I've had this little idea in my head for a while now, so I decided to sit down and plot it out.
Disclaimer: This isn't meant to be some sort of One-Worksheet-Fits-All situation. This is meant to be a visual representation of some type of story planning you could be doing in order to develop a plot!
Lay down groundwork! (Backstory integral to the beginning of your story.) Build hinges. (Events that hinge on other events and fall down like dominoes) Suspend structures. (Withhold just enough information to make the reader curious, and keep them guessing.)
And hey, is this helps... maybe sit down and write a story! :)
I think steven universe fusion is a really specific but fun kind of character study to do with any dynamic you like bc it’s literally this physical embodiment of the character’s relationship. So cool
Here is my detailed pitch on what would happen if Wanderer & Nahida Genshin Impact did steven universe fusion (the most important meta about them I have ever done):
Disclaimer I am not putting much thought into Crossover lore here just imagine somehow There Is Gem Fusion In Genshin Impact.
Also breaking this into 3 segments: character stances on fusion, fusion circumstances, & fusion personality!
Character stances on fusion: I think it would be a pretty big deal for such a fusion to exist because I think Wanderer & Nahida both have really specific and complicated relationships with fusion as a concept overall.
Nahida would’ve never had the opportunity to fuse with anyone because of her imprisonment and the lack of any interpersonal relationships that results on it, while Wanderer to be honest probably has an almost traumatic relationship with it, either just out of his general jadedness about trusting people, or if you wanted to make it Even Worse, you can say the last fusion experience (and possibly one of the Only ones he’s had) was with Dottore—which would obviously be sort of a Malachite situation where it’s a very unhealthy fusion based on a relationship of (perceived) mutual exploitation and toxicity.
Formation circumstances: But I really do think I can see a hat radish fusion existing. I think it’s something they try to form form originally out of necessity or in a moment of need (there’s some big threat they realize they need both their strengths in a combined way [it’s either a thread against Sumeru Wanderer offers Nahida help with, or I can see Nahida coming in to help Wanderer confront Dottore], or during a critical moment they have a moment of understanding and fuse in the same way Steven and Amethyst do for the first time)
I think it’s a fusion very deeply based off trust and a mutual respect + understanding of each other’s experiences and genuinely works really well. Wanderer doesn’t really like talking about or acknowledging it particularly around other people, I think he handwaves it off as just being a trick they use for extra strength when necessary but their fusion is so stable when formed you can tell he’s really down with it. (This is especially obvious to Nahida as the other half of the fusion). Nahida obviously just thinks fusion is Really Fascinating as an Embodiment of Relationships and Experiences and in Wanderer’s words “will not stop employing bizarre poetic metaphors about it whenever it’s relevant”
After the initial more In The Moment circumstance of the fusion forming I think they do a usual dance for it and I think it’s just genuinely really cute. I’m imagining it being like those parent / child swing dances where Wanderer can spin Nahida around and it’s jsut really endearing because Nahida is full of energy and having s really good time while Wanderer is trying to not look very neutral.
Fusion Personality: ok so with all of this in mind we need to talk about the fusion itself. I think the first time traveler & paimon meet them Paimon’s like woah!! Wanderer & Nahida fusion! That’s so cool! They must be pretty powerful huh! And the fusion is like I Sure Am :D and demonstrates this in a Cool way. And Initially at first the fusion just seems like an easy going guy who’s full of whimsy and easy to get along with and Traveler + Paimon even make a comment like wow! it seems they mostly took after Nahida’s personality and not Wanderer’s Haha. That’s a relief. Maybe we should ask them to fuse more often this is kind of great
And then they regret this statement almost immediately, because as it turns out. Wanderer & Nahida’s fusion is also a massively lame nerd and a hilariously insufferable smartass. I AM SO VIVIDLY LIKE. imagining this little guy who’s a little smaller than Wanderer (Wanderer is not happy Nahida is stopping them from being cool and intimidating looking) with 4 arms who is constantly pulling up Nahida’s little holograms to emote and gesture along with anything they’re saying and does not stop TALKING and making silly bizarre nerd jokes and quips and crackling at them despite the fact they make zero sense to Anyone else. (Except maybe Cyno, who encourages this. Utterly horrifying)
They’re a really strong and useful ally in a fight but also genuinely kind of terrifying in combat. They fly around and do a blend of Wanderer & Nahida’s attacks where they skip around between spontaneously formed hopscotch tiles in the air and blast you with them while just visibly having fun and a good time. They rarely actively attack and tend to flip opponents around with a lot of illusion mindfuckery while making playful silly comments about it and are unfortunately not all for show bc they hit fast and hard when they DO attack. They have the durability of a toothpick and are kind of easy to punt around but good luck getting a hit on them omfg
Absolutely absurd force of nature. Baffles everyone constantly. But they’re a nice guy! friendly and super playful, VERY talkative, a little snarky in humor, mildly terrifying in combat, laughs in kind of a magical crackling way sometimes, and your friend :)! Wanderer and Nahida are probably the ones having the most fun here. No one else knows what to think of them. They present themselves are more chill to the general people of Sumeru (they know it’s like an alternate form of Nahida but not the specifics) who find them just kind of ominous and surprisingly more intimidating than Nahida is despite the fact they’re like 4.9” . I love them
i just finished reading dungeon meshi and would like to state:
if you have been under the impression up to this point that dungeon meshi is a low stakes found family slice of life about quirky fantasy friends talking about food (like i did before i read it), i'd like to tell you that it is not that. those moments of found family enjoying a meal are surrounded by a harrowing and grim journey through a terrifying labyrinth designed to kill them, and throughout the 97 chapters comprising it from start to end, I cannot think of a single page that didn't contain vital story information that mattered.
it is an expertly and lovingly crafted odyssey with fantasy world building so thorough with consistent logic that the properties of the magic in their world fell extremely comfortably into the part of my brain that understands things like gravity and light particles. it's really good shit.
keeping in the theme of "no wasted panels", theres also no wasted time, setting up the premise and end goal that will encompass the entire story in the first chapter. as someone who watches a lot of anime who dilly-dally in getting to the point, i found this very refreshing.
also, the main character is written to be autistic in an extremely believable way, and i dont mean that in a "its my headcanon!" way, i mean it in a "the vast majority of character conflicts he has directly involve his inability to communicate, even though to him he speaks very plainly and directly as best as he can" and a "his niche obsession that other people cannot understand and find offputting is something that gives him a great deal of joy, and his passion and competence in it gives him strength that other people can't and seemingly refuse to try to understand" way. as someone with The Same Problems, i found myself having a deep love for his character at the end. like, he is really something else.
if i keep thinking about it i could make this list a mile long honestly, its a really very good story.
It is so important to me to keep talking about the efforts of the armed resistance because they make Israel's claim of total control and total stability and the inevitability that Israel wants to break the spirits of the Palestinian people a fucking joke. These people are running on foot to stick explosives under 10 million dollar tanks and doing so successfully. They killed the commander that led the first raid on Al Shifa hospital by sniper shot while he was chit chatting with other IOF, assumedly safe in the North. A coalition of resistance groups watched the sun rise on Tel Aviv retreating from Jenin, a refugee camp with at least 15 entrances that Israel has treated as a punching bag. These victories matter. They show us that Israel bleeds and IS bleeding.
today's brainworms are: Shadowheart/Minthara. god's specialest princess x god's worst daughter. "rejected by my goddess because I wouldn't sacrifice everything and efface myself in totality for her, and unwillingly laid claim to by a new one about whom my feelings are complicated at best" x "rejected by my goddess because I was taken from her against my will, and she has no use for even unwillingly broken toys, so now I have no gods save my own ambitions." agenda for the afternoon: kissing, stabbing, light heresy.
More than 300 Palestinian sports teams are calling to ban Israel from the Olympics over its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
[...] In Gaza, Israel has killed Palestinian Olympic Football coach Hani Al Masdar, destroyed the Palestinian Olympic Committee offices, and turned sports facilities into shameful mass detention and torture centers.
We can’t sit back as the IOC allows Israel to use the Olympics to sportswash its genocide in Gaza and its apartheid regime against Palestinians everywhere. Support the call from Palestinian teams. Join the campaign to #BanIsrael from the Olympics and peacefully disrupt the road to the Paris 2024 games.
Global days of action planned for March 15-17:
Ahead of the IOC executive board meeting in Lausanne Switzerland (March 19-21), take the call from Palestinian teams to your National Olympic Committee, International Sports Federations and Recognized Sports Federations. Organize protests, sit-ins, peaceful disruptions, or awareness raising events on Israeli attacks on Palestinian sports.
For more concrete information on how you can participate in the campaign, see the link above. You should also check in with your local BDS-affiliated organization(s) to see if they have anything planned for these dates (if they don't, consider bringing it up to them)
If you're not familiar with any BDS-affiliated organizations in your country (or state/city), then take a look at BDS's "Join a Campaign'"page.
Furina probably spent her last 500 birthdays throwing a massive extravagant citywide party since it’s considered a public holiday in Fontaine, while Nahida probably spent her last 500 birthdays locked up in the Sanctuary of Surasthana with the Akedemiya neglecting the Sabzeruz Festival because they hate the arts and also that Nahida’s birth + existence to them is first and foremost a reminder of Rukkhadevata’s death than anything else.
The most important thing to note, however, is at the end of the day as they sit by themselves and think about how another birthday has come and gone they both feel deeply alone in the very same way
Shalom: "You've done your best. You've resisted fearlessly and fought against the tide, pushing limits. Finally, you've made your way to me. Good job... From now on, just leave it to me."
"Be it revenge or relief, I can take you anywhere you want and grant your wish. On only one condition… Keep your head clear and protect me. You're a knight, protect me like you did those you once served."
Rahu: "... l've only ever wanted to serve one person. And she's no longer alive. But I need you to realize your promise. I… forbid you from dying."
Shalom: "With your protection, I'm not dying anytime soon. Rest assured."
favourite Rahu x Shalom CGs and lines from the third night (7/22) of Rain Burst
