Hi! This is a writing blog, I will post character analysis from my favorite medias and fanfiction of them too! This blog is multi fandom as well so if you need to find a specific fandom I'm part of I always tag my stuff with the main tag, but you may also refer to this master post where I'll be editing and organizing links focused on the media works that I make more than one post about!
Blog run by @megypop
About Requests:
You can feel free to request analysis or headcanons about any characters from my list of fandoms. However there are things that will be always ignored and if you spam requests of them it will get you blocked. These are:
NSFW, (I do accept gore, aside from self harm, but sex and alike are off the table)
I also won't accept Reader X [Character] fics
As for what I accept writing and will do:
Reader POV fics (these will always be in gender neutral terms, with the exception of explicitly LGBT works such as "comforting transfem/transmasc dysphoria" and such.
Headcanons on relationships, habits, and things that aren't tackled in the story.
Character analysis regarding LGBT / mental health and the themes of the characters!
My fandoms:
Games:
Reverse 1999
Slay the Princess
Hollow Knight
Celeste
Fallen London
Animation:
Steven Universe
Ghibli Studios Works
Arcane
Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon)
Books and Manga:
Witch Hat Atelier
Love Bullet
Sherlock Holmes
Wuthering Heights
All the Wrong Questions
Miscellaneous:
Role Playing Games (D&D, Tormenta, etc)
History and Archeology
The mascot of this blog is Nautika from Reverse 1999 and the art I use in the blog is official assets from Reverse, my own artworks and Steven Universe.
Hi hi this isn't a big writing post as the last one was, just a collection of notes from my playthrough of Spring Unending (reverse:1999 2.5th anniversary event/CNY // 3.5).
I will try to make all my notes specifically about UTTU since they're my favorite faction in the game, but there will be casual notes about the story as I read it as well! Enjoy.
Stage 01 - Prophecy
Finally we're shown a little about UTTU writers, their articles and their relationship with the editors. So far at least for Reed's case, it seems like the writters can come and go on field missions to gather stories and follow trails of a specific article that they're writing about. Reed does however get in touch with Verity to talk about her idea and get the editor's opinion on the outing.
- Seems like Reed is very focused on the deal about longevitiy
> "She's always been a go-getter in every life" - Verity. Reed has multiple lives? Maybe this explains her interest in longevity. Reed is also natural from the Zhu county, at least originally, more hints towards her having lived multiple lives.
Editors can keep an eye on specific writters. Based on worry, cute.
The wind network seems to be able to become unstable, what defines the stability of the wind communication? Again, Reed mentions at the start that she can heard the wind "even if a little" in the Zhu county.
Relationship between Reed, Barbara and Verity seems to be of mutual care, with Verity being the one who trusts on the other's capabilities the most, just adorable. Reed complains about white people food, very real of her.
Scrap what I said about the relationship between writers and editors, seems like Reed is also an editor and writer, UTTU doesn't seem to function in any hierarchy, is it a case of every writer is also an editor? Do they go with each of them making editor work for the other? Much to ponder over.
[non UTTU] - The interactable forum is adorable. I love when they implement different gameplay elements like this, plus 2 points for creativity.
in love with this UTTU ascii logo.
Apparently the wind communication system can be affected by arcane skills that affect the wind, Flutterpage must be a hastle to deal with for UTTU writers on voice calls.
Reed has divination arcane skills? Interesting.
On another note, maybe something is affecting the wind of Zhu County.
Stage 02 - A Windblown Reed
Question answered! The wind is being tied in knots... somehow. Not sure how exactly that works but it affects the coms of UTTU.
OneWithFlow is a Qi reader, clearly confuses UTTU's communication system with Qi reading, but also means that Qi reading and UTTU are somehow connected since OneWithFlow can snoop in on the wind communication.
Reed: I guess I might miss the article deadline, but I can still solve the interface issue. That counts as a win, right?
What's the interface issue? Does she mean the UTTU communication system? Probably, yeah.
Reed has a spider with her, UTTU having spiders as employees continues to be a common thing. Spiders can sense the wind frequencies? The whole communication system is only getting more interesting.
The spiders are the communicators themselves! I love it, makes sense on why Barbara wanted to use the spiders in the Red Room during the Haunted Highway. The wind is used as wire and the spiders as the phones.
Stage 03 - The Gate to Longevity
[Non UTTU] - Mayfly is adorable, already my bingle in this event aside from Reed.
Mayfly and Reed are both the same thing, seems like my blorbodar is calibrated. If Mayfly was running out of time during winter? Does that mean each "life" of reed endures from spring to spring? edit: from spring to winter.
Stage 04 - Summer's Lease
OneWithFlow casually abusing a poor Reed’s condition. Okay alright, I won’t take it to heart just yet.
Seems like UTTU has headquarters indeed. Barbara’s mention of their need to keep changing locations then must be probably about constant switches in the HQ location… UTTU tell me how you survive the storm… tell meeeee
Stage 05 - Free at Last
[Non UTTU] - Im seeing how this story is taking shape, Paper Heron is definitely an immortal and to make contrast with her they put her with a reed that dies every winter. It’s very exciting so far, I’m interested in how they’ll explore the differences between a woman who’s followed close by death at every turn of season and a woman who has seen so many seasons that even the taste of food has dulled in her mouth.
Stage 06 - Deadly Cure
[Non UTTU] - So far I've been seeing that Yao is just an ancient chinese words for Arcanist (in this universe of course, in real life 妖 (yāo) is used to describe evil spirits in old tales), however with the yao parade, it seems like the definition of arcanist and yao might differ, as yao are distinguisable for having plant or animal features, and using a "human" body to disguise themselves. Paper Heron says "What they're doing is a risk to our entire community" meaning she's also a yao, this might be enough to confirm that yao and arcanist are the same thing.
Alrightt, back to the drawing board, yao is it's own thing, not exactly an arcanist. At least, I got confirmation about reed's life cycles, sprout in spring, wither in winter. I assume that each reed can withstand some days of winter before going out, but their lives always end before the spring comes back, about 9 months average of lifespan. Makes sense why both the reeds we meet are interested in methods for longevity and why Reed is so pressed about finishing her article.
Stage 07 - Separate Ways
[Non UTTU] - Cheng Heguang and Paper Heron's antics are incredibly funny to watch, apparently eavesdropping is enough to get a blade drawn at you by the chief. What a merciless man. He really wants to pin this on poor Paper Heron. Mayfly is my baby "You know, plants of a leaf, same belief." Something tells me that this will go poorly, but I'm excited to see it. They're already saying goodbye to each other :(((( and Heron even gave Mayfly the activation of her amulet, this is adorable.
Stage 08 - The Longevity Ritual
[Non UTTU] - Mayfly is so so cute
[Non UTTU] - Reeds seem to have an advantage over other herbaceous Yao, taking root anywhere is deffo a plus when you're already running out of time. "Fireworks, gone in a moment. But so beautiful. If only my life had a moment like that, just one." your whole life is a moment of a firework Mayfly. So corny.
[Non UTTU] - Very pretty enemy design. Katydid I'll check the description after the chapter. "A katydid following Master Ren's teachings. The Master said secrets hide within the embroidery hoop. She contemplates and weaves, seeking enlightenment." Very curious to meet this Master Ren.
Okay Heron WHAT are you doing, granting longevity to the poor reed or just leading her on? She clearly wasn't the one planning the opera, is she the one who will stop whatever schemes are going on?
Stage 09 - The End...?
Clearly not the end, disappointing.
I don't think that's happening Reed, Mayfly deffo didn't get the method of longevity.
Reed is probably thinking that OneWithFlow is Mayfly, but it's more likely to be Paper Heron. Oh my goodness the mule is also alive.
Reed realized Mayfly didn't become immortal.
Stage 10 - To "Heaven"
"Everything she's ever wanted for a price"
[Non UTTU] - Omnious description for the stage. Oh heavens, it's a suspicious hot lady. Master Rén, the Immortal. Though Paper Heron is the true immortal. Okay so Paper Heron truly didn't know what was going on, incredibly funny she accepted to be on the stage for the fun of it. Oh my goddness a bunch of new cute yao
Xiandao Beasts, that was mentioned back in 2.5 with Qiangliang if I remember it correctly. Makes me wonder if Jiu could be part beast or something similar. Jiu anectode when...
Stage 11 - Dilemma
[Non UTTU] - Cheng Heguang doing some casual racism.
Stage 12 - Castle in the Sky
[Non UTTU] - Mayfly school time.
Seems like something is missing and not only whatever fact was obscured by Paper Heron's interruption.
There's still something missing. If it was such a simple path, Paper Heron wouldn't be so distinguishable as an immortal. Furthermore, her losing her senses seems to be a side effect of the immortality. The questions haised by the Hedgehog Yao is also important
"But how can I devote myself to a method that takes decades to master when I only have a few years to live?"
Since they don't need to dwell on that step, there's probably some shortcut being used.
Might be relevant information for Reed's article. ^^
[Non UTTU] - The xiandao beast are deffo what Qiangliang is and what Liang Yue has, seems like the families that guard the beasts became scarce overtime.
Stage 13 - Unbending Will
[Non UTTU] - Cheng Heguang fucked up. And his boss came in clutch, I hate money and power and nobles so much, Cheng beat their asses. Though Li Huifeng is very wise anyways, Cheng really can't go against powerful people without any solid proof. Banger CG oh mai gah. FUCK THEY ROASTED HIM ALIVE???
Stage 14 - A Sow's Ear
[Non UTTU] - Mayyyyflyyy :((( Paper Heron seems worried about her and I'm so ill she's feeling so well and I know something will go horribly wrong. She's so happy :(( ; So Ren is using the sword I seeee. Cheng :((( THEY'RE KILLING MY MIPPY. Mayfly faints from drug abuse, I knew the elixirs were fucked up, either that or the sword's power is overwhealming the unprepared bodies. Glad to see Cheng is safe, very wild stage, lots of things happening.
Stage 15 - Into the Fire
I'm missing Reed, where's my girl?
[Non UTTU] - Okay so yeah Ren's method is deffo overwhealming people's Qi somehow. Okay it was the sword I'm so right all the time.
Mayfly's life cycles are so fucked up, my poor reeds having to experience life with so little time to enjoy it. The human experience is already so fleeting and theirs is even worse. This is so fucked up. An immortal who can't enjoy the pleasures of life and a short living reed who wants to be immortal to enjoy life more. This is so good, I'm not sure yet how Cheng ties into these themes of if he will tie at all, but I am very curious..
Stage 16 - To Heaven
[Non UTTU] - It was very obvious that Ren would be the villain, plus with her showing up as an antagonist in the trailer, kind of shot themselves in the foot with the twist villain aspect of her. I don't really like when it's done cheaply this way but maybe they can still live up to a nice story.
Now I wanna know what happens why would you inflict this curiosity upon me. I really like Ren's line of thinking, hard to have arguments against it. The fight was SICK I really like the descriptions and the use of the CGs here.
If anyone wants old things I have plenty to trade for clear drops
Stage 17 - An Eastern Promise
[Non UTTU] - The plot thickens!! God Paper Heron looks so good all hurt I'm too gay for this
She's so badddddd. Cheng beloved, he's so good. I really like how chivalrous he is.
HE BURNED HIS OWN HOUSE???? What is wrong with him he's so fucking funny. Everyone is this damn patch is so hillarious.
Okay now Li was a banger twist here.
Stage 18 - Pain and Gain
[Non UTTU] - This is very good, the turn of events here is simply wonderful. The voice acting on Cheng Heguang's part is phenomenal dear heavens. HE'S A BANDITTTTT this is so good, now I understand how he connects to Paper Heron and Mayfly, the themes here aren't just of life, they're about understanding differences. They're about the perspectives of an immortal hero, an outlaw human and a desperate yao. The ones who live the longest, the littlest and the in between, those who follow the path of before and those who make a new way.
Stage 19 - Significance of the Insignificant
[Non UTTU] - The stakes are high and I am incredibly interested.
Fuckers left and let Cheng and Paper Heron to save the people they were willing to sacrifice AUGHHH
Stage 20 - No Turning Back
[Non UTTU] - my fucking plant stop killing my plant :(((((( my plant :((( I hate this, she failed to save her she tried to warn her she tried everything and yet Mayfly still choose to so readily spend her life I hate it here.
Aughhhh this is so good. The realization of what it meant, of the regrets and of losing everything that once was dear to you. Letting go of legacy, of history, of the ever thought that you once existed. Having every trace of what you did forgotten and told only by legend. What a great realization that to save the present and future she needs to sacrifice her past.
Stage 21 - Goodbye, Friend
My Girl Reed is finally back. "Windweave", likely the name they give to their special wind network?
Reedit is such a fun name. At first I thought of reddit but I also noticed it sounds like "read it" very clever with her being an UTTU editor.
So Qi flows through phone and internet cables. Wonderful.
"Are you ... Are you for real, like, really real?" I'm sobbing
Okay so the twist was crazy. It scared me a little but it's funny and Rén is a cute little moth thing so all her crimes are forgiven and all her mistakes pardoned.
The real Paper Heron also calls her Reedit I'm sobbing.
Stage 22 -
She calls her Reedie oh my god that's so adorable
"In a way, Mayfly's wish has been fulfilled."
This is adorbs I love this. She was Mayfly all along :]
It's the rock with their names, they want me dead. I love the soundtrack in this part.
This is such a heartwarming end.
Cheng Heguang in THE FORUMS this is so funny.
Final Thoughts
It's a solid event, a fun ride. I loved the interactable bits with the website using Reed's account, the story is easy to follow but it still surprised me which is very positive when it's a story with two twist villains. The soundtrack was phenomenal especially in the calmer moments I would say, the immersiveness of the event has to be praised with the way the story is told to us. Reed is a fun character though I would love it if she had a little more screentime. The VA work, primarily of Cheng Heguang was phenomenal, though every voice actor did an amazing job as well.
My only criticism towards it as of writing this is the twist of Master Rén, it was kind of cheap, they could've done a better job with setting her up as someone who is good and then showing her villainous side. I really like how the themes of the characters are interconnected and how they bounce off of each other, I felt like Mayfly was a little bit too sidelined by the end, because of that, her death didn't hit as hard as it could've. Overhaul a great story and a fun time.
Now about my mental illness (UTTU): I'm losing my mind with all the info we got, it's still too little I am craving more but the crumbs are incredibly appreciated. Genuinely screamed when Verity showed up on my screen. Very glad that my favorite faction is turning out to be the exact type of freaks that I enjoy reading about. Bluepoch if you give me an UTTU themed patch my life is yours.
CN spoilers ofc, honestly that animation was awesome! I want whatever song is playing in that PV, idk if its a reverse original or what they did with the 1.9 PV and used a pre-existing one. Anyways heres a couple of cool things I noticed.
I will try to go in chronological order yaya.
So immediately we get the SPDM tower exploding and its immunity broken, and its shown that 'doves' seem to be the source of the immunity: also early prediction the zone immunity was potentially created by the Pax House, who use doves as messengers. This is shown later but SPDM is a pretty big distance from what I assume is Foundation Headquarters, from the looks of the room Ms Stranger, Vertin and Sonetto are in looks similar to Madam Z's room with the big billboard.
Another thing is that we have a Storm happening, either called by Arcana herself or accelerated agains by the Manus to coincide with their attack on SPDM.
The Manus guy we see crush the tower dove isn't the same one Merel fights later in the trailer (see the mask design is very different and their hooded) and we get a closer look as the Manus enter SPDM, but I wanna predict these Manus guys are enhanced by Arcana new form, seemingly much stronger and durable than the regular grunts - gameplay wise maybe they are new variants of the og Manus enemies. The first SPDM teacher we see getting reversed likely was human.
Onto the fight
The location is probably where Vertin and co tried to escape, its so nice to see their locations fully rendered in 3D
the Manus guy is really cool with how the eye switches sockets - the eye also is golden similar to Arcana's
So this bit is more speculation - but notice when the Manus guy partially restores themself note how we see a red stone or thing of sorts return to its head before the golden eye comes back. Now big speculation, what if this is the philospher's stone and these reinforced Manus enemies are actually a byproduct of FMN's work (food for thought)
Cool and awesome fight scene and Vernetto aura farming aside, its nice to see how Sonetto's fighting style is visualised, both her base attacks and ult.
The cameos
the full list is: Druvis, Lopera, Yemolai (Hound), Igor, Lorentz Butterfly, Sliverwing Eagle, Marsha, Naukita, Razor, J, Mr Apple, Regulus, Recoleta before we get the Manus side, and it seems the Manus is likely mounting a full scale attack on the Headquarters
DRUVIS PLEASE HAVE A LARGER ROLE IN THE STORY AND NOT JUST A SHORT CAMEO PLEASE ITS BEEN TWO YEARS
Hoping for a Lopera and Igor confrontation, since the both of them seem to be outside on the frontlines (probably expect some mention and cameo for Ptolmey and Moldir as well)
Still have no idea what to make of the alter Eagle right now
I can't believe Marsha upgrades from riding Death's horse to a literal chimera lets go (I think Senti might appear as a cameo to help out Marsha)
The Manus
the first two are from the 3.2 banquet and play a role in SoS
the next two are from 3.3 (probably a round two of the fight with Igor, maybe 'alongside' lopera
an unknown 'crying' woman - maybe this is 'Nectar' who Copelia mentions.
Final Bit
Da Cube - we know the cube only paritally worked for Igor, and the moment he defected form the Manus it stopped working, and in 3.3 gave it to Vertin. The fact that Igor as a mixed (correct if I'm wrong) arcantist who survived with the Cube maybe means Vertin will use it to save as many of SPDM from the Storm and the Manus
I really don't have anything to say much about Merel's limited form and stuff, maybe we get reversed beyond the 20th century, maybe this form is from the Blank Era, or something else. I really don't know.
Extra rambling
We still don't know whose the white haired person from the stream teaser which is interesting
Note Urd has not shown up once in the entire 3.x
I think SPDM's immunity is probably a lost cause, I don't think the fight in the PV will be successful and the backup dove is destroyed (or if they have a back up- back up dove somewhere)
about reverse 1999: i’ve always wondered what the different types of damage symbolise. mental versus reality. i always assumed that isolde (my fav and my main) would be mental damage because of, yknow everything about her lore and character but surprisingly, she was reality
Hello!
Honestly, mental vs reality damage has always been super interesting to me. But now that I lost interest in the game and haven't been keeping up with it, all I can remember about it are the usual mentions in the Tutorial Notebook and even that is just crumbs!
If you guys have more insight and mentions of type of damage within the story or other aspects of the game, feel free to add to this post!
The screenshot above says:
Our minds and materials in reality affect each other. Arcane skills can use 2 kinds of damage: Reality Damage and Mental Damage.
- Introduction to Arcane Skills, Chapter 2
Some enemies are particularly agile. Certain damage can't hurt them. Please keep in mind the type of each incantation and select the proper one.
Mental and Reality ... We can't have it both ways, right?
With this we can easily gleam some stuff; there's a direct connection between both types of damage that parallels the way Afflatus works, they directly "affect each other." They're also mutually exclusive, "we can't have it both ways," but these don't seem to be mutable traits within people like Afflatus is. Someone's Afflatus can change if their perspective and ideals change over the course of their life, such as Kakania, but I don't recall any character having mechanics that make them switch between these two damage types.
The text also says that arcane skills have these damage categorizations, which might lead us to believe that it's exclusively an arcanist thing. This is easy to dispel by looking at all the playable humans within the game--Kassandra is Reality, while Aleph is Mental. No playable humans were released when the game came out, so I assume this is mostly an oversight or just not an issue, since humans have small little differences like having "Reasoning" instead of "Resonance."
Then there is the aspect of agility, implying it's a strictly physical thing like if you're fast enough you can probably avoid Reality attacks, or perhaps Mental attacks are slower and so on. I would like to bring up that the enemies found within the tutorial have buffs like these, which specifically negate any non-Ultimate attacks of their own type of damage. So there is something else here!
This is a small tangent, but I swear its related!
I wholeheartedly believe that the incantations each character possesses can reveal a lot about their personality, way of thinking and story overall--each incantation has little tidbits of text that develop as the rank rises, some are references to actual media that might've been used as basis or inspiration, but I don't think this diminishes its importance and how it might relate to the character in question. Not only that, we have Ultimates, their most powerful attack, which I see as the core of a character and what they represent overall--hence why these are usually the attacks that enemies cannot avoid.
I've brought up incantations and their relevance in a few of my previous analysis, so allow me to bring up some examples again! These screenshots were taken from the fandom wikia because I'm too lazy to open the game lol.
Pavia is a MENTAL damage character, and his Ultimate is the following:
Nosier Than Me
Split the shadow to reveal the offspring nurtured within. They'll be feared as a pack of wolves by the mortals.
This Ultimate clearly references Pavia's background as a child forced to grow up in his aunt's basement in complete darkness, where it's implied that he developed his shadow arcanum which he now uses to manifest a pack of wolves. The animation is him summoning these very same wolves to attack, before launching himself into the fray as well. "They'll be feared as a pack of wolves by the mortals," the phrase alone also invokes a feeling of separation between the pack and humanity, perhaps also a separation between Pavia himself and humanity--which is referenced and further developed in his Beast Afflatus, relating to the struggle of the underdog against a system.
We can even go a step further and analyze what the Ultimate itself does; it hurts a single targeted enemy, but it also heals Pavia himself. Note that Pavia is one of the few characters who benefits from his teammates dying, further hinting towards how he thrives when alone.
Now let's see a different character.
Lucy is a REALITY damage character, and her Ultimate is the following:
A Step Forward
By changing ourselves, we have the power to change the world.
Lucy's Ultimate references the story within 1.9 Vereinsamt, in which she sacrifices herself over and over to negate all side-effects of La Una Cirklo for the sake of humanity--she changes, she's reversed over and over and she comes back in her most primitive form. She goes through change not only here, but in her daily life as well; Lucy, as an Awakened defined by and rooted in progress, must change alongside the world that created her.
While I don't have to say a lot about her animation, the mechanics behind her Ultimate continue to point towards a much deeper reading of the characters. The status of [Pragmatist] causes all allied Afflatus to be stronger against the enemy, as if they followed the proper order of Afflatus relations. She gains the [Leadership] buff as well, all hinting towards her role in guiding humanity towards a better outcome, which lines up with all the hard choices she is forced to make for the greater good, all while learning from her peers.
This entire tangent serves to insist that attacks and incantations matter beyond mechanics. It makes sense as to why non-Ultimates can be dodged if we understand Ultimates as the attack that most resonates with a character, the one thing that defines them. If attacks carry Afflatus, which relate to a character's entire life and ideals, struggles and thought patterns, then it makes sense that the type of damage they do carries the same weight.
So I think it's more fun to interpret certain enemies who can dodge certain types of damage the same way we see Afflatus. The tool or concepts a character uses to attack are simply not strong enough, not physically but perhaps metaphorically--some battles don't actually take place in a literal way, they're representations of a mental or emotional struggle, such as Artificial Somnambulist Therapy levels! But at the same time, most battles do happen, so in these cases it is definitely a matter of skill and arcane power.
When it comes to what these damages symbolize, my best guess with the limited information I have is that they're pretty much what their namesake implies!
Reality damage hurts you with the truth, the tangible, the things that are real. Mental damage hurts you with the abstract, the feelings, that which is imagined.
This would explain why characters like Isolde or Jessica, both rooted in horror and the mind, are Reality Damage instead. They are hurting you with things that are real, that cannot be denied.
Isolde's family arcanum might deal with ghosts, but they are allowing the spirits of people that lived to possess them--you are essentially confronting death through the women of the family, they're borrowing the skills of the dead, skills they should not have but now they do. When we focus on the story itself, both 1.7 E Lucevan le Stelle and 1.9 Vereinsamt, we see how she hurts not only Kakania but others around her in straightforward and physical ways. She shoots her own brother, she shoots Hoffman. She forces Kakania to confront the cold reality of never having truly understood her, committing horrible things that Kakania never thought her capable of because Kakania was blind to the truth.
On the other hand, Jessica quite literally turns the horrors of the mind into a reality, she creates a playground based around Blonney's stories and all of the horror tropes she's learned about during 1.2 A Nightmare at Green Lake. These two characters play with the aspect of illusion a lot (Jessica through roleplay and acting, Isolde through faking and masking) and, with their themes dealing with horror and mental illnesses, it makes sense as to why their type damage is difficult to grasp.
But this also goes the other way around, if they embody this type of damage then this means that they are most hurt by the opposite type.
This is easier to understand--Isolde is most hurt by Mental damage because her themes of mental illness and the treatment of women's "hysteria" in her era, her family's own history and so on and so forth. Her mind was, essentially, broken through trauma.
This is why Kakania is MENTAL damage, the type that hurts Isolde the most. Their respective mechanics and traits as playable characters continue to compliment and mirror each other as a way to emphasize their bond within the main story. Notice how both characters with these opposing damages affect each other; Kakania becomes suicidal after realizing that everything she did and stood for, namely her treatment of Isolde, was misguided, doing more harm than good. And then Isolde becomes near catatonic with grief when confronting the fact that Kakania will never see or treat her like she once did, how the one thing that bound them together (in her eyes, at least) cannot be salvaged.
I would like to invite everyone to look at their blorbo and analyze what their damage type might say about them!
You can get a lot of interesting reads, like how Tuesday is very obviously Mental damage because her modus operandi revolves around exploiting everyone else's deepest fears, but then her weakness to Reality damage might imply a more nuanced aspect of her background, having potentially survived the absolute massacre of her family and so on. Most members of Apeiron are Mental damage, not only the playables but the NPCs fought in some stages, even when some of them are affected by the Storm Syndrome! Recoleta, despite everything about her character pointing towards fiction and the barrier between reality and unreality, is Reality damage!
flash fiction / 40m one sitting / 466 words / no editing
original / fantasy
It was naught but a trudge. Turns came to him on a whim, much as the soil which churned under his feet, leaving distorted, sagging imprints. Caught in the man’s worn armor were hundreds of dead leaves and remnants of spiderwebs. The mud gave under him, a slow trudge turned into a slide and then tumble which was only halted by a creek at the end of the slope. The man gazed upon himself in the disturbed reflection, without giving any thought to plucking the brown and red foliage from his scraggly beard.
“You’ve come again” a soft voice called out with a sense of amusement.
“Indeed,” the man answered “And I will come once more”
“I am aware” the voice answered “To expect otherwise would be foolish”
The man in armor stood, his piercing gaze bore into the aware one, whom stood a distance away, a vessel of water resting on his hip. The water boy smiled at him.
“Fool must you have been, then” the bearded man said.
“I won’t deny it”
“Perhaps one day you shall learn to hold a conversation. Alas it is not today”
The bearded man turned, the water current curved against his short legs. He saw the way ahead. A desolate form lingered in the patchy opening between the trees, impossibly tall towers which disappeared into the clouds above.
The boy followed his gaze.
“What if I go there too?” he asked.
“You will not” the man answered.
“But why?”
The bearded man nodded at the water vessel on the boy’s hip. The boy understood. He frowned, and left the man be, disappearing in the foliage downstream.
The towers grew closer. Impossibly high in the distance, here they were no longer towers, but infinite walls the width or height of which could not be seen. Stairs weaved up and down and across, a vertical maze of gigantic proportion. Yet, the man knew where to go. It was neither up nor down, all he knew was to walk forward. He passed through the stone gate, below infinite pillars and the hunched grotesques, above seas of gold and below wells of stars. At last, a vessel stood before him. He lifted it from it’s stand and placed it on his hip.
He gazed upon himself in the pristine silver reflection, paying no mind to brush his scraggly beard as it had not yet grown. The boy in armor passed under a waterfall, its cold water quickly filled the vessel on his hip. Above the creeks and under the vines, his path created as he passed, turns made on a whim. At last, a creek appeared before him. At the same time, a loud splash.
“You’ve come again” the boy called out.
“Indeed,” the man answered “And you have come as well”
It’s really interesting to me that most of Shirahama’s notes on Qifrey are about how his hair overlaps with his glasses. I can see how it might be easier to animate by just tucking the hair behind the glasses and the fact that Shirahama was like “No.” is a little funny to me.
AO3 should have an Annotation Mode where you can click to view all of the author's commentary and thoughts about certain parts of the work. A little comment that says "I spent five hours researching vintage radio mechanics for this and didn't even end up using it" or "this is an ancient Hebrew literary technique!" would make my day
I'm so fascinated by people who seem to believe that analyzing media is somehow taking the joy out of it. Like. Do you not enjoy thinking? Does taking stuff apart and figuring out how it works not give you a hit of dopamine? And you get mad when you see people having fun in this way? What a sad, miserable way to engage with the world.
I believe the wording here could be misleading, since she could "carry" her museum with her. As in, carry the tombstones and the memories of the people that she's supposed to keep in her museum. But the wording here is so confusing to me.
A character does not have to change for a story to be good. And the belief that they do has ruined a lot of people's media literacy thanks to those who say "this story is bad because the main character doesn't go through any change".
Here's a list where the main character does not go through a character arc of change;
To Kill a Mocking Bird
The Little Mermaid
Indiana Jones
The Big Lebowski
No Country for Old Men
Romeo and Juliet
Sherlock Holmes in general
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Robin Hood
Cinderella
Hercule Poirot in general
The Blues Brothers
Blazing Saddles
Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Apollo 13 (although granted its closely based on true events down to the dialogue spoken so might not count)
The Great Escape (same as above)
High Plains Drifter
12 Angry Men (only counts because it has a very specific main character who is the ONLY character who does not have any change happen throughout the story)
Gladiator
Back to the Future
Pyscho doesn't count because the main characetr does go through a character arc, it's just hilariously completely unimportant to what the movie is about and that character arc part purposefully becomes irrelevant to everything that actually makes up "what the movie is about".
I've only included the ones I have watched/read myself and can verify. So there is a thousand more, but this is just a short list of examples of films that have traditional narrative structures. (Since things like Haxan or Koyaanisqatsi will obviously not have any kind of character growth in them dfksjhfkdj)
sometimes a story is simply not based about a character arc.
sometimes a character is just a static vessel or reference point for the world around them
sometimes a character was already complex from the beginning, and you just saw more preexisting sides of them through the story, instead of these facets spawning throughout
it always depends on what story you're trying to tell, not every story is the same. If you think there's an universal thruth for "THIS has to happen in every story", you just haven't seen enough variety of them
even inside a single genre. The princess and the pea breaks so many "rules" of fairy tales, and it has been criticized a lot, and yet it's still a classic
A Series of Dusks is a story about the character Semmelweis, in which after the events of Echoes in The Mountain, she reaches for her final hope of salvation during her stay in Vienna. Battling the Storm, the Infection but most importantly herself.
A Brief Presentation of Semmelweis
For the sake of simplicity and objectivity, who Semmelweis is can be divided into 3 instances of herself. Prior to the events of Series of Dusks, After to the Events of Series of Dusks and Bella. I'm gonna tackle each one them following the start.
Echoes in The Mountain presents us with a interesting start for Semmelweis conflict. When she finds the mirror that once belonged to Lorelei and incites the incantation behind it, we learn that Semmelweis isn't able to cast incantations. Now, if she's a human like the most of her team believes, why would she even try? This is another piece of foreshadowing for one of the reveals made in Echoes. Semmelweis is a mixed arcanist with no capability of casting Arcane Skills. We accompany her through the story as she tries to understand a strange melody that only herself can hear, as she puts up with many aggressions towards Arcanists while seemingly seeing no issue in them. We are also presented by the story another one of Semmelweis's big themes, her hallucinations and mental illnesses. (But I'll be tackling that perspective in another day)
There's many more important events that happen in Echoes for Semmelweis but we're going to jump from section to section a little. After the scene with the mirror the next part of the story takes us to when Semmelweis was diagnosed with The Beyond Disease, a disease with an insanely high mortality rate and that slowly makes the holder of such disease more and more debilitated both mentally and physically. In the last scene of Echoes, Semmelweis reveals to Emil that she was always an arcanist, and we see a little glimpse of her and Emil's true perspectives on Arcanists. While Emil reveals that he doesn't in fact hate Arcanists and despite having many ingrained problematic thoughts about them, he still sees them as people and wants to help them, while Semmelweis contrasting this revelation shows that despite herself being an arcanist she never harnessed much empathy for "those of her kind" as she calls it.
This shows how Semmelweis sees herself, her identity as something utterly useless and problematic, she doesn't see herself as arcanist or mixed, she lacks the capability of using arcane skills and everyone around her thinks she's a human. But she also doesn't see herself as part of the humans, because of the disease that was only capable of infecting her because of the little arcanist blood that she had. Semmelweis refuses to accept herself in any of these realities, not arcanist enough, not human enough. A common concept that mixed characters face but an even more prominent one in Semmelweis.
And then, she arrives in Vienna...
Before discussing specific events of Series of Dusks I'm going to get a little bit on another topic, disphoria. If you don't feel comfortable with discussing it you may leave now because a good chuck of the analysis will be about that.
Disphoria mainly when it's related to the body is common to start being experienced by transgender people in adolescence, the period where your body starts changing and affecting much more the gender and the perception of self. Now the Beyond Disease carried by Semmelweis provides similar effects. Changing her appearance and her body in order to make her more and more similar to the one that infected her, as well as changing how her mind functions, making her more angry and lose her focus more and more quickly, finally the Beyond Disease poses a problem, the perception of others that will affect her, only Arcanists can have the Beyond Disease, and so the view of people that once considered her a human and respected her could switch because of this disease.
The story of Series of Dusks is about accepting who you are, what you are, and that you're never going to be what others wanted you to. Because ultimately you can only ever be yourself, and denying that will get you killed.
So we start Series of Dusks in Semmelweis last months to live, she needs to find a cure, a salvation for the disease that is overtaking her, and each character that she encounters in Series of Dusks is either something she wants to be or something she doesn't want to be. The characters that Semmelweis finds are all authentic and live in the way they believe is the correct way, all of the characters she finds in Vienna are telling her one message, from before and after SoD, "accept yourself" the only path to survival is embrace your reflection is to accept what you are.
So let's start with the first character she encounters after leaving the apartment she was with Emil.
Kakania is the character that will first of all attack and kidnap Semmelweis, and that directly tells Semmelweis the many problems of her disease, Kakania isn't a very good psychiatrist, but from her analysis she can notice Schizophrenia, Anxiety, and insomnia. She's passionate about the things she loves and can't stop talking about them, a person who understands who she is and what she likes.
After her exchange with Kakania, Semmelweis moves onto the next part of her story, where she finds an "old friend".
Valentina is for Semmelweis the representation of everything she rejects about herself, she is freedom, she is what she wants and whenever she wants, bound by no one, Valentina explicitly doesn't care about the perception of others towards her, something that does still affects Semmelweis and while Semmelweis despises what Valentina is, that is exactly the key for her to accept herself. Kakania tells Semmelweis her problems directly while Valentina shows Semmelweis that she can embrace herself in order to be who she truly is. Here we have a very important scene that marks the story and that made me originally start connecting many dots about Semmelweis and Transgender Experiences.
After an exchange of words, Semmelweis and Valentina come to a conclusion, if the Beyond Disease changes everything about you, it also changes your capability of using Arcanum. So Val offers to help Semmelweis with unleashing her arcane skill, the way they do that is by making Semmelweis... Change clothes, making Semmelweis look confident and pretty essentially but also much more than that, make Semmelweis feel comfortable, make her stop worrying if the incantation will work or not, and only after Semmelweis stops thinking and stops worrying over it, is that she is capable of unleashing an arcane skill, something that always affected her view of herself, that made her deny her existence as a mixed arcanist because of how she couldn't cast skills had just been surpassed by her.
Finally the last character Semmelweis encounters in Series of Dusks is Lorelei. This one is the most interesting and at the same time the simplest of interactions. Lorelei represents the salvation that Semmelweis is seeking, the *literal* messiah that she needs in order to ensure her survival and Semmelweis's world shatters when Lorelei doesn't offer her a cure, she doesn't offer her a way out. Much to the contrary, Lorelei directly says to Semmelweis, there isn't anything wrong with her, that isn't anything that needs to be fixed. All she needed to do, since the first time she heard that melody in Echoes, is accept who she is. Semmelweis's first arc concludes in this note, in all endings of Series of Dusks there is only one outcome for her survival, accepting herself. Accepting that both the angel and the devil that she sees in her eyes, the responsible for her predicament Valentina and the savior that holds her hand, are telling her the same thing, to embrace who she is truly is.
Another transgender experience, the one to realize that this is who you are and you HAVE to embrace yourself otherwise you will die, either taken by depression or killing yourself from the inside and becoming a husk of a person. Semmelweis needs to accept that she isn't who she's "supposed" to be, she's only herself. And that's the message that she ends with in Series of Dusks but another important piece of Semmelweis's puzzle comes in the aftermath of it, how difficult and how long it takes for you to really accept yourself, it's a process, it isn't a switch that occurs with a single event.
But before that, I have been neglecting a very important character in the story of SoD. So let's talk about Bella.
Bella is present to us after a hallucination that Semmelweis suffers that has her doctor in it. She's relieving the moment that she was diagnosed with her disease, but with some things happening different that made Semmelweis understand this is a hallucination. Bella throughout the story presents herself as Semmelweis reflection, she constantly says that she is Semmelweis, and although Semmelweis agrees rationally, she still doesn't accept that as reality, Bella is indeed her, but she is not Bella. She has, to not be Bella. Bella, like Valentina, represents what Semmelweis despises, but here she represents what Semmelweis despises the most about herself. She is the one constantly telling Semmelweis to give up, she's the one constantly telling Semmelweis go back to the comfortable life in the Foundation, to the people that think of her as human, she is the thing that wants Semmelweis to survive but at the same time wants anything but for Semmelweis to continue, because pursuing what Semmel is pursuing, is inevitably going to make her suffer, because understanding who you are, that you aren't what you were always "supposed" to represent is something painful. Bella desperately wants to not suffer.
However Bella also represents what Semmelweis denies about herself, and Bella also wants Semmel to acknowledge that, she tells Semmelweis multiple times that she is Semmelweis, they are one and the same. Even if they're constantly bickering and disagreeing in the end they're just a singular note (as Lorelei puts it)
Accepting Yourself Takes Time
Finally the last instance where we accompany Semmelweis's story is in her anectode.
Some time after the storm and the events of Series of Dusks, Semmel returns to Vienna with a new mission and here we see Bluepoch tackle another aspect of accepting yourself in their writing. Acceptance is a process, one that takes time, and that still has denial involved. For someone who is so headstrong as Semmel is, accepting your new reality of being your new self can be even more challenging. But I want to tackle the two characters who are the most important in this anectode. Pavia and Nora.
Pavia is insanely similar to Semmelweis, both assholes who take lives in their own ways, they decide their fate and they do that because they know what they want and they know who they are. The main differences with these characters being that Semmelweis bends the rules and still comforts to society to a degree, she's safe, while Pavia goes in lengths to deny the things he doesn't conform to in reality, one is aggressive and destructive, while the other is more maleable in the way they take their approach to life. Their dynamic really thrives in that difference in method while contrasting and completing their own themes, Pavia shows once again that everything in Vienna is telling Semmelweis that all she needs to do is accept herself.
And then she comes across Nora. Like Semmelweis Nora is a person who doesn't want to accept herself, her identity as a vampire that she constantly hides from everyone, because all she wanted was for her to be accepted by this ruthless society that forces her to be something she isn't or die. And Nora loses herself because of that, creating an anger and a fury towards those who hurt her just because she is the way she is. People who were her friends and the moment they find out that she's a vampire they turn on her and hurt her deeply with her biggest weakness. In the conversation she has with Semmelweis you'd expect her to hate them, to want them dead. But Nora hates herself instead, she hates what she is, she wishes and longs for being something that isn't her.
But Semmelweis shows that despite the world wanting people like them dead, they still must persevere and be themselves, otherwise there's nothing worth fighting for, there's nothing that should make yourself do things if you deny your own existence for the sake of acceptance. And for a moment we can see that Semmelweis notices their struggle is the same, the both refuse to accept themselves they need to do that otherwise they won't be able to live, Nora in a metaphorical sense and Semmelweis in a literal sense. The arc of the infected vampire starts where once stood the begging, she's now the one helping a person who can't accept herself instead of being the one who's losing their grasp on life.
The trans experience and the story that is told with the character of Semmelweis overlap in many ways, from the disphoria that could be presented on how Semmelweis feels about her nature as mixed, the journey to accept herself, and the time that it takes to heal from all of this. The constant fighting that she must do for her place in the world that Nora and Valentina also had to. Semmelweis learns to not care about what others things, and to do what she desires, to be who she wants and who she is.
Semmelweis has an abundantly clear queer reading of not belong, of having to come to terms with who you are, that you're not going to fulfill other's expectations upon you. And that to survive, you need to love yourself, your true self, not the mask you created for society to accept your existiance.
dating simulator where it starts normal but it slowly becomes clear that all of the romanceable characters are attempting to cover up an extremely specific murder they committed a year ago before you arrived
I’m still not over it I’ll never be over it I fucking adore Farewell, Rayashki and I need to talk about how Windsong and Vila, and by extension Rayashki, compliment each other.
Rayashki is a near-utopian dream - Vila particularly states it often, how it’s her dream and how wonderful it is to live there, and everyone else living in it shares this dream, and they fight tooth and nail to keep it alive and fuel it.
And then there’s Windsong. I’d call her the POV character for this story, with her own dream, of revitalizing the study of ley lines, and proving its legitimacy to the wider world.
And I adore how these two dreams intersect.
Immediately, Vila shows the acceptance and welcoming nature of Rayashki - the same she had received. She, and the others, allow Windsong to prove herself without prejudice, and that’s exactly what she does.
The line “This is where our paths meet” may as well encapsulate their story, and the story of Rayashki. It’s a place where others can find their home, a place they belong without judgement - and which in turn helps facilitate their dream.
Windsong is heard, accepted - and her studies help the town turn around. She helps them deal with the critters, the Zeno occupation - and, eventually, their problem with the town’s sustainability, by discovering a massive coaldeposit, all thanks to the knowledge hidden in the ley lines.
But she couldn’t have done it by herself.
The people of Rayashki, and Vila in particular, believe in her theory, and maybe more importantly, they believe in Windsong, likely even more than she believes in herself. They give her the courage to push further, to stand her ground, and to prove what she knows and what she can do.
And it’s mutual. When the Zeno try to tempt her with an endorsement, she does consider it at first.
But Zeno doesn’t believe in her. Rayashki, Vila, however; they do.
What immediately jumped at me was the wording of “less than satisfactory results”. Everything Windsong had said, predicted or discovered here so far was right - the only thing less than satisfactory was what she was leading the people of Rayashki to discover - which, while it came at an unforeseen cost, was just what they had needed.
But the point is, Zeno didn’t believe in her. Zemo didn’t care. This was a carrot on a stick, a way to shut her up and get her out of the way. And this wouldn’t prove her studies. To take this endorsement would be to walk away from the exact opportunity that she had been waiting for her whole academic career, with no proof to show for it.
But she stuck with Rayashki, she believed in Rayashki, in Vila’s dream, because they believed in her dream. This is where their paths met.
This and many other reasons are why I adore the story of Rayashki. It was everything I had hoped it would be, and I’m absolutely thrilled for 1987 Cosmic Overture. Windsong has become one of my favourite characters throughout, and the dynamic of her, Vila and August is wonderful.
Anyway I love them so much and I need them to kiss. I’ve been scouring Windla fics for hours after finishing Rayashki and they’re all so good and I need more and I’m basically decided that I will write some (after I finish the ToothZ in my drafts).
Analysis and theories regarding the concept of Afflatus within the universe of Reverse: 1999
if you're from the old r99 news server or the current r99 rp one (or if you've talked to me at any point about r99) then you might know how obsessed I am with afflatus analysis!
so after going feral on my main account about it, and seeing my afflatus thesis drafts just catch dust on my wips, I decided to just open a discussion about it in the fandom! just little by little as I get the thoughts out of my brain!
so yes, this is very much an invitation for people to discuss and theorize about smaller details of the game such as afflatus, medium and other things--there are many fun ways to interpret the way afflatus applies to characters, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts! ping me in your posts, go feral in the reblogs or comments!
as usual, transcripts were taken from the R1999 Neocities transcript project!
During the first few months of GL's launch, "Afflatus" was generally considered an extradiegetic aspect of the game--a simple mechanic meant to facilitate gameplay for the player, without any relevance to the lore or the plot. Throughout the course of the following patches, namely within the main story, this idea was disproved in many ways, and there were plenty of clues that reinforced its existence in-universe from the very beginning. For the sake of those who have never noticed, I'll do my best to be thorough, but there may be some instances of Afflatus that I missed, feel free to let me know!
The very first time Afflatus is mentioned is in the main story; Chapter 01 - Stage 4 "Chicago Rescue," Sonetto is the one to bring it up during one of the battle tutorials.
Sonetto: That's quite a lot of critters! Timekeeper, we must do something to turn things around now. Remember what the instructor said in class? "Afflatus is a way to hunt in the world." "Observations of the minerals, plants, stars, and beasts as well as our experiences with the spirit and intelligence let us better understand our own existence."
Sonetto: Select a proper target for me, Timekeeper.
Sonetto: Use an incantation that is strong against the enemy's Afflatus to defeat them more quickly. You can take it from here, Timekeeper.
The fact that this conversation takes place during a game tutorial doesn't instantly render the contents discussed as "just meta," since we've had many different instances of game mechanics being relevant to the overall history and worldbuilding of the setting; Artificial Somnambulism Therapy is both a game mode and a type of therapy developed by Mesmer Jr's family, used extensively within Laplace, as well as a key plot point in Chapter 3 "Nouvelles et Textes pour Rien"; Picrasma Candy is a way for the player to continue playing and an actual medicine for arcanists developed by Medicine Pocket that Argus heavily depends on to use her own arcanum. Bluepoch makes a point to further develop their story through these mechanics, thus it is impossible to separate them from the story itself--battle conversations, daily tidbits, loading screens, items and other details can all be considered canon! Afflatus is no different.
Another early instance of Afflatus occurs in the Tutorial Notebook, which disappears forever once completed--so the following screenshot was taken from this video!
The text reads:
Sometimes, our Afflatus is strong or weak against an enemy. We need to follow this principle and select the proper arcane skills based on the enemy. Strong or weak? Like a cat to a rat?
The relationship between different Afflatuses is like the ecological cycle. When your Afflatus is strong against the target's, your incantation will deal more damage. ─ On Afflatus, Chapter 1
The sticky note implies the existence of a book or research on the subject ("On Afflatus, Chapter 1") which, in turn, supports Sonetto's dialogue about the Afflatus lessons she received in SPDM ("Remember what the instructor said in class?"). With this we can understand that Afflatus exists within the world to a degree that allows it to be studied, also eliminating one of the earliest theories in GL about how Vertin is the only person who can perceive Afflatus due to her status as the Timekeeper.
To my knowledge, there are no direct explanations nor clues as to why or how one would discern Afflatus in others as of writing this. What is the point of assigning Afflatus types in-universe? How can it be done? Sadly, I don't have answers to these questions in particular!
But let's analyze our current examples so far.
According to Sonetto's knowledge on the subject, Afflatus encompasses "observations of the minerals, plants, stars and beasts as well as our experiences with the spirit and intelligence," that allows people to understand themselves. This serves as a list of both Natural (Mineral, Plant, Star, Beast) and Primal (Spirit, Intellect) Afflatuses, while hinting towards the purpose of Afflatus as a tool of introspection.
With this, one may theorize that Afflatus can apply to every living being, as it tackles observations with the surrounding world (Natural Afflatus) and one's inner world (Primal Afflatus). This is partially true, there is a small yet important distinction to be made!
The 1.5 "Revival! The Uluru Games" patch explored the physiological and social differences between humans and arcanists through Ezra and Spathodea, and a new batch of loading screen tidbits were added, such as this one:
The text reads:
The arcanum's Afflatus categories do not apply to humans. However, factors such as personality and preferred instruments may cause certain individuals to have a closer affinity to a particular type of arcane Afflatus.
This daily tidbit confirms that arcanum's Afflatus categories do not apply to humans. The rest of tidbits emphasize on the contrast between the two groups in different aspects; humans cannot cast arcane skills, they use technology and commands rather than incantations, they're considered rational instead of passionate, reason vs instinct, etc etc.
But I believe there is an important distinction to be made! The first loading screen tidbit mentions "arcanum's Afflatus categories," rather than Afflatus itself. There is an aspect of Afflatus that is directly linked with arcanum, and thus it makes sense that it cannot be applied to humans.
We can see this happening in Greta Hoffman's report from the Special Chapter - "The Star" in which she explains her interactions with 37's mother, 77. Here are a few excerpts.
Writer of the Report: I'm not sure whether she was making fun of me or being serious, but I had this feeling that she was eager to tell me how she was granted the secret through a moment of afflatus. It seemed she just saw through the laws behind all things instead of finding them through logical deduction.
"HER": "The rhombus can't be seen with eyes. You shall close your eyes, hearken to the teaching of the supreme existence, and seize the moment of afflatus!"
Writer of the Report: Of course, I didn't see anything, nor did I understand what a moment of afflatus was. Perhaps it's just another privilege enjoyed by arcanists, just like their right to be lunatic. Nevertheless, she reached the correct conclusion in a completely wrong way. Is it really possible?
Writer of the Report: But, if there is a god, why are you playing such a prank on us, after we had suffered from the collapse of all the existing orders and the failure of all the great laws? If this is what she called the glimpse of the supreme existence, the moment of afflatus, do you have to present it in such a cruel way?
Even Matilda brings up afflatus during this chapter, in reference to her job monitoring new members.
Matilda: &$#% ... I know she's a rookie, but even so, she's way too unbelievable! "Guide new members with caution and patience. Trigger their afflatus at the right time." Oh, I have to admit, Vertin is doing it better than me for now.
Note the distinction between capital A "Afflatus" and lowercase "afflatus." In this context, the "moment of afflatus" exists as its namesake implies--as an inspiration, a moment of divine impulse that only arcanists can utilize and, therefore, cannot be explained nor proved through human logic.
That is the basis for the tension between Greta Hoffman (a mixed whose arcane blood has been so diluted she can easily pass off as a pure-blooded human) and 77 (a pure-blooded arcanist from an isolated and ancient arcanist society) as two characters from vastly different groups that cannot reconcile nor find a middle ground in their differences. This is the arcane aspect of Afflatus as the 1.5's tidbit mentions, the part that cannot be applied to mankind. But Afflatus also exists as a tool of introspection as mentioned before, which encompasses aspects that any living being can relate to--therefore, it explains why we have both playable and non-playable humans with Afflatus types.
To further understand how non-arcane living beings can still lean towards different types of Afflatus, let's examine the enemies in the game.
The main story is very consistent with how they portray enemies, if you pay attention to their battle information you can see all the deliberate details Bluepoch has added; every enemy comes with a short description that might evolve and change along the story in future renditions of their fights, there are different card sets for different factions (Manus Vindictae's deep black and blue cards vs the Foundation's white and light blue cards), each attack/incantation is uniquely named, giving context and insight into the enemy you're fighting, some even have uniquely named traits/buffs/debuffs!
And as far as I know, every single enemy in the game, regardless of whether they're arcane in nature or not, has an Afflatus assigned to them. Let's look at arcane beings first.
We see that all three examples match their respective Afflatus; a Mineral Carbuncle with a Mineral Afflatus, a Dryad, commonly associated with nature has the Plant Afflatus, and Druvis III, a playable character, retains her Plant Afflatus even as a mysterious NPC boss fight in which her regular incantations have been switched to Manus Vindictae.
And we can also see continuity in Afflatus in other bosses, such as Matilda and Lilya in later chapters--they both retain their own Afflatus as playable characters, and much like Druvis, Matilda's cards are concealed as the default Foundation set for the sake of keeping their identities concealed. There is a clear intent behind these choices.
In the Surface levels of Artificial Somnambulism, the ones that directly correlate to the main story, also feature many other playable characters with their respective Afflatuses; La Source in "Misty Lake a"; The Fool, Bunny Bunny, Pavia, Satsuki and Tennant in "Floating Park a" ...
And I do want to mention that there are instances in which the game allows us to fight playable characters whose Afflatuses have been changed--but there is still an clear goal behind this.
The beta levels of Artificial Somnambulism feature the same aforementioned characters as the alpha ones, but a few of them have different Afflatus. This can be explained within the main story as the direct result of Vertin's mind being tampered with, as we see her struggle to remember and forget things clearly during her AST induced coma in Chapter 3.
???: Her traumatic segment has been reactivated. Increase the power, stabilize her psychube. Try the next dream.
Z: The artificial somnambulism therapy may not work on her, Mesmer.
Mesmer Jr.: It means she had suffered the same traumatic experience repeatedly. Even so, she showed no behavioral or cognitive impairment. Back then, as we held her down and put the helmet on her, she even advised me in an extremely calm manner … “I agree with your judgment, but it’s just for this time.” … She was the bellwether of the “break-away” incident after all. I’ll say she’s been well-behaved this time.
Sonetto: … I-I thought … Timekeeper is receiving for her low spirit. But you said you held her down …
Mesmer Jr.: Oh, that’s just another description of the method used for the same purpose. The aim was to ensure Vertin was unconscious and taken back. That’s the direct order from the vice president of the committee, Constantine. The order from on high was given on the premise of rational thinking and consideration over pros and cons─you are not questioning the reasoning of mankind, are you?
A similar situation happens during UTTU Week, which features playable characters as different characters within the story that UTTU is attempting to share. For example, in 1.2 "Nightmare at Green Lake," the playable characters you fight in UTTU Week represent various different archetypes and tropes in horror.
These inconsistencies are done on purpose, as they're not meant to reflect the truth 1.1.
Now, let's look at human enemies. Here are the two human children from the beginning of the game who disrupt the suitcase--despite being humans, they both have Afflatus assigned to them, and not only that but different types as well, Star and Mineral respectively.
So, to backtrack again! Afflatus cannot be applied to humans from an arcane point of view, simply because humans cannot cast incantations. Therefore, their affinity for a specific type of Afflatus is based on something else, something that they share with arcane beings--such as personality, experiences and preferred instruments.
I want to propose the interpretation of Afflatus being the totality of one's experiences in life; depending on your experiences, the way they've shaped your thinking patterns, your instincts and your personality, you may have an affinity for one Afflatus or another.
This ties in with a different aspect of Afflatus: the idea that one's Afflatus type can change, as the person goes through big changes in their life that influence them in different ways.
If we acknowledge that these battle details are all deliberate and meant to add to the narrative, there are two outliers whose Afflatuses change. The first one is Kakania herself; her debut in 1.7 "If we acknowledge that these battle details are all deliberate and meant to add to the narrative, there are two outliers whose Afflatuses change. The first one is Kakania herself; her debut in 1.7 "E Lucevan le Stelle" includes a fight against her in Stage 8 "Mirror and Lantern" which clearly states her Afflatus is Intellect.
One could argue that this is not the true Kakania, as the battle involves fighting mirror versions of her--but as a reminder, the true one is, in fact, hidden among them! And furthermore, if the reflections are exact versions of the real Kakania, it makes sense that they would have the same battle information as her.
As we all know, when Kakania becomes playable in 1.9 "Vereinsamt," her Afflatus is not Intellect but Plant--I'd like to explain this change as the development Kakania goes through in this specific arc of the story.
Her idealistic views and activism, both for her city and her patients, are directly challenged as the story progresses. She realizes that none of her friends within The Circle were the people she thought them to be, namely Isolde whose complex life and struggles were both overlooked and impossible to discern in Kakania's eyes due to their close relationship, and she also sees the town she acknowledged as flawed but still worth fighting for, turn into violent patriots. Everything that Kakania stood for is gone in an instant, and we see her fighting spirit turn into a desperate near-suicidal attempt at making up for her perceived wrongs.
Such radical events like this would warrant a change in Afflatus, as Kakania adjusts her views due to her experiences.
And then on the other hand, we have The Guiding One's Harbringer boss fight in 1.9's Stage 21 "A Homage Paid"--one of its core mechanics is to change Afflatus to that of the last attack it received. Here we see that distinction from before, the lowercase afflatus referring to the arcane aspect, rather than the experiences a person goes through.
As far as I know, this section of the game also becomes unplayable (or is currently unplayable, I can't seem to access it anymore) so the following screenshots are taken from this video!
Kakania's Afflatus change is something that seems to be directly linked to her evolution as a character, while the Guiding One's Harbringer's Afflatus change is directly linked to its status as an arcane construct, using it as a "mimic strategy" during battle. The psychological aspect vs the arcane aspect of Afflatus respectively.
Next, I'd like to discuss some assumptions made about the different Afflatus types; we expect that Beast characters must have an affinity with animals or be animals themselves (Darley Clatter, Getian, Medicine Pocket, Nick Bottom ...) and we expect that Star characters are all related to celestial bodies or the skies (37, Lilya, Matilda, Lorelei, Voyager ...) due to the naming conventions of the Afflatus. And yes, there are motifs within the Afflatus types that match their naming conventions, but a quick look through the character list prove there is much more to offer, as a good chunk of characters don't align with this initial read of their themes.
We have Pickles, a literal dog, and Kaalaa Baunaa, an astronomer, both with Mineral Afflatus instead of what one would expect of them. It's similar to how fandom perceives Awakened as the sole category for sentient objects, when we have characters like Door and Darley Clatter who are undoubtedly objects, implied to have been given sentience, and thus fall within the group of pure-blooded Arcanists rather than Awakened.
I would also like to point out that these initial motifs have nothing to do with a character's Arcanum--another theory I've seen around is that Afflatus types influence an arcanist's arcanum, which can't be further from the truth. One could argue that Kaalaa Baunaa's arcanum (the summoning of meteors and planets) is related to her Mineral Afflatus--both relate to rocks, after all--but just like the previous assumptions, this falls apart when you examine other examples. Jiu Niangzi's arcanum has nothing to do with rocks nor minerals, but liquor. Ulu's arcanum revolves around fire, yet she's still Mineral.
As far as we know, arcanum is something that can be inherited through bloodlines or lineage--think of Mesmer Jr's 01 Story in her Cover Profile, which states “Nobody is more talented in this than Mesmer Jr. Her bloodline gives her outstanding ability and keen senses, which makes everything clear and intelligible to her” in the context of performing AST, or Tennant, whose 02 Story hints towards her father performing the same type of arcanum she's known for--but it's also something that can be taught. We see this most clearly within students of SPDM such as Sonetto, as her skill set matches that of the SPDM students fought during Chapter 3, portraying the "standard" arcanum taught to all arcanist children.
But not only that, arcanum can be influenced by other factors, such as a character's situation and interests--Blonney's arcanum revolves around making drawings come to life, which correlates with her love for storytelling and horror as a child. Pavia's shadow arcanum is hinted to have been formed out of necessity or as a result of his childhood in a dark basement. Tooth Fairy utilizes the fairies she traps.
We also know that arcanists from the same family may not inherit the same level of arcane power, as seen in Shamane and Kumar; the latter was cast out of her family due to her weak arcane power. In all of these cases, Afflatus has nothing to do with arcanum.
So what exactly do Afflatus types tackle?
These are the Afflatus as I've analyzed them, as much as I could summarize it for easier digestion!
With this interpretation, we can see that Star relates to celestial objects and the skies, but also trailblazer geniuses and unstoppable forces, that which is out of reach for common people. Mineral relates to solid materials and stability in permanence, but also the rigidness of strict systems or traditions or stagnancy. Beast relates to wild animals and creatures found in the world, but also the survival of the individual, the struggle to find a place for oneself no matter what. And Plant relates to the flora and the natural cycles in the world, but also the safety of a collective, that which is inherent to the world such as community or change.
This is why these belong to the Natural category of Afflatus: they are concepts that already existed on the world or were manifested into it, from the ground we touch, the people we interact with, to the ideals and beliefs that influence and create societies or bring people together.
On the other hand we have Spirit, relating to the soul, the supernatural and the spiritual aspect of things, but also the unknown, to follow one's gut instinct or embrace the inexplicable. "The way I see the world is unconventional, because I feel these different things about why and how things are the way they are." And then Intellect, relating to the mind and the logical aspect of things, but also the different mindsets and patterns of thought one can have to rationalize things. "The way I see the world is unconventional, because I have these different rules about why and how things are the way they are."
This is why they belong to the Primal category of Afflatus: they are, as the name implies, ancient impulses and habits that mostly exist within ourselves, our thoughts and our feelings.
The Tutorial Notebook also mentions an "ecological cycle," there is a relationship between the different categories that explains why some are strong or weak against others. It's rather easy to understand for the Primal Afflatus, as it's the classic fight between hearts and minds, but Natural Afflatus is a little harder to grasp.
We see the relationship between Beast and Mineral; the former is weak against the latter, the latter is strong against the former. You may read the Natural Afflatus wheel clockwise or counter clockwise.
Using the previous explanations, let us examine this cycle!
Beast is strong against Plant, because it's the disruption of a community or the harmony of the world through a single individual desperately fighting to change their current situation. A desperate animal does not think about the consequences its actions has on the environment while it tries to survive. Plant is strong against Star, because it's a tight-knit collective that embraces change and thus, the lone genius cannot shine above the rest. In an environment that welcomes everyone and everything, there is no way to stand out. Star is strong against Mineral, because it's a single individual choosing to disrupt the status quo, the stability of their society, for the sake of a dream or ideal. A single genius can topple over entire societies. And Mineral is strong against Beast, because a rigid set of rules or traditions leave no place for those who don't fit inside of it or who oppose it. A government that advocates for mankind's superiority leaves no room for arcanists and their rights, it forces them to assimilate within their established rules.
And this cycle goes backwards and forwards!
But I would also like to propose a different type of relation: we understand the aspect of having advantage or disadvantage, but what about Afflatuses that directly mirror each other?
Beast and Star are two Afflatus that directly correlate to an individual against a collective, whereas Mineral and Plant are two Afflatus that directly correlate to a collective against the individual. They're foils of each other; Beast is the underdog, Star is the genius, while Mineral is the stagnant and rigid yet stable and secure systems while Plant is the ever-changing and adaptive nature of the world.
We may also see this in a more precise way: the ecological cycle and Afflatus relationships exist because someone of Mineral Afflatus who is stuck in their ways and refuses to change can be easily upset by someone of Star Afflatus whose nature is to radically change traditions and offer different paths. This is why Semmelweis, a Mineral Afflatus who is hellbent on clinging to the human aspect of herself and sticks to her stubborn mindsets, has such a fascination with Lorelei. Or rather, why Lorelei has such an effect on Semmelweis, as she is a Star Afflatus that begins Semmelweis' journey of self-discovery and acceptance within Series of Dusks.
We can also see previous themes discussed within this post here: one would think that such a radical change is enough to cause Semmelweis to change Afflatus, but we see through her gamemode and the different endings presented that this change is still very much in line with her mindsets and behaviour, Semmelweis remains stubbornly adaptive and pragmatic to the very end, and choosing to follow Lorelei has brought her a deeper insight to understand herself without radically changing who she truly is.
Another example would be Forget Me Not and Druvis III; we know that Forget Me Not is Mineral Afflatus due to his boss fight in Chapter 2 - Stage 13 "Documentary" and Druvis III is Plant Afflatus.
We see the foil dynamics of Afflatus that don't directly interact with each other: the reason Forget Me Not and Druvis III seem to have this type of relationship can be explained through their Afflatus, with Forget Me Not insisting that she perpetuates the very same cycle of revenge and pain, to never move on and continue in the same spot of grieving and mourning for her family. While Druvis III's entire development throughout the Chicago arc--and even leading into the next chapters--tackles her desire to grow and move on, to finally let go of the worst night of her life that took her family away and begin healing from it. It's exactly what Vertin notices within her, and why she's able to connect with Druvis III.
Vertin: Once you dispel the arcanum, it would not be what it is now. I think you are clear, Ms. Druvis, that … Every tree lives for tomorrow.
And that's where I'll leave this extremely long introduction to my study on Afflatus! I'm planning on discussing other themes in the future, such as the way a character's Medium serves as a bridge between their Afflatus and Arcanum, and analysis of the cover profule, but also proper in-depth analysis of each individual Afflatus!
There is so much to look at when discussing Afflatus, every single Insight material has its own description, and each stage for each Afflatus tells a story that relates to their themes!
Please don't be afraid to reach out with your own ideas or observations, I look forward to what everyone else thinks! And congratulations for making it this far <3
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