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twh-news · 3 years

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Interview: Makeup Artist Douglas Noe on Loki’s Looks Through the Years & Creating Anew for ‘Loki’ [EXCLUSIVE]

Douglas Noe has been in Hollywood for three decades. An award-winning makeup artist, he’s worked on projects such as World War Z, Planet of the Apes, Spider-Man 3, I Saw the Light, and Birth of a Nation. On top of these impressive credits, he’s also been Tom Hiddleston’s personal makeup artist since joining the MCU in The Avengers, designing all of the looks for Loki’s subsequent appearances.

Noe has been nominated for three Emmys with one win, and five Makeup Artist and Hairstylist (MUAHS) Awards resulting in two MUAHS awards. His skills include creating making natural and period looks, prosthetics, hair, and tattoos.

Along with being the head of the makeup department for the most recent Disney+ series Loki, Noe is also creating looks for the new Netflix comedy series True Story starring Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes.

We had a chance to chat with Douglas Noe about his work on Loki, The Avengers, the incomparable value of teamwork on set, and most importantly, Richard E. Grant.

Nerds and Beyond: So you started your Marvel journey with The Avengers, but what drew you to your field in the first place? And how did you get your start?

Douglas Noe: Star Wars was a huge influence to me as a young boy, both sketching and drawing, and a little bit of sculpting but not much. Cut to 1983, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” comes out and I find a magazine called Fangoria on the newsstands where I can order blood and wax and pencils and fake hair. So, I started playing with these things. I was also taken with the horror movie craze that was happening in the early 80s — Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, and others, obviously.

In High School, in 1984, I joined choir thinking I would get an easy credit, but my voice had not changed. So the choral instructor had been waiting for a boy soprano to do a theatrical opera presentation. So with that I sang the lead, I quit choir after that, because my peers were merciless, but, I learned the world of theatrical makeup which I hadn’t been introduced to.

I did years of theater. I went to a performing arts high school — it’s called Fort Hayes School for the Performing Arts in Columbus, Ohio — graduated, went to beauty school, and continued working in Ohio doing industrial, commercial, theater, and opera [makeup]. Worked for Maybelline and Revlon, got restless, worked in Cincinnati on my first film in the summer of 1990, it was July so 31 years ago, A Rage in Harlem. And my boss said you come to Los Angeles, I’ll make sure you get on your feet.

Nerds and Beyond: So you mentioned that it’s been about 31 years since your career started, what’s changed over the course of those 30 years in your field?

Douglas: How much time do we have? I’d say the biggest, biggest change would probably be the way we make these things now. Although another large change, more specific, would be the materials that we use. There’s a constant evolution and reinvention of almost all aspects of the materials that a makeup artist uses. That said, I have to shine a light on the way we do things now with the onset of digital and digital cameras. Shooting on film now has almost completely fallen by the wayside. Film was very forgiving, quite frankly, and now it’s not so forgiving. And because of that, the bar has been raised. The wonderful thing about this journey is watching my peers just get better and better and better, my colleagues rising to meet the challenge of not having anything to hide from with this new way we make films.

Nerds and Beyond: So, sometimes you kind of throw prosthetics to the wayside in favor of a more traditional makeup. How do you make that decision on which one to go with?

Douglas: That’s an excellent question. The decision is based purely on what are we going to see. That’s where I start, what is the lighting? I have a conversation with the director of photography and I find out what is the dynamic. Obviously, I know from the script whether it’s an interior or exterior, or if we’re exterior but we’re going to be on a stage, if it’s day or night. These variables all play into my decision as to whether or not I should rely on my theatrical experience and ability to paint 2D to appear 3D, or go ahead and make small prosthetics and put them where I need to put them and use actual prosthetics in lieu of paint.

That has everything to do with lighting, locations, logistics, and because most of his [Loki’s] wounds appear on his arm and some on his face in the Void, it’s all very moody and very dark. And again, the theatrical quality of the paint is not going to be altered by the changing light, it’s just going to react the same way the rest of the face is going to react. It’s purple light, it’s going to make everything have a purple hue. There was no accounting for any correction that didn’t need to be done. There wasn’t anything wrong with that. It’s real.

Nerds and Beyond: So, you did make up for not only Tom on Loki, but you helped plan out the looks for everybody?

Douglas: Yes, what I do is I surround myself with strong talent. It’s all about team. I designed Wunmi Mosaku, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia DiMartino, and Tom [Hiddleston]. Regarding the rest of it, Neil Ellis, both Dennis Liddiard and I, added to the elements of his scars and wounds, which you would only see in close-ups.

The rest of it, the parameters are set — Blade Runner to Mad Men — and stay in those confines. And obviously, I choose color palettes for the women and there are parameters set for the men, but then it’s about team. I’m a big one on a team and not putting my thumbprints on other people’s work, but rather build other people up so they feel like they own what they’re doing.

My team consists of artists that also have stronger resumes and quite frankly, skills that exceed mine. It’s the mutual trust that allows us to keep a high level of artistic integrity in every aspect of the job. It also means I get the very best from my team, and it shows on the screen.

So, I didn’t have every look in my hand. Dennis Liddiard designed the Mobius character and I had Ned Neidhardt run with Gugu and turn up the volume on some of the elements that she already possesses that we can play with. Her eyes and lips, I think Ned turned the volume on both. And because we’re shooting in order, it’s a progression in the makeup you did.

Nerds and Beyond: When it came to Sylvie and Loki, when you when you’re doing those, did you try to kind of plan them both to have any similar things to give them a Loki look?

Douglas: It’s a fair question, but the answer is no. So again, I think the characteristics and traits that were going to be similar among them, aside from wardrobe and costume hints, were all character driven. And I did nothing with the makeup and hair to try to make them look or even closely resemble each other.

Nerds and Beyond: I want to kind of back up a little bit to Tom in the first Avengers film. That was by far one of his most standout looks. Can you tell me anything about what went into the creation of that absolutely tormented, haunted look that he had throughout that entire movie?

Douglas: Yeah, and that’s probably one of the elements that, because the character has evolved, we kind of left with Avengers because by the end of Avengers, and we carried it into Endgame, he does have a bit of an edgier look in Avengers, and not many people pick up on it. But the reality is he’s a little sculpted in Avengers.

I remember sculpting his cheekbones and temples, and doing a little play on his forehead for when he’s in the cell on the Helicarrier carrier with all that overhead lighting. I did like a little devil horn shadow, which is so subtle. The only person who’s going to notice is anybody who looks back at it and having read this and knows what to look for, but it is so nuanced and so subtle. And that’s the only place I think we did that. But the rest of him is very much chiseled and sculpted, but it’s a light touch.

And I think, again, as he evolved through the Marvel Universe and into the other movies that was something that was easy to leave behind, because I think that look played directly into his evil desire to rule over Earth. We rested that design element with that storyline.

Nerds and Beyond: It’s very clear too and I’ve always loved looking at that, because I’m a huge fan of the character. I’ve always loved kind of comparing how he looked in that movie to the rest of them.

Douglas: You’re on to me!

Nerds and Beyond: I’m not! I swear [laughs] So, what’s your best method for making the actors comfortable in the makeup chair? And with the final outcome?

Douglas: It’s dialogue; listening, talking to them, talking to their representation, whether it be an agent or a manager, and doing my homework and doing my due diligence to find out what’s going to make them comfortable the moment they walk through the door. I do my homework on them. It’s not just IMDb, it’s an internet search. So, I spend some time on the web and find out who these folks are, and if I find out, for example, they’re not one that likes to talk a lot, well, the writing’s on the wall, we’re not going to talk a lot, we’ll cut to the chase and get to the point. But also, it’s about building a rapport and building a relationship. Also, knowing that, I’ve said this in previous discussions, knowing it’s necessary to get out of the way.

Like if, for example, I’m not a proper fit for somebody, I have to be plugged in, I have to be aware enough to understand that it may not be working before somebody says to me, “Hey, this isn’t gonna work.” So it’s just about being open, especially as Tom’s personal on these projects and running the department, knowing that I don’t get to do everybody. I don’t get to put my thumbprint on other people’s work. Because not only is that disrespectful, it’s very often unnecessary, because I hire good people. I hire contemporaries and peers. Truly, you’re only as good as your weakest crew member. I surround myself with good people.

So, take Owen Wilson, for example, it would have been wonderful to do Owen’s makeup, but there were times when he was not going to be shooting with Tom and I was going to need to be ready for Tom or available to Tom, so it didn’t make sense. So I never touched Owen, I had Dennis Liddiard design that look and run with it. And then Ned Neidhardt took over that look when Dennis had to depart. That’s just one example of not trying to do everything.

Another one was the Classic Loki. I wanted to do Richard E. Grant’s [makeup] so bad, I can’t even tell you. I’ve been a huge fan since 1987. I wanted so badly to bring that full circle, didn’t make sense. It just didn’t make sense. So again, I never touched him. It wasn’t necessary. Ned was always there. And I think the same thing happened to me on Ragnarok reshoots, which I ran in Atlanta again with Dennis Liddiard. I wanted so badly to do Sir Anthony Hopkins makeup, but it didn’t make sense. So I was happy to hand it off to Bill Myer.

Nerds and Beyond: Oh man, I loved Richard E. Grant in this show so much.

Douglas: He’s amazing.

Nerds and Beyond: He’s so good!

Douglas: He really is. And he’s that good in person. He’s just so fun and interesting and alluring and attractive. He’s such a wonderful, wonderful person and, of course, a phenomenal actor.

Nerds and Beyond: I was watching little videos that he posted and he just seems like the warmest person.

Douglas: You know, just one last tidbit about Richard Grant is he’s got wonderful stories and as he’s telling them he’ll often stop and pause and just laugh. Just laugh, not for the sake of the stories or for anybody that he’s telling the story to, but because recounting the story brings him true joy. So he’ll stop and embrace that joy. Oh, it’s so wonderful.

Nerds and Beyond: That’s so amazing to hear. What is the most memorable job that you’ve done?

Douglas: The most memorable … That’s a tough one because I have so many fond memories of so many projects. The first Avengers film was memorable because there was a buzz, there was a vibration, a frequency, that was in the air when we were shooting that. We kind of knew we were making something big and something special. I don’t think any of us knew how big or how special it would be, but that certainly is one of the most memorable and most special projects.

I’m pretty good about focusing on the positive aspects of all these things, regardless of how difficult the project may be for whatever reason. The pros always, always heavily outweigh the cons, but I have a lot of wonderful, memorable experiences. Another one, it’s the polar opposite only because of the conditions in which we shot, but Birth of the Nation was one of the most memorable and exceptional experiences of my career. I was on the wrong side of 40, had 25 years of experience, and had still never worked so hard in my entire life. We did a 50-day shoot in 27 days. So proud of the work we did.

It was 100 degrees with 99 percent humidity, we shot it in the summer in Georgia, in Savannah, so it was hot, humid, and just getting the makeup necessary to be on individuals to stay put was its own challenge. And then the other challenges only added to that. But Nate Parker, the director, writer, producer, and lead actor, he is a special human being. And he was inspiring from start to finish. Usually, the first people in are the teamsters, transport department, and usually I’m second. He beat me in almost every single day. He’s in three hours before he needs to be. That was a very special experience.

Nerds and Beyond: Finally, are you excited about the news of Loki Season 2?

Douglas: I’m beyond thrilled! I invite being in the dark a little bit, I kind of like surprises and I like not knowing, so I suspected, but hearing the news confirmed, I was thrilled, naturally. What are they going to dream up? This is amazing. How do you top season 1 of Loki? That’s the burning question.

#loki #loki series #douglas noe #interview #article #nerds and beyond

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v-thinks-on · 3 years

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We are driven by forces we cannot control to return home and take a wife. Or die. — Spock (TOS: “Amok Time”)

My contribution to the @trektribute zine.

Every seven years, all Vulcans are compelled to return to their native planet to engage in the ancient ritual of pon farr or die trying (TOS: “Amok Time”; “The Cloud Minders”). Among fans - and some writers of the series itself, if the odd Tumblr post is to be believed - the most contested feature of this unusual mating system is the suggestion that they only mate once every seven years. However, as a biologist, far more remarkable is the fact that any Vulcan who fails to mate dies. From an evolutionary perspective, it’s astounding that such a system could possibly evolve, but there are some possibilities.

Before I go any further, I should clarify that I will only be discussing Vulcans as they appear in Star Trek: The Original Series. I’m certain there’s fruitful discussion to be had about Vulcans across the Star Trek franchise, but I will exclusively be looking at what’s presented in the original 79 episodes.

First, the most pressing question; why only every seven years? Obviously, there are narrative reasons a writer may want to change this. Even The Original Series, which introduced the Vulcan mating system, seemed conflicted about it (TOS: “The Cloud Minders”). However, as a biologist, that Vulcans only mate once every seven years is perhaps the most normal thing about their reproduction. Humans are one of relatively few species on Earth that reproduce year round. Most species only mate during a particular time of year when there are enough resources available not only for survival, but also for the production and care of offspring (Wingfield & Kenagy, 1991). It makes sense that Vulcans, which live on a desert planet, would have more constraints on when they can reproduce.

Mating every seven years may sound strange, but there are species that reproduce on multiple year cycles; thirteen- and seventeen-year cicadas (Williams, 1995) are probably the most well known. Alternatively, it could be that “the seven-year-cycle” (TOS: “The Cloud Minders”) is measured in Earth years, and is actually one year on Vulcan, or is some equivalent ecologically relevant unit. Being entirely celibate outside of the mating season is also fairly typical. For example, birds that reproduce only once a year often have testes that regress for the rest of the year, making it physically impossible for them to mate - not to mention the hormonal changes that make them no longer have any desire to (Wingfield & Kenagy, 1991). This makes evolutionary sense because if you’re putting a lot of energy into a big reproductive bout, it would be a waste to expend some of that energy on other times of the year when offspring are less likely to survive.

Somewhat more unusual, however, is that it appears that Vulcans’ mating cycles are not synchronized. While Spock is obviously in the throes of plak-tow - blood-fever; the “madness” that precedes pon farr - none of the other presumably mature Vulcans present at his pon farr exhibit any of the same symptomes (TOS: “Amok Time”). Different members of a species mating at different times is uncommon in nature (but not unheard of; Wingfield & Kenagy, 1991) because it makes it difficult for them to find another individual who is also ready to mate. More often, in the wild, variation in when individuals are ready to mate is likely to cause one species to split into two because individuals will only mate with those that are ready at the same time, effectively isolating the two populations and enabling them to differentiate (Taylor & Friesen, 2017). However, like Humans, Vulcans engage in prolonged courtship (TOS: “Amok Time”), so they don’t have to go through the process of finding a mate when they enter pon farr, and unlike the aforementioned birds, they appear to be physically capable of mating even when it’s not their time, so the partner that isn’t going through pon farr can still be receptive. It may be that the environment on Vulcan is harsh enough that the optimal strategy is to mate at a different time from everyone else to minimize the amount of competition your offspring will face.

So far, everything has been fairly straight forward. As a biologist, the really strange thing about the Vulcan mating system is that they mate or die. In the episode, “Amok Time” (TOS), Spock compares this to the salmon, which, when it is ready to mate, leaves the ocean, and “must return to that one stream where they were born, to spawn or die in trying.” This is a pretty analogy, but it leaves out a very important detail; the salmon that mate die too, just perhaps a little bit later. There are many species that use up all their resources on one mating attempt, and then die; salmon, cicadas, many species of butterflies, the list goes on (Young, 2010). There are entire families of moths that stop eating entirely when they reach sexual maturity and just mate until they run out of reserves (Janzen, 1984). This may seem a little strange; why shouldn’t they try to live longer and maybe have a few more chances to mate? But often, these are species that have a lot of predators or otherwise wouldn’t live very long even if they didn’t spend all of their reserves on reproduction. So, instead of wasting energy on defending from predators or building up their immune systems, they just use it all on one big reproduction attempt.

Clearly, Vulcans do not do this. If they successfully mate, pon farr ends and everything returns to normal so they can try again in another seven years. This makes sense; Vulcans generally live long lives and should have many opportunities to mate. Then why do they die if they don’t mate? To my knowledge, there are no species on Earth that die only if they don’t successfully mate. There shouldn’t be because they don’t have any offspring and dying ensures that they’ll never have any more, so there’s no one to pass on their genes. Before I go any further, first I should clarify an assumption I’ve been making implicitly this whole time. For a trait - which could be as simple as eye color, or as complicated as a whole mating system - to evolve, it has to be genetically heritable. That is, there has to be some gene - or often, many genes - that code for it, that are passed down from parent to child (Dawkins, 1976). I’ve been assuming that the Vulcan mating system is composed of genetically heritable traits, which is assumed to be the case of any biological mating system (human mating customs notwithstanding).

To determine whether a genetically heritable trait, such as reproducing or dying could possibly evolve, biologists often imagine what would happen to a single individual with the trait that suddenly appeared in an otherwise identical population of individuals without the trait. So, suppose we have a population where individuals have the opportunity to mate every seven years, but if they don’t mate, they just keep living. Then, suppose an individual is born with a mutation that makes it so that if they don’t mate, they’ll die. If they enter pon farr for the first time and don’t have a mate, they die right there and the trait dies with them; they never get to pass on their genes for mating-or-dying. However, even if they do manage to mate that first year and have a child, and maybe even mate the next year too, they’ll still, on average, have fewer opportunities to mate and therefore have fewer children than their neighbors who can go a pon farr without mating and survive to try again in seven years. It may seem like a small difference, if our mutant only has four children before they don’t have a chance to mate and their neighbors have an average of five, but over evolutionary time, even such a small difference is likely to drive a trait to extinction.

The only purely biological explanation I can think of for the evolution of this strange mating system is based on one of the many hypotheses for why aging may have evolved (Bourke, 2007). The idea is that if an individual doesn’t mate one year, they’re not very likely to have a mate the next year either, or the year after that. This sad, lonely Vulcan has probably had all the children they’re ever going to have; at this point their remaining fitness is close to zero. However, they may have some relatives - children, or siblings - who share some proportion of their genes - children, for example, receive half their genes from each of their parents. If this lonely Vulcan happens to have the gene for surviving, whether they reproduce or not, they’ll continue to consume resources that could be used by their children or siblings who may still have a chance of reproducing. If, on the other hand, this lonely Vulcan instead had the gene for dying when it failed to reproduce, their siblings or children would get those resources and would therefore have an even higher chance of reproducing in the future and having more offspring, and, most importantly for evolution, passing on the lonely Vulcan’s genes, including the genes for dying if they don’t reproduce. This could be especially powerful on a desert planet, like Vulcan, where resources are presumably scarce.

This is also a valuable lesson in why we shouldn’t let evolution dictate how we live. Just because I’m never going to have children and therefore have no fitness doesn’t mean I should die, even if it would help my relatives have more children. Reproduction is so important to evolution because it’s how genes are passed on, and that’s what evolution is; the change in gene frequencies in a population. However, in life, there are things that are a lot more important than gene frequencies.

Now, back to the lonely Vulcan; this explanation may sound all fine and good from a theoretical evolutionary standpoint, but it doesn’t actually work with other things we know about Vulcans. I mentioned that it’s based on an explanation for why aging evolved; the idea is that animals die of old age to give their younger relatives a better chance of surviving and reproducing (Bourke, 2007). Therefore, we’d expect that if Vulcan doesn’t have the resources to support individuals who don’t have mates, it certainly wouldn’t be able to support individuals who are too old to reproduce. It may seem strange, but Humans are one of very few species on Earth that have menopause - i.e., a time when individuals are still alive, but no longer reproduce. One theory for how it evolved is for almost the opposite reason of aging; after a certain age, individuals’ genes are passed on more effectively by staying around and helping care for grandchildren than by having children of their own (Johnstone & Cant, 2010). However, this can only happen if there are enough resources around to support all three generations at once. Even though Vulcan is relatively inhospitable, it seems like Vulcans do still exhibit something like menopause. I doubt Spock was still going through pon farr every seven years by the time he crashes into the alternate universe (“Star Trek” 2009). If Vulcans have evolved to stop reproducing within their lifetimes, then it doesn’t make any sense for them to die after a single failed reproductive bout.

In that case, we need an alternative explanation. I said my first hypothesis was the only purely biological explanation I could think of; to try again we need to delve into the realm of culture. Many animals are capable of social learning, but none on Earth exhibit culture to quite the same extent as Humans. At this point, Humans evolve in a context that is, in many ways, shaped more by culture than nature (Richerson & Boyd, 2004), and like any proper species of humanoid aliens on Star Trek, Vulcans are the same. And, lucky for us, Vulcan culture is by far the most clearly defined alien culture introduced in The Original Series. They value logic to the point of rejecting all emotion and are particularly ashamed of their mating drives (TOS: “Amok Time”). It is not much of a stretch to think that if they didn’t have to endure pon farr, Vulcans would not mate at all. That cultural climate could easily be enough to result in the evolution of increasingly powerful mating drives, as only those with the strongest desire to mate would have any offspring. Eventually, it appears that Vulcan culture became so strict that the only way they would mate is if they would die otherwise.

This is consistent with what little evidence there is in The Original Series of what Vulcans were like before they adopted such a strict philosophy. The Romulans, who split off from the Vulcans around the time their philosophy of logic became widespread, appear to be more similar to humans; when Spock attempts to woo a Romulan commander to infiltrate her ship in “The Enterprise Incident” (TOS), she seems to have some physical interest in him. Even stronger evidence of what Vulcans were like historically comes in the episode “All Our Yesterdays” (TOS), where Spock reverts to behaving like an early Vulcan - for perhaps less than adequately explained reasons - which includes a strong sex drive even outside of pon farr, suggesting that their mating system has changed significantly in somewhat recent history. This is not to say that the evidence is conclusive; to determine that we would need to conduct an empirical experiment, which is unfortunately impossible, but this theory seems to present a promising explanation of the facts.

References

Bourke, A. F. (2007). Kin selection and the evolutionary theory of aging. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 38, 103-128.

Dawkins, R. (1976). The selfish gene. Oxford University press.

Janzen, D. H. (1984) Two ways to be a tropical big moth: Santa Rosa saturniids and sphingids. Oxford Surveys in Evolutionary Biology, 1, 85–140

Johnstone, R. A., & Cant, M. A. (2010). The evolution of menopause in cetaceans and humans: the role of demography. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 277(1701), 3765-3771.

Richerson, P. J., & Boyd, R. (2008). Not by genes alone: How culture transformed human evolution. University of Chicago press.

Taylor, R. S., & Friesen, V. L. (2017). The role of allochrony in speciation. Molecular Ecology, 26(13), 3330-3342.

Williams, K. S., & Simon, C. (1995). The ecology, behavior, and evolution of periodical cicadas. Annual Review of Entomology, 40(1), 269-295.

Wingfield, J. C., & Kenagy, G. J. (1991). Natural regulation of reproductive cycles. In Vertebrate endocrinology: fundamentals and biomedical implications, 4(Part B), 181-241.

Young, T. P. (2010) Semelparity and Iteroparity. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10), 2

#v thinks #Star Trek: The Original Series #Vulcans

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amandajoyce118 · 4 years

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Agents Of SHIELD Easter Eggs For My Missed Episodes

Okay, so I fell very far behind the last few weeks. Work has been busy and exhausting, freelance work has been busy as well, and the state of the world in general here in Florida is pretty much the apocalypse. So, this Sunday, I binged the episodes I’ve missed. The Easter eggs are under the cut (or whatever tumblr calls it, I am livejournal old.) just because this is going to get long.

We’re starting with S7E07. Yes, that’s how far behind I am.

Obviously, there are spoilers, but since I feel like everyone else is ahead of me at this point, that’s probably a given. If you just want to escape the world for a while, have some Easter eggs.

S7E07 “The Totally Excellent Adventures Of Mack And The D”

The title

It’s a reference to the time traveling adventures of Bill and Ted, of course.

River’s End

This is the town just near the Lighthouse. It’s the town where Deke first materialized on Earth back in season five.

Run SOP7.07

When Russell gets the computer from his old classmate to check out, this is what’s on the screen when he boots it up. I think we all know that’s a reference to this being the seventh episode of the seventh season if you catch it on screen. The writing on the first print out kind of looks like Kree writing, but I think that’s just because all of the alien writing in the show looks Kree. (This whole sequence has nods to War Games, Weird Science, etc.)

Mack’s Model Car

The ‘67 corvette is the first model car Mack intends to take to his younger self and his brother. He puts it together instead. That’s the same model he tells Coulson he and his dad put together when he was a kid when he tries to convince Coulson to let him work on Lola in season two if I remember right.

Swayze’s Bar

Anybody else get a Roadhouse vibe, or just me?

“Don’t You Forget About Me”

I get that this song is probably chosen for the recognition factor, but I feel like it’s also Deke’s not so subtle way of asking the team and Mack to not forget him in 1982/3.

Deke Squad

The way Deke introduces them to Mack is an homage to the A-Team, right down to the music. Honestly, the pop culture references are many in this episode, and I probably won’t list them all because there are just so many 80s references.

The Chopping Mall Homage

Okay, this one I will mention because the director for Chopping Mall clearly didn’t understand that the show wasn’t ripping him off. Though there’s a lot of robotic references (like the Doctor Who Dalek “exterminate” from the Sybil-bots), the episode borrows a lot from Chopping Mall when it comes to the design of the robots.

Deke Speaks Russian

It’s clearly a FitzSimmons family trait to pick up on languages. Every time there’s a hiatus or significant time jump, it seems like Fitz, Simmons, and now, Deke learn a new language. Also - Russian is the language Bobbi is surprised no one knows in season three, though Daisy knows a few curse words.

Nathaniel Malick’s Look

Just me, or does he seem to be borrowing from Grant Ward’s season three closet?

S7E08 “After, Before”

The Establishing Shots For Afterlife

They look to be reused from season two, which probably saved the show a little money.

Jiaying In Blue

This is probably just a coincidence, but I like that they put her in blue for the episode. Why? Because when Raina is so determined to find out her destiny, she talks about stories her grandmother told her about “blue angels from the sky.” We know that’s the Kree now, but still, it’s a nice, likely unintentional, callback.

Elena’s Memories

The shrike is from last season. Ruby’s death is from season five. Tess’s death is also from season five. What they all have in common is guilt, May’s not wrong about that, but also Elena’s impulse control.

Abuela’s Necklace

That necklace is the same cross from season three that gets passed around the team in the finale, ending up in the quinjet bound for space that Hive and Lincoln die in. Elena’s remark about her father getting mixed up with bad people? That’s possibly a nod to her father being a supervillain in the comics.

“Time, Space, it’s never stopped us before…”

Nice nod to all the things Fitz and Simmons have been through over the years, and their remarks about the worst things they’ve been through in the past as well.

Kora And Nathaniel

Okay, so the dynamic between these two with Nathaniel convincing Kora to join him reminds me a whole lot of Ward convincing Kara Palamas to join him. It’s also what brought Daisy to Afterlife in the first place - the idea that her found family was afraid of her - but she realized the error she made eventually.

“You’ll bounce back.”

They’ve been saying this about Elena all season in regards to her mental state and her powers, so I’m glad this paid off with her figuring out real super speed instead of her dying. She’s now evolved beyond her comic book counterpart.

S7E09 “As I Have Always Been”

The title

It’s obviously a nod to Enoch’s line, but it’s also been said in the series before. Sybil has used the phrase “as I have always been” before, so it’s clearly a Chronocom thing.

The title card

I like that every time it’s a weird space/time story instead of defined by the decade, they’re using this particular title card that’s reminiscent of the one from Jemma being trapped on an alien planet.

“People like you.”

We can all agree Daisy reminds him of Peggy, right?

Removing the Implant

The images on screen when Daisy removes Jemma’s implant looks eerily similar to when Jemma removed files from a guy’s nasal passage way back in season one. I guess the special effects used for the computer screen is similar.

Enoch’s “heart”

Him simply pulling it out of his chest is not unlike Tony Stark pulling out the core keeping himself alive in the Iron Man movies. I also like that they equate this with Enoch’s heart in the same manner that Pepper Potts equated Tony’s with his.

Enoch’s Loneliness

Not really an Easter egg or a reference, but what Enoch describes, I think, is how everyone feels about found family storylines in shows like this. You find something you need in them and don’t want to let them go.

The Water Glasses

Interesting choice to train Kora with glassware. Daisy did that too. (Side note: how old is Kora supposed to be? She said she’s felt dangerous “for years.”)

S7E10 “Stolen”

The Title Card

I feel like they just get more and more 80s with every episode.

John Garrett’s Backstory

It’s almost word for word what Garrett explained when he was revealed as Hydra in the first season, right down to him holding his guts in his hands.

Durant

So, Malick calls the guy getting Lee’s powers Durant, but I kind of wonder if he’s meant to be the father of Durand. Gerald Durand is a mercenary in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He works with Batroc on the Lemurian Star, hired by Hydra.

“Long haired creepo stabbed you with a pointy stick.”

That was Loki. John Garrett got to watch Avengers a few decades before it was released.

Sousa’s Stolen Moment Comment

I feel like that’s kind of a nod to Endgame and Steve becoming Peggy’s husband. Because all Steve wanted was a chance with Peggy and he didn’t care if that messed up the timeline. Sousa would give anything for just a moment, never mind a whole lifetime.

“If The Job Was Easy, It Wouldn’t Be Any Fun.”

The quote is a variation of one Garrett says when he’s originally in the show and both Ward and Trip are familiar with it. (He says “everyone would do it” instead of “it wouldn’t be any fun.”) I guess it’s something of a catch phrase for him.

The Room Holding Coulson and Gordon

That’s the same room that Cal destroys with his super strength when he’s not allowed to see Skye (Daisy) in season two.

“Best Day Ever!”

It’s kind of odd to what Garrett using this phrase since it was Cal’s, but I guess in a Jiaying heavy episode, it makes sense.

And that is it. I am caught up. It is unlikely that I will rewatch any of these to add more just because I’ve been so busy, so if you saw something I missed, feel free to let me know.

#agents of shield #aos season 7 #aos spoilers #aos easter eggs

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royalreef · 4 years

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(( ENJOY A MASSIVE POST ABOUT MERFOLK TAXONOMY, because biology has long been my BIGGEST special interest ( yes I’m including paleontology under this, I know it’s more considered an earth science and part of geology, shush ).

Merfolk as a whole are a part of an ancient group of animals that diverged from basal amniotes around the same time amniotes themselves came about, 312 mya (million years ago). I say about, because I haven’t fully decided where exactly to put them in this case, whether they’re fully counted as amniotes or no, and I still need to do a large amount of research into this.

I classify this split as happening there, as opposed to somewhere else, because merfolk are obviously tetrapods, and have some adaptations for full land living that amniotes have, though the merfolk themselves are fully adapted for a watery niche. Their eggs certainly were carried internally for a long time, so there’s probably some convergent evolution to how mammalian live birth happened, hence all the more reason to put them under amniotes, but they’re definitely not synapsids and thus definitely not mammals.

These early ancestors also retained their gills and ability to breathe water. They do have lungs too, and conceptually they filled a very fluid niche, where they had to be able to rapidly switch from aquatic life to terrestrial life, with most being oppurtunists who used this wide variability to be able to get a wider variety of food and resources that other animals couldn’t.

I will say these early ancestors mostly resembled newts/salamanders or small lizards, and somewhere along the line they independently evolved scales, both for providing armor and for retaining water when they were on land, along with all the other reasons to evolve scales.

( Ideally, I’d say they never evolved hair, but considering that I can’t fully redesign Miranda for this blog for fear of inability to use my icons and basically making her fully an OC, she has to keep the hair on her head. Her eyebrows are a maybe, since I joke aplenty about them just being markings or her drawing them on. Landfolk get weird when they see her without any eyebrows, so she has to appear to have them! )

They also generally retained the same amount of digits as other tetrapods, so that’s how Miranda has five fingers still, though merfolk lost one of the toes on their feet, bringing that total down to four.

And yes, all of this does mean that merfolk have plenty of ancestors in deep time that probably fossilized and could be found by even human scientists, but they’re probably thought of in this world as an offshoot of tetrapods that has no extant relatives, with what fossils remain being sparse or incomplete, or even caught in nomen dubium hell. Certainly they weren’t featured in this world’s Jurassic Park, that’s for sure, and if they are represented it’d be in something like ARK.

This also does mean that there are plenty of ancestors that fell into more unique or odd niches, with stranger body plans or something much more different from the rest. 312 mya is a long time, after all! Lots of time for there to be more experimental species, though they didn’t pan out in the long run.

So, with merfolk themselves, I generally have the idea of them as coming from a branch of that tree that hung around the ocean’s edge, sticking closer to the shoreline than the mer alive today, though they were oddly social for a tiny, lizard-like species, probably already communicating through small squeaks and chirps. Lizardy kinda sounds. They spend a good amount of their time on rocky shores and cliffs, so they’re good at climbing over and up them. Likely already had something akin to their fins on the sides of their face, used for communication and display, along with pushing additional water over their gills, or maybe even the fins being used in addition to the gills to extract extra oxygen from the water is basal to merfolk, but only the abyssals really retained most of that feature.

As token as it sounds, I think the K/T extinction event was probably what pushed them to evolve into the branch that became merfolk. The death of much larger marine creatures opened up the ability to go more fully ocean-bound, and to take over a role akin to marine reptiles in the past and the marine mammals that were also evolving at that time, but with the addition of having gills to not have to surface for oxygen.

Their evolution from that point probably was a bit like primates - lots of trying out different shapes and styles, more of that basal form than true merfolk, except their roles being out competeted or otherwise led to extinction, until you get the “true” merfolk - which would occur with a focus on social behavior and language, along with tool use, as was the bonus to being a tetrapod that went back into the ocean but never lost their hands.

This is where we get to the merfolk family tree. I’d say probably the first mer was mid-size, generally had all of the traits of the merfolk you see today, very general, but very adaptive.

The abyssal (royal) merfolk were probably the first to branch off. Their tails resemble mosasaurs’ and early icthyosaurs’ a lot, having a much larger lower lobe of their tail where the bone is, and the upper lobe, being all fleshy, isn’t too pronounced. They went down into the deep sea, branching off early from the rest of the merfolk, and thus were generally super isolated from the rest, which you can see today in how the Merkingdom itself generally is conducted.

There are plenty of other species of merfolk, however, and the abyssals (and Miranda) are not representative of the entire group. There’s a lot of different takes on the same body plan, with different niches and different adaptations and different types of behavior associated with each. They’re all super vocal and adapted to be able to hear well, so that’s also basal to the group, but that also means when they all started forming their own societies and cultures and general settlements, it’s even weirder than how humans do it.

Effectively, merfolk are a lot like the homonid family tree, and for that reason they also generally take after the concept of the “braided stream” more than just the tree of life. It’s also why I can feel more confident saying they’re seperate species and not subspecies, despite being able to reproduce and make viable offspring - and anyway species as a whole are fake and weird. There’s a lot of hybridization going on, with some populations getting some genes from others that benefit them and get genetic and physical variation. In more nomadic merfolk, there’s a lot of their genes spread around in other species and a lot of genetic variation in them, because they roam and run into different species - meanwhile, the abyssals are much more genetically restricted, since the abyss is a generally isolated place that isn’t easy to access unless you’re made for it.

I’m pretty bad at clarifying when I’m talking about abyssal mer vs all merfolk, since there’s a huge amount of difference between the two. Abyssals are probably the merfolk with the most bioluminenscence - while some species probably do have a little or even a lot, it’s not as much of a need as with the abyssals. The abyssals also might have gone through deep-sea gigantism? They’re pretty big by merfolk standards. And yes, that is taking into account how tiny Miranda herself is - since she’s kind of an exception to the rule, being that she didn’t really grow right and her bones didn’t get the chance to form correctly, leaving her as a rather unhealthy-looking runt of an abyssal. I’m generally thinking mer grow throughout their entire lives, as something that’s also basal to the group, they just slow down after a point - so if you got proper care for Miranda’s health issues she might be able to fix some of that problems, and mer medicine is waaaaay more sophisticated and generally ahead than current human medicine, so if it was treated she might be able to come up to a respectable height and avoid some of the isssues of that kind of deformity that’ll occur later in life.

I do believe as a whole, merfolk are rather large. Some are more sleek than others, but especially with abyssal mer, they put on fat and muscle really easily. They’re a lot like large crocodiles in that respect. Again, Miranda is an exception to this rule, as she’s really not healthy - but overall, merfolk are DENSE. Abyssals tend to have tough armor, dense bones, put on muscle and fat easily, and generally should be MUCH heavier than a human of the same size. Not to mention their tails, as unless a mer is in the really late stages of starvation, they keep most of the muscle on their tails. It’s how they swim and get around, so losing that muscle is basically a death sentence to merfolk.

There’s also variation in diet, dentition, and what they can digest. I will say all merfolk generally can handle meat - some of them are more adapted towards eating coral or plant matter or filter-feeding, but generally they can all digest and handle it and won’t turn it down if they do get it. The abyssals do tend towards being carnivores and most of their diet should be meat, but they can handle other biological material as well. They’re equal parts predator and scavenger - their jaw strength is a lot like a hyena’s or a T. rex’s (at least, in the theory of them being scavengers and not predators). It’s VERY useful in getting into any hard material the ocean can throw at them, cracking not only bone but shell and scale and cartilage and shell too, and to extract as much nutrition from any food they find. I can say their jaw strength is probably the strongest among the merfolk for that reason.

This also means, while abyssal mer have their triangular, serrated teeth like a great white shark’s - that tooth shape is more unique to them and their specific niche than to merfolk as a whole, who have a LOT more variation. I imagine at least one has teeth that come together a bit like a parrotfish’s beak, and one has teeth more similar to a crabeater seal’s, useful for seiving through water.

Abyssal mer are also the ones that really retained the ability to extract extra oxygen from the water through their facial fins. That’s why Miranda’s fins are so fluffy and large - they’re basically pseudo-gills, and that’s why they’re so sensitive. Other mer do also have some of that ability, but it’s to a lesser degree than abyssal merfolk, and most are probably less sensitive because of that. That being said, the shape of the fins is kept, as is the “fluff” closer to the cheek. That fluff actually has a purpose beyond oxygen extraction - they’re little outgrowths of flesh and skin that act a lot like an owl’s facial feathers. They’re effectively radar dishes, helping pick up on sounds in the water and assists their hearing and communication. The fins are also universally used for communication and display - they move with a merfolk’s emotions for a reason! They’re really good silent communication when hunting.

I also think mer do universally have the pads on their hands and feet. Honestly, they aren’t really anaogous to a cat’s or dog’s paws. They’re far closer to what you’d find on an Osprey’s foot, and provide a lot of the same uses - namely being used as a grip in holding onto slippery prey, but also in movement, when mer cling to sheer rocks or climb over coral or what have you. Normally they’re very rough and thick - but because Miranda is a royal, she files hers down, and so they’re much softer and thinner. They’re all pretty squishy though.

I’d add more but I think that’s MOSTLY it. Can you tell I have a special interest?

#Most secret royal advisor || OOC #Given by Divine Right || Headcanons #You built up a world of magic ; Because your real life is tragic || Self #(( spell check gave up on me like a third of the way through so...#(( im very very sorry #(( rip mobile users #long post

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dahniwitchoflight · 5 years

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Hi Have Some Zelda

I need to talk about Wind Waker lore and I need to do it now, because I googled my idea and I didn’t find anyone else talking about the idea so I guess it needs to exist now

I don’t think it was the intention when the game was created that Zora turned into Rito, I think it became that due to wind wakers short development cycle and the fact they had to cut and smoosh together a bunch of stuff to release the game

I now it’s canon now, but in a different universe here is what could have been...

In canon, when Hyrule flooded, the Zora, an water dwelling race apparently couldn’t survive in slightly saltier water, so the deity that they worshiped in OoT times

Valoo....

Took pity on their plight and granted them wings, allowing the to survive in this water world. By flying above the water instead of in it.

They also took with them the Pearl of the Goddess handed down through generations, the one belonging to Nayr- I mean, Din?

As well as the power of the Wate- I mean, Earth...Sage...

I have a few problems with this.

1) Why were the Zora worshiping a fire breathing sky Dragon and not Jabun, especially as Jabun exists in Wind Waker and IS the same Jabun as Jabu Jabu from OoT which the Zora there clearly worship?

2) Why was it easier to transform a fish into a bird instead of a freshwater fish into a saltwater fish?

3) I mean I know it’s never stated outright, but Zora are clearly associated with Nayru right? Not Din, Din was Goron, Farore was Korok. Nayru was Zora.

4) A ZORA. As the EARTH SAGE. N...No!? Make whatever arguments you want for the bird, but a Zora was not the Earth Sage when this game was being pitched.

Also, if the Rito and the Zora were meant to be of the same bloodline, why do the statues of the goddess Din, Farore and Nayru in Wind Waker have Feathered, Flowered and Finned ears respectively?

Din had a Rito for the Earth Sage

Farore had a Korok for the Wind Sage

Nayru had a Zora for the Water Sage

this is what I believe it was meant to be

But I’m not done yet

We still have the problem of “Why a Bird for the Earth sage?” When really it’s because the Rito are a Din sage and Din’s elements are Earth and Fire.

Now we get to the juicy bits

so If the Rito were an evolved species, under the blessing of their reptilian guardian, given wings to escape a drowning world AND they aren’t related to the Goron because Goron exist in WW (and they even were supposed to have their own cut Island with a steampipe hotspring aesthetic In WW so def nothing to do with Din’s Pearl or the Earth Sage)

Just who did they evolve from?

Judging by the judgy prejudice a lot of the Hylians seem to hold towards the Rito in WW, also something not explained by their Zora origins who were beloved by the royal family and its people and who had no history of betrayal like the Sheikah did once upon a time.

their red hair, the tanner skin the males have, the connection to Din, the reptilian deity the fact that their lifestyle made them complete unsuited for an ocean world

I feel the Rito were originally intended to be the Transformed Gerudo people.

Because as of OoT, the Gerudo would be a people facing prejudice against what their King had become and right after OoT is where theyd be feeling that brunt the strongest

They did already have some birdlike traits, with their large eyes and long noses, and the red hair and yellow eyes is also seen in at least Rito females like Medli, not to mention Dragon Roost island is a hot volcanic place, so the people who live there need to at least be acclimated to higher temperatures, like those found in a desert.

It’s not a perfect fit mind you, because obviously most of the Rito we see in game are Males, Gerudo didn’t have males besides Ganondorf, and the male Rito are actually more reminiscent of Sheikah, having red eyes and white hair

But you know who else isnt found in WW? The Sheikah.

You know how in order to continue their race the Gerudo’s were said to get Hylian boyfriends? You know what wasn’t happening after the events of OoT? Gerudo’s getting with Hylians as often, which means its more likely as time went on that the Gerudo preferred to seek out Sheikah, another race of humans who would understand at least what it meant for others to think of your kind as betrayers.

(not to mention that for any OoT Hylian, having a race be a mix of the Sheikah and Gerudo, they would undoubtably face more than some racial prejudice after the events of Ganondorf, Sheikah were already apparent betrayers, and Gerudo were outsiders.)

As for Valoo not existing in OoT times like Jabu and Deku

well, we never really see what the Gerudo’s snake deity looks like, it could have been a dragon, a BOTW type dragon even, long and eastern

that just became a winged western dragon just like how the gerudo became winged.

So the story is basically after being rejected as Outsiders after the events of OoT, and Hyrule being flooded, The Gerudo and their more than likely Sheikah families who were also outsiders/castaway families, prayed not upon Hylia, who had called forth the flood, but their own patron Reptile Deity Valoo and begged to be saved, Valoo with his powers gave all the Gerudo and their family a blessing of wings and they all became fully a new race of people, the Rito, neither Gerudo and Sheikah anymore, but a perfect blend of the two.

Also, there was supposed to be a dungeon associated with Nayru’s Pearl, Jabun and the Greatfish isle, but it was cut due to time restraints. Link WAS supposed to be able to travel underneath the oceans surface in some way , at least using iron boots, maybe a rudimentary diving suit and able to jump back to the surface using warp points that look like fishermen’s hooks and the ocean was once at least a little transparent, but these ideas had to be scrapped as well

So the ocean had to change from being vibrant and full of life, to being dead and empty, it’s called devoid of living things and fish in the final, yet the Fishmen mapmakers exist and many people on many islands make their livings as Fishermen, reference that were perhaps missed when cuts were being made. We even see leftover caves in the background of sunken hyrule, still with collisions but no warps and references in the final cut still being made to how the Ice and Fire mini dungeons had cave entrances hidden somewhere in the sunken hyrule.

Not to mention, the biggest hints of the Gerudo influence is in the Earth Dungeon itself, so reminiscent of both the Spirit and Shadow temple from OoT

and finally, it makes so much more sense for a Desert dwelling Gerudo to be an Earth sage instead of a Zora.

alright that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it, remember, I’m not talking about what canon ended up being, I’m talking about what could have been

Also did yall know that in the files of the game there’s an older version of the a crumbling Sage stone that has a different unique unused-in-the-series-so-far melody on it instead of the Earth God’s lyric? even though it pictures a harp?

And even using a time signature that Wind Waker never even uses

I wonder what It would have sounded like

Also because Harps are undoubtedly Water and Nayru, if Oracle of Ages is to be believed

I wonder what instrument Medli would have used instead? If the above was meant to be the Water God’s and Violin fits Makar and Kokiri so well as little leprechaun types

Well, the Gerudo had a penchant for Dancing, but that doesn’t really make a music of its own

It would make sense actually to go back to the title theme of the game, since the earth god’s lyric and the wind god’s aria seem to make up the two halves of the song, and try and see if a third instrument pops out

It does start off with a slow drum beat so maybe a gentle Drum?

Or heck, singing because it’s called a Lyric, which usually means words to sing, would be a nice throw back to another sweet red haired singing maiden

Maybe the dancing could incorporate a Tambourine type instrument too

#Medli #Rito #Wind Waker #Zelda #Why lengths of radio silence and then random Zelda Lore theories?#i dont got a clue man

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pellucii · 4 years

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(( been doing some more thinking about Dragon Lore for fates so hee hoo consider this a lot of Optional Story Content I won’t try and force on you with the blog but know that if you like this post I can and will bully you with Made Up Lore ))

We've cut 3 dragons from the roster from 12 to 9- dusk, dawn, fire, ice, wind, earth, astral (moro), water (anankos), and the Great Dragon who presided over them as a sort of Naga 2.0, also known as the Rainbow Sage

There's actually a bloodline for each dragon that are generally all aligned with nobility from the kingdoms, so technically any legitimate members of the royal family can be of any bloodline as long as the dragon blood within them is strong (might bring brands in might not huffs). There is also a sort of hierarchy to which dragon’s bloodline the royal member hails from to also account for, Dusk and Dawn being understandably most desireable. Yes this is now riffing off of other FE entries no I won’t apologize for i-

Rainbow is also desirable but considerably rare and thus most people give up on finding it.

Which how to tell: likely gameplay element, such as Dawn and Dusk blood yielding an effect similar to their respective statues but nerfed a bit for a unit that will obviously be moving and attacking.

For a good long while the dragons are pretty chill, haven’t developed/discovered dragonstones, and find themselves making the occasional Power Up with their human peeps:

At first the elemental tribes were made, but rather than dragon vein powers their ancestors were imbued with and given a closer bond to their chosen element rather than given a full dose of dragon blood.

The humans given a full dose of dragon blood that would be come to known as the ass kicking royal family capable of manipulating dragon veins did not come around until The War

The kitsune and wolfskin tribes are evolved from a common ancestor and were part of the Earth dragon's attempt to make a tribe of their own by imbuing wildlife with their power rather than humans, but this is largely forgotten lore and just here as a “what about the earth tribe then” answer, and present day most fateslandians believe the “earth tribe” to be a myth/snipe hunt.

“Water’s an element too” Valla can technically be the water tribe, as a treat. Also a snipe hunt to most fateslandians? Likely.

When the Dragon War happens we have 3 camps: Dawn leading Fire and Wind versus Dusk leading Ice and Earth, all of them mildly succumbing to dragon rabies that’s prodding their small rivalry into a World Domination War; Rainbow Sage Moro and Anankos are watching with popcorn until it's not so fun anymore. Humans are trying desperately to chill.

Seeing that the war was not coming to an end any time soon and getting worse with every skirmish, plus Moro and Anankos pleading for some time out, the Rainbow Sage set to work making the divine weapons to start lobbing dragon heads off.

Meanwhile, Anankos and Moro put their brains together and developed dragonstones, and then the song/pendant wombo combo. Dragonstones at this point couldn’t fully stave off dragon rabies and would need a bit more research, so the song/pendant wombo combo was developed to help give that time and change the effectiveness from a limited time to potentially indefinite.

The Rainbow Sage was going to pick out the humans who inherited the divine weapons, but Anankos didn't want his fellow dragons dead before finding a breakthrough with this dragonstone idea and asked to pick them instead. The Rainbow Sage let him, and Anankos gave the divine weapons to humans he trusted not to use them to give himself a bit more time to refine this dragonstone idea.

The humans commit a few dragon murders, likely out of self defense/fear. His trust betrayed and on the verge of Fucking Losing It because of it, Anankos carves out the bottomless canyon and hunkers down in Valla to continue his research and try to create a paradise where man need not fear dragons going bonkers. The Rainbow Sage makes a few tweaks of his own to Anankos’s dragonstone idea, takes the form most people will remember him as, and lets the other dragons die at the hands of humans.

Anankos didn’t get the memo that death was probably the best cure for dragon rabies, seeing as it would release them from their physical forms, and the Rainbow Sage comes to foresee that letting Anankos take such actions would lead to him getting dragon rabies and eventually threatening the world, and thus this is why he refers to forging the divine weapons as his “great sin”, since he could’ve given it to the proper folk who would make sure that things went according to plan.

in the interim between then and present day, Valla is hidden so Anankos can make sure his little paradise works, the other dragons are dead and hailed as gods with the Dawn and Dusk dragon’s rivalry becoming Status Quo, and the Rainbow Sage lets humans who are powerful and wise enough visit him.

The tee hee about being the Rainbow Sage comes from the fact that some of these humans he gives his blood to and, by being the Head Honcho Dragon, can by proxy bestow upon these humans blood that functions as that of an already deceased dragon instead (this also makes visiting him a highly sought after affair since you can go from peasant to viable nobility). Instead of getting Rainbow Sage blood they could, for example, get Wind or Ice dragon blood instead; or perhaps be given Rainbow blood only for it to be overridden by another dragon’s blood in their lineage, as if Rainbow blood is a sort of recessive gene I suppose?

Very rarely the Rainbow Sage will give his own blood, and coupled with above “recessive” trait perhaps even rarer it will stick around, Elise’s mother being one such human (that is a rad story for DLC and fanfic) and likely quickly elevating her into the Nohrian court.

The Water dragon Anankos’s lineage is forgotten almost entirely and persists only in Valla, seeing as the Rainbow Sage cannot by proxy give his blood since he is still alive.

Surprise surprise each sibling has a different dragon bloodline that takes the majority presence, leading for all 9 bloodlines on the table which hasn't happened in awhile. Corrin and Azura obviously have Anankos blood(tm), then the families are largely split down party lines: Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Elise have Dusk, Ice, Earth, and Rainbow blood. Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi, and Sakura have Dawn, Fire, Wind, and Astral.

Why does Elise have Rainbow blood if Rainbow was a neutral party? For the Bifrost tee hee since it’s a Nohrian stave. Also nice to think of everyone lauding her a bunch for being Rainbow blood and expecting her to be a great ruler only for her to die in birthright (upside down smiley)

Sakura has Astral blood for the counterpart tee hee.

The elemental tribes were also given a vague prophecy by their respective dragons/the Rainbow Sage, and it’s one they hold onto fiercely even if some nations of the world think it’s silly folklore. As follows: “The 9 Dragons quarrel / One by one taken by flood / Heralded by the Yato’s chosen / Thus the world shall be destroyed / And recreated in the waves.”

Sounds Bad but actually thanks to Water Metaphor it’s describing how everyone’s fighting, but then Corrin- those darn grey waves -unifies everyone and breaks Established World Order to remake it with the power of friendship.

So we can rewrite a couple Rev chapters- say, the wind tribe one -into The Tribe Squad bickering over it being Time For Prophecy (of which it obviously is but also tee hee what if it isn’t)

Obviously there’s all sorts of dynamics to who has what blood and legitimacy of heirs and all that but its 2am braincell tired just take the content please

#~Memories in the waves #((this isn't really fixing the issue entirely but))#((here we go a sort of comprehensive lay out of dragon blood history in FE fates according to my braincell))#((I say sort of I think there's still room to elaborate and deffo will in the future but for now.. I rest my braincell))#((this has been ur fates loredump with katie))

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koiandjelly · 4 years

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So Fila’s actual past isn’t very detailed, because she’s not a main OC, and I haven’t spent a ton of time actually thinking about her as a character lol. 98% of my Creativity goes to my original content characters, cuz someday when I finish actually crafting my worlds, I’m gonna write a book. I’m aiming for the lofty goals of making a full, fleshed out, intricate— just fuckin’... a whole ass Multiverse system comparable to the Lore content of Tolkien’s works, or The Elder Scrolls— gah fuck y’know what, I’m changing this post from being about my Fantasy Life OC to being about my creation baby, the effort of about 6 years (I am 20 years old, and although I didn’t know it at the time I started, I was 14 when I made the shitty Fire Emblem Manakete rip-off race that I’m gonna actually now talk about, because holy fuck this ain’t gonna fit in a parenthesis “btw have some info” bubble)

A’ight so I have a hard time keeping track of time, especially in a large scale across years. Apparently it’s related to being severely depressed without medication (communication error on my part, my parents are very lovely and helped me ASAP when I spilled the beans) while also having moderate to severe ADD. So, ya know, keep in mind that I was yet another terribly depressed 8th grader when I talk about my creation’s early days. I wouldn’t experience that time of my life for any sort of payment ever. It was goddamn miserable, because when I was midway through the age of 14, not only did the aforementioned depression spring up, but I also realized I was bisexual (And I live in the infamous state of Alabama, for reference. Don’t fear for me though, I was too unnoticeable to be bullied if anyone did know, and my wonderful mother, whom I love and cherish with all of my heart, is one of the few Christians that actually... like... do what their own God tells em to. That is, Jesus. I’m an atheist and have a general discomfort about the idea of super powerful entities actually existing irl, but I do agree with the stuff I’ve heard and remember from a decade ago in Church about Jesus. Good guy. But yeah my mom not only accepted me and reassured me when I came out, but she’s gone even further and is of the opinion/fact that lgbt folks are, really, good and normal and that God created them, so she really genuinely just... loves and accepts me. There’s no “I love you despite of this” in the equation and I am so grateful. But again. I digress)

Pause after that sidetrack, to recap, all of my medical issues began to emerge about 6 months before I turned 15. Including what I hate most, the emergence of my Fibromyalgia and Sjogren’s Syndrome, and for an added kick to the flesh, an undifferentiated connective tissue disorder. Meaning, as what I understand it to be, a nameless chimaera of many symptoms in a way that the disorder either is it’s own thing, or just can’t easily be recognized as any one disorder. And I had anxiety. If I recall correctly on *that*, forgive me cuz it’s been a while since it’s been diagnosed/brought up in a significant way, I have or had either general anxiety *and* social anxiety, or just lightweight versions of both, or something, but at the time I was horribly shy and I couldn’t even talk to the teacher after class about schoolwork, even though I tried rationalizing it to hell and back that I shouldn’t be scared— as you’ll guess, shit didn’t work out til I got medicine for it, because no amount of logic and rational thought will change the fact that I was struggling because of a literal disorder, an error of the brain, and as with that walking with two shattered femurs ain’t gonna work, trying to talk when the talk machine broke... ain’t going to goddamn work.

God. I am rambling a lot. But anyway, shit fucking sucked as a teen for me, because I got that wombo combo, prepare for trouble, make it double, precision strike at my existence as a person during fucking already difficult puberty— I am rambling. It’s 4:55am as of this sentence lmao. I had a nasty cocktail of both mental illness and physical disorders pop up once puberty hit me, so I, through many events starting from loving to draw as a toddler, to play pretend stories of heartbreak, betrayal, and death as best an 8 year old could understand via playing with Polly Pockets, and all the creative power I inherited from my Dad, plus the motivation borne through a need to escape, I started making my own characters.

So, to return to the present state of my creations, which will now be referred to as Bounding Beyond the Stars, or BBtS, I’m gonna get some things out of the way. Just to clarify, yeah? I have created my worlds in a way that is specifically meant to stand apart from the irl universe as we know it. I’m certainly not a knowledgeable researcher with any level of comprehension on Spacial law and quantum physics and shit like that. So hey, if something ever seems... like, off, or wrong? Unless it’s pretty obviously wrong in the “hey you just googled how a thing works, and misunderstood it, and made a detail based on a failure to understand stuff and that’s dumb in a catastrophic way that even a high school level viewer would notice...” kind of mistake, then hey, shoot me a message. But if some sort of universal rule seems fucky in the way that it doesn’t make sense, but isn’t a catastrophic structural error... well, Imma use that sentence to start a better one. For an example of a catastrophic error, perhaps... this: “This planet has no seasons cuz of its shape and axis! And it is also like twice as big as Earth!” That would be catastrophic alone because anyone with a grasp on planetary gravity or something, may go and think “if it’s that big, gravity’s gonna be way more intense”. And you’d be right! Which is why I usually account for those things with... *Magic*.

Before I split this post for Length reasons, and I’m sorry the majority of this was me rambling about how my general experience with life sucked from ages 14-17, I’mma state something very important about all my creations.

Magic, which will be explained in depth at a later point, is a fundamental, essential, and omnipresent force of not just any one universe in my Multiversal Trio. It is a key piece of Reality itself, as magic is the flow of many multiples of millions of unique and mysterious energies, concepts, and laws existing anywhere that Is.

To end this post, I’m going to put a quick summary and explanation why I’m rambling about any of this: The rant about my age and circumstances at the start are relevant because it’s necessary context for the tone and type of writing my creations are built upon. The foundations of BBtS are borne from a sometimes angsty, sometimes genuinely upset 14 year old who found escape in the art of Creation. There have been many, many, many heavy edits, rewrites, scrapped info and ideas, and even more info built upon it. It used to be pretty pointlessly edgy in a lot of ways, and redundant in grimdark, morphing into *grimderp* plot devices and character traits. The way it’s written today, I like to think the lore of my many high fantasy-alien societies, and all its denizens and creators and whatever else, are still written to be dark, be dangerous, even angsty... but more skillfully so, with the sort of nuance a 14 year old wouldn’t really even begin to understand. Cuz I still like high stakes stories with real consequences and character deaths when appropriate. And I enjoy characters who have tragic pasts, but now that I’m older and I’ve seen and read about and done so much more— I can write that stuff *better*. And more over, what I’m most satisfied with, is that I’m more in touch with myself as a person, and I’ve evolved many of my personal beliefs and ideals and all the things of the world I can have opinions on. But most of all, I’ve reached a point where I have consumed enough content from others to where I have figured out how to write something that should be interesting, and maybe a bit new, because I put a looot of Damn focus on identifying, and understanding, writing structure, cliches, plot holes to avoid, character traits to handle differently, and just generally making something that’ll appeal to both me, and my audience, should I get that far.

#original content #ramble #long ramble #worldbuilding #personal history #long post #fantasy #sci-fi #science fiction #it’s currently 5:24am as i think of appropriate tags lol #sleep deprived #late night/early morning thoughts

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bhaalble · 5 years

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Could you tell us a bit more about your Tabris?

Me, vibrating at the speed of sound: I MEAN IF YOU WANT I GUESS ITS WHATEVER

To keep this somewhat on topic I'm just gonna cover the major points in her life and her basic temperament.

Alright. So my girl, Sythia, right?

This girl

So, to cover the origin: Sythia is the middle Tabris kid, six months younger than Soris and 4 years older than Shianni.

These three were thick as thieves, growing up, and were also the biggest troublemakers in the Alienage. Adaia passed down her combat training to Sythia, and bits and pieces of it to the other two. That arrow in their quiver made the three of them feel almost invincible. Obviously they couldn't do too much: humans had the law on their side. But they werent as helpless as so many around them were forced to be by the ban against weapons in the Alienage, and that granted a certain kind of freedom.

They would scrap with human brats that came into the Alienage to start trouble, hijack wheels from noblemen's carriages, mess with guards. Red Jenny would have been proud. Shianni usually instigated, Sythia would provide the muscle to back her up, and Soris would talk them out of trouble at the end. They managed to keep their noses juuuust clean enough most of the time but it seemed like nearly every week one of the Tabris kids was being dragged into Valendrians home for a long talk. They didn't mind. They were strong, clever, and fearless, and it felt good to take something back from the humans.

All that changed when Adaia disappeared. Sythia was 16 when her mother was taken by humans, never to be seen again. It changed everything for all three of them. They weren't idiots, they had always known there could be consequences. But suddenly it all felt so viscerally real. That they could disappear someday, and no one outside the Alienage would give a damn. And with Cyrion spiralling around his own grief, Sythia was forced to grow up very quickly. While her father eventually managed to recover, she had to step in to fill Adaia's shoes, make sure Shianni was taken care of, make sure everyone was safe and fed. It took a lot of the fight out of her: she learned to not look a human guard in the eye unless necessary. To take whatever was thrown at her and not answer back. To bite down at all costs. Her combat skills lay dormant and useless for a good 6 years

At least until her wedding day reminded her why she carried it in the first place.

Basic outline of her temperament:

-extremely loyal person. She doesn't connect easily with others, but when she doesn't you couldnt get her off with a crowbar. She would do anything for her family, and nearly anything for her friends.

-Strong sense of responsibility, usually to the point of neglecting her own needs. Sythia is constitutionally incapable of not throwing herself on every sword that presents itself to her. When she feels that something needs to be done, she can't feel really at ease until she does it herself. It's a valuable trait, but often it can make her wary of other people. She knows that once she bonds with someone, she won't be able to draw strong boundaries: their needs will become a part of her world, and she will need to meet them.

-Freedom oriented. She doesn't enjoy being told what to do or telling others what to do. Sythia doesn't really believe that "order" is in itself a good. If liberty has to come at the expense of chaos then she'll happily take the chaos. And there is nothing on this Earth that justifies violating someone's autonomy unless they are actively posing a risk to others. Tends towards open-minded.

-Indecisive. Hates being forced to choose, especially between two people

-Forgives, but rarely (if ever) forgets

-Actually pretty funny, but doesn't think that she is

And finally, Romances

Morrigan: So Sythia had a crush on Morrigan pretty much the second they met, but they danced around those feelings forever. Like I said, Sythia places a high value on autonomy. She eventually came to understand that Morrigan enjoyed her company more than she let on, but trying to get past the sixteen locked doors between what Morrigan says and what she feels felt....violating, somehow. She flirted with her a bit, yes, showed genuine concern for her well being, but Sythia held back the actual depth of her affections for most of their journey because she wasn't really sure they'd be wanted. Ultimately it took them till the panic that was the night before Landsmeet for them to confess to each other. It's a relationship with a lot of back and forth: Morrigan is often frustrated by Sythia's reluctance to look at the bigger picture and not get lost in the concerns of individuals. But it's a relationship founded on strong mutual affection, respect, and trust. Both of them would do anything for each other.

Zevran: On face value the elf assassin's easy breezy covergirl approach would seem like the last thing Sythia would want. But after a few months of it seeming like everyone in the world needed her to be in charge, in control, something with no strings attached seemed like an appealing idea. Just her luck she ended up developing feelings for the guy.

She liked Zevran pretty much immediately when they met: it was rare for her to see another elf seem so unbothered by the world. He was fun, and more than that didn't particularly need her to be the savior against the Blight. They hooked up early in the journey, with the relationship steadily maturing and evolving in the intervening months. Zevran finds her to be anchoring without binding. She is able to let him be vulnerable while still accepting there are parts of him he may never be up to sharing. Sythia, meanwhile, finds him to be exactly what she needs to lighten the load. He doesn't try to pep talk her into greatness. He simply stays by her side, and, when the wreckage is all around them, still finds energy to quote bawdy poetry.

Doesn't hurt that he's got the best ass in Thedas.

If you have anymore specific questions lmk ajsjdhd I love talking about my girl

#sythia tabris #oc: sythia tabris #dragon age #dragon age: origins #da: o #zevran arainai #morrigan #grey warden #warden oc #warden tabris

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gryphons-of-aentha · 4 years

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The Approximate Plotline of the Gryphonverse (pt. 1)

Because like. I’m never gonna actually write this shit in any form, it’s gotten too convoluted and weird and pretty much officially exists only as a collection of ideas and drawings, and I guess this blog now.

This is gonna be long as fuck, just so you know what you’re getting into behind this readmore.

The whole thing starts out as fairly standard, fairly tropey high fantasy-type stuff and takes place entirely on Aentha, centered around the country of Andolia, a fantasy-feudal country with a vaguely German bent, with added notes of French and Celtic. It’s populated almost entirely by aquei, which are the closest thing Aentha has to humans (and they are very close, I just couldn’t think of a reason to have actual humans evolve separately on a completely different planet when Earth and actual humans are also canonically a thing). It’s bordered on one side by sea and all others by wilderness that, for various reasons ranging from “it’s impassable and useless” to “it’s literally cursed and/or protected by powers we don’t want to fuck with,” remains virtually untouched by civilization and is at best halfheartedly disputed over with other nearby countries. There’s trade by sea but otherwise the country is fairly isolated from its neighbors. Anyway, Andolians don’t like gryphons. The ‘why’ of this situation isn’t really established, but they’re a rather xenophobic bunch, more so the further you get into the heart of the country. The people who occupy villages/homesteads closer to the borders are sometimes more chill about them, which is fortunate, because that no-man’s-land that the aquei don’t want is full of gyphons, because gryphons are both well suited to impassable mountainous regions, and not afraid to fuck with powers most other people won’t. The latter trait is probably a lot of the reason Andolians are wary of them at best and actively hate them at worst.

So at a certain point, circa 1980 in Earth time (which won’t become relevant for a long while yet but does matter since everything in this lore canonically occurs in real time alongside our world), a half-gryphon baby ends up in the custody of a small Andolian town. It’s too large and central to have had any previous contact with gryphons but still small and out of the way enough that nobody in the capital gives two shits what goes on there, so the existence of this gryphonic child goes largely unnoticed. What exactly happened to his parents is still not established and honestly doesn’t matter, but it’s Andolia, so the likely answer is “nothing good.” Gryphons who do venture into the country proper frequently meet unfortunate ends and people who willfully associate with them don’t do so great either. In any case, it’s likely that the aquei parent’s family were residents of this town and took in the kid, who was subsequently named Talon, because Andolians don’t really do subtlety with their naming conventions. The town proves to be a surprisingly supportive environment to grow up in, mainly on the logic of “if we raise this kid right we will never have to deal with the local bandit problem again because we’ll have a gryphon and nobody will want to fuck with us.” Incredibly, this Timon and Pumbaa logic actually works out, and Talon finds himself more welcome among small town Andolians than any gryphon has probably ever been because he’s quickly developed a reputation as a “good” one and turned into a local hero (though one that everyone in the region keeps kind of quiet about so as not to draw attention from the capital or anyone else who might not like it).

Eventually, some time in the late 90s Earth time, he meets Iadra, a full-blooded gryphon. They form a bond, eventually becoming definitive life partners, and Talon also reconnects more with the gryphonic half of his heritage through her. The townsfolk aren’t really thrilled about Iadra, and she’s not really thrilled about them, but they adopt an attitude of “I guess if Talon likes you, you can’t be too awful, guess you can hang around” to which she basically responds “appreciate the unbridled confidence in my character, but no thank you” and mainly stays on the outskirts and never really gets involved in aquei affairs to the extent Talon does, especially since the interspecies tensions are getting worse lately.

Meanwhile, as all this was semi-quietly going on in a small town nobody cared about, other things were semi-quietly going on directly in the Andolian royal court. The king, Shale, was really hitting it off with a woman who had just kind of shown up in the capital one day calling herself Ember. Through a combination of charisma and political shrewdness she managed to endear herself to most of the court and take on an unofficial advisor position, and also have an affair with the king. Eventually, circa 1989, this led to a son being born, who they named Ash (meanwhile, on Earth, Taylor Swift was being born, which isn’t important to this story it’s just something I realized just now and thought was really funny). The king had no other children at the time, so his first reaction was “hey, free heir” until it came to light that Ember was not wholly aquei, and in fact had some gryphonic heritage and so, by extension, did Ash.

A prudent move here might have been to cover this up, accuse whoever exposed Ember of slander, and just let the kid inherit the throne anyway. Sadly, prudence was not a trait King Shale possessed in abundance. So what he did instead was lose his shit over it and very publicly throw Ember out of his court, after which she quickly fell prey to any one of the many people who were pissed at her for the deception, and was killed. Shale then denied both the affair and the fact that Ash was his son, but made a show of magnanimously “adopting” the gryphonic bastard child and allowing him to remain at court. This was an entirely political move in response to the fact that the gryphons on Andolia’s borders were getting tired of exactly this kind of shit, and he hoped that he could use Ash as a kind of “how can you say I hate gryphons, look at this one who I raised and keep around out of the goodness of my heart” card.

Unsurprisingly this did not work out nearly as well as Shale imagined it would, and instead of a loyal walking virtue signal/gryphonic liaison, what he ended up with was a resentful and confused teenager who had been raised with the combined knowledge that A) gryphons are terrible, dangerous creatures with few redeeming qualities and nobody likes them, and B) he was part gryphon. So, not unlike Taylor Swift, he responded to everyone’s expectation that he would be a shitty person by turning into a shitty person. This uneasy state of affairs carried on until Ash was around sixteen, at which point he accidentally stumbled across the fact that he was actually the king’s son, and not the son of a random courtier with poor judgement as had always been vaguely implied. He also found out what exactly had happened to his mother. He immediately confronted Shale about this. Shale, who had always been paranoid about Ash trying to usurp him, entirely missed the point of the confrontation and instead of addressing the lying or the unofficially sentencing Ember to death thing or the general environment he’d made Ash grow up in, angrily doubled down on the fact that Ash would not be heir to the throne, ever, because he’s still a gyphon and that’s not a thing in Andolia, and even if he wasn’t he’d never be fit to rule and was clearly an ungrateful little shit. Ash, who up to that point hadn’t remotely wanted to rule, immediately decided out of pure teenage spite that fuck you, he was going to usurp his asshole of a father and do exactly that, so he set about stirring up dissent and delving further into his gyphonic heritage, with which he quickly became mildly obsessed since obviously his aquei side wasn’t doing anything for him. In the course of this research he came across records of an unrelated full-blooded gryphon named Kyran who had been executed by the king on trumped-up charges as a political maneuver some years prior and, since he no longer wanted to use an Andolian name and didn’t know his mother’s real name, he decided to adopt that one.

Cut back to Talon and Iadra, who are among the gryphons getting edgy over the king’s increasing levels of bullshit since it’s putting Talon’s town and everyone he associaties with at risk, and making things even more difficult for the local gryphons, who are having trouble even venturing into the outskirts to trade unless they’re very stealth about it. Iadra starts to think that maybe they should take some direct action and go after the king directly, a plan Talon is extremely dubious about since they have zero meaningful political allies and he doesn’t want to paint a target on the assorted farmers and villagers who would back him. That is until Kyran shows up and announces his plan to overthrow the king himself, along with a grandiose plan to change things for Andolia’s relationship with the gryphons once he takes over. And Kyran does have political allies (though not many, and not without substantial effort on his part). Talon decides that’s enough for him to go along with the idea, so he and Iadra join forces with Kyran’s rebellion and know what this is too long I need to make this a multi-part thing.

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monsterproblems · 5 years

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Genre: Sci-Fi’ish Comedy

Premise: In a future where the world has been overrun by monsters, a young man risks his life to get to the woman he’s fallen for.

About: Brian Duffield is one of my favorite writers. One of his scripts, Your Bridesmaid is a Bitch, is on my Top 25. And through no fault of his own, another of his projects, Jane Got A Gun, found itself in the middle of a production circus when on the first day of shooting the director of the film just decided not to show up. This resulted in actors dropping out, other actors switching roles, and a full-on game of production musical chairs. Monster Problems was picked up last year. It’s unclear where it is in development. I’ll tell you this right now, though. If I were a studio, this is one of the first scripts I’d green light.

Writer: Brian Duffield

Details: 113 pages (undated)

Okay, so I want you to imagine Sleepless in Seattle. Mixed with a John Hughes film. Mixed with Harry Potter. Mixed with Pacific Rim.

You may be saying, “Carson, that is an unbelievable combination of films. There is nobody in the world who could make that work.”

Ladies and Gentleman, may I introduce you to Brian Duffield. The only person in the world who can make that work. And honestly, I’m in awe of the guy. I really am. I don’t know anyone else on earth who has this kind of imagination, that is also good with character, who can also create a believable and touching romance, who can also add hilarious comedy and lots of heart, whose writing style is sparse yet packed with information, who can ALSO tell a great story, and who always surprises you with his choices.

You just don’t find that kind of writer often. If ever. And it kind of depresses me. Because we’re all supposed to have weaknesses. Those weaknesses are what make other writers feel like they shouldn’t commit suicide. It’s important for them to be able to say, “Okay, sure he can do comedy. But he can’t develop characters like I can.” Duffield can do it all. I guess maybe in Jane Got A Gun, things were a little slow. Maybe when he’s not able to use comedy, his scripts aren’t as entertaining? Maybe that’s a weakness? I guess. Or maybe he purposefully slowed things down in “Jane” because he didn’t want to make all us other writers feel bad.

So what’s Monster Problems about?

This guy, Joel Dawson. A really good guy, this Joel. But he’s been dealt a shitty hand. He lives in this underground bunker with 37 people and he’s the only single guy there. Everyone else is always making out and having sex while he’s just… dreaming of what it would be like to have a girlfriend. Oh, and then, of course, it’s a hundred or so years in the future where the world’s been overtaken by monsters. Bad hand once again. It’s safe to say poker’s not Joel’s thing.

The one thing Joel’s got to look forward to is a girl. Her name is Aimee. She’s got red hair. He knows that because he asked, though he’s never seen her. See, Aimee is in another bunker 30 miles from his. And they can only contact this bunker for a couple minutes a day due to battery issues. And because the hope of being with Aimee is the only reason for Joel to put on his pants every morning, he decides to do the unthinkable – go to her.

Now that might not sound difficult to you or me. 30 miles puts a lot of stress on your quads but it’s doable. Here’s the problem. Monsters. And this isn’t the monster problem you see in Pacific Rim. Or that indie movie, “Monsters.” You know when Will Smith says in the “After Earth” trailer, “Everything on this planet has evolved to kill humans?” And then you went to see the movie and nothing on this planet had evolved to kill humans?

Well imagine a movie where that was actually the case. The second Joel leaves the bunker, he’s attacked by a strange dog-like critter, a raptor-thing, a giant frog, a giant spider, giant killer moths, a weird seven feet tall ghost-like centipede thing, a three headed T-Rex, a giant sea creature, as well as a few other beasts so strange they’re impossible to describe! And all Joel is armed with is a crossbow and a mangy dog he finds along the way.

Joel fights for his life, almost dies a thousand times, saves his dog, gets saved by his dog, meets a father-like figure, meets an astronaut robot, almost dies a thousand more times, etc. There aren’t many things Joel doesn’t experience on this perilous journey. But will he make it to Aimee? And what will happen if he does? Will she be everything he hoped for?

This script. Was awesome.

Period.

It was awesome. Where do I begin? Oh, I know. I’ll begin at the end. Duffield arcs the dog character. You read that right. Duffield GIVES A CHARACTER ARC TO THE DOG! Remember the scene in Cast Away where Wilson, an inanimate object, floats away forever? And you were crying, desperately hoping your date or parents didn’t look over at that exact moment and see you drowning in tears?

There’s a moment that rivals that here with the dog. The dog, you see, was found clinging to the dress of his long-since disappeared female master. He won’t leave with Joel until Joel brings that dress with him. And he’s so stuck on that dress. He cares more about that dress than he does Joel. And then in the end (spoiler), that dress gets stuck in the ocean, where Joel is battling a monster, and he has a choice to either go after the dress or save Joel. And he picks Joel. He changes. The dog arcs. Not barcs. Arcs. And it was so fucking good you cried just like when Wilson died.

Oh, and did I tell you about the astronaut? Yeah. One of my favorite scenes all year has this robot astronaut, split in two, only wires holding her together, pulling herself across the terrain, bumping into Joel, explaining she only has 16 minutes left before her battery runs out. And the two just share her last moments together before she dies. And it’s heartbreaking. And I don’t fucking understand how anybody comes up with this stuff. We can talk about structure until the screencows come home. But you still have to have imagination. You still have to come up with unique choices. How does Duffield bring a nearly dead cut-in-half female robot astronaut into a story about monsters taking over the earth and make it work? I don’t know but it fucking makes me jealous.

And then there’s the ending. I’m not going to get into spoilers, but let’s just say what you thought was going to happen doesn’t happen. That ALSO is a trait of great writers. They take you to the place you think you’re going, then totally change things up on you. You realize the writer is in control. Not you.

There were a few other reasons I loved this script. The main character is a lovable loser. But when he befriends this dog and loses his loneliness, we officially fall in love with him. It’s really hard to have a character befriend a dog or save a dog and not like him. As ridiculous and simplistic as it sounds: we like people who love animals. Who will protect them. It’s crazy how obvious this is, yet when it’s done well, as it is here, it makes the character irresistible.

And I love stories where the obstacles are impossible, where the writer is never easy on his hero. His hero has to earn every step he takes. Remember in After Earth, where the main character is basically guided by his father the whole way? So he didn’t really earn anything? He just follows orders. Here, Joel earns every step he takes. He finds the solutions to all the problems. He outruns or outsmarts or outbeats all the monsters.

And the sheer number of monsters he has to take on is ridiculous. At one point he’s trying to get over a rickety bridge when giant moths with needle teeth attack him, teeth that inject deadly venom into him, while a 3 headed T-Rex is trying to kill him, while he drops his only weapon, his crossbow, into the monster-infested waters below. There are so many moments like this where you wonder, “How the hell is he going to get out of this alive?” And because the odds are so heavily stacked against him, we hover over the page with baited breath, reading as fast as we can so we can get the answer.And then at the heart of this script is… heart. See that’s the thing. All these big effects movies have zero heart, have zero characters we really care about. I mean does anybody in the world really care about Shia LaBeouf in Transformers? Here, we care about Joel. We care about his dog. Because Duffield knows that none of those effects will matter. This is about the character. And you will like Joel. You will love Joel. You will love this journey he goes on. You will be shocked by the ending. And when it’s over, it’ll be one of the few times you’ve finished a script and wished there were more pages to read.

[ ] what the hell did I just read?

[ ] wasn’t for me

[ ] worth the read

[x] impressive (TOP 25!!!)

[ ] genius

What I learned: The key to writing these scripts is mentally stripping out all the big creatures and monsters and robots and effects, and remembering that it’s a personal journey. Focus on making that personal journey work first. Make your audience fall in love with your main character and want them to succeed. And then build that effects world up afterwards. This is such simple advice and yet this is the first time I’ve seen it done in maybe two or three years? If you’re a big-budget writer, get this right and you’ll be golden.

What I learned 2: Choose action over dialogue to build a relationship. — Let’s say you only have one scene to make us care about a key relationship in your script. In this case, we’ll use Joel and the dog as the characters. Scene Option 1 has Joel talking to the dog over the fire. Scene Option 2 has both of them being attacked by a monster, and Joel has to make a choice between either saving himself or trying to save the dog. ALWAYS choose the second scene option. Action always accelerates a relationship faster than dialogue. Obviously, scripts are long so you’ll have the opportunity to do both, but always favor action over dialogue when you can.

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crystalelemental · 6 years

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Alright, this is going to be a super long one, around the Champion of the region. I think I finally have a team composed. Note, I don’t have names for anything new. Just concepts. Also, I’d want a Challenge mode, so consider all items as part of Challenge Mode only, and the levels and abilities listed with a slash as Normal/Challenge levels.

Whimsicott Evo (Grass/Fairy, level 64/67) Ability: Prankster/Triage Item: Big Root Moves: Giga Drain, Draining Kiss, Earth Power, Calm Mind Base Stats: 70/57/95/107/85/126 Notes: ...okay, I haven’t actually come up with a justification for its evolution yet. My best attempt is that its habitat results in the shedding of cotton, which requires it to constantly be regenerating it and losing it. Because of this constant loss, it needs to constantly take in sustenance, and that’s how we get to Triage and all these draining moves.

As for the focus, I mentioned in another post, but I want Whimsicott and Lilligant to still have a place. For Whimsicott, it’s Eviolite. Eviolite with Prankster makes it way bulkier on that end, and so as a status user, Prankster Whimsicott holds an edge. Its evolution doesn’t gain much bulk, leaving it pretty out in the open, but it retains those status moves, gains a bit more speed, and a ton more special attack. This makes it more of an offensive focus with some variance in what status options you pack to surprise people. In the case of this leader, I went Calm Mind. I do think that might be the best set this thing does. Imagine Comfey but with two recovery moves that are good, and Earth Power for coverage. That’s kinda what this is.

Tsareena (Grass, level 65/68) Ability: Queenly Majesty Item: Weakness Policy Moves: Trop Kick, High Jump Kick, Play Rough, Knock Off Notes: You all know this one so I’ll keep it shot. Trop Kick is getting buffed to at least 90BP, probably 100BP, because it’s so terrible as a signature move otherwise. Play Rough is getting 100 accuracy like it ought to. Tsareena itself is getting a buff to stats as well. Specifically, in keeping with my “540 is a perfectly reasonable BST for a third-tier final form, because it’s what they did with Electivire/Magmortar/Rhyperior” mentality, she gets +10 attack and +20 speed. Queenly Majesty can now actually do something, and High Jump Kick with Jolly can now 2HKO Scizor. And in case anyone is wondering, yes Lurantis got a stat increase to a similar BST. Because they deserved it and were ROBBED.

Lilligant Evo (Grass/Water, level 65/68) Ability: Dancer/Serene Grace Item: Lum Berry Moves: Giga Drain, Scald, Ice Beam, Quiver Dance Base Stats: 80/50/85/130/85/110 Notes: Living near lakes has caused Lilligant to adapt to its new environment. It takes water into its body and stores it for its travels. When kept in arid climates, the water reserves run out, and its flower wilts. When water is plentiful, it will release traits of water in its wake, creating a dazzling performance.

I initially wanted Grass/Fire for a Quiver Dancer, but that honor goes to Mega Bellossom and to one of the legends of the region. Fun times, I assure you. Instead, Lilligant gets Grass/Water, shared with another of the legends. But while the legend will be intense bulk with Quiver Dance, Lilligant’s evolution goes for raw offensive power. Serene Grace was given because I am a monster who wanted to see 60% burn rates on Scald used for the glory of the Grass-type.

Sunflora Evo (Grass/Fire, level 63/66) Ability: Flash Fire Item: Absorb Bulb Moves: Giga Drain, Flamethrower, Earth Power, Leech Seed Base Stats: 105/35/105/135/115/30 Notes: With its face ever toward the sun, Sunflora has evolved to a form that harnesses that fiery power. The leaves around its face burn like the sun, and its body has adapted to be able to absorb flames to fuel its attacks.

You all have no idea how badly I wanted a Flash Fire Grass-type for monotype. No idea. Sunflora seemed the best choice for a lot of reasons. Primary among them being it’s a cute Pokemon with no competitive niche. You know how I am about this. So, it gets a ton more bulk and a ton more special attack, and a Fire-typing to boot. Between Grass, Fire, and Ground coverage I’m pretty sure that’s neutral coverage against most things. Obviously works best on Trick Room, but the goal was to make it useful even outside of that.

Moss Bat (Grass/Ghost, level 66/69) Ability: Levitate Item: Leftovers Moves: Hex, Will-o-Wisp, Leech Seed, Synthesis Base Stats: 90/45/90/105/90/115 Notes: While it’s shaped like a bat, this creature is actually a playful spirit that inhabits moss, and shapes itself like a bat to blend into the caverns it calls home. When playing tricks, the moss glows brightly as it shrieks and flies toward unsuspecting targets. It’s a genuinely playful creature and doesn’t like to hurt others, and becomes upset if a target seems hurt and will try to comfort them.

Other abilities it can have include Illuminate (which I’m giving a +1 to accuracy on top of its standard effect), and Aerialist (which boosts Flying damage 50%). It can learn Air Slash, which is where that comes into play. Ultimately though, I wanted this to be the sustain drain Pokemon. Its defenses aren’t that stellar, admittedly, but its high speed means it can recover really fast as needed. It also has Roost as an option, which means if you really wanted, double half recovery moves. Which, yes, is incredibly stupid.

Starter Tiger (Grass/Electric, level 68/71) Ability: Strong Jaw Item: Assault Vest Moves: Draining Fang, Stun Fang, Crunch, Earthquake Base Stats: 80/130/100/40/75/105 Notes: A powerful predator with frightening strength. Its saliva is charged with chemicals that can immobilize opponents. Its teeth can siphon essence out of its prey, and are sharp enough to pierce stone. This Pokemon, while a capable hunter, does so infrequently, and prefers to lounge about. Highly affectionate and fiercely loyal toward its trainer.

Yes, the champion has a starter Pokemon as its ace. No, it is not based off your pick, it will always be the Grass one, and no, your rival isn’t the champion because that would be lame. Anyway, I tried really hard to make the starters all pretty even in terms of abilities. I probably did a bad job. I also made them all skew toward one type of offense. Listen, I am sick to death of this “all the starters should be mixed attackers so they’re easy to use for the children” argument. You want to know how to make a mono-attacking starter work? Stop giving it physical and special moves past level 15. It’s like Manectric and Zoroark, they wouldn’t be so difficult to use if the things you clearly made to be special attackers didn’t exclusively learn physical moves until around level 50. Idiots...

Anyway, Draining Fang is a physical Giga Drain, and Stun Fang is a 90BP Electric move that has a high paralysis chance. Assault Vest is there in Challenge Mode because it was the funniest thing I could think of. Strong Jaw is the hidden ability to buff the damage of those attacks and of Crunch, which is a solid pick for coverage, I feel. Earthquake is Earthquake. Maybe I’ll make a Ground-type fang move too, out of spite.

#fakemon #fakemon dex #whimsicott #lilligant #sunflora #tsareena #fakemon champion

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deuce-duce · 3 years

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Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate

Before I get going I ended my last post telling you why its so important to hydrate. which I do but after I started explaining I went off on a tangent that is obviously more important right now then me explaining myself and how I stay happy. Which is why it just kept flowing... enjoy.

Hydrate hydrate hydrate!! I say this because, essentially we are just a series of chemical reactions all occurring simultaneously while electricity courses through our veins. More specifically positively charged ions/elements (sodium, potassium and calcium). These elements are carried throughout your body by water making it possible for your synapses to fire and for you to function as a living organism. since electricity is naturally occurring throughout your being its important to have the proper amount of conducive substances present, like H20. (Like My Dad Would Tell Me Growing Up... LOOK IT UP!!)

with a diverse amount of chemical reactions occurring thought-out our bodies it is essential that we provide our bodies with all the nutrients that we need. This is achieved by having a diverse diet, while feeding your gut what it needs to properly digest such a diet. (Your Gut Is Your Second Brain) Heterogeneity is fundamental and essential in every healthy ecosystem which is what our bodies are. Malnutrition is the primary component limiting the elevation of our consciousness and Growth. So why is it more expensive to get something that is good for you opposed to something that provides no nutritional value. I'm sure you can figure that one out on your own...

Just as a diverse diet is essential to you, functioning optimally, this concept rings true for an optimally functioning society as well. Society=Ecosystem. This is where I will make two VERY important points. Remember when I mentioned that learning fundamental components and concepts in regards to life and really anything is very beneficial?? I said that because once your aware of the functionality of these concepts they lend themselves to many different subjects. For example, although the contexts are different, The Human Body, Nature & Society the fundamental components remain the same for optimal functioning.

This is where Point #two rears its beautiful head. In my last post I mentioned briefly how important your individuality is for you are an important necessary element to a healthy functioning ecosystem called Society!! SHHHH....!!!!! your not supposed to know this. For your individuality is one of many solitary elements needed to progress, grow and achieve better and better and better for everyone.

now although I have talked a lot about normalizing you feeling your emotions and it being ok for you to express them, I think today and always we need to start accepting and appreciating people’s differences. For too long we have sat and used one another's differences as a way to create boundaries and judgement separating us from each other. Would the body function without certain elements or nutrients.... Sure!!! but it usually is a crap day for the person inhabiting that body. so why do we do it in today’s society???? I think this isn't natural and has been implanted as a means to limit and control us... J.M.O.

A very similar instance was the finches on the Galapagos Islands. Do you think that the birds loved... the young birds that had deformities and didn't look like them...? probably not because they saw that it was easier for that bird/birds to eat and acquire their food then they could. while the deformed birds had no clue that anyone had it any harder then they did, they were just using what they had been given the best way they knew how. the un-deformed/un-evolved birds eventually died off making the new evolution a primary genetic trait, essentially saving and preserving the species altogether. Is this why common day society forces us to conform?? I think it is... its so that we cant evolve further making the prior evolutionary life-form obsolete. Essentially sentencing us to our doom because were not allowed to have free thought or expression. one of the main reasons I think Our World is in the State its in today.

Science is Such a Prominent belief structure for many, throughout Our World. Yet we ignore all of the important aspects and instead instill our own ways. What do I mean... You might ask??!! Here are a couple of examples 1 of which I have already shared considering Heterogeneity. The other goes deep into the animal kingdom itself. So in today’s society the man picks his mate or who he wants to be with based primarily off of looks and sex appeal. ”on” beautiful or sexy... so on and so forth. Or its simply because they have to through necessity! should it be like this?? I don’t think so. For in the animal kingdom, and I get it not all species are the same but lets consider the majority. When looking at the majority its completely opposite from how society does things. In nature more often then not its the female that chooses the male. usually based off of genetic traits leadership and the ability to provide and protect. This is why the male always has more colors or attractive features such as manes or some other varying characteristic. Often times males will fight for one particular female, as it is the females mortal instinct to reproduce and she wants a strong partner with strong genetic make up to be passed on to their offspring. Hence only the strong shall survive. So if animals pre-exist humans... and still continue to exist today... only becoming extinct because of humans... do you think... maybe... we might have wrong...?? I mean Divorces are at an all time high!! most aren't happy and women are falling in love with a fake presentation of a man simply because the man wants to get her into bed... Down the road when the man’s true colors come out, the woman has no idea how she could have been so blind... and has no idea how to get herself out... for 1 she loves them and 2... she just doesn't know what to do...it shouldn't be this way.

not saying everyone has to change tomorrow... just saying when it comes to things as delicate as relationships... there shouldn't be societal norms or certain ways to do things we should be able to do things the way that work best for us... for these relationships are going to be the breeding ground of our future... J.S.

another example of this is Government Bail Outs... Instead of the company going belly up because they weren't prepared for an upset or there business model become obsolete. they get government handouts to keep things the way they are because those companies are powerful and removing them could harm the economy even more. But in reality the economy always bounces back and if a company fails then they fail!! We shouldn't be rewarding failure for it only breeds more failure... I'm probably wrong though... if these compaines weren't bailed out then another business would fill the void and more times then not its probably going to be a better more successful business then its predecessor increasing Chang and Advancement. Isn't This The American DREAM?? What do I Know!!

My last little thought for the day which is something I cant stop thinking about and is the reason I want to share... Is I think God is our mother... for who else would be so... forgiving and understanding and essentially be consider to be LOVE itself... A Mother. IF God is our mother then wouldn't Earth be our Father?? Providing all of the needs for all who inhibit its atmosphere... for some reason we led to believe that God is the Father... I have my own theory why this is... but doesn't it make more sense the other way around??

Sun’s Shining!! Enjoy the Day Every ONE!!

LOVE & PEACE

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raywritesthings · 7 years

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Lost in Translation 1/?

My Writing Fandom: Doctor Who Characters: Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor Pairing: Doctor/Donna Summary: In a universe where people are born with the name of the person destined for them displayed on their skin, intergalactic soulmates can be rather difficult to navigate. AO3 link

The Time Lords told their young about soulmate markings the same way they told their young about everything else. Dispassionately, matter-of-factly, and with a sense that it was best not to dwell on something so base and trivial.

A quirk of biology, thought to be a leftover trait from the time of the Carrionites. Words, after all, had been their power, though there was certainly strength behind High Gallifreyan and even Circular Gallifreyan texts.

Neither a quirk of biology nor any written form of Gallifreyan could explain Theta Sigma’s marking, however.

“There are clearly four distinct symbols, though one repeats, you see?” He twisted in place to be able to look back at Koschei while also pushing the collar of his robe to the side. It wasn’t proper protocol to show someone else your marking, but children broke the rule all the time, even at the Academy.

“And they’ve always looked like that?”

“Of course they have. They’d be even more remarkable if they’d changed, I daresay.”

“Do you like to think they make you special?” Koschei drawled.

Theta flushed. “Well, no. Not special necessarily. Merely different.”

“You needn’t any help with being different.” He couldn’t very well disagree with his friend on that count.

Theta did protest, however, as Koschei stood and walked across the room. “Aren’t you going to show me yours?”

“Why should I?” His friend asked loftily. “They’re pointless to us Time Lords. I’m sure we’ll have evolved past them in a matter of generations. Who knows, maybe your nonsense symbols are the first sign.”

Years later, they were both deeply involved in their studies, and anything else hardly bore thinking about. At least, that had been the impression Theta was working under, only for Koschei to march into the room with no preamble one day while he was in the middle of testing his newest invention.

“I’ve found your symbols.”

“My what?”

“Your soulmate marking symbols,” he enunciated as though he thought Theta was being particularly thick today. Koschei set a thick tome down on his workbench. “They’re from a primitive language originating on the planet Sol Three. We’re going to be covering it along with several others next term.”

Theta was hardly concerned with the subject of next term’s classes, however. “And this language has a word with all of those symbols? In the exact order?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what does it mean? Out with it!” He urged.

Koschei rolled his eyes. “It simply means ‘lady’, silly. How very foolish of you. Not only could you not manage a soulmate marking in the proper language, you couldn’t even manage a name.”

Theta’s face felt very hot and he wished he wasn’t at the Academy at all, but back at the barn.

Koschei hardly seemed to notice, instead looking very pleased with himself for figuring out the mystery. That was true Time Lord arrogance, always the need to be clever.

“And what, may I ask, were you doing looking for my symbols, hm?” Theta demanded, if only to wipe the smirk off his face. “Thought you said they were nonsense.”

“Well — they are. I wasn’t looking for them. I was reading ahead in the course material. Obviously.” Koschei scoffed, but it didn’t sound as convincing as his usual.

“Obviously,” said Theta anyway. “Well then, it hardly bares discussing, does it?”

They never brought it up, nor did Theta Sigma bring it up to another person, ever again.

—-

To humanity, soulmate marks were a little slice of fairy tale in an ordinary, mundane world. Parents cooed over the name their baby was gifted at birth, perhaps picked a birthname they thought might sound nice together, then got caught up in the swirl of nappy changings, first steps, first words, teething, and so on. When the child was old enough to understand, that was when they were told about the mark — though that age varied depending on the parents, of course.

But Donna Noble had always understood. She wasn’t like other babies who were given a gift at birth. Donna Noble was given a curse.

The interlocking circles that spanned almost the expanse of her back were just another oddity, as if it wasn’t bad enough being ginger and never skinny, not even during her growth spurt. Dad and Gramps always had a good chortle over how mum had fainted straightaway at the sight of her mark.

“What is it, some kind of graffiti? My daughter’s got some street tag on her back, oh God,” was her refrain every time she glimpsed it. Donna learned to wear cardis and jackets and shawls, even to the pool.

“Now, now, Sylvia, I’m sure that’s not it,” her dad responded in a well-worn way every time, somehow striking the balance between exasperated and fond. Donna wouldn’t have believed in soulmates at all if she didn’t watch her parents somehow stay in love despite, well, everything.

Her dad was real good about the whole mark thing, really. “Do you want it removed, love?” He asked her one night near the end of primary school, rubbing the spot in soothing circles as Donna cried into her pillow. “People get that done, these days.”

“Would it hurt?” She asked in a small voice, lifting her face slightly to be understood.

“Well, I imagine it would a little. But we’d be right there, your mum and I, and your grandfather.”

Donna thought for a long moment. She imagined it would hurt an awful lot, and there was the question of money. Everyone at school already knew about it anyway, thanks to the girls who snickered behind her back in the locker rooms. There’d be no point now.

“They’re jealous,” her Gramps insisted, sitting in his chair on the hill. “You’ve got something they haven’t, sweetheart, and that makes you special.”

“But I don’t want it,” she replied, her knees drawn up to her chest as she sat on the grass beside him.

He chuckled, placing an arm around her shoulders. “Well, no no one asks for what they’re given. It’s their choice whether to make the most of it or not. You’ll see, love. One day, I’m sure of it. You’ll find your — well, whoever he is.”

Why was she the one who had to have it all muffed up? Oh sure, Susie from maths had a Tom; he’d be hard to find, but at least it was something. Some Tom out there in the world who could share everything with Susie if they ever met. Be her closest friend, her support, the one person who understood her completely. Donna didn’t even have the luxury of pretending.

There were some, people said, who weren’t born with anyone’s name marked upon their skin. They were said to be happy, that they never felt a lack. Sometimes Donna wished that she were like that; other times, the thought occurred to her that someone like her would never be good enough on their own going nowhere as she was, and imagining being alone in the universe her whole life terrified her. But she was as good as, wasn’t she?

Stupid circles. It wasn’t Chinese characters, or Japanese, or Korean; it wasn’t Arabic; it wasn’t even bloody hieroglyphics!

—-

When the Doctor first married, his wife trailed curious fingers over the old symbols but never asked. They had that understanding about each other. It was comfortable, it was easy. They were good to each other, and for each other, so his old teachers often remarked.

It was not the life he dreamt of, either when he closed his eyes or when he gazed up at the orange sky from his place lying on the red grass — his little Arkytior with him now, not Koschei — but he could not find it in himself to regret it. Not when he knew a hand in his was the only abatement to his loneliness, his sense of not belonging on Gallifrey, he was likely to ever receive.

And then he and Arkytior, now Susan — Rose, he had told her, was the proper translation of her name, but she had been adamant in choosing her own, the stubborn child — were no longer on Gallifrey, instead lost amongst the stars in a rickety Type 40 TARDIS he barely knew what to do with.

It was not until his travels took him to Earth with increasing regularity that he realized the symbols — D o n n a — were not just a word. They had also been adopted as a name. Humans named their infants lady sometimes. How curious.

Curiouser still, was the idea that he had been given the name of a human to wear. Him, a Time Lord, who lived for centuries and did perhaps grow old but changed rather than died. He had children and grandchildren, yet was not even middle-aged! What if he should meet this Donna tomorrow? How much of his life could he reasonably expect her to be a part of? A century? A handful of decades? It not only seemed foolish, it seemed cruel.

The Doctor did not seek out any of these Donnas, not like he might have in his true youth. Not when Susan left with her David — he hadn’t had the heart to check her marking; he did not wish to know what had her so taken with the human — not when Ian and Barbara left, not when he continued to travel and meet new humans with all variety of names that hurt him badly enough when they all in turn took their leave of him.

Not even after the Time War, when he was left with nothing. Not a people, not a family, not an other half. The temptation beckoned, but what other person could wish to share themselves with a monster like him now?

Instead, he found a new Rose. Different in many aspects to his precious granddaughter, but still he was unaccountably fond of the pink and yellow human who brought some of the old joy of traveling the stars back to his weary eyes. Despite some hiccups, such as accidentally taking her from her home for an entire year, she seemed to like him a great deal as well.

The Doctor did not realize just how much, unfortunately, until he lost her too.

“Wait,” Rose said, clearly struggling not to break down on her end of the connection he had created to say a proper goodbye to her on the parallel world. “Wait, before you- before you’re gone, I need to know. Is it you?”

“Is what me?”

“The name I’ve got. Is it yours?” To his dismay she turned around, unzipping her jacket with the clear intent of showing him her mark. “Yours is mine, isn’t it? I love you.”

“Oh, Rose Tyler,” he sighed, his hearts sinking. She flickered, then faded from view as the connection weakened and then died, not before he glimpsed markings in a twenty-six character alphabet clear as day.

What had he done? All that time, had he led her to believe — oh no. No wonder Jackie and Mickey had often viewed him so poorly.

This soulmate business truly was horrid and pointless, his old friend had been right all along. The Doctor resolved then and there to forget the entire thing. Not just forget, he would actively ignore and work against it. He could tattoo over the name like the Corsair used to do, make sure every companion knew corresponding soulmate markings between species was an impossibility — he’d told worse lies. Do everything in his power to halt the idea in its tracks before it even began to germinate.

Then he turned around to find a ginger bride standing in his TARDIS.

—-

Donna Noble flitted from relationship to relationship after school. Between being a temp and her own unique situation, nothing ever felt like a good fit. Not to mention, all the times she was dumped soon as her time was up at this or that office. She was just practice, her mum always said. People wanted to be able to impress their soulmate on the first go.

It would be just the same at her new job, her mother harangued her as she applied, got the assignment, and prepared for her first day at H.C. Clements. No one would be taking any special interest in her except as a cheap date.

But then Lance Bennett from Human Resources smiled at her across the office and gestured to the coffee machine. He was nice, friendly, and certainly her type. Basically, a dream come true, and Donna had given up dreaming a long time ago.

She couldn’t imagine why the Head of Human Resources at a posh company like this would be interested in her of all people. Unless...

“This isn’t cause you’ve got a Donna you’re looking out for, is it? Am I the first one you’ve met?” Donna demanded over the third coffee in as many days, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Lance pulled a face. “Oh, I don’t put any stock in that rubbish.”

Her heart leapt. “Really?”

“Why would I tie myself down to someone just because of their name? It’s nonsense. I could be totally wrong about them being ‘the one’, couldn’t I?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Donna enthused. “Unless, you know, it’s like something real specific. My friend, her parents stuck her with Nerys. Said it’d be unique enough for her soulmate to find her right away. Well they haven’t yet!” She laughed, and Lance smiled at her and Donna felt so much better about this, about everything.

Maybe Lance wasn’t meant to be her ‘one’. But if neither of them minded, what was the harm?

She couldn’t wait for him to pop the question. What if he changed his mind? What if he met someone off the street with the name she refused to even look at? Donna didn’t get lucky like this. It was now or never if she didn’t want to end up the old maid her mother said she was destined to be. Who cared about destiny? She was choosing to love Lance.

And he’d said yes. The wedding was being planned, her mum flying into a frenzy of activity all of a sudden. Even Nerys agreed to be maid of honor, though she claimed it was due to needing to be there to believe it. They booked St. Mary’s and a hall for the reception, and Donna went for a dress fitting. She made sure to pick one that, between the veil and her hair, would cover up the old mark. A wedding dress fitting, it was actually happening!

Her only regret was Gramps coming down with the Spanish Flu. Of course she urged him to go to hospital, but she would have loved to have him there with her mum and dad. Part of her considered delaying the whole thing, just by a week to see if he’d be any better by then, forget the honeymoon in Morocco. Lance assured her that they would be filming it anyway and he’d see the whole thing, and that calmed her down a bit.

Of course, she was a whole different bundle of nerves the day of the wedding. Donna couldn’t believe this was happening to her! Each step she took down the aisle was a step closer to the rest of her life. She was beaming ear to ear, practically glowing!

No, hang on, she really was glowing. Donna stopped in the middle of the aisle in shock as she lit up bright gold. There was a strange sensation, it almost felt like an invisible pull on her. Everyone was staring, and it wasn’t because she was the bride.

Donna screamed.

She blinked and suddenly found herself standing in the strangest room she’d ever seen. Everyone from the wedding was gone. Instead, staring across at her in bewilderment was the skinniest bloke in a suit she’d ever had the misfortune to meet.

“What?”

“Who’re you?” Asked Donna.

“But.” That was it, he didn’t actually have an ending to that.

“Where am I?” She demanded next.

He switched right back to, “What?”

“What the hell is this place!”

“What?”

#ten x donna #doctor x donna #donna noble #tenth doctor #doctor who #the doctor #my writing

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meggannn · 7 years

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im a fuckin mess rn thinking abt how much i love FMA and ME at the same time, my love for both these stories could move mountains, and i remembered when i first played me3 last year, i realized that i thought ME is the second-best story i’ve seen that explores humanity for... what it is, and what it’s worth, with fma being the best. i’ve been meaning to revisit that idea for a while, because i was so busy playing in the moment i didn’t really think abt why. so anyway here’s some dumb meta. mild spoilers for ME and FMA

(this isn’t a post meant to make the argument that FMA is better, though imo since FMA is like... quite likely the closest a human being has ever come to making a perfect story, that might color some of my meta here.)

i ran into this quote the other day that really sums up my ideas abt what i think both stories are about: "If you are writing any book about the end of the world, what you are really writing about is what’s worth saving about it." — Justin Cronin

both stories involve a protagonist serving in the military. both stories involve humanity doing terrible things to itself, either to survive or in the nature of supposed “evolutionary progress.” both stories involve very tough discussions on morality and the value of human life (or in ME’s case, sentient life at all). both stories use the theme of body horror, and “swallowing” people (souls or genetic matter) to create “the next stage” of humanity under the guise of “the betterment of the world/universe.” both stress the emphasis on personal relationships being one of the strongest reason why life is worth living.

(i feel like i’ve blabbed a lot about how shepard/garrus themes remind me of mustang/hawkeye too, which may be one of the reasons i’m so attracted to it, but that’s a post for another day)

ultimately what i like abt these stories is that they line up all of the reasons why humanity can be terrible and inhumane and selfish, it lines up the very worst that we do to each other, and yet for every reason why, they give edward and shepard reasons to find double that many reasons to fight to preserve it. there is no question that for all their valid criticisms against humanity, the reapers and father must be stopped.

for example, the reapers harvest genetic matter in every cycle in order to continue their function. it’s a matter of continuation for them; every cycle is a fight for their survival as well. but there’s absolutely no question that they are in the wrong. if peace were an option, it should be taken, but it isn’tt. the reapers don’t know the meaning of peace, however much they think they were built for it. and maybe that’s why the ME3 ending irritates and also fascinates me. the catalyst shows up and makes one last-ditch attempt at convincing shepard that synthesis is the correct path forward for all sentient life in the galaxy, because the reapers are scared of dying, too. they don’t want to be destroyed. they want to convince shepard that destroying them is against her better interest. for me, the answer is still obvious: i chose destroy because i believe any species whose very nature requires active endangerment and widespread destruction of other life forms is not a species worth saving. (maybe on earth, nature conservatists will say that says something about my bad politics, but for the sake of fictional species in scifi, that’s my stance.)

and we... kind of have a similar thing in FMA, but on a different kind of level, with the homunculi. at the end father is revealed to be a relatively simple thing that is absolutely terrified of confinement, of losing the individuality it has gained with its human origins (that it enjoys rejecting). it was extracted from the gate of truth and given the material properties of a human, including all of human’s flaws, and very human desires: knowledge, power, wealth, with the means to achieve them and absolutely no ethical code. i think what i like about father as a villain is that... he was born from humanity just as much as from the essence within the gate. he is everything that’s wrong with us spruced up with the power of a god. and he is defeated by the best of us who come together to say “humanity can and must be better than you” and decide that they’re going to make it that way.

obviously with ME it’s less of an emphasis on humanity and more of a “our differences make us stronger” story. substitute in humans for aliens and humanity for sentient life and the sentiment is much the same. one thing that actually irritated me when i first played ME was the fact that there was so little difference between humanity and most alien species. the asari and turians and salarians etc are not particularly stronger or smarter or more advanced, however they sometimes acted like it. they could be just as petty and arrogant and violent. then i realized that’s kind of the point of the story (not to mention what drives the necessity for a protagonist in story-world): what if we make it to the final frontier and... everyone else out there is just like us? within the sake of the story, it means that no one else is going to solve our problems, and when the reaper threat comes, we can’t count on someone else to save the day. we’re going to have to roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves.

father consumes human souls to create philosopher’s stones for energy he uses to keep consuming souls. reapers convert humans into husks and break down their genetic material to create more reapers. both of them see themselves as the apex of life, the top of the food chain.

there’s this great set of lines from van hohenheim to father in the climax of the show: “you insist on treating humans like a lower life form. but don’t you see? only through them can a philosopher’s stone be created. and only through a stone can a homunculus arise. but what does a homunculus produce? what do you create? creation is all, and you’ve done nothing but destroy. you may think you’ve reached a perfect state of being, but all you are is a dead end.”

like, what kind of an awesome fucking message. a huge insult, but he’s right. what’s the point of a species that doesn’t give back? what did the homunculi ever offer to the world that humans weren’t already? and what did the reapers give back to the universe? they took and processed and recycled people but they never changed the status quo; the universe literally remained static. life had no chance to grow beyond fifty thousand years. the reapers’ programming assumed that self-destruction was an inherent trait in organic life. they considered themselves the betterment of all life for accepting this inevitability and for destroying civilizations before it became a reality. and it’s possible they were right, that it is an inherent trait and our biggest weakness, but without the chance to evolve beyond it, like, how are we ever gonna know for sure? the reapers’ are the pessimist’s solution to solving modern civilization! and shepard is the stubborn optimist’s response to the reapers! i love that.

and also, about the military aspect... god this post is so disorganized... so i’ve been thinking about how both stories tackle the fact that, by necessity their protagonists are part of the military. (i’ve been meaning to write some meta about how bioware specifically uses the military in ME/DA as, like, a prop? but i always forget.) first off, i actually love that shepard is a soldier. for me, it gives me something to latch onto about the character, and it tells me a bit about who they are. thanks largely in part to the writing and hale’s fantastic voice acting since i always play femshep anyway. but in a larger sense I just... i love how FMA talked about the military while simultaneously being wrapped up in it. it was a story about that openly discussed imperialism, genocide, warmongering, and the dangers of military states. in ME, there was none of that, because i guess nobody wants to see real life politics in a video game, people would throw fits. so they don’t want to hear criticism of the rl military within a game that features a badass commanding officer like shepard, who has devoted their life to the alliance.

again, for me... this is not a bad thing for shepard’s character. i like it. it makes sense that shepard is a marine first. we need a war hero who cannot hesitate when making tough calls. but i have to admire that FMA went further. edward is in a position to see the military’s faults more clearly; shepard is a top agent who often has to find the best possible solution to a problem with her hands tied behind her back. edward is part of an organization with a centuries-long history of abuse that he finds himself unable to defend or stand buy the more he learns about it; shepard is built by the military, rebuilt by a paramilitary terrorist group, and then used by both and forced to fight for others with no promise of help in return. god where was i going with this. anyway i like FMA just that bit more because i feel like wherever ME was going... FMA hit the high score, then kept going and going until it doubled that high score. and maybe also at FMA’s heart is a glimpse at the ME3 ending that could’ve been. i don’t know.

anyway what is the point of this post. the new point of this post is that i just remembered greed didn’t deserve to die and im gonna fucking call arakawa about it right this second

#megan talks about bw #megan talks about fma #next time on megan blabs: shepard/garrus and roy/riza parallels because what the Fuck

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