are Tahereh Mafi and JK Rowling, although more points go to Ms. Mafi). So why is Aru Shah better than Percy Jackson?

It’s deeper. It’s richer. It’s more diverse. Some of you might think, well of course it’s more diverse, it’s Indian mythology. No, no, no. You don’t understand. It’s amazing. We have two Indian girls teaming up to save the world, one with extreme anxiety and OCD who wants to be a doctor, who casually mentions her gay hero brother without it being a big deal. We have a series set up to put together a team of five young Indian women who fight monsters and save the world.

There’s a former villain who learns to love, who does honor to the two female leads. The tasks and challenges are clever and fun, with a touch of whimsy but still as action-packed and engaging as any adventure in Artemis Fowl or Harry Potter. We have a girl from a single-parent home who’s always wanted more of a family, and she gets one - as soon as Aru meets Mini, one of the other reborn Pandavas, they start calling each other “sister” and vow never to turn their backs on each other. There’s a brief moment where this is put to the test, but the girls get over it and reconcile easily.

One of the best things about Aru, the character, is how accepting she is of Mini after they meet. Mini can be a little high-maintenance, and at first Aru’s a little exasperated, but it doesn’t take long for her to realize Mini has severe OCD (instead of high-fives, they bump elbows) and anxiety. In fact, Mini’s a lot like me. And while sometimes Mini will say something and Aru will be like, “Wait, really?” after a minute she’s just like, “Okay, sure. If that’s what you need.”

When they pull off some daring-dos near the end of the book, Aru offers her elbow for a bump without having to be reminded of the no-hands rule. Even better, Mini doesn’t just decide to high-five Aru at the end. She’s still OCD, still freaks out over germs, and Aru doesn’t mind. And while Mini does sometimes panic, Aru is mostly very understanding and helps her get through her panic attacks. When Mini expresses fear that Aru will abandon her because of her anxiety and “other flaws,” Aru not only promises she won’t, but puts a spin on it that helps sooth Mini’s fears (Aru gets hung up about this and wonders if she’s lying; I’ll touch on that near the end).

The villains were interesting, the mythology is fairly new which means explanations can be provided in a fun way and it’s not stuff we readers have been told ten million times. I was honestly surprised by the identity of Aru and Mini’s fathers (who aren’t their biological fathers; these Indian gods imbued the girls’ souls with...soul DNA? That’s not what they call it, I just don’t know if I can explain it any other way). Also, as a fan of The Star-Touched Queen, I had to wonder - did Maya have anything to do with Mini’s powers?

You know how in Percy Jackson the kids get neat doo-dads that turn into magical stuff? Like a pen into a sword, Thalia’s bracelet into that one shield, Luke’s winged sneakers, blah blah? Aru gets a golden tennis ball and Mini gets a purple compact. Not a big deal? Ah ha, au contraire. Those items are the glamoured belongings of the god of thunder and the god of death, and they’re actually pretty cool - but also pretty!

This book is just...fun. It’s SO FUN. The monsters are new, the tasks are original, the characters are cute, and I loved it.

Let’s talk about the thing I love most: Aru Shah. Roshani Chokshi has the interesting ability to create characters that are basically me. Not physically, not according to age or race, but with Night, with Maya, and now with Aru, she creates female leads who speak to me on a fundamental level.

This time, it’s Aru, who’s basically Loki from Loki: Agent of Asgard except female instead of genderfluid, 12 years old, and Indian. In L:AoA, there’s a scene in the final bindup where Loki indentifies themself (first in femme-presenting form, then in masc-presenting form) as the moon goddess, the god of stories. Aru is the personification of that.

Something that gets said a lot in the book is, “You’re a liar, Aru Shah.” But she’s not. She’s a storyteller, a world-changer, someone who refuses to view the world as bleak and terrible and uses the gift of words to make it better for herself and the people she’s loves. She’s an optimist who fights with words and thinks fast on her feet. She’s a daughter of Lord Indra the Thunderer and a reincarnation of the greatest of the Pandava Brothers. She’s the moon goddess, the god of stories, someone I would’ve idolized (or possibly gotten a crush on) if I’d read this as a kid, and I love her. I will follow her to the end.

Also she better get as many books as Percy did (so like...15 books).

There were only two complaints, really. One, Aru was rather preoccupied with boogers (it came up like 5 times). I mean, I know she’s a tween, but still. Two, I saw the plot twist with her dad coming from a mile away.

Plot: ¾ star Characterization: 1 star World Building: 1 star Word Choice: ¾ star Realism: 1 star

- ¼ star for copious snot (ew)

+ ¼ star for positive portrayal of a character with anxiety and OCD

+ ¼ star for having a 12-year-old girl in Spider-Man pajamas saving the world, okay?

In total: 4.75/5 stars

Would I Buy It: I did! Now I need the next one!

Would I Recommend It: READ THIS BOOK, PEOPLE!!! It’s so cute, seriously.

I was asked to tag @magic-in-every-book so here’s my Aru review! :)

All pics were stock photos manipulated by me in Photoshop or in the public domain. Except the painting of the Pandavas. That’s from Wikipedia.

#Aru Shah and the End of Time #book review #books of 2018 #Roshani Chokshi #aesthetic

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cayothecomputerguy · 6 years

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Technology Education Availability in Rural Areas

Even before high school, i’ve been interested in technology. The first chance I got to pick my own classes, eighth grade, I chose a fundamentals of technology class. This class was great, and I learned a lot about different types of tech. We did simple stress testing using balsa wood, VERY light coding using scratch, and even some animation. This class was very general, but as was expected from a fundamentals class.

Next came high school. First semester freshman year, I took electronics one. I loved this class, and it helped me learn a lot about circuit, current, resistors, and such. It was still fairly general though. I had planned on taking electronics two later on in my high school career, but sadly never had the opportunity (RIP Mr. Slayton).

This year, my senior year, I am currently enrolled in a computer science class online through virtual virginia. The classes’ name is AP Computer Science A, and it Focuses on Java. At first I thought the class was great, and I love learning about computer science, but the class has a multitude of flaws that will hurt me later on. Firstly, the fact that it’s online and that the class size is so large really hurts. Every week we are given two simple programs to write from only the most fundamental concepts of the chapter we’re on. It takes the teacher a few weeks to grade these, and if we’re stuck on something (don’t know how to do it, not sure if it works the way she wants) it’s almost impossible to get into touch with her. This makes me feel like the class is almost a waste of time, and kinda killed it for me. Honestly now I just do the bare minimum because I feel like there isn’t anything that the class offers for me that I could gather by reading the text myself.

Recently, I visited my college of choice and met with the head on the computer science department. We spoke about what I had done with computers (I self taught myself most of what I know through the internet) and I told her about the computer science class I was enrolled in. She told me plainly that the class I was in was completely useless to me in college, and that we would be starting with a completely different language. The college equivalent of AP Comp Sci A is CS 133, and the first class for Comp Sci majors is CS 150. That got me thinking about the scarcity of technology education where i’m from.

It’s kinda gross, to be honest. I know of a lot of people that could go far with technology but have been robbed of the opportunity because of the lack of availability. Myself personally, I couldn’t apply to the engineering school I wanted to because my school doesn't offer a physics class. All of the technology class i’ve taken up to date have been absurdly general or completely useless to me in the long run. I have a friend from a larger school in a more populated area in NoVA, who was also interested in technological education. At his old school, he was a member of the robotics team and was planning on taking physics classes to go towards his astrophysics major. Since he moved here, Buckingham VA, he has lost all of those opportunities.

I know that there isn’t really anything that I can do about it, but it just really frickin sucks that I've lost opportunities based on location. I wish I had been able to join a robotics team, take relevant tech classes that had some depth, or at least had been able to take classes that would allow me to apply to the college of my choice. It’s okay though, moving forward i’m just trying to do as much as I can with what I love.

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peerless-soshi · 7 years

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I’m a little disappointed that Kodaka didn’t add more parallels between Kirigiri and Saihara because their talent combined with reverse personalities just asks for some comparison. I should point that I’m in the middle of the game so I may be wrong and later see more parallels. For now, it’s an unused opportunity which could give so much to Saihara’s story. (put under read more because of major spoilers. Yes, those spoilers)

Obviously in the whole series we have only two duets which share the same talent and looking at how important was the connection between Naegi and Komaeda, finding similarities in Kirigiri and Saihara only seems to be expected (by the way, I’m sad that this time we didn’t get to see an Ultimate Lucky Student! This tradition was important, ok?). Previous Lucky Students weren’t the same - they weren’t even alike! - but those differences were key to all the parallels between them. I like the contrast between Komaeda and Naegi’s luck, how in Naegi’s case hope is healing and with Komaeda it’s destructive, how they’re two opposite sides of the same coin. Even Monokuma compares them to each other. I love it and I miss this clear comparison in Kirigiri and Saihara because they could also represent two separate approaches to the detective work.

Kirigiri Kyouko is cold and distanced since she believes that any personal involvement can subdue her objectivity and make her biased. For Kirigiri, abandoning feelings is fundamental to the detective profession. First cold logic works perfectly, after all she is able to solve any murder case and never be deceived by wrong first impression. But later comes the point where Kirigiri is forced to realize that logic deprived of feelings is useless. She wouldn’t be able to get out of the school alive without Naegi, she wouldn’t solve the final case if she didn’t accept help, her insistence on objective reasoning turns out to be toxic and almost leads to killing an innocent person. I’m writing it all because Saihara would be perfect to go through the same points, but starting on the opposite side, so as a detective guided by feelings.

Saihara Shuuichi is very emotional. Although first he appears to be shy and antisocial, soon we learn that he also trusts people easily, loves easily, gets attached to friends easily. During the second trail Saihara even points that a detective should stick to evidences but he wants to believe in Kaito and so takes the risk of trusting a friend without any reason other then his heart. I would like to see Monokuma saying that Saihara and Kirigiri are similar to each other, but in the same way as Naegi and Komaeda were similar - they are so different doing the same thing.

I feel the second trail would be a much better opening because of various reasons. First, the motive is the tape and honestly? I wouldn’t mind seeing in the (potentially) ending game the same beginning that I saw in the first game. Two, giving Kaede more time would result in building her personality better, giving her more reasons for self-sacrifice and making her death much more significant.

(I’m going off topic here but let me do it - I love Kaede so much and I’m not cynical, I’m not saying that it’s impossible to die for a group of strangers. I believe in selfless kindness, I really do. But I also see something empty in Kaede. She is able to give up her life for people she just met because... just because. Because she is good. Dying for friends is an inherent part of any killing game but even altruism has reasons, people never do so extreme things if they don’t see a deeper meaning in it. Sakura loves her friends but she also feels guilty for spying on them, wants to feel free and oppose Monokuma etc. Peko dies for a person she knows her entire life and who made this life worth of living. For Nanami being able to build a bond with other people, learning how to love and care, developing sense of identity and doing something out of her free will is a higher value than living. That’s why I feel that giving Kaede more time with friends would also make her personal reasons clearer than they are now)

But back to the main topic! Personally, I think it would be cool if Saihara started as a detective who trusts his feelings rather than evidences. Kirigiri was a detective of logic, Saihara could be a detective of heart. I would make Kaito a main suspect and add more details that would lead to him being a murder. You know, so many that first Kaito killing Hoshi would be the most obvious answer and only Saihara’s blind trust would make other proofs important. I said before that Kirigiri’s iron objectivity first passes the tests and lets the group solve cases. It would make a great parallel if Saihara, insisting that a detective without trust is not a real detective, would actually solve the case because he was able to believe in Kaito despite all doubts.

But I also said that Kirigir’s isolation is flawed and in Chapter 5 it almost kills Naegi. That being guided only by evidences leads nowhere. That’s why Saihara’s faith in people should finally fail him and create another great parallel. And why Amami and Kaede’s death would carry more impact if happened later. I can see Saihara sincerely believing that listening to people and trusting their words is the most important part of the detective work, to the point where he could became similar to Kirigiri - he’d think that his belief is unmistakable and utterly leads to truth. This is where Kaede��s death could happen. She is the most important person for Saihara, the only one he would never suspect and the one he would try to protect regardless of evidences. Again, I’m just sharing my personal opinion but I think Saihara would be able to take his trust too far and repeat Kirigiri’s mistake, insisting on searching the truth somewhere else and listening to his heart, thus ignoring obvious evidences. And as we know, making the wrong decision during the trail is equal to killing friends. As putting Neagi in danger was a breaking point for Kirigiri and made her realize that unconditional trust in logical thinking is dangerous, as being wrong during the trail would open Saihara’s eyes and make him see that sometimes people can make mistakes, and turning away from truth can’t change it.

In the end, even if Kirigiri and Saihara would go totally different paths, the conclusion would be the same - extreme thinking is never good.

#danganronpa #new danganronpa v3 #kyoko kirigiri #shuichi saihara #my analysis #fandoms talk

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lgfuadjj · 7 years

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hello!!! gimme more lucas asya and sofia!!!! i love your ocs!!!!! 4, 7 (i love suffering), 19 (*whispers* i love my son lucas and i Get him), 20, 21, 44 ok im gonna stop because i actually want to ask it all

Hahaha thank you for this whoops. Honestly I would answer all the questions if you want me to ;D.

For those unaware, I will be answering these questions about my OCs from my fic Tears On The Ground, Tears On The Pillow.

4. Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

Lucas - Hm, I guess spending a lot of time in the hospital with his mother - he saw a lot of shit and that changed him in a way that’s like try and appreciate everything you have, and those who come into your life kind of thing. He talks about this with his mom a lot (or at least used to - it’s kind of like their own inside thing they agree on 100%, “appreciate what you have while you’re here”).

Asya - So Asya was in and out of a handful of homes before she officially got adopted. A lot of them weren’t…The best places for a child. She remembers a lot from being in these homes that weren’t really homes, and that affected her a lot before she hit her teenage years (She has this really hard deep rooted fear of being abandoned type of thing - It’s still there but like not as bad as when she was a child). Her parents grew to learn about this while raising her and helped in any way they could! Always giving their love and support unconditionally :’)

Sofia - Ooooh my baby Sofia. She has seen a lot of classism and bullying throughout her time at school. It’s definitely matured her, and made her come to the conclusion she doesn’t want to be like that to anyone in her life. Like she treats everyone equally and fairly. She only talks about this kind of stuff with her brother, Otabek, since he also was a part of the schooling system she is (and also witnessed this kind of stuff first hand).

7. Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

Lucas - Lucas fears failure a lot, so his kind of themes are things that deal with any type of failure. It could be something as trivial as failing a test or as huge as putting all his time and effort into his dream (running his own dance studio) and just…Not having it work out. He’s scared of failing his own expectations as well as his mother’s (Even though she will love him no matter what…)

Asya - Types of things for Asya’s nightmares…She’s scared of failing in the type of way that she’ll never land something that lasts (career wise). She has these expectations of her already because of who her parents are (not from them - from others that don’t even matter really but still, they exist). Even though her parents always tell her to do what she wants, that they’ll always love her no matter what, she just doesn’t want to ‘fail’ them in this way (She just wants to prove she can ~make it~ on her own, not with her parents fame type of thing !!)

Sofia - Hm…I feel like Sofia would just have a lot of stress induced type nightmares. Studying for school and what not can be stressful, even for Sofia who feels like school is fairly easy. She has nightmares a lot about her alarm not going off on an important test day, or like trying to turn in an essay without any content in it (like an outline or something).

19. What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?

Lucas - Oh my son, Lucas…Lately his relationships have been destroyed by his not thinking before he speaks (particularly when he’s angry). It’s not so much that he’s just “honest”, it’s more like…He just says whatever comes to mind first, regardless if he thinks it’s true or not once he’s not angry anymore. When strong emotions come over him it’s like, “talk first, think later” type of situation for him - which has ended in a handful of bad results (including yes, destroying relationships).

Asya - It might be weird but Asya has never really focused on relationships at all? Like…Ever. She’s been with people, but never has she ever felt like she was in love with someone. If anything her biggest “flaw” would be that, not focusing on relationships and what not. She’s big on focusing on her life and work / school (and I don’t think that’s a flaw, but if I had to choose any, that would be it). There’s been people she’s been with that could have seen them going farther but she knows what she’s about, and currently it’s not relationships.

Sofia - She actually has very little experience in the relationship department! She has kissed / dated some boys but nothing ever serious enough to have any prominent flaws. But if I could give any probable future flaws…She underestimates herself a lot, and I feel like in a relationship this would translate a lot into second guessing everything (mostly second guessing herself, not her partner). I feel like this is potentially a relationship destroyer because sometimes people aren’t willing to stay and “put up with that”.

20. In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

Lucas - With Lucas I think he likes to compare himself to his classmates the most. Half for self-validation, and the other for self-criticism, all depending on his mood lol. The validation part is a lot like, “Hey i’m on par with this person I think who’s really good.” The self-criticism, “I’ll never reach that level of fluidity and ease no matter how much I practice.” Like I mentioned, it depends on his mood which way it goes.

Asya - Asya’s comparisons are unfortunately matched against her parents. She takes into account the ages / time frames it took for her parents to get where they are now. I guess in this mindset it’s self-criticism more than self-validation. She doesn’t do it often but sometimes she’ll think, “Wow my mom had her first dress debuted by now” or, “My dad was already head chef in the first restaurant he worked in.” But she also tries very hard not to hold it against herself, since her parents aren’t doing that.

Sofia - Sofia is at this age where comparing yourself to someone else is like…”Normal”. Being a 16 year old, in high school, it seems like it’s a given that she would compare herself to someone more popular than her. But the thing about Sofia is that she grew out of this mentality way quicker than most, which is ideal and great. So I guess if she does compare herself to anyone, it’s mostly those who she looks up to. Ballerinas, a variety of artists…Newly, Asya ;D. It comes to be more…Self-validation I suppose. Her comparing is more like, “Look where I can be some day.”.

21.If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?

Lucas - Lately Lucas believes that anything bad that happens to him, he deserves. He definitely knows he’s caused some things (Whoops, his temper and big mouth). He’s definitely blamed someone for something he knows was his fault (or some shared fault) but that was more in his younger years when he took responsibility for nothing. But yeah he’s in this place now where he either believes he deserves it, or knows he caused it.

Asya - For a long time Asya believed that she was the main cause for literally anything negative or tragic that involved her. Sometimes she would believe she deserved it - even though she did not whatsoever. Thankfully she mostly grew out of this idea and has now landed on just the middle ground of, “I know when something is my fault, or if we share the blame, or if it’s totally someone else’s fault.” She also believes that sometimes things just happen sometimes, and maybe they were meant to happen. It doesn’t mean someone always has to be at fault, kind of thing.

Sofia - Sofia has yet to encounter a lot of tragic or negative things happening to her, but for the most part…She shares the same mentality with Asya that sometimes things were meant to happen, while sometimes things were not. That’s just the way of life, and how the world works sometimes.

44. How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?

Lucas - It’s difficult for Lucas to say it, and actually mean it. If he’s saying it pretty easily / fast, then that is a definite sign that either a) he’s going a little crazy or b) he doesn’t actually mean it in a way he could mean it.

Asya - She can say it easily, and always mean it. She has never said it without meaning it, nor do I think she ever will. She has a lot of love to spread.

Sofia - She’s only said it to family members and maybe a couple really close friends. She has meant it every time. I don’t think she would ever say it without meaning it because what would be the point in that, for her.

Oh my fuck that took me longer…Than I thought it would. But I loved every second of it and ahhhhhhhh, thank you for this ask

Question list for OCs - Ask me HERE

#a n s w e r #totgtotp #nsolace #this took me literally hours to write and I don't know why #whoops

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a-friendinthedark · 7 years

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and three, two, one, go!!1!

as asked by my bff, fellow God of our oc world, @sakamotorei

5. On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

Emily –

Cash/change/cards/keys

Compact mirror/lipstick/lip-gloss/misc makeup stuff (she checks and redoes her makeup frequently)

Breath mints (in case she needs to kiss anyone lol)

Phone/portable phone charger (never leaves the house without them)

Sunglasses (there’s always a pair of sunglasses somewhere in her bag)

Pepper spray

Pads

Sometimes, jewelry she took off when she’s out

Occasionally, bubblegum (she likes to chew them and blow bubbles, also this is a way to make her look mysterious in insta pics lol)

6. Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?

Jacob –

Can’t think of any for this

7. Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

Jacob –

When he was around 7 all the way till maybe 12 he used to have dreams where he went to school, but he wet his pants, and everyone laughed at him. He would be hugging his soft toy and feeling horrible

Another dream he had all the way till he was a preteen/around 12 was a dream where he would be out with Yvonne in a foreign country but then they got separated and he couldn’t find her. He would spend the whole dream looking for her in grimy, threatening places where people leered at him

I feel like being lost in a crowd is a genuinely terrifying fear he had when he was younger. He would clutch Yvonne’s hand very tightly when they were in crowded places and press quite closely to her.

4. Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

Jacob –

So, as a follow-up from the previous question, he probably did get lost once. It was probably when he was a kid. He was with Yvonne in a crowded place. They got separated by accident, and he couldn’t find her. He was very, very scared, and I don’t think he remembers how it ended. He only remembers that it felt like a nightmare.

Yvonne was honestly horrified/horror-struck when she realized that she lost him. She would have fiercely/frantically went to retrace their steps, but quickly decided that a faster and more efficient way was to just to go to the information counter to ask them to announce it.

It scared him badly enough that he has nightmares about it.

Nova –

If you’re looking for some deep, dark secrets……the answer’s gonna be no

I can’t think of any life-changing moments. I can see smaller moments; she was an avid reader when she was a teen. She read classics, history books, critical thinking books, all kinds of books. It started because she read a novel for school that made her think, and opened up her world-view. She was fascinated by all this information.

The other incident that affected her was when her family moved to the US in her midteens.

11. In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?

Jacob –

That time when he got separated from Yvonne.

Emily –

She has had one or two experiences walking home at night when she almost got mugged. She was both furious and also terrified. It’s why she carries pepper spray everywhere.

Also, it’s likely one of the many guys who liked her tried to harass her. Though I don’t think she was scared. Maybe a little. But mostly mad.

Nova –

If someone she loves was in danger. She would be terrified but furious.

12. In what situation was your character the most calm/comfortable they’ve ever been?

Jacob –

At night when he is at home, and Yvonne is also at home. It’s his safe place. Maybe he reads a book or watches TV with Yvonne. He’s peaceful and content.

Nova –

She is calm nearly 80% of the time (the other 20%, she is angry).

She is most calm and comfortable when she is spending time with people she loves (her family, Emily).

Emily –

When she’s doing something engrossing and no one is interrupting. E.g. when she does her makeup, she hums cheerfully/energetically to herself.

She is most comfortable when she’s

13. Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?

Jacob & Nova & Emily –

Around the same tolerance for all of them tbh, in other words, it depends on how much blood.

None of them are bothered by a bit of blood. E.g. if you get a papercut or a scratch.

If they see test-tubes of blood or blood in packets, they are also not very bothered by it. Jacob will be uneasy and grossed out if he can taste or smell blood.

If there’s a lot of blood, then naturally they are all anxious/concerned/worried. Nova keeps her cool best, and starts giving orders. Emily might start panicking. Older!Jacob can keep a cool head, and will quietly/urgently try to staunch the blood.

19. What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?

Emily –

Depends on which age the question refers to.

When Emily was younger, one relationship that was ruined was teen!Wemily. Because of her fun family and siblings, she had a pretty good time at home, so she was very cheerful in a way that’s breezy. Think kid!Judy Hopps. She was happy about everything, and she liked everything. She didn’t really stop to appreciate or think of the meaning something might have had to her. That kind of ruined her relationship with Wendie.

When she’s 20+, she appreciates people more and spontaneously shows affection. She’s quite easy-going about most things…maybe her temper? When she lets her temper get the better of her and she says blunt things? E.g. Ana calling Elsa out: “There it is, the door you love to slam in my face.” (Sagittarius lol) She doesn’t mean it maliciously, she just calls it as she sees it. Her temper blows over quickly, so after she vents it, she’s fine.

Nova –

When she was younger, she kept to herself a lot, and showed outsiders a cool, composed, and controlled front. That guarded facade stopped others from getting close to her/her from getting close to others. Also, she was more rigid and controlling.

Now that she’s 20+… It depends. She doesn’t proactively share about herself/she’s quite taciturn, so that could be a problem…but she voluntarily shares information about herself if the conversation is on that topic. She just doesn’t volunteer information out of the blue. So, I’d probably pick her detachment/indifference. When she is closer to a person, she does show more warmth. Hasn’t ruined any relationships yet.

20. In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

Emily –

In the timeline without her siblings, she used to compare to validate herself when she was a teenager. She would frequently compare herself with others who were ‘uglier’ than her, or of lower social status, and she would dismiss/reduce them, so it affirms how she’s the queen bee.

With her siblings around, she tends to look down on people less. She tends to find people cool more often, and look up to these people. So…encouraging/positive self-criticism?

Nova –

During her teenage years: in school, she tended to compare to others who were not as successful as she is, and feel validated. She would also compare to other students more successful than her and feel begrudging/resentful/jealous/insecure. It was because she felt that she was superior, so she should be the most successful/superior.

But she also aspired to be like her father, or to live up to him.

When she grew a little older, she also started to aspire to be like certain public figures who caught her attention.

Jacob –

He doesn’t compare to validate himself, but he doesn’t really compare for self-criticism either. Because he doesn’t really….he doesn’t really take other people’s achievements personally? I guess? Even if he saw people successful, he thinks “That’s nice", but he never thinks of it in relation to himself. He rarely wants to be like other people.

Even if he met someone who was good at something he likes, he asks the person for help, but doesn’t feel insecure about it. I can see him starting to compare in a self-criticizing way when people around him start to deride him while praising the other person. He starts to feel bad about himself, and he wants to be like that other person. But he doesn’t really want to be that person, he just wants the acceptance that the other person is accorded.

22. What does your character like in other people?

Nova –

She tends to like people who know what they want. She also likes people with opinions, especially if they are unconventional. She might not agree, but she is interested in hearing their reasons and she thinks it shows that the person has depth, coz it means they think about things. (Unless it’s someone like Theo who is deliberately provocative and has no real reason for things except just coz he can). She also appreciates expressive and social/friendly people coz she is not good at small talk.

A dealbreaker for her is sloppiness. She is very irked by disorganization and bad habits, like leaving things on the floor, not tidying up after yourself, dumping everything everywhere…

Emily –

She likes people who know how to have fun. She also likes people who can match her pace and introduce her to new things; and she likes people who are unique and bold.

A dealbreaker for her is someone who is a wet blanket. Debbie Downers, and people who are pessimistic and bleak. It makes her feel really constricted/restricted, and she really hates that.

(I’m seeing even more why Nemily works out).

Jacob –

He likes people who don’t make him feel threatened and unsafe, e.g. loud, obnoxious, invasive, rude (think Theo). He doesn’t like things to be sprung on him, and he likes people who are reliable, trustworthy, and consistent.

23. What does your character dislike in other people?

Emily –

When it seems (to her) like you’re purposely being an ass. E.g. Theo. Someone who is very antagonistic and hostile to anything she says, tries to turn every friendly overture she makes into something to attack her with. She starts frowning a lot, and after a while, she sharply calls you out and then goes off in a huff to talk to someone else

When you talk shit about people in a way that uses personal attacks and makes it very ugly, especially if it’s someone she likes. She bitches about people too, but it’s more of a vent/expression of her frustration and irritation, and less of a personal attack. So, if you do this around her, she starts to frown. She finds it unreasonable and she doesn’t like it. She will try to redirect the conversation, but if she can’t, she will just leave lol

When you try to tell her what to do. When you condescend to her, tell her what choices/decisions she should make, how she should feel, tell her what to do, judge her, control her… She’s pretty fine with it if you don’t like things she does. She’s not okay with it when you try to change her

37. Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?

Nova –

Dignity and honor are most important to her. But how she chooses to act depends on what’s at stake in each situation. In some cases, she would swallow her dignity and pride and protect her status instead, because she thinks it’s more important to the long run. In others, she chooses to defend her honor.

Emily –

I feel like honor = status to her? So defending one is defending the other?

41. Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?

Jacob –

He doesn’t have inferiority issues, so, not really.

But I think he feels better working/earning for what he gets/wants. Coz if he got everything he wanted without any kind of effort, I feel like he feels uneasy about how lucky he is.

44. How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?

Nova –

Doesn’t say it unless she means it. She always says what she means and means what she says.

It is a little difficult for her to say it. She expresses her love in other ways, and tends not to say it (forgets to, if that’s possible) except when she’s feeling really affectionate.

Emily –

Says it quite easily and casually. Someone does a favor for her, she’s like, “Thank you so much!! I love you!!”

I don’t think she can say it without meaning it coz she doesn’t lie, she’s very guileless to the point of bluntness on occasion. But she’s already very casual about saying ILYs, so it’s really people she doesn’t like that she can’t say this to.

Jacob –

He is self-conscious, because Yvonne brings him up and she doesn’t express her love for him in this way. It’s probably coz of Day that he is comfortable with it at all. When he is older, he is comfortable with it.

He can’t say it without meaning it. He would just keep quiet in that Jacob-way HAHA. He only ever says ILY to Day lol.

Thanks for asking! That was really long and I tried to keep it as organized as possible. Hope it was entertaining and easy to read.

#emily info #jacob info #nova info #ask #long post

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