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#the encyclopedia of character creation
pestilentbrood · 4 months
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VERY long Ramble incoming
honestly now that I'm looking at the auraboa lore situation, I'm just disappointed. There was such POTENTIAL in the idea of the Loop and the horror of a new generation inexplicably being disconnected from it, forcing the newly hatched children into a world totally separate from that perceived by their parents (I mean, hell, they perceive TIME differently!).... but then the writer(s?) just fell ass backwards into Icky Tropes.
I feel like I can see what the idea was, especially with the recent alterations to the Encyclopedia entry... It seems like staff fundamentally understands the true Horror potential here, but... Instead, through the short story, they proposed it through the lens of a condescending outsider character, turning the fears of the older generation into something trivial. And also weirdly demeaning the Auroboa's situation by portraying them as overreacting.
Why... why would you do that? Like, from a storytelling perspective? What's gained from that? Why not embrace the true horror and even Emotional significance of that disruption? Why instead go for "ohh we NEED outsider help we NEED to be saved because we are so helpless and it is so Silly that we, creatures who have never experienced such things, do not know what sleep is"????
And if they WANTED to have a condescending outsider, I feel like they COULD have done that, but it would have to have that character realize the horror at some point. And make it obvious that their attitude towards distressed parents and children facing Eldritch Shit and the Sudden Deconstruction of it was not cool!
(or at the very least be a bit more...idk. Consistent with said outsider character? Juniper just goes from "omg I am so honored that the fascinating creatures of the behemoth have chosen me to speak to" to "oh their wasting my time because they don't know what sleep is. I'd rather be sleeping!! 🙄" like girl... c'mon now. Why are we trivializing it like this. Do you want me as the reader to be invested in their plight or not.)
I mean come on. They're beings connected through one networked hivemind-like system, yet each still maintains a silver of individuality that allows them to move freely throughout the Behemoth that they care for. And they've got an eldritch understanding of time that no other dragon could understand. They're seeing the future, past, and present unfold simultaneously. They're witnessing the birth and death of the world at the same time, and have no way to communicate it to other dragons. The best they can do is maintain their home, and even then, they see its roots spread and decay all at once.
And then the newest generation is suddenly disconnected. An inherent link between parent and child and all dragons in-between, that has existed since the creation of their species, is just suddenly GONE for the newest births. With NO explanation for it. The children have no easy way of communicating with their parents. The children are experiencing time in a way that was not meant for their species. They've forcefully been shoved into a circadian rhythm that they are Not! Built for!
The only way a parent could communicate properly with their child would be when the latter is sleeping, something that is also completely foreign to this species. It would be terrifying for all involved!!!
They are literally experiencing eldritch horror from the perspective of the eldritch being forced into the mortal.
Like why WOULDN'T there be panic!!! And why would that panic be trivialized! Why are we only shown the perspective of an outsider who looks at this situation and goes "Oh the silly tree beasts are being so silly over nothing, it's no big deal!"
That and the way the auraboas talk to outsiders. Like. There was such potential there. Real opportunity to explore how ancient, time-bending beings would communicate to someone who couldn't even BEGIN to understand the intricacies of it.
Instead we got what feels more like baby talk (even described as though they were hatchlings enunciating their first words, which... I dunno man, maybe we don't want to compare them to children like That) and less like... Beings that experience all of time at once. I mean, the hatchlings and the adults speak the exact same way, and that doesn't make any sense given the literal time barrier going on.
I totally get why people thought there was just a language barrier and that auraboas had their own language, thus causing the disjointed speak, and not that it was because They Do Not Experience Time Like We Do. And I feel it would've been far easier to get it across by just... I dunno. Do anything else?? I saw someone on here suggest they speak in the "wrong" tenses, or using multiple tenses in the same sentence, which I think would've been far more clear.
Like, as opposed to "saplings wilt! saplings silent!" just "the saplings will wilt in silence, they've wilted in silence, they are wilting silently." Said all at once like all things are true simultaneously. And if we're going for hivemind, have each auraboa speak in a different tense, all at the same time, and have them switch it up every time. Have our outsider get confused and be like "which is it? are they wilting now, or have they already wilted?" and the cluster of auraboas respond in a cacophony of yes's, no's, and maybe's all at once.
Would've probably gotten across the "alien" vibe they were supposedly going for far better than wide-eyed desperation for an outsider's guidance conveyed through disjointed, in-world described as baby speech.
And also maybe would've had less accidental connotations. Because as it stands, I completely see why people have made the connections to the real world where they have. This doesn't read like eldritch timey-wimey intrigue, or even a respectful look at how younger generations can become detached from their families' cultures over time and the struggles that come with it. It reads like a culture being perceived by an ignorant outsider who (despite supposedly respecting these dragons) scoffs and rolls their eyes because the tree beasts with their funny words are being silly again, and that Hey, isn't it actually a great thing that the children are fundamentally different in all manners now? Because now they can join the rest of us in the "real world."
Yknow. Ick.
(I Personally think it would've been better to have the perspective be one of the Auraboas themselves, especially one of the children, to really understand what was going on here. Give us the full brunt of the mind of a creature experiencing all of time interwoven as one shape. The waters fall and the oceans crash with waves. They've now fallen to drought. The ocean has yet to be born. Caves have been carved out through the waters' currents. And when I break from this timeline, I open my eyes to see a child, the child not yet born, the child born now, the child born yesterday. Why can't I hear it? Why couldn't I hear it? Why won't I ever hear it?)
I dunno. People more qualified than me to speak on this matter have already torn the lore apart, I'm just... dropping my own two cents. Potential got weirdly squandered and we ended up instead with unfortunate implications and tropes that could be connected a liiiittle too awkwardly to irl situations.
*Also, before anyone points out: Yes, I know the hatchlings aren't COMPLETELY detached from the Loop and can join it when they sleep. But the fact is, these thangs never had to sleep before. That wasn't in their species' nature. So that's still weird and foreign for them on both sides. And since the hatchlings now have a circadian rhythm, they can't stay connected to the loop permanently. And also Also, seeing as the previous generations aren't experiencing time linearly, who's to say they even recognize when their child joins the loop? They'll speak with an echo of their child when that child was last asleep ages ago, not knowing that it's not them presently, because there is no 'present' for the older generations.
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Common Knowledge 1
Warnings: non/dubcon, power imbalance, bullying, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.
Characters: Geralt of Rivia, Harald Halfdansson, tall & plus-size reader
My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.
As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.
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You unfurl the strip of legal pad, marked with Professor Halfdansson's messy and pointed writing. The usual scribble that has you squinting at your returned papers. He must be the only instructor in the college that still handmarks his assignment.
Like much of his style, his slanted cursive is chaotic. Often, his lectures or spiraling tangents about his trips to Norway or some mythos unrelated to the topic at hand. He is a well of knowledge, but one which is often overflowing and bottomless.
The subject is far from your first choice. You prefer history with a human subject. Your intrigue is those events which truly occurred, people who once walked the same earth as yourself. Mythos and belief is a human creation but it hardly captures your imagination.
Along your search for title jotted onto the scrap, you find several other books to sate your personal preferences. A book on the Beothuk and their demise and another illustrated index of Renaissance art. Finally, you find the rear corner of the store, the mythology shelves nestled behind Spirituality and New Age.
You hover your finger before the rows and lean in, squinting through your lenses as you search out the rather Nordic-sounding name. You sense a shadow at the end of the aisle but do not look over. You'll just be on your way once you-- there it is.
You pinch the spine of the deep blue tome and slide it out. The cover is stamped with gold runes and lettering, a viking helm the central image. You double-check that it matches the professor's scrawl, however you can never be sure as his Fs look like Ss.
You set it flat on your armful of book, balancing the weight with the rest as you crumple the scrap and tuck it into your pocket. It's a bit more than you want to spend but it will be useful in maintaining your average through Halfdansson's course.
The shadow comes closer and you shift out of the way for the approaching customer. You sidle away as they huff, a breath that fans around them. He leans into the shelf and you sense his head shift and his gaze follow your slow retreat.
"Ah, you are a fan of vikings?" He asks, stopping you in your tracks. "You must've watched the show, hm? Cute series but not very accurate, you know?"
You blink, taken aback but his tone and his assumption. It isn't the first time you've met the attitude in your chosen discipline. When it comes to military history or the lives of vaunted men, there is often an intonation towards female scholars. You have been dismissed more than once.
"Never seen it," you lie, "you seem the type though."
You note his snow white hair, a peculiar shade, drawn back into a half pony, and his blindingly pale eyes. He wears a tunic better housed in the closet of a LARPing club and looms with an air of indignation. He puts a thick hand on the shelf and leans, no doubt used to towering over others.
"Funny, that is the very book I came for," he intones.
"Oh, what a coincidence."
HIs jaw ticks and he snorts, "seems you've found quite the lot--"
"I have. A whole trove."
You go to turn away and hear his sole clomp down behind you, "surely you can grab another encyclopedia. I really need that one."
"Uh, no, this is what I need."
He follows you down the aisle as you keep a quick step, uneasy at how he trails you so fervently.
"Maybe you should grab another one."
"I have all the others. I've been waiting months for that to come into stock," he insists.
"Well, you can find a kiosk and order one in--"
"On a three month backorder," he interjects and grabs your arm. "I'll pay you--"
You spin back to face him and hit his chest with your books, "don't touch me."
"Well, just..." he retracts his hand, "hold up. I'm trying to talk to you. To barter--"
"I'm sorry, but I need this book for class," you hug the books and back up, overly aware of the tingliness from where he grabbed you. You don't like being touched. At all. You can feel your heart pumping.
"Does the school not have a library, little girl?"
Your mouth falls open. Little girl? This guy just can't help himself. You haven't been rude, maybe matter-of-fact, but he's been downright mean.
"Not for sale," you push your shoulders up and back away.
You twist on your heel and speed away. You weave between the shelves and discount tables and join the winding queue at the counter. You don't look back and sway in your boots, waiting your turn.
"I could give you several recommendations for an alternate text," the man appears at your side, crowding you inside the black cords that rein in the queuing customers.
You ignore him and turn your head away. You wish he'd just take a hint. If you heard a single please or any sort of respect, you might consider it. He's only been a jackass and judging at first glance, he's too old for that.
"You don't need it–"
You move with the line and he growls, shifting with you.
"Look, girl–"
You snap your head back and give him a glare. He sucks in one cheek and exhales heavily, "miss, I am asking you nicely–"
The associate at the counter calls for next and you take your cue. You quickly cross the space and put your haul onto the wooden ledge. You hear the pushy stranger snarl something under his breath. You refuse to look back as you hand over your membership card.
Men like that are the very reason you despise the general public. Hard to fathom how you can be so intrigued by the human condition when you can hardly bear to be around other people.
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encyclopediacr · 3 months
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Last month at the wiki — December 2023
Every month, we highlight significant work done in the previous month by our editing community at Encyclopedia Exandria. As we move into 2024, we take a second-to-last look at 2023—and it's a long one, folks. We'll take a look at 2023 as a whole year on Monday!
As always, to start, here's a selection of ten articles created in December. You can find more of our newest articles at the 50 newest pages report.
Circle of Tide & Bone, circle of Candela Obscura investigators
Potion of climbing, grants a climbing speed
Dancing sword, magical weapon that attacks on its own
The Glorious Ones, adventuring party in Athova-Rae
Calloway hideaway, hideout in Bassuras
Janet Varney, voice actor of Vilya in The Legend of Vox Machina
Ruidium armor, armor enchanced with ruidium
Wild's guide, tobacco-like plant
Scuttling serpentmaw, crab-like aberrations
Gibbering mouther, aberrations formed of the mouths and eyes of victims
December saw a lot of article creation in themed groups! The rival adventuring party in Call of the Netherdeep—Ayo Jabe, Dermot Wurder, Galsariad Ardyth, Irvan Wastewalker, and Maggie Keeneyes—all now have articles. We're also starting some forays into subpages dedicated to stat changes over time. We've been mulling that project over for some time, and with the sunsetting of @critrolestats, we've been thinking about it again. Alongside the new pages for the rivals, we've also got some tier subpages: Ayo's tiers for an example.
In other theme article creations, our Midst coverage has expanded! Following the three protagonists earlier in the year and Tzila in November, the major secondary characters now have articles: Saskia Del Norma, Jonas Spahr, Sherman Guthrie, and Imelda Goldfinch. There's also a dedicated article to all things geography and cosmology, Midst locations.
There was also a one-shot drive over the channel's winter break to write plot summaries for one-shots that are lacking them. Through this, we've got some new editors contributing plot summaries to "Cinderbrush: A Monsterhearts Story", "Crash Pandas: Too Trashed, Too Curious", and "DOOM Eternal One-Shot". You can check out details about the push at our post here on Tumblr. If you ever want to contribute a plot summary yourself, or any other content updates or edits of any other type, we encourage you! You can do so at any time.
If you've want to know what the Circle of Needle & Thread carries around, we've got updates completing those sections on each character's article. Check out Jean Basar for an example.
In backend stuff, all character articles finally have verified "Appearances and mentions" sections! Well over a year ago, character articles had these sections collated using a script from a list that used to live in the infoboxes and from episode "Featured character" sections. These lists were being slowly checked manually to ensure that they they were properly formatted, organized, and correct. They've finally all been verified!
Whew! A long-winded update, but it is the end of the year after all. Join us on Monday for our final look at 2023 where we look again not just at December but the year as whole.
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vivificanousprime · 4 months
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I love a good snippet of information that is placed in a story purely to enhance the atmosphere, world building, or characterization in an unimportant way
For example:
In Logical Proposals, I make it overtly clear that Shockwave pays attention to unique social cues Soundwave and the cassettes display. This doesn’t come from a place of love (at least not directly) but from a need to understand what’s communicated to him, especially for the creations who prefer non-verbal communication. Inherent in his goal is functionality. Details he doesn’t see as useful are ignored. Case in point:
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Shockwave has been involved in the raising of four sparklings prior to Flip Sides (the premie sparkling in the excerpt). He knows the most random things about his kids. So why wouldn’t he know about a very clear motion indicating a fuel need?
Simple. He’s ignored it. There are other ways sparklings inform him they need fuel that he identified as clear cues he’s followed readily, so he has never needed to note this suckling reflex. From a little earlier in the scene:
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It’s such a little detail to be proud of including, but I like pointing out these kinds of gaps in a character. Shockwave is an encyclopedia but is also heavily limited by what he deems as useful information. Such as the cute suckling reflex sparklings do when refueling, something a more emotional person like Soundwave would cherish.
Also Shockwave talking to a baby like a normal adult never fails to amuse me. “Be silent” XD That has never worked, hon, and it never will
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googoogagaeyes · 11 months
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Do you think Will won't play a role in defeating Vecna? I've seen many posts about this and how Will should not kill Vecna or that he should not contribute to his death because his character isn't someone who kills and... while I get the point, what do you expect him to do then? Just spying on Vecna for other people, so other people can track him down and kill him? Or is his role just standing up for himself and winning but not necessarily killing Vecna, so it is more about him spying again to help others and the other characters will finish the blow?
I think one of the reasons why I do not understand this situation is that it seems like it is limiting Will's narrative in the story. Because I've even seen posts about how Will shouldn't even kill the Mindflayer or the Demogorgon because it would mean that he'd be using violence/killing (especially if he uses gun), and I'm just wondering what do you guys want him to do then? Just being able to win by standing up for himself without killing anything or any monster?
Will Byers and Vecna: A Discussion on Free Will, Determinism, and The Nature of Evil in S5
Hiii,
I had to noodle on this a bit to figure out how to better articulate what I'm thinking about Will's role in relation to Vecna in S5. So, thank you for that! Yes, of course, Will is going to play a role in defeating Vecna. As for the "how and why" of your response, I'm going to expand on a point I asserted in the post (you are commenting on) HERE: "If Will is possessed in S5 (for a large portion of the show), they won't be able to effectively address Will's unaddressed conflicts...."
When I wrote that, I was mentally referring to the possession mechanics of S2, in which Will was mentally suppressed and pulled out as needed by Vecna. Given his friends' primary solution for this was knocking Will unconscious until they could figure out how to cut the connection, I don't think it's wise for the writers to relegate Will's screentime to laying in a bed again for 3+ episodes in the final season. However, I do think Will is going to be threatened by possession again in S5, not in a way akin to S2, but as in haunted-by-a-malevolent-entity-sending-him-into-an-identity-crisis way.
Will still has a remnant of Vecna in his mind, granting him insight on how and what he thinks. That is not something to be taken lightly. The saying goes, "A door opens both ways". On the one hand, this is an asset for his friends, as you pointed out, for spying purposes. On the other hand, it is a dangerous burden, as Will is exposed to Vecna's encroaching influence. Given Vecna used Will as a tool for his nefarious deeds in S2, there's nothing stopping him from trying to do so again.
As I mentioned in this post HERE, Will is kept alive in S1 for a reason. Vecna targeted him in S1 and S2 for a reason. He is the only person Vecna doesn't want to kill for a reason. The writing of the show implies the reason is related to building Vecna's new world order. It's important to observe how the Upside-Down post-Vecna arriving looks like Mars, while the Upside-Down post-Will arriving looks like Hawkins. As myself and many others have theorized, Will has some form of creation powers. Thus, Will is essential for the execution of Vecna's world domination. The primary question that arises from this kind of conflict is: who is the one in control of Will's decisions?
At the foundation of is question is the concept of free will. Free will being one's capacity to make decisions without the constraint of external forces, like fate. There are three agreed upon aspects of free will as of now (See Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy HERE):
"You have the freedom to do otherwise," or you can do or not do.
"The power of self-determination," or you are the arbiter of your own actions and must accept the punishments (moral responsibility).
"Free will is compatible with determinism".
To explain the last aspect called compatibilism, I'm going to bring in an example from A Wrinkle in Time, a confirmed inspiration for S5. Mrs. Whatsit explains to the protagonists why the Happy Medium (a fortuneteller and a pun for compatibilism itself) shouldn't show them the future, so they can find out how to defeat the villain. She argues that they would be no better than those on Camazotz, the planet subjugated by IT, since they "would have no lives of our own, with everything planned and done for" them (190, Kindle version). She compares life to a sonnet, it "has a strict form, but freedom within it" and "what you say is up to you" (191, Kindle version).
As the Duffer's have discussed, Will's coming of age is complicated because of supernatural factors and societal factors. The exertions of the supernatural forces only compound Will's other issues. Will has been at the mercy of Vecna, the Mindflayer, and the Upside Down, since he was 12. He is victim of supernatural kidnapping and possession. Will is used to feeling powerless over his own body, as well as his own life. This why Will still thinks he is a mistake (relating to his sexuality, his loss of innocence, and himself as a person). This is why Will still thinks he deserves blame for things out of his control (relating to his low self-confidence and past abuse). Will's coming of age is dependent on resolving the a critical identity crisis related to free will: whether or not he can reclaim control over his life and self by choosing to overcome the past.
Speaking of control, if we are discussing free will then it is only apt to discuss its converse, determinism. Determinism argues we are governed by external forces, fate or choice, and thus "free will" is an illusion. Vecna's function, as an all-knowing being, falls within this philosophical fold. In 4x07, he shows Nancy the future, on purpose, so she can tell El the "exactly what she sees". This drives home the point that regardless of what they try to do their loss is inevitable. However, it is equally important the Hawkins gang chooses to fight anyways. In this instance, as well as in the show as a whole, the characters choose to do their best in spite of the external forces (the supernatural, the past, conformity, homophobia, racism, classism etc.) working against them.
As of S4's end, determinism appears to be the victor, but in a show that emphasizes the importance of one's choice the hero's ultimate victory will shift the needle back to compatibilism or, as A Wrinkle in Time calls it, a "happy medium" (lol). With narrative foils, such as Will and Vecna, the importance of compatibilism, especially one's free choice in the face of the past, is more clear. The writers juxtapose Will and Vecna to establish how their social experiences influenced their trajectories and relationship with the world.
Both Vecna and Will are considered "sensitive," holding a deep capacity to feel and sense emotions. However, both boys are considered "broken," or abnormal, by societal standards. While Will's perceived homosexuality and Zombie Boy status made him a target, the writers have yet to unpack what led to Vecna's feelings of disenfranchisement. It seems very likely this is connected to Vecna's most powerful memory (which fills him with anger, pain, and hate), as well as his favorite phrase, "Don't be afraid. It will (all) be over soon".
Vecna became resentful, due to feeling misunderstood. His father was oblivious to his struggles, his mother hated him, and the community considered him to be "different". No one loves him unconditionally like Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike do for Will. Faced with rejection, Vecna rationalizes the he is the victim of hypocritical social constructs like conformity (he isn't wrong). Then, he decides to become a opposing external force, dictating people's fates, to impose the same feelings of suffering and misery that he feels upon others. Vecna believes he was the inevitable product of the world and people in it, i.e. blaming El for "making him" in 4x09 (despite this being the consequence of him trying to murder her—remember moral responsibility? Yeah, he has none).
Vecna/Henry/001's origins highlight an debate within the theme of good vs evil: whether one is inherently evil (born) or not (raised). Based on the writer's past history with other antagonists (Billy, Max's abuser), as well as their Vecna setup, the show is arguing that evil is learnt and perpetuated through cycles of abuse and terror. For example, Billy's father is abusive, homophobic, and racist >> Billy learns how to be abusive, hypermasculine (overcompensation), and racist >> Billy intimidates and terrorizes his step-sister Max + her Black boyfriend Lucas. The only reason why that cycle ended is because of Billy's redemption and thus death.
Redemption is a sticky topic. Does Billy's death excuse his actions or bring back the people he killed? No. However, it does show that one can choose to be good, selfless and brave, through love. The Duffers, as I discussed HERE, mentioned that they are playing with the concept of redemption—whether the fandom likes it or not. When asked about whether Vecna is a bad seed or redeemable, Matt said, "I mean, no, that's up in the air. I mean, listen, we've talked a lot about him. I think we have a pretty good understanding of him, us and our writers. I mean, we probably talked about him more than anybody else. We know his whole prequel story, if you'll call it, we know. And, we're going to get into that. Get into that in [Stranger Things] 5. And, is there still any humanity left in him, that's the question".
Will is the ideal person to facilitate Vecna's redemption, not only because of his capacity to love and be loved but because of his struggles with free will and goodness challenge Vecna's determinist mindset and hate. Because of their supernatural connection, they are inextricably intertwined and will likely interact frequently in S5. Through those interactions, they can learn from each other, pushing the limits of their understanding and individual growth.
Nothing about Will's character arc (that I described) necessitates him personally killing Vecna. Vecna will die, of course. All the abusers in the show ultimately die. Like Billy. Like Brenner. However, Max never killed Billy. And, El never killed Brenner. Will isn't an exception. He's not going to choose hate over love, when that is what the show is writing against. Will's empowerment is not about him exerting force over another being; he would be no better than Vecna. Will's empowerment arises from him choosing to be good and choosing to be himself despite the past, conformity, supernatural terror, and bigoty. It's Will's heart—his compassion—that makes him courageous and radically kind which will, in turn, allow him to reclaim his life and body.
Hope that clarifies things and you see that this kind writing choice wouldn't limit Will's involvement in the plot. (The protagonist killing the "villain" is the cliché anyways) Come back soon~
P.S. I don't see the point of killing the Mindflayer when it appeared to be an innocuous entity in the flashback. It wasn't harming anyone, until Vecna began using it as a weapon. The goal should be to break its connection to Henry, not eliminate the entire Hivemind. Do you think they should die, anon? If so, why?
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auxiliarydetective · 3 months
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End-of-Year Appreciation Post
Let's see if I can get this done before midnight - I have 36 minutes! But I really wanted to get this posted, so... time for a speedrun! This post won't nearly be able to say everything I wanna say, so, first and foremost: I love and appreciate all of my mutuals and people I've gotten to talk to this year, so thanks for coming to my corner of the internet and gifting me a little (or a lot - because lord knows I don't shut up if someone mentions one of my favourite fandoms) of your time!
With that being said, time for some special thanks!
@wheresmybloodynauglamir The encyclopedia of Star Trek and one of my closest friends on this hellsite. Thanks so much for literally everything you've done for me this year and all the lovely conversations. Let's have a lot more of those next year! Live long and prosper <3
@littlemervie Thank you for indulging my very nichest of niche interests like The Little Prince and for always sending me a kind message when I least expected it.
@fluffle-system My favourite bnuy in the whole world and a fellow FNAF enjoyer. I hope I always get to be the auxiliary to your detective (yes, this is actually sort of an accurate aitiology of how my url came to be - if you know you know). Let's solve more mysteries and riddles together.
@supermarine-silvally You may have only very recently stumbled into my corner of the internet but I adore every conversation we've had and I hope that many more are to come. If I had to make a choice to pass on my OCs to anyone, the great Donna Aurelia would be yours, and that's a great honor, so I hope you know how much I appreciate our conversations!
@carriagelamp We didn't talk too much this year and that's frankly a crime, but I still stare lovingly at every piece of art you've created for me, with me, or simply for the fandoms I'm in - and the ones for fandoms I don't know I stare at from afar. Just letting you know that I smile everytime I see you on my dash :)
@faerieroyal Dolly my beloved! I hereby sincerely apologize for all the times I've hopped into our Discord chat to ramble about my OCs or whine about my hour-long adventures of looking for faceclaims and/or names, but I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon. The amount of positivity and support you bring into my life is immesurable and I absolutely adore you for supporting each of my OCs, even if you don't know their fandom, and how you let me introduce you to my newest hyperfixations when the brainrot strikes. - To many more rambling sessions!
@come-along-pond who allowed me to participate in the fyeahonepieceocs blog and gave me a platform to launch my own little project of a OP resources blog from. - Through anon hate and plot bunnies, you've helped me and supported me through so much and I'm really, really thankful for that!
@oneirataxia-girl @endless-oc-creations and everyone else in the Discord Server, thank you so much for suffering through my countless pings and appearing when I need you most to offer your advice and help. You've saved many of my OCs in the past and I'm certain you'll keep doing so in the future.
@starcrossedjedis @bravelittleflower and @ninjasawakenedmystar aka the angels who made Cora's creation possible - and by extention then also that of Lily and La Donna! Thanks so much, my fellow One Piece girlies!
@thehedgehogat221b who has been keeping me tethered to the A-Team fandom, making sure that I never forget how happy it makes me, and who always has time to spare to hear me ramble about Kit Kelley and her conman boyfriend
@daughterofhecata @bistdueinbaum and the entire Die Drei ??? fandom. You brought me onto Tumblr and though I may not be as active in the fandom anymore, Tumblr still considers my blog a Die Drei ??? blog and I don't plan on forgetting my roots anytime soon, so I promise you more detective content in the year 2024 - featuring my beloved Jelena, of course! My token adopted side character... Maybe I'll also hop into the Tatort fandom, who knows? Also, can we make Rosenheim Cops a fandom? I feel kinda lonely and silly over here lol
@claramurphyqueenoffandoms the VoicePlay supporter. Man, was I happy to find someone who loves these dorks as much as I do. We haven't talked much, but thanks so much for enabling the hyperfixation that triggered my character development into a happier person and letting me relive those memories.
@cody-helix02 @thoughpoppiesblow @footprintsinthesxnd @kafka-ohdear and the entire Band of Brothers fandom. You've been so nice to me from day one when I first stumbled into the fandom and you still are incredibly lovely people! I'd like to give something back, so, if you ever need any research done for your fic and you can't find anything, let me know and I'll traverse my resources and my university's library to see what I can find <3 Also, I shall present to you more Anita content in the future! There's one fic featuring Luz and one featuring Bull curently in my projects list!
@maxwellshimbo @asaturnerofficial and all the other lurkers and people I constantly find in my notes - you always brighten my day. I'll have had an awful no good time but then I see you and I go: "Ah yes, my friends are still here" and I feel so much better!
Thanks to much to everyone on and off the list, and have a very lovely new year!
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celaenaeiln · 4 months
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Hi, I’ve been following this account for a while now and I really enjoy your posts. I was very sad about the mischaracterisation of Dick in fanfiction a lot, so finding your posts was very exciting to me. They’re huge writing inspirations for me, especially after a long burnout and writer’s block I’ve been going through this past months. Just wanted to say it real quick.
Also not about Dick Grayson but I’ve discovered this new song called The Kid I Used to Know by Arrested Youth, and it’s been giving me Jason Todd vibes. Just wanted to get your opinion on it, if you’ve ever heard it.
I hope you have a wonderful day today :D
Thank you!
I just went and listened to it - The Kid I Used to Know - and OH MY GOD
IF THERE WAS EVER ONE SONG AND ONLY ONE SONG THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT JASON - THIS IS IT!!!
MIND BLOWN ABOUT HOW ITS PRACTICALLY WRITTEN ABOUT HIM
This. This is the creation and meaning behind Red Hood.
You told me this should be fun, thank for the talk, are we done? This is my masterpiece, a tragedy, I wrote it myself I can practically see this playing as a backtrack to Jason as he's planning his Red Hood activities, right when he makes his debut.
It's full of irony and blasphemy, it's practically hell But the perfect part about it is it's all that I've got Jason's actions and character is everything Bruce worked his life against, his story his blasphemy in the eyes of his former mentor. It's also his anger and resentment about dying and coming back to life only to find that Bruce has seemingly moved on while he's stuck reliving his worst memories. but that's not going to stop him. No, those memories are only fuel. This is who he is.
I'm over wasting time in life trying to be something I'm not His hatred over how Bruce kept trying to make him a Dick Grayson 2.0 during his robin years until he storms out.
'Cause fuck that shit Yeah I don't wanna be that kid No, I'm not gonna hang my head And be another accident And Jason will be damned if he's just going bend over and let his death be swept under the rug. Let Bruce who he really is now. He's going to tear part Gotham and he's going to raise his head and do it proud.
So long to the kid that I used to know So long to the place that I used to go I'm not an R.I.P I'm not another sick, sad tragedy He's better now, he's better than he's ever been. He's got the skills, the fire, and power to become something new. He's not going to be something they cry over in the books or mutter "what a pity." He can never go back to the manor where he and bruce ate sandwiches and how they analyzed crime but it doesn't matter anymore because Jason's not going to take orders anymore from a man dressed like a bat, he's on his own - and he will prove it. Him and Bruce? They're done.
Do you ever feel like you're underwater? Drowning inside like there's no tomorrow? It's the feeling of the lazarus flooding his lungs and the blood choking his throat as he realizes with his dying breath that he won't make out to see tomorrow.
Life gets tough but you should know That I don't plan on letting go Come hell or high water, Jason's going to make bruce pay. He's not going to a footnote in an encyclopedia. He's going to haunt Bruce, he's going to haunt Dick, he's going to haunt Tim, he's never going to let them forget.
I'm not an R.I.P I'm not another sick, sad tragedy He's back - better and badder than ever. Watch out Gotham because Jason Todd is here to prove there's no "The End" to this story.
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no-side-us · 9 days
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The Field Bazaar is an interesting little bit of Holmesian history. It's very short, doesn't give much in terms of warm or unique moments (in fact Holmes is kind of rude), and I'm pretty sure it's more well known for the context of its creation than the contents of the story.
The context being that Conan Doyle wrote this for Edinburgh University to raise a pavilion, i.e. the same thing Watson's doing, which I feel makes this story the most concrete Doyle = Watson comparison you could make.
It was also only published in Edinburgh University's student magazine and therefore only became known of decades after the fact, meaning some consider it more of a pastiche than a "canon" story. But for me, since it was written by Doyle and it's not egregiously out of character or anything, I don't see any reason why it can't be considered "canon."
What makes it more interesting is that this is technically the first Holmes story Conan Doyle wrote after he killed Holmes. The Field Bazaar came out in 1896, three years after The Final Problem in 1893 but five years before the next widely acknowledged canon story The Hounds of the Baskervilles in 1901, and seven years before Doyle begrudgingly brought Holmes back to life in The Empty House in 1903.
Other than that I don't have much else to say. Though I will mention that The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia website abbreviates this story as BAZA, which isn't right. It should be FIEL! "Field" is not mundane enough of a word in a title to ignore and immediately jump to "Bazaar." And there's no other story abbreviated as "FIEL" so what gives!
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pixlokita · 1 year
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Still can't believe that Michael got cut from the character encyclopedia so they could allocate 2 pages to shit-talking poor Helpy /hj
They desecrate his own creation like this 😔
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vigilante7657 · 9 days
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This is one of my recent OC template creations, inspired by the character encyclopedia pages of Attack On Titan. I wanted to challenge myself to make a character template with one page, and this was the end result. I've been obsessed with The Walking Dead for almost ten years now, so the overall theme is the Walking Dead for this template. Click the link here: LINK
Note: The Footer has my Discord tagline for my Discord User, please do not remove this! My Discord Info [<VIGILANTE>] - Nickname [vigilante7567] - Username
Enjoy!
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rootvegetableboy · 28 days
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cm dev log #4 - february 2024
happy march! i can’t believe this is already my 4th dev log… that means i’ve been working on this game for one third of a year…
i know in the january log i said i wanted to tackle gameplay, and i guess i did a little of that, but it ended up being mostly an art/asset creation month. towards the 3rd week of february my wrist started to hurt, so i’ve slowed down a little bit since then. thankfully, i still have some cool art to show off!
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[start image description: 3 variations on the same bookshelf sprite: one with all empty shelves, one neatly packed with different encyclopedia-like sets, and one with mostly unrelated books tending more towards leaning against one another or being stacked horizontally. end image description.]
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[start image description: a very zoomed-out view of a basic environment, cliffs overlooking water. the player character is extremely small in comparison. end image description.]
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[start image description: a view of an indoor environment with brick walls, four tables, and several of the previously-described bookshelf assets. end image description.]
the thing about art/asset creation, i’ve noticed, is that it’s generally a bit more of a convoluted process than coding… when i want to code something into the game, it’s more a matter of figuring out how to code it → and then coding it. (and then fixing it if i need…) art is different, though, because a lot of the things i draw end up going through several different iterations before i settle on what i want them to look like. i’m still not entirely sold on some of the basic structures i have in place for myself, but it’s still been really satisfying to slowly start to build up these areas. even just the bookshelves and tables have added a lot of depth & feeling i think ^_^
aside from art, i also made a few minor coding tweaks. i added a little bit to the enemy AI: now enemies will only chase you if you come within a set distance, and if you leave this distance, they will walk slowly back to their spawn point. (basically “running away from and/or avoiding everything you encounter” is now a viable strategy.) the sounds that accompany a character speaking are now a little more fluid re: keeping pace with the text, and i adjusted the depth & drawing code for the player character so her weapons are drawn over other objects (such as tables and bookshelves) as opposed to underneath.
i’ve been having a bit of trouble classifying february as a ”productive month” in my mind, but i know how important it is to keep slowly chipping away at long-term projects like this, so i’m happy at least i have stuff to share with you all! in march i want to really hone in on building some more tools for myself: my close friend stevie suggested whipping up something with Twine when i expressed having difficulty keeping track of characters/plot threads, which is such a genius idea. it’s not something that is easily “shown off” but is definitely sorely needed for me at this point in development, if for no other reason than just keeping me sane...
as always, i really appreciate everyone who has been keeping up with the process! it's always super encouraging to receive feedback and hear people ask about how it's all going. i will see you all in april... springtime approaches :)
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devil-seabird-king · 1 year
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Critical Rep Tournament Results
Well... that escalated quickly. In the time it took my family to cut down a tree, the poll completely flipped.
The official winner of the Critical Rep Tournament is...
Caleb Widogast
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The Bisexual Maelstrom himself, Caleb secured victory over Caduceus by a margin of 7 votes in the final poll. His total in the poll was 156 with and overall total of 744.
But wait a minute, what's this? A second winner? Ah, yes, the other winner of the Critical Rep Tournament is...
Caduceus Clay
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With 946 total votes, Caduceus far outreached any and all of his competitors, even Caleb by over 200 votes, leaving him at the top rank based on raw voting numbers.
Regardless of which way you chose to view the data, Caduceus, Caleb, and all the other characters on this list still remain as important representations of all walks under the rainbow umbrella and the variety found within Critical Role is something worth celebrating.
That said, I did say I'd post the rank list based on episode numbers followed by the rank list based on poll voting numbers, so here it is. This includes added votes from bonus polls (only for characters in the original brackets).
Trust me when I say there is a lot of information under the read more and if you'd like to view our journey here, one more time be my guest.
Ranked by episode appearance* (original criteria for bracket ranking):
*These are appearances at the time of the polls creation. Some characters have since appeared more. Episode data taken from Encyclopedia Exandria.
Caleb Widogast (141)
Beauregard Lionett (141)
Keyleth (118)
Yasha Nydoorin (117)
Vax'ildan (114)
Caduceus Clay (114)
Vex'ahlia (113)
Scanlan Shorthalt (100)
Fresh Cut Grass(49)
Fearne Calloway (49)
Orym (49)
Ashton Greymoore (48)
Mollymauk/Kingsley Tealeaf/Lucien Tavelle (47)
Essek Thelyss (37)
Kima of Vord (31)
Allura Vysoren (31)
Shaun Gilmore (22)
Taryon Darrington (19)
Marion Lavorre (18)
The Gentleman/Babenon Dosal (16)
Zahra Hydris (13)
Yussa Errenis (13)
Darion (12)
Xandis (11)
J'mon Sa Ord (10)
Yudala Fon (10)
Bryce Feelid (8)
Dolan Thrym (8)
Tyffial Wase (8)
Astrid Becke (7)
Otis Brunkel (7)
Milo Krook (7)
Horris Thrym (6)
Leylas Kryn (6)
Yu Suffiad/Dusk (6)
Otohan Thull (6)
Keg (5)
Jourrael (5)
Shelda Delles (4)
Reani (4)
Eadwulf Grieve (4)
Kotho/Terra (4)
Gus (4)
Dancer (3)
Khemdal Dust (2)
Quana Kryn (2)
Gavis Aranda (2)
Calianna Mordsson (1)
Umadon (1)
Uraya Hythenos (1)
Duasad Keef (1)
Ogdes Friez (1)
Esmer Balenta (1)
Sahyaadon (1)
Ranked by Voting Counts*:
*Those with same number of votes are put in order of who lasted longest and then episode appearance if they lost in the same round.
Caduceus Clay (946) +5
Caleb Widogast (744) -1
Essek Thelyss (562) +11
Mollymauk/Kingsley Tealeaf/LucienTavelle (492) +9
Orym (313) +6
Beauregard Lionett (236) -4
Shaun Gilmore (224) +10
Ashton Greymore(224) +4
Vax'ildan (202) -4
Allura Vysoren(125) +6
Fearne Calloway(119) -1
Yasha Nydoorin (118) -8
Keyleth (116) -10
Kima of Vord(111) +1
Xandis (112) +9
Vex'ahlia (81) -9
Fresh Cut Grass (78) -8
Yussa Errenis (75) +4
J'mon Sa Ord (72) +6
Marion Lavorre(67) -1
Astrid Becke(62) +9
Zahra Hydris(61) -1
Bryce Feelid (60) +4
Yudala Fon (59) +2
The Gentleman/Babenon Dosal (56) -5
Darion (55) -3
Leylas Kryn (53) +7
Eadwulf Grieve (52) +13
Milo Krook (48) +3
Keg (46) +7
Gus (28) +12
Jourrael (26) +6
Yu Suffiad/Dusk (26) -2
Taryon Darrington (21) -16
Reani (21) +5
Scanlan Shorthalt (19) -28
Quana Kryn (16) +9?
Kotho/Terra (16) +4?
Calianna Mordsson (15) +9
Otohan Thull (15) -4
Otis Brunkel (14) -10
Uraya Hythenos (13) +8
Tyffial Wase (12) -15
Duasad Keef (8) +7
Dancer (8) -1
Sahyaadon (8) +7
Horris Thrym (7) -14
Dolan Thrym (6) -20
Gavis Aranda (6) -2
Khemdal Dust (5) -5
Esmer Balenta (4) +2
Shelda Delles (3) -13
Umadon (3) -4
Ogdes Friez (0) -2
The character who raised in rank the most was Eadwulf Grieve by 13 spots, while the character who dropped the most positions was Scanlan Shorthalt, who dropped 28 spots. Ashton actually obtained the same number of votes as Gilmore in less polls and is the only character to do so.
Before the two Redemption Rounds, the rankings sat at:
18. Xandis (73) +6
22. J'mon Sa Ord (56) +3
24. Yudala Fon (54) +2
27. Bryce Feelid (49) 0
29. Darion (45) -6
30. Milo Krook (39) +2
35. Yu Suffiad/Dusk (17) 0
40. Otis Brunkel (12) -9
41. Otohan Thull (12) -5
43. Sahyaadon (8) +11
45. Duasad Keef (5) +6
46. Gavis Aranda (4) +1
47. Jourrael (3) -9
48. Horris Thrym (2) -15
49. Esmer Balenta (2) +4
50. Shelda Delles (1) -11
51. Khemdal Dust (1) -6
52. Uraya Hythenos (1) -2
53. Umadon (0) -4
54. Ogdes Friez (0) -2
And the rankings of the EXU/Oneshot Characters/God's if included would be*:
*These characters only participated in one poll their numbers and ranks would likely have been different had they been included in the main poll.
16. Melora (102)
32. Laerryn Coramar-Seelie (45)
33. Zerxus Ilerez (28)
40. Corellon (19)
48. Erathis (8)
54. Poska (7)
58. Evandrin Alterra (4)
61. Dren (1)
62. Elam Genar (1)
63. Umejii (1)
64. Jhessho (1)
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tiodolma · 1 year
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On The War Against Camelot
before I start... i don't really care if the merlin characters are evil or good. I only care about their actions and how it affected their world. I am fascinated with the politics of BBC MERLIN. hence why i made this.
If this sounds like evil apologia to you. then stop reading. I like studying about wars whether in fiction or in reality. As it is any type of war whether domestic or international are interesting. There are always casualties on all sides. There is always justification on all sides. Everyone is doing "good" in their own brains because self-righteousness is a basic ingredient for the drive for war.
So buckle up and let's discover on why people love to attack camelot so much and how it could have been minimized.
TLDR. MERLIN WAS GIVEN BAD ADVICE FROM THE START AND EVERYBODY SUFFERS BECAUSE OF IT
DONT LIKE, DONT READ.
I. Why declare war on camelot?
Challenge the legitimate heir to the throne. -Morgana had weak claim (since she was a bastard) but because she had political backing in Agravaine as well as some nobles/ strong militaristicinvader forces, she was a legitimate threat
Destroy its status as the shining icon and symbol of bigotry against magic - for the oppressed magic side it served as justice to topple down the very institution that started all the genocide.
Strategic, Economic location - I'm guessing it was a hub of trade/learning/politics. You control trade, you control the economy.
Territory Acquisition and Expansion - come on Arthuriana is set in the middle ages. It's what Kings and their pretenders do.
Strong Walls/Foundations - a well fortified city is always always always an economic and militaristic bonus
Prove a Point / Force citizens to accept that magic should exist / There has still been no big changes to Camelot's judiciary system against magic after all / Oppresion still continued despite the years of "peace"-
II. Methods to weaken camelot
MAINLY IT IS INSURGENCY
insurgency, term historically restricted to rebellious acts that did not reach the proportions of an organized revolution. It has subsequently been applied to any such armed uprising, typically guerrilla in character, against the recognized government of a state or country.
Modern insurgency tries to create conditions that will destroy the existing government and make an alternative revolutionary government acceptable to the population. While armed violence always plays a major role in such operations, usually initiated by a small activist minority, acts of terrorism are only the most obvious means used by the rebels.
Rumours to discredit the government and its supporters, exacerbation of existing social conflicts and creation of new ones between racial, ethnic, religious, and other groups, political intrigue and manipulation to induce clashes between class or regional interests, economic disruption and dislocation, and any other means likely to destroy the existing social order and to deprive the government of its power base, all play a role in fomenting insurgency.
-Encyclopedia Brittanica
How was this portrayed in the show?
Destabilization (comes in many forms)
Court Intrigue: infilitrating the nobles rank/ aim to be treated as the sovereign's favorite (agravaine, evil!gwen)
Court Intrigue: Marriage alliances (troll episode, anything involving the Sidhe)
espionage (sefa, daegal)
targetting the royal family's life (assasination, kidnapping, torture, brainwashing)
Targetting the economy, food supply (method used by the Unicorn guy, Nimue)
Targetting the scientific and medical practices important to the kingdom (tactic used by Edwin Muirden, Alice)
2. Military Takeover / Coup d 'etat / Usurpation of throne- swift, effective, Uther has done it before himself. As long as one has enough military and political backing, it's doable (ex. Fires of Idirsholas/Knights of Medhir)
3. Siege - still another kind of takeover. The besieged is at the mercy of the attacker. Besieged party can fight or just sue for peace as soon as possible OR just surrender and hope no war crimes happen.
4. Terrorism - bring devastation to as many victims as possible in order to make the target kingdom sue for peace/submit. Weaken the state and its armed forces so that a revolutionary government can take advantage at some point. (Kilgharrah's attack / Dorocha.)
5. Find weakness of the King -> used by Morgana after she took over a faroff kingdom and enslaved people to find the knowledge that could destroy the king of camelot. Morgana could have used Arthur's Bane as 1) Bargaining chip 2) Propaganda Material 3) Expedite process by making the Bane more accessible.
III. Does Morgana (and the rest of the radicals) have the justification to do what she(they) did?
Yes because that is what war is like. With enough support and political backing, anything can be justified in war and insurgency. (especially if the systems of oppression that the insurgents keep fighting against persists).
If Merlin was justified in declaring a silent deadly vigilante war against anyone who committed treason (under the guise of protecting his friends who were the heads-of-state/ruling class), then so does Morgana for the reasons above in S1.
IV. What should have been done to minimize damage?
Start Negotiations on Diplomatic table ofc.
S1-S5 Merlin should have just trapped those magic beings or something instead of killing them outright. He lost every chance of obtaining powerful allies within the magic world coz he was too hell-bent on murder on the counts of self-defense in his mission to always secretly protect the crown without compensation.
Merlin x Morgana negotiations
s2 while it was true that Morgana hid the knowledge of her involvement with Morgause from Merlin or Arthur, Merlin still denied vital info that could have given both of them more choices, which was the solution to the kingdom's predicament. MerGana could have both worked together because lbr, Morgana did not really understood what the spell was/ what Morgause actually did to her. By keeping vital information to themselves, there was no negotiation, no chance to achieve a peaceful solution. Plus Kilgharrah lied to Merlin about the technicalities of the spell. Eternal Sleep does not automatically equal Death. In his panic, Merlin did not realize that and made awful awful decisions -> Failure of Negotiations, both are at fault
3 x02, I argue that, despite her alliance with Morgause, Morgana had been trying desperately to see "the other way" because of Merlin's declarations to her in the crypts. However because Merlin did not offer any truths, any knowledge of the prophecy, any solution, then those initial peace talks failed. -> Failure of Negotiations, Merlin backed out Morgana tried again in s4, searching high and low for EMRYS, aiming to seek an audience, to talk, but because Merlin still refused to reveal anything, there was no chance of peace talk. (plus merlin used the emrys persona to terrify her) -> Failure of Negotiations, Merlin did not push for the advantage of Morgana's paranoia against him to initiate some sort of compromise/diplomatic talk
people argue "u CaNt TaLk To SoMeOnE wHo UsEs ToRtuRe! hEnCe nO hOpE fOr MoRGaNa!" I bet. Guess who else used torture to negotiate/obtain information? MERLIN did it against The Dochraid. King Alined chains his sorcerer and abuses him everyday and was still diplomatic enough on the negotiating table. Sarrum was also good at the diplomatic table and he tortures people too. ALATOR tortures people for a living and yet he also become buddies with MERLIN. Mordred was a goddamn slaver and he also become buddies with Merlin!
SOMEONE FROM CAMELOT SHOULD HAVE NEGOTIATED WITH MORGANA IN S4. IT WOULD HAVE WORKED. JUST GET INTO POLITICKING AND RIDE THE SYSTEM LIKE MORGANA AND THE REST OF NOBILITY. CAMELOT HAD A BARGAINING CHIP AGAINST MORGANA ALREADY. CAMELOT HAD EMRYS AS A DETERRENT AND POWER BROKER. BUT ALAS, HE DID NOT SEE THAT OPPORTUNITY... alas.
s5 Morgana tried to seek Emrys again thru Mordred. She was still denied and blatantly lied to. -> Failure of Negotiations, Mordred and the rest of the Catha were in it too.
Push for actual changes in the system.
Not possible. Arthur is obstinate. He wouldn't listen to anyone especially at first when he is not yet proven wrong. Circumstances always have to prove Arthur's initial bias wrong before he gives in. Bad news for Merlin, because as someone who still was kept as a lowly (although slighlty favored) servant, his word doesn't really matter in court and in public WHERE IT WAS NEEDED, just in private whispers.
Initiate Propaganda machine that supports Arthur's role as "Once and Future King who Unites Albion including the magic and non magic folk together with Emrys as his guide."
This is what has been missing in the show. Merlin and the prophetic magic sect needed the message of Arthur's claim and destiny to be more widely known. As it was at best only ten people were truly knowledgable of it among the thousands of people who supposedly reside in Albion. Their cause lacked popular support especially among the non-prophetic sectors of the magic-folk. THAT is a problem. Keep in mind that not all druids support their cause (see Kara). Even if Arthur becomes High King, there would always be resistance because there was never a lubricant/oil in magic-folks hearts that would endear Arthur to the people if he was suddenly put on the throne as ruler of everybody. (basically this is what happened with the Disir)
Governmental/system change can never be a one-man-show. All social classes and folks have to be involved. Merlin was given bad advice and made to believe that only he alone could do it. That was a recipe for disaster. It enabled him to learn how to distrust and execute everyone who was against him or look like a threat. It made him incapable of initiating proper dialogue against the powerful magic users or any nobility who could've aided him.
They say "the pen is mightier than the sword” after all. But did that show up in the story? Nope.
WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF MERLIN AND PROPHETIC MAGIC COMPANY'S SECRETIVE AND PASSIVE STANCE?
I'm sure that some magic folk would have heard of Emrys but! Where was Emrys when they needed him? Why is he only helping the king? It's been 20 years and he had not shown his face? Is he a coward? Does he not care for us?
-> this would be the questions of those who were suffering the oppression and also heard about the prophecy. Heck Morgana has been asking about this herself when she learned about him being her doom.
Oppressed folk, magic and non magic, natural enemies of camelot would be so embittered and disillusioned and instead flocked to Morgana's banner.
“Better fight now rather than later because if not now, then when are we going to fight?"
As far as they were concerned only Morgana had - the claim - the machinery - the network - the connections - the experience - the decisiveness - the invincibility and power (impt for a future stable reign, u need leaders to live long) ...that could go against the Mighty Camelot. As far as Morgana was concerned, she was the only champion, she was the only one fighting for the rights of magic. She had no clear nor strong vocal opposition within the magicfolk. That gave her the leeway to do whatever she wanted, no matter how selfish, or self-serving or brutal or cruel. As far as everyone was concerned she was the one WHO GOT THINGS DONE. Things actually moved forward when she was in the lead yknow....whether for better of for worse, it moved forward. There was an attainable goal, a time limit and foreseeable future. To many desperate and oppressed magicfolk, that glimmer of tangible hope was more comforting than Merlin's "SOMEDAY.”
In the desperate fight for survival, oppressed/marginalized/embittered people would normally support that kind of leader especially when everything else had been taken from them: their right to live, livelihood, right to be free.
Did it allow Morgana to abuse them? ofc it did. That is what organized crime/insurgency due to systemic oppression looks like. (think yakuza/mafia... s5 morgana's organization was already close to that)
As it was, Magic folk had a difficult choice 1) either live in fear of discovery and persecution under Uther/Arthur's Camelot or 2) live and serve using their abilities and true magic self in whatever way Morgana wanted as she tries to take power.
We know what happened: most non-druidic/non-prophetic magic folk choose Morgana because at least they had a chance for a better life once Morgana stabilized her reign. I'm sure Morgana has promised them rewards if they helped her (especially in s4). Like come on.. she pays her spies nicely ffs. People need money bruh. They need to eat. Morgana compensated them for services even in s5.
Hence it was really Important that Merlin revealed himself earlier as a champion for the prophetic magic sect. HE WAS "THE OTHER WAY," BUT HE DIDNT, HE NEVER STEPPED UP TO THAT ROLE. His silence and decisions left the rest of the oppressed magic world, who barely had any idea that he existed, with no choice but to seek Morgana's protection (see Mordred and Aithusa)
WHY THEY KEPT THE PROPHECY A SECRET.
I have some theories
They were too idealistic in believing that the king could be influenced just by one guy alone (Merlin.) Which is very bad advice as i have said above.
Uther and Arthur's attitude against magical prophecy basically involving them 1) laughing it off as superstition and 2) denying them as legitimate causes for concern. If Arthur publicly said "WHO ME? ACCEPT MAGIC??? PFFFT ARE YOU DERANGED" imagine how that would affect those (not as priviliged as merlin) who believed in Arthur at first lol. Merlin and Gaius wanted to save their own asses and cling to the grip on power they had as close confidants of the Pendragons. In doing so they secured themselves as the prophesied judge and arbiter of all magic folk even when Merlin never tried to initiate dialogue with most of the different magic sects. Kilgharrah, Merlin, Gaius, Finna, Alator, Druids, were just awful at actual state building/kingmaking. They don't have a strategy, a battle plan, ANY PLAN other than "guess we'll just wait things out I'm sure everything will be better with time. We have hope. So we will do as we always do and suffer in silence as we slowly nudge him to our beliefs (while our rivals are constantly tearing our house apart)... but we can gift Arthur an extra nice sword as a treat."
anyhow that's the war on camelot
thanks for reading
merlin got bad advice and underperformed severely.
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encyclopediacr · 2 months
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Last month at the wiki — January 2024
Every month, we highlight significant work done in the previous month by our editing community at Encyclopedia Exandria.
To start, here's a selection of ten articles created in January. You can find more of our newest articles at the 50 newest pages report.
Unabridged, group of immortals in Hale
Toren Gevni, Unabridged in Newfaire
Iomene, empress of Oldfaire
Cullet, lung disease in Newfaire
Reva the Revenant, player character of Jasmine Bhullar for the DOOM Eternal One-Shot
Ishto, paladin of the Lawbearer from Aeshanadoor
Schlond's Embrace, alcoholic drink
Critical Role: Sick Day, special live stream
For the Queen, card-based game
Anatithenai, location in Hale
This month was quieter on new article creation. The Critical Role channel had a quieter month on that front as well, so it is not unexpected. But, work on the wiki is not limited to new articles!
On the less visible end of things, a significant number of articles for people and characters were updated with short descriptions. These are the descriptions that appear in the suggested articles in the search bar and aim to help identify articles so that you may better arrive where you wish to go.
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Matching the new article for Reva, the article for Mancubus the Mancubus was similarly overhauled and is no longer mostly empty sections. Work on coverage for the DOOM Eternal One-Shot continues, so look out for more updates on that in the February round-up next month!
Our Midst glossary was restructured and greatly expanded. Just in time for its third and final season. Between the season two roundtable tonight and the season premiere next week, it's a good time to remind everyone that we cover Midst and its part of our regular stable of updates.
As always, if you wish to contribute to the wiki or to help out, feel free! It doesn't fit well into these monthly roundups, but the past couple of months, we've had some contributions from new editors that we're immensely grateful for. We welcome typo and grammar fixes, updating outdated material, article expansions, and edits of any byte size.
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cosmica-galaxy · 9 months
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I was thinking back on that one post where I talked extendedly about a young player finding themselves in Nevada. And although they wouldn't want to bring attention to themselves and this concept would probably fit another character better I still thought it was neat.
So you know how there's hotkeys in games to help the player make instant commands, and the player in this scenario can't make a command without saying a certain phrase out loud where everyone can hear. What if, knowing that, they made their own hotkey that's an overseer of their surroundings, reacting accordingly to any danger that might rear its ugly head when the player isn't aware or paying attention. Creating a brand new key stone, albeit much smaller than the halo. Like this picture that I was inspired by https://www.tumblr.com/fluffymintz/720867072506314752/sixpenceee-16th-century-ring-that-unfolds-into. Each ring corresponds to a command ready to go if there is a potential threat, like “god_mode”, “stop_time” or “teleport”. Anything that could help the player and simultaneously not be a detriment to the grunts surrounding them. Because if the ring were to respond to the players growing anxiety instead of the people around them and one of the commands was “kill_all” then that would only cause more problems, and anxiety.
Though if the player were to make it into a halo then I can imagine the multiple rings shifting and moving when it's in use, like an end crystal.
The way the player knows that one of the commands has been activated is through changes only they can feel or see. For god mode i headcanons that when it's activated not only do they lose the ability to feel pain and become invincible but they lose the sense of touch, smell and taste. While freezing time is more visually apparent when it's on, their vision turns slightly darker and grainy but not by much, another indicator that time has stopped is, well, the non moving people, cars etc. And teleporting is very obvious, it activates when the player falls from a great height.
Another piece of equipment that I thought would be interesting for the player to have is something akin to an encyclopedia. Except instead of it already having every known knowledge written down the player has to actively seek out the object of interest and scan it, like that one device in thaumcraft, the thaumometer. Id imagen that it can be folded into a smaller more portable form, perhaps it could be disguised as an armband. Much like the thaumometer it has gems (or whatever you want them to be) decorating its edges, they serve a purpose. If the player were to just point the thing at something or someone without one of the colorful rocks pointing upwards they would get basic information about the object. For example, height, age or if it was an item, date of its creation and how much durability is left. But if one of the things were pointing upwards then they would get more specific information about one topic. Haven't really thought about all of them but here's a few.
Red: Reveals how many this person has killed or injured, how many times they have potentially died or still carry injuries that haven't healed. With objects it's more about how dangerous they are, how strong you need to be to carry them etc.
Green: Shows a person's family tree and relations with others. Though objects aren't made the same way grunts are, they still were made or were shaped overtime, so instead of a family tree there's a timeline from its creation to now.
Blue: Reveals the person's self and what they believe in, their personality, goals, what they fight for or don't, their core elements. While for objects this shows why they were made, with what intent and purpose.
Yellow: I'm still debating about this one but I think it would be neat if it showed how a thing could hurt the player or affect them positively, or what this person's intentions are with the player.
There are two left which I can't for the life of me figure out the use of, so if you have any ideas then go right ahead, if not then thanks for reading this anyhow.
I actually really LOVE this idea! I get Magiturge vibes from this pile of informatione` and I am HERE for it! Let the Player be a mage or magical! As for them having a bestiary, I think it would be awesome and amazing! I like to visualize that the book is primarily made of blank pages, but it has sections that need to be filled in. Once the entity is encountered, the pages of the book slowly begin to fill up. There would be sections of the book dedicated to information about the entities and what catagory they fit under. Like grunt, undead, mutant, MAG, employers, or "unknown entities". The more they fight them, the better and more detailed the book entries becomes. I'm also imagining them having magical-like items that inspire their powers and behaves like multiple conduits for their code-manipulating abilities. You can also broaden this idea with summons and magical trinkets that are associated with the Player's world. Like the zodiacs or star maps of our reality. Imagine that. Player that's a fucking beast of a mage. Amazing!
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The Pentas Family Encyclopedia
So, if you’ve been reading my more recent fics, then you’ve probably noticed how I can’t seem to shut up about [The Future Mob Project]. Although this project is going to take a very, very, VERY long time to actually complete, that’s not going to stop me from fleshing out its characters, environment, and lore piece-by-piece. I’ve already written a few stories for this, and plenty more stories are on the way. 
(Except for Murdock—and, to an extent, Two-Toes Johnny—every character/ego on this list is MY creation. If any art or other stories happen to be inspired by them, PLEASE make sure to tag/credit me as the creator. I haven’t been this motivated to write in a long time, and I put a lot of time, thought, and effort into my work. If you have questions about the characters or lore, feel free to send me an ask or a DM. I love talking about creative stuff!)
This mob has a lot of growing/developing to do, and I will ABSOLUTELY be making updates/reblogs to this post as new characters are introduced and new ideas are implemented. Please keep in mind that updates may be sporadic, because adult life is complicated and exhausting and I’m ScaredTM.
(Also: @sammys-magical-au​, I can’t thank you enough for all the help/advice you’ve given me with certain plot-points so far. You’re an amazing friend, and I’m so excited to brainstorm about upcoming characters/stories with you.)
Now, without further adieu, let’s get on with the infodumping. . .
__________
🆃🅷🅴 🅿🅴🅽🆃🅰🆂 🅵🅰🅼🅸🅻🆈
This mob consists of several contract-killers, spies/informants, and Black Market merchants. The Boss will often assign the mob’s members to dispatch specific targets, but the aforementioned members are still able to take on hit-jobs if they’re approached by outside clients. 
🅲🅷🅰🆁🅰🅲🆃🅴🆁🅸🆂🆃🅸🅲🆂
They’ve long-since claimed the Cove Port Inlets (a quaint seaside city) as their territory. The Inlets used to have an expansive subway system, but those underground tunnels were abandoned due to a bad flood; thus, the above-ground stations were repurposed into varying shops/houses. However, each of those former stations are still connected to the subway tunnels via concrete staircases (which are now carefully hidden). The former stations have all been purchased by The Pentas Family—now, the mob’s representatives either live in or work out of them. As a bonus, the abandoned security offices/subway platforms are used as underground dens/hidey-holes, and the tunnels offer discreet movement beneath the city. 
There’s no enforced dress-code, but it’s still advised that Pentas representatives wear red. The red garments in question can be any type of clothing so long as it’s visible, and they can vary from shade to shade. 
In the event that the mob gains an ally (not a new member), that ally will be provided with an enamel pin designed to look like a poison dart frog. This dart frog pin will act as an identification device for Pentas members who somehow may be unaware of the new alliance; that way, the ally won’t be mistaken for an intruder. (The dart frog pin can also be used as a warning sign for unallied outsiders—basically, This person is under Pentas protection; screw around with them and YOU WILL REGRET IT.) 
__________
🅻🅴🅰🅳🅴🆁
The Boss [NAME TBA]
Who She’s Bases Off Of: Pamela Horton (PamelaHorton13)
Red Attire: Collarbone tattoo of Egyptian star flowers, aka Pentas lanceolata
Notes:
[INFORMATION TBA]
Current Stories: [TBA]
__________
🅼🅴🅼🅱🅴🆁🆂
Murdock Mallory
Who He’s Based Off Of: Mark Fischbach (Markiplier)
His Method of Work: Honestly, he’s a jack-of-all-trades. Oh sure, he has an unhealthy amount of knowledge on different types of blades, but that’s just the beginning. Pretty much anything can be a weapon, depending on how creative (read: insane) you are. He also knows his way around firearms, but for...personal reasons, he only uses them when there are no other options available.
Red Attire: Turtleneck sweater (Currant)
Notes:
He has a rare case of eye-misalignment. Specifically speaking, his right eye is turned to the right (as though he’s looking at something sideways). His left eye can move around in its socket as intended, but his right eye never follows along with that movement. According to him, the misalignment was caused by a traumatic accident he experienced before he’d joined The Pentas Family (apparently, it’s a miracle he wasn’t rendered half-blind). When he’s working on underground business, he wears his sunglasses. But when he’s keeping up appearances in normal society, he wears a white medical eyepatch.
Both his black-tinted sunglasses and brass necklace are trophies from his earliest kills. (Yes, I will try to go more in-depth with this idea in the future.)
He was the first official member of The Pentas Family, and has since earned a reputation for being The Boss’ right-hand-man. (Notice: I don’t have the backstory/relationship between the two of them completely nailed down yet. But what I do know for sure is that THEY ARE NOT ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WHATSOEVER. NOBODY IN THIS MOB IS.)
He's a legit bird-whisperer. I’ve seen plenty other people post about him chilling with crows or ravens, and that’s already perfect, but I think adding more birds in general to the mix would make it even better. Chickens, ducks, sparrows, cockatiels, parakeets, pigeons, etc. Even GEESE tend to be calm around him (which could count as a sign of something being wrong with him). It’s not uncommon for him to spend his off-time at the park feeding the birds he claims to have technically adopted.
He lives out of a houseboat docked near the quiet part of the beach. He’s not above driving it long distances across the water when he needs to travel for his work.
If his scene in ISWM Part 2 was anything to go by, he enjoys making morbid jokes/puns. Ironically, he tends to get dissapointed or annoyed whenever other people make morbid jokes/puns. He and Caliban have gotten into arguments (with varying degrees of violence) over puns on at least three separate occasions.
He’s currently acting as a mentor to The Newcomer. It’s his responsibility to teach them and introduce them to the other Pentas members.
Current Stories: (Goretober 2022) Day 2: Cannibalism, Running on Empty, God, Being an Accessory to Murder is Exhausting, Update the Letter Board!, (Goretober 2023) Day 3: Broken Bones, (Goretober 2023) Day 4: Amputation, (Goretober 2023) Day 7: Needles, Bloody Tricks and Even Bloodier Treats
The Newcomer
Who They’re Based Off Of: The Reader (Y/N)
Their Method of Work: They haven’t developed a personal signature quite yet. As of right now, they’re content with just assisting Murdock and the rest of The Pentas Family. They’ve got a surprising/disturbing amount of competence, but they’re still a rookie; therefore, they still have some things to learn.
Red Attire: Leather gloves (Scarlet)
Notes:
[INFORMATION TBA]
Current Stories: (Goretober 2022) Day 2: Cannibalism, Toxic Tutorials
Caliban Crawford
Who He’s Based Off Of: Matthew Patrick/MatPat (Game/Film/Food/Style Theory)
His Method of Work: He acts as one of The Pentas Family’s many body-disposal resources (if they disposed of bodies in just one way, they’d risk gathering concentrated amounts of evidence). His particular technique for disposal is good ol’ fashioned cannibalism.
Red Attire: Leather jacket (Crimson)
Notes:
Aside from the body-disposal stuff, he’ll often help other Pentas members navigate the Black Market. He’s also invaluable when it comes to organizing certain trading events. He’s a cannibal, sure, but he also knows just how much of a pretty penny human organs can make. (Besides, not all body parts are safe for consumption; brains, eyeballs, intestines, and bones for example.)
Cannibal puns 24/7. The subtlety—or lack thereof—with which he delivers these puns can vary, depending on the situation he’s in. (“I’ve been told I have a great taste in people.” “If anyone’s a humanitarian, it’s me!” “I am what I eat, after all. . .” etc.) 
He has a pet leucistic hare named Snare (somewhat inspired by Matt’s childhood pet bunny, Sunny). As hares are proven omnivores/scavengers, it just makes sense for Caliban to spoil Snare by feeding him human fingers as treats (highly inspired by Monty Python’s Killer Rabbit).
He has an ENORMOUS collection of butcher knives and medical blades, because of course he does. His favorite of them all is a damascus steel cleaver, which he frequently carries in his jacket pocket as his primary weapon.
There’s a silver tooth cap in the place of his upper left canine. He lost said canine when one of his victims surprised him by grabbing his tenderizing hammer and hitting him in the mouth with it as they tried to escape (this also left a small, jagged scar on the left side of his upper lip). Obviously, Caliban recovered from this. But the person who knocked his tooth out? Not so much. . .
His house is located in the downtown area, and is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. He’s basically turned the old security office into a basement-kitchen setup.
(If you’d like to see some awesome artwork of this character, please go here and show the artist some appreciation!)
Current Stories: (Goretober 2022) Day 2: Cannibalism, Running on Empty, God, Being an Accessory to Murder is Exhausting,  What’s That Saying About Cinnamon Rolls. . ?, (Goretober 2023) Day 3: Broken Bones, (Goretober 2023) Day 4: Amputation, (Goretober 2023) Day 7: Needles, Bloody Tricks and Even Bloodier Treats
Azalea Crawford
Who She’s Based Off Of: Rosanna Pansino (Nerdy Nummies)
Her Method of Work: She knows pretty much everything there is to know about poison. Toxic plants, venomous animals, man-made chemicals, you name it. The collection she keeps for hit-jobs and the like goes way, way beyond your typical arsenic. She even has a greenhouse full of deadly plants (including her namesake, obviously) in her backyard. When she’s on the clock, she’ll usually take care of targets by slipping poisons into a nice little baked goodie. Azalea’s not squeamish about needles, but this is easier and more discreet.
Red Attire: Headband (Cherry)
Notes:
This lovely lady is Caliban’s sister, and shares a strong sibling bond with him. (In fact, she actually taught Caliban a lot of what he knows about cooking. Sure, it took a bit of trial-and-error for some recipes to work with human flesh, but it just be like that sometimes.)
She has a pet scarlet kingsnake named Cuddles. Scarlet kingsnakes are harmless, but they specifically evolved to mimic the coloration of coral snakes, which are infamously venomous. Azalea understands the irony of this perfectly. She also understands how easy it is for people to mix up the color patterns, so, of course, she’ll occasionally handle Cuddles purely for confusion/intimidation.
She’s the owner/head chef of Aftertaste, a popular restaurant/bar, in order to help keep up appearances for The Pentas Family. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. 
If any Pentas members decide to use poison for a hit-job, then they need to go to Azalea for help. She’s one of very, very few people who can be trusted to use such dangerous substances properly. (But sometimes, even mobsters aren’t immune to hubris. So, Azalea keeps a stockpile of antidotes/painkillers in order to fix certain mistakes.)
She’s the reason Caliban was able to adopt Snare. She found the hare in the basement of one of her past targets (who was the leader of an exotic animal trafficking ring); he reminded her of her brother, so she ended up giving him to Caliban as a present.
(If you’d like to see some awesome artwork of this character, please go here and show the artist some appreciation!)
Current Stories: What’s That Saying About Cinnamon Rolls. . ?, Update the Letter Board!,  Toxic Tutorials, (Goretober 2023) Day 3: Broken Bones, (Goretober 2023) Day 7: Needles, Bloody Tricks and Even Bloodier Treats
K.O. [Kaiser Oasis]
Who He’s Based Off Of: Ethan Nestor (CrankGamePlays)
His Method of Work: Whether he’s in the arena, defending himself and his peers, or extracting information from enemies, K.O. packs a major wallop. Not only that, but his stamina is roughly on-par with that of a mongoose fueled by a few too many Pixie Sticks. . . He was discovered by The Pentas Family shortly after The Boss decided to branch out into the underground fighting business.
Red Attire: Fluctuates between jeans for when he’s out of the arena, and boxing shorts for when he’s in the arena (Amaranth)
Notes:
Despite being a mobster, he’s a surprisingly courteous fighter. Yeah, he pummels his opponents, but that’s literally what career-fighting is all about. Now, on the other hand: if you’ve personally wronged him or someone he cares about, or if he catches wind that you’re going to try and cheat your way through a match with him. . .well, I wouldn’t count on him having too much self-restraint. 
Ironically, K.O. also serves as a medic for The Pentas Family. It took some time and practice, of course, but he’s gotten pretty damn good at patching up stab/bullet wounds and resetting broken bones. (It’s not uncommon to get bumps and bruises in the underground business, and going to a normal hospital is typically a big no-no, since the staff there would likely ask too many questions about certain injuries.) 
While he only wraps his hands for his fighting matches, he’s still not above occasionally using brass knuckles—which he has affectionately named Francis and J.P.—for interrogation or message-sending assignments. 
Though he’ll sometimes travel for certain assignments, K.O. usually represents The Pentas Family at a place called The WormRoll: roller skating rink by day, hidden-in-plain-sight fighting arena by night. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and K.O. has made his personal platform-office-den into a training room.
Before and after his matches, he wears a black robe with a picture of a peacock mantis shrimp embroidered on the back. (When K.O. first joined The Pentas Family, Murdock commissioned a sewing artist to make said robe as a welcoming gift for him. Yes, Francis and J.P. were included in that gift.)
He’s multilingual; he can speak English, French, Portuguese, and Italian on a conversational level. This obviously means a lot of foreign swearing when he’s frustrated/angry. He has no trace of an accent from any of those languages, and none of his peers know why or how he picked them up in the first place. K.O., being the gremlin he is, doesn’t plan to explain anytime soon. (Plus, he can’t not be a little smug about being the only Italian-speaking member of a mob. Just like how he can't not use that to tease Murdock.)
Y’know creepy-crawly lollipops? Yes, the ones that have a cricket or some other insect frozen inside. Those are K.O.’s favorite candy. Unless he’s in the ring, he’s almost always got one in his pocket. (On a slightly more humorous note: sometimes he’ll make a small show of pretending that the lollipop sticks are cigarettes.)
Current Stories: (Goretober 2023) Day 3: Broken Bones, (Goretober 2023) Day 7: Needles, Bloody Tricks and Even Bloodier Treats
Garret Wyre
Who He’s Based Off Of: Mick Lauer 
His Method of Work: If there’s two things to be said about Garret, it’s that he has a pair of big, strong hands, and he knows how to use them. You could argue that “Everyone knows how to use their hands, idiot.” To which I say. . .first of all, chill out. Words can hurt. Second of all, not everyone can make a career out of strangling people. But Garret most certainly has. That being said, he knows when to use other tools  (ropes, scarves, cords, stuff like that) to get the job done. He knows he can’t realistically rely on his hands for each and every one of his assignments. In any case, the day his grip isn’t firm is the day he’s not Garret.
Red Attire: Scarf (Maroon)
Notes:
Garret brings a complex vibe to The Pentas Family. His disposition is stern, but he knows to be patient with the other members. Despite this, he’s always a bit. . .fidgety. Restless. He has a hard time sitting still, and an even harder time not giving people the side-eye or glancing over his shoulder. In fact, the only times he seems genuinely calm and self-assured is when he’s choking the life out of his targets. Sure, still acts aggressively toward said targets, but there’s no denying just how soft and quiet his voice becomes when he taunts them.
However, Garret does have his hobbies outside of mob work. Such as knitting and sewing. It just seems to ease his nerves a bit. He even made the very scarf he wears whenever he’s working on Pentas business. (Of course, aforementioned scarf had to be made with much stronger material than you’d think, since he’s used it to strangle his targets on more than one occasion.) Hell, this even bleeds into the fact that Garret is on the more superstitious side of the spectrum. Half of his sewing/knitting projects involve making voodoo dolls of those who screw around with The Pentas Family. He treats said dolls a lot like stress toys, often patching them up after bashing their stuffing out only to do it all over again sooner or later.
Now, Garret doesn’t necessarily believe in the concept of good or bad karma. He’s not delusional enough to deny the fact that he’s a bad person, but he’s also aware of how bad things happen to perfectly good people all the time. That’s literally just life. But he absolutely believes in luck. Very ironic, considering he was born on a Tuesday The 13th (look it up; apparently those are supposed to be even worse than Friday The 13ths). He may not buy into all the chakra-crystal-incense stuff, but he does still keep a glass Evil Eye charm in one pocket, as well a miniature horseshoe in the other. He never goes directly home right after taking care of a target. He avoids the number four like the plague. He makes sure his right foot is leading whenever he enters a room. Et cetera, et cetera. 
One of the few superstitions he doesn’t believe in is black cats being harbingers of doom. In fact, he adores black cats. Particularly Juju, a stray black kitten he adopted after a very last-minute, impromptu hit-job.
He’s the manager of Itchy Palms, a popular casino on the edge of The Cove Port Inlet’s uptown area. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. (Considering the sketchy reputation casinos already have, Garret made damn well sure that the entrance to his subway-office-den is thoroughly hidden and difficult for anyone else to access.) And it’s safe to say that Garret knows. His. Business. He knows how to play each and every game. . .as well as several ways to cheat at each and every game without giving said cheating away. His outlook on fairness is. . .unconventional. (I’ll go more in-depth with this later.)
Current Stories: [TBA]
Parker Thenope
Who He’s Based Off Of: Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle/Give Heart Records)
His Method of Work: There are several ways to be adept in water. Such as holding a person under it until they stop moving, or drenching a person over and over again until they give up the information you need. Which is exactly how Parker earns his keep. His assignments often involve haunting the local beach—or, more precisely, the cluster of shallow sea-caves along the beach’s edges. But in a pinch, he’s willing to use pools/hot tubs/etc. to his advantage (it just means he’ll have to be clever with how he goes about the job). 
Red Attire: Face-mask (Carmine) 
Notes:
Parker is the personification of “it’s always the quiet ones who snap the loudest.” Sure, he’s cooperative and understanding toward his peers in The Pentas Family, but underneath his chill, humorous, nonchalant veil lurks a bit of a ticking time-tomb. As a child, it was constantly drilled into him to camouflage his real emotions, to always appear calm and collected on the outside. He’s learned how to manage his anger whenever it flares up, but if you’ve done something to majorly piss him off, then really, your only chance is to hide and hope he doesn’t find you. 
Fittingly enough, his hobbies include swimming. He learned at a very young age, so, it’s safe to say that he’s excellent at following the flow of water, holding his breath for generous periods of time, etc. And who can blame him? It’s a lot of fun, it’s great exercise, and it allows him to have the upper hand whenever he happens to also be in the water while taking care of a target.
When it comes to anything music-related, he’s incredibly skilled. Not only does he have a lovely singing voice, but he’s an expert on playing guitar, drums, and even the piano on occasion. Music is a very effective form of stress-relief, and he’s been using it as such long before he entered the underground business. 
He’s very familiar with Ear Caffeine, a music studio in the Cove Port Inlets. He works there as a songwriter/lyricist, as well as a session musician, though he’s now basically in charge of the place ever since its former owners disappeared into thin air. (The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and Parker was instrumental—pun vERY MUCH INTENDED—to The Pentas Family claiming it as part of their territory. I’ll elaborate on how this worked sometime in the future.)  
On top of that, Parker also owns Chord Craft, a combination of record store and instrument-repair shop on the side. He was the head-honcho over there before he was welcomed into the mob, and while he’s since hired more people to run it, he still cares for it. 
Even before he joined The Pentas Family, he made a point to wear a face mask every day (he sees the red one he wears now as an upgrade). He only ever takes it off when he’s swimming or sleeping. He doesn’t have any scars to cover up; he just finds comfort in personal anonymity. 
He’s learned to consider all the different ways decomposition can work in water (or watery areas in general). Just because his signature is to drown targets doesn’t mean he can always afford to just leave their bodies in the water. It’s not uncommon for him to seek out Murdock, arranging to take a ride on the hitman’s houseboat in order to dump certain bodies far out from the Inlets’ boundaries. 
Current Stories: [TBA]
Val Ocitie 
Who They’re Based Off Of: Lio Tipton
Their Method of Work: Tommy guns may be rare nowadays, but that isn’t a problem for Val. Their hidden arsenal is already impressive enough; you could say they have many, many neutral specials. Sure, they can see the appeal of blades and other deadly stuff, but guns are fast, efficient, and most importantly of all, devastating. (Especially if a silencer is involved. Ooh, does that help thicken the plot.) Don’t screw around with them or their family unless you want to cosplay as swiss cheese. 
Red Attire: Chainmail bracelet (Vermillion) 
Notes:
Val has long-since learned to thrive in chaos, to the point of outright craving it (so long as said chaos benefits them). Sometimes they see underground business as a game, though they do have control over their impulses. While their attitude is usually excitable around those they trust, their energy can turn aggressive in a heartbeat. They’re the type to get up in an enemy’s face, wearing a false, icy grin all the while.
Along with the hit-jobs they're assigned, Val is responsible for supplying The Pentas Family's firepower. Similar to how Caliban is an expert in organ-trafficking, Val knows the ins and outs of the illegal weapons trade. They've rearranged their personal gun collection several times now, selling and exchanging certain models to avoid leaving any patterns in their work.
Once upon a time, Val worked for a different mob; one that wasn’t exactly on good terms with The Pentas Family. Well, things ended up falling apart, and Val found themself at the mercy of Murdock and his peers. Of course, things were rocky at first. . .but somehow, Val eventually realized that they felt some kind of kinship with them. It took some time, but they were welcomed in, and is now following Pentas operations with strong loyalty.
They grew up somewhat rural, learning how to handle guns at a pretty young age. Though their family wasn’t poor, hunting game animals for food was still a big tradition that they helped to carry on. They don’t really do that kind of hunting anymore, but they still take monthly trips to shooting ranges in order to practice with clay pigeons. 
They’re the only Pentas member who doesn’t live in/work out of a building that’s connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. Instead, they live in a tidy cabin located in Reilpi Woods, a huge forest that’s about a fifteen-minute drive from the Cove Port Inlet’s city limits. Not that Val minds, though; the area gives them nostalgia. While they can appreciate all the conveniences of more urban environments, they’ve always enjoyed being surrounded by trees. Besides, it’s not like they don’t know where all the secret entrances to the underground dens are.
They’re a natural when it comes to evaluating another person’s character. It’s an important skill to have in this line of work, especially considering how the work is question is very much illegal. Despite their uncertain start in The Pentas Family, it hasn’t taken much time at all for Val to learn each of the other members inside and out. . .well, except for The Newcomer. (For now, at least.)
Current Stories: [TBA]
Two-Toes Johnny [Johnathan Shine]
Who He’s Based Off Of: Bob Muyskens (Muyskerm)
His Method of Work: Though he’s not really a hitman, he still knows his way around interrogation and message-sending. His weapon/tool of choice is a baseball bat that was apparently an heirloom he just so happened to inherit as a teenager. It might not look like much, but neither will those who anger The Pentas Family (or their clients) after Johnny uses it to beat them black and blue.
Red Attire: Belt (Tawny Port)
Notes:
Now, to address the elephant in the room: yes, he actually does only have two toes. The right big-toe and the left middle-toe, to be specific. All that’s left of the other eight are scars, and exactly how he lost them is a total mystery. Sure, he might vaguely rant about the incident(. . .s?) from time to time—usually after he’s had a few too many drinks—but it just seems impossible for anyone to figure out what the hell happened, as well as why the hell it happened. 
While he’s able to get tipsy or wasted, Two-Toes Johnny is nothing if not an experienced drinker. Working in the illegal alcohol trade will do that to you. When he’s not overseeing illicit spirits, he’s The Pentas Family’s primary bookkeeper, organizing all the money he and his peers rake in. He also has a keen set of eyes and ears, which he puts to good use each and every day. When you know what to look/listen for, it’s amazing how many details strangers can spill without meaning to.
He’s the owner/manager of Liquorty Splitz, a (what else?) popular liquor store in the Cove Port Inlets. It currently supplies alcohol to Aftertaste, Itchy Palms, and several other joints. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels. (He also has a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend type link to a place called The Robe. It doesn't fall under Pentas control—it’s basically an open secret in the criminal underground as a whole—but ever since Johnny entered the mob, he’s sort of paved the way for Murdock and the others to occasionally use their free-time to pay it a visit.)
He carries a very rough-around-the-edges demeanor. Sarcastic, moody, blunt, quick to make snappy remarks or roll his eyes. It’s one of many survival mechanisms he’s learned over the years. Despite this, he still knows how respect and basic decency work. Earn his trust, and you’ll have an invaluable friend for life. (In such cases, the term “aggressive motivation/positivity” is an understatement.)
He’s a bookworm. His collection of novels is almost constantly threatening to grow bigger than his collection of vintage alcohol. He appreciates a lot of modern stuff, but he’s always had a soft spot for the classics. In fact, he always keeps a few books in his desk at Liquorty Splitz to read on slower nights. 
He has two tattoos on his face: a silvery little star just below his right temple, and the branch of a cherry blossom tree stretching along his jawline and ending near his left eyebrow. It’s not uncommon for him to trace the linework of either of them with his fingertips while he’s thinking. He claims that there’s no symbolism behind either of them, that they were the results of a couple drunken nights that took place a long time ago. (There’s a decent chance that’s true. . .but then, why does his expression occasionally turn soft and unreadable when he looks at these tattoos in the mirror?)
Standing at 6’4, Johnny is the biggest/tallest member of The Pentas Family. And he obviously knows how to use this to his advantage. As in, if he and his peers are in a violent situation, he’ll barely hesitate to pick said peers up by the waist/collar/legs and just. . .swing them in the direction of the enemy. Since the peers in question often have weapons on-hand, this method is shockingly efficient. (It’s typically not appreciated, of course.)
Current Stories: [TBA]
Phoenix Rhong 
Who She’s Based Off Of: Safiya Nygaard 
Her Method of Work: Playing with fire can be hard (depending on your perspective, at least), but getting burned is quite easy. Not so for someone who’s had as much practice as Phoenix. Where there’s smoke, there’s her. Pretty much a pro-gamer when it comes to plotting and coordinating, she’s the one to look for when riskier jobs need to be taken. After all, find an empty building in a very specific part of town, and voila! Instant Distraction—Just Add Fuel and Sparks! 
Red Attire: Ring (Garnet)
Notes:
Phoenix serves as a semi-dirty lawyer. As thorough and calculating as The Pentas Family is, mistakes can still be made. Bad timing and unlucky coincidences are still a factor. In such cases, Phoenix is invaluable for keeping her peers safe and their work hidden. On top of that, it never hurts to frame or expose an enemy or two; that just means less attention on her family, as well as less competition to deal with. She knows how to discreetly sow discord among enemies, how to tamper with evidence (whether planting it elsewhere or outright destroying it). 
Despite everything, Phoenix would never use fire against a living person. Yes, she’s dangerous and unhinged behind the mask she wears for keeping up appearances, no doubt about that. Yes, she’s addicted to watching flames dance and hearing them crackle, but she still understands that they’re much more brutal than they are pretty. To be clear, she’s made her peace with reducing the corpses of certain targets to ash, but. . .well, they’re corpses. Like paper or clothing or many other flammable things, they can’t scream or feel pain when they’re being disposed of. (Not anymore, at least.) Whatever her peers do to those targets is just how they earn their own keep.
She’s responsible for the ironically legal parts of underground business. Negotiating prices/terms, relaying important messages, that kind of stuff. She helps form the contracts that the other Pentas representatives use, and she’s almost always in the room when those contracts are being discussed with outsiders (clients, allies, etc.). 
She’s very savvy when it comes to flammable chemicals. How exactly they burn, what to mix them with for the best results, how long it takes for them to reach their peak. . .Sure, matches and gasoline can be pretty damn effective, but an inferno often has to be handled very carefully, very specifically. Sometimes the flames have to burn slower or faster. Sometimes they need to snuff themselves out at a quick rate. Sometimes they have to leave burned imprints behind rather than devour everything they touch. It all just depends on the job at hand. 
As part of an under-the-table agreement, she’s the owner of Scattered Wishes, the one and only crematorium the Cove Port Inlets has to offer. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and she uses her personal den to hide various forms of evidence until they’re ready to be loaded into one of the ovens. 
“Phoenix Rhong” is NOT her original name. It’s not a fake identity, either. How she managed to take the name for herself. . .well, I'll go into more detail about that later. 
Current Stories: [TBA] 
Miles C. Peyote and Howie Thetaxi
Who They’re Based Off Of: Lewis Dawkins (Dawko) and Ryan (8-BitRyan), respectively 
Their Methods of Work: When your reputation precedes you from all the way across the pond, you’ve definitely done something right! (Unless that was never your intent, in which case you’ve done something horribly, horribly wrong.) Remember the board game Mouse Trap? Well, Miles probably played it a few too many times in his youth, if the booby traps he sets up nowadays are anything to go by. Whether the goal is to kill or simply capture someone, his designs never fail to be. . .elaborate. Howie, meanwhile, doubles as a mechanic and driver. From ditching cops to running enemies off the road, he has more than enough skill to make professional racers envious. Never, NEVER forget the importance of seatbelts if you’re getting into a car with him. (Also, never put your feet on the dash. It’s rude.)
Red Attire: For Miles, a pair of leather boots (Oxblood). For Howie, a pair of gauge earrings (Carnelian)
Notes:
These two got their start in The Marble Hummingbirds, a different mob based in the UK that  has had a strong alliance with The Pentas Family for years now. As part of standard underground affairs, Miles and Howie volunteered to relocate to the United States and work more closely with Murdock and the others. The adjustment was a bit difficult (especially for Howie), but they both understand that it makes several aspects of business more efficient. They both retain a good balance of loyalty between their original crew and their new one. 
Miles is selective when it comes to speaking. He’ll talk freely when he’s among people he trusts or is in a place that he’s deemed safe/comfortable, but when he’s out in public, he’s just. . .very quiet. He’ll still talk a little for the sake of politeness or formality, but only a little. If an area is open or unfamiliar, he’ll usually prefer to use body language and the like. (This does absolutely NOT stop him from cackling like a maniac over his traps, but again, that usually takes place in more secluded, secretive areas.)
Howie has no qualms about reckless driving. Swerving, speeding, staging accidents; he can do it all without batting an eye. Whatever it takes to get himself and his buddies (plus their cargo) from Point A to Point B without getting stopped or caught. Keep in mind, this mindset only applies to his personal driving. When he’s casually out and about, he can’t stand other drivers who tailgate, block lanes, cut others off, etc. If you act rude toward him in traffic, he can and will make a side-quest out of finding a way to get back at you. And yes, this extends to when he’s on the job. It’s not at all uncommon for him to go back and forth between chatting with his passengers and yelling at idiots on the road in the middle of a high-stakes-chase.
Miles has a habit of collecting plushies; especially odd-looking ones. (For example: the creepy-yet-cute stuff you might find on Etsy.) But his plushies aren’t just for aesthetic or decoration—they serve the purpose of secretism. He’s modified each and every one of them to be soft little storage units. Some have well-hidden zippers in their backs, while others have their heads function as the lids to jars stuffed inside their stomachs. Miles uses this strategy to hide valuables, such as varying sums of money or the odd piece of jewelry taken from a target. 
Howie is miraculously conscious of animals on the road. That’s one of few exceptions to his typical stance on getaway driving. He will always, ALWAYS make sure to avoid hitting cats, dogs, raccoons, deer. . .or squirrels. As a matter of fact, one squirrel that he managed to spare back in the day seems to have pledged a life-debt to him. Seriously, he avoided hitting it while he was still working in the UK, and by now it’s followed him to the US. Wherever Howie is, the squirrel always seems to be somewhere in the background, just watching and waiting. Howie doesn’t see this squirrel as a pet, but he doesn’t have a problem with its presence (even though he’s somewhat unnerved by it). 
Along with all the getaway driving stuff, Howie has helped The Pentas Family to form its very own chop-shop. Whenever cars are stolen from targets or enemies, Howie will be there to dismantle or sabotage said cars. Legitimate parts are sold, and certain jobs involve filling a vehicle with counterfeit parts in order to frame its owner.  
Ever since relocating, both Miles and Howie live out of The Five Seasons, a hotel near the Cove Port Inlet’s city entrance. The building is connected to the abandoned subway tunnels, and the duo rotates between sharing the hidden den; Miles will use it to build/test his traps, and Howie will use it simply to store/tamper with various car parts. The hotel just so happens to be right across the street from the car repair garage (Oh, for God’s Brake!) that Howie uses for his day-job.
Current Stories: [TBA]
More characters/information coming soon. . .
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