#meta answer

[hdg-lorets]

Something terrible is happening! I am not being pet despite literally being cutes. How can I most easily rectify this situation?

-Iris Loretti, 2nd bloom

[huskymaine]

If you don't mind, could you tell your opinion abt kakaobi? I get quite curious abt it when I read your last post (also, I like and agree with your thoughts!)

Thanks for the ask, and of course I don't mind hehe

My opinion of KakaObi? In short, I love their relationship and always happy to see contents about their bond, be it friendship, rival, romantic, etc <3 <3 <3

As I said on this post, as detective/deduction nerds I have an unhealthy attachment toward Tobi unmasking plot twist, so that particular plot point managed to drag me back to re-watching Naruto twice. Like, the chilling music, the tense situation, Hatake always-calm-reliable Kakashi’s panicked breathing, the all-knowing-mastermind Tobi ‘Madara’ gradually lost his control, the way that the reveal of Tobi’s real identity is not the end, but in fact like opening a can of worm... Truly, everything happened on that scene make me gritted my nails hard. So I find that to enjoy the most impact of that scene is by understanding the bond between Kakashi and Obito, and voila, a KakaObi shipper was born haha. By shipper I don’t mean that I am adamant that they are canon but more like obsessed with analyzing the depth and complexity of their relationship.

To me, Obito is Kakashi’s “shaker”. From Land of Wave arc till even Kage Summit, Kakashi is a solid pillar for the MCs that can calmly do what he needs to do. Sasuke got curse mark? He had a seal to handle it. Sakura in distress? He calmed her down. Naruto wanted to beg Raikage for Sasuke’s pardon? He helped his student to meet Raikage. Even when an individual that demolished his village appear in front of him, he steadily hold his arm and stare ahead.  Many times in Naruto situation turn into a chaos with many emotional outburst, somehow he has this no-nonsense attitude and there’s almost no hesitation for him to plan and do his next move.

On Obito’s reveal however, probably for the first time he was like “God, what am I supposed to do?” He’s not an unshakable presence anymore, his foundation is practically crumbled. And of course, I am a sadist who enjoy seeing him like that (it’s so cathartic haha) but I also enjoy when Kakashi managed to stand up and faced Obito despite the immense affection he felt to Obito. To see what he felt when he faced Obito, how much he valued Obito, why did he feel like that is the delight of being KakaObi shipper for me.

As for Obito’s side, I feel like he had a mixed feeling for Kakashi that was fun to be explored. His feeling to other people is obvious, like for sure he loves Rin, for sure he hates Madara, but Kakashi? If he hates Kakashi why he never kills Kakashi and take his eye back? If he loves Kakashi why didn’t he come back? Acknowledging the bond between Obito and Kakashi also made me see the goodness of Obito at its fullest. Because before his villain path, Obito is a very good and honorable boy and Kakashi is the one who see him at his brightest. Knowing the depth of Kakashi and Obito’s bond also what made me cried hard on Obito’s death (the second one, although I cried too on his first one) despite the many atrocities that he caused so far. 

And one thing for sure, KakaObi pairing is precious for me because it means acknowledging that Obito is important to Kakashi and Kakashi is important to Obito, which is undoubtfully a canon fact.

[canis-or-cannotis-lycaon]

Meta Question: What was your biggest inspiration for your character?

[META] Sorry in advance that my answer isn't as long or thought out LOL I'd be lying if I said I didn't see the word "Nile" in the skeleton and pick Oscar Isaac as a FC because I thought I could get a lot of mileage out of Moon Knight .gifs. Uh the biggest inspiration for Gael is probably that I'd never really sunk my teeth into his type of character before so the allure of the unknown (at least relatively speaking) called to me: he's strong in his convictions, he's friendly, outgoing, deeply religious and also very intelligent and logical which I've always enjoyed as an oxymoronic combination. He's pretty much antithetical to all of my characters in general. ... Does that answer it? I'm bad at these

[hdg-lorets]

For the tumblr audience: out of character, what are the axioms, and why are they important?

FWD: Axiom Compliance in the HDG Setting To: Clerk Sylvia Wicker, 6th Bloom, Office of Rituals and Records From: EldritchAmy, Bureau of Extradiegetic Information

MESSAGE TEXT: Hello! I'm @eldritchamy, one of the Lorets on the official HDG Community Server. The Bureau of Extradiegetic Information Asked me to send over this response.

Here's the TL;DR version:

HDG as a setting is based on an allegory of social disability, bodily autonomy, and agency. The noncon is the point, and exists in service to this allegory. But there is also wish fulfilment in the Affini as ideal Caregivers.

The entire founding principle of everything we do here is "what if the people responsible for your care actually meant it when they said they wanted what was best for you, and lived up to that promise."

The Axioms (and brief explanations thereof) are as follows: The Affini are BENEVOLENT because that promise is sincere. The Affini are INEVITABLE because you can't escape that promise. The Affini are POST SCARCITY because they have unlimited power and resources to live up to that promise. The Affini are IMPERIALIST because that promise will be given to everyone, whether they like it or not.

These are the four founding principles that all in-universe material must adhere to. For a much more comprehensive analysis of why we have these Axioms and how they work to uphold the core concept of what HDG is, see the much much longer explanation below the cut:

At its most fundamental level, HDG is an allegory for social disability. It began as a deeply personal work of science fiction smut by GlitchyRobo that asked the question, "What if the people responsible for your care always, unconditionally meant it when they said they wanted what was best for you?" and sought to answer that question through the lens of a story that kinks off the nature of agency and consent in a world where you will never be seen as able-bodied, or as capable or powerful or competent as those around you.

This allegory is the guiding principle for what HDG is. Everything we do with the setting is based on the core concept of the Affini as Ideal Caregivers. Even when they're doing crazy fucked up hot shit to you, (remember, it IS a kink setting) they're doing it for your own good.

Things in the original story like nonconsensual drugging, enforced bedtimes, having your personal hygiene managed for you, being forced to sign away your legal rights and personhood to someone with the power to up and change the rules on you however they please once your agency has been stripped away? Those are very real things that happen to very real people in Conservatorships, assisted living facilities, and psychiatric institutions.

Human Domesticaiton Guide, the story, sought to kink off the trauma of the real life version by imagining a world where it was done instead by giant hypnokink mommy domme plant aliens that want to treat you like a beloved pet.

Human Domestication Guide, the setting, when it was opened up for additional authors to play in, needed a set of guidelines that the world operated on. So as it grew into the collaborative, cooperative creative writing project that we know today, a set of founding principles were put together to outline the boundaries of what is and is not HDG.

These are the Axioms, which are as follows:

The Affini are Inevitable

The Affini are Benevolent

The Affini are Imperialist

The Affini are Post-Scarcity

Each of these axioms plays a role in informing the identity of the Affini and ensuring that any depiction of them aligns with their purpose as idealized caregivers.

The ULTIMATE wish fulfilment of HDG, beyond whatever horny bad-end science fiction kink we enjoy creating or consuming here, is that of someone who will love you and give you the highest quality of care you can possibly receive, for the entire duration of your life, without ever getting bored or tired or impatient, or failing in their duty to care for you, or abandoning you.

It is a world where the people who would slip through the cracks of the real world (especially poor, queer, disabled, autistic trans women) instead have a place where they are cared for by someone who means it.

The Affini Compact is not a normal scifi faction like The Borg or the Bene Geserit or the Jedi or the Necrons. The Affini Compact exists to be an allegory for an absolute promise of absolute care.

The Affini Are Inevitable because HDG imagines a world where that promise will ALWAYS be lived up to. You can't defeat the Affini because they're not fighting you. You can't escape from the Affini because there is no distance they will not cross for you. You can't hide from the Affini because there is no rock they won't overturn, no resource they won't expend in order to find you and live up to their promise. The promise of care is inescapable.

The Affini are Benevolent because HDG imagines a world where the one irrefutable truth, the one future you can never fight or run from or escape, the one absolute in this world, is a future where that promise of care is one hundred percent sincere. The Affini Compact is the promise that You Deserve Care, and You Will Be Given Care.

A cat will scream and hiss in its carry crate because it doesn't want to go to the vet to get its shots, because the cat is not a person, and it cannot understand that what you're doing to it is for its own good. Similarly, a feralist may not understand what the Affini are doing to them, but it is ALWAYS for their own good. The Affini ALWAYS mean it when they say they want what's best for you.

The Affini Are Imperialist because the Affini Compact is a de facto empire. They are expansionist conquerors who have spread out from their home in the Triangulum Galaxy, and Domesticated every sophont species they've found along the way, and will continue to do so. When it is necessary to do so, they will even usurp, overthrow, or erase aspects of the cultures they come across.

This is the easiest Axiom to misunderstand, because it sounds completely and utterly incompatible with Benevolence. But consider the subject of the most-explored era of the setting: the Domestication of the Terran Accord in the 2550s. The Terran Accord was a fascist, hypercapitalist, dystopian empire built on mass exploitation and subjugation through wage labor and other cruelties. What the Affini Compact did was completely dismantle the existing government, end capitalism and exploitation, and ensure the highest possible standard of living and quality of life for all in a world without labor, money, debt, etc.

Yes, the Affini Compact is an empire that can and will dismantle governments and cultures that are deemed harmful to the well-being of sophonts. They have done it to all of Triangulum and Andromeda, much of the Milky Way at the time of the Human Domestication Treaty, and they will continue to do it throughout the Local Group and beyond as they expand further out into the stars.

THEY DO THIS BECAUSE THEIR PROMISE OF CARE APPLIES TO EVERYONE.

No one is an exception. Everyone deserves care, and the Affini are the only species capable of providing that care at a standard the Affini themselves deem acceptable. Yes, they are Imperialist. Yes, they are still Benevolent. That is where the wish fulfilment comes in. HDG never claims to be realistic, nor is it a setting focused on highly detailed worldbuilding or plausible science or politics. The setting exists in service to the allegory it is based on. And that allegory is one where everyone is cared for by someone who means it. You will be given the highest possible quality of care, whether you like it or not.

The kink and the allegory are inseparable.

The noncon is the point.

The Affini Are Post-Scarcity because there is no end to the degree of care the Affini can and will provide. They have an unlimited potential to live up to their promise. The Compact will never get tired of you, or run out of money for you, or cut the research grants for some rare disease out of their budgets. They will never tell you your medication is out of stock or that you can't afford it. They will never run out of your comfort food. There will never be not enough hours in the day to provide the highest possible standard of care you can receive. The Affini are post scarcity because it allows them to live up to every other aspect of their promise. They are the ideal caregivers, and their ability to provide that care, to every single sophont everywhere, will never run out.

Everything we've built the Human Domestication Guide setting on comes back to its core identity as a collaborative writing project in a shared setting about social power and disability, and agency, and an absolute promise of absolute care.

The Axioms exist to define the core identity of that project for all who join our little game in the sandbox together, by setting a clear boundary for what is and isn't HDG. If you like our game, we're happy to share the sand with you. If you feel inspired by aspects of the setting, but don't like the rules of our game, then be inspired! Make up a new game of your own to enjoy!

But HDG is at its heart a setting with a deeply personal idea in mind, and we do ask people who want to play in our sandbox to be respectful of that idea.

After all, we may not be the Affini. But we all have the power to show a little care to each other.

[hdg-lorets]

Is there a place for learning about affini biology?

There certainly is! The best place to look would be the Sophont Species Page for the Affini on HDG.wiki!

Powerful shapeshifting plant xenos and the self-appointed caretakers of all sophont life.

There you will find many useful bits of information alongside illustrations about the affini capabilities, life cycle, and more!

[hdg-lorets]

how do new Affini come into being? (this question applies for both pre and post reliance on Beeple)

Hello, petal - I have in my vines a small affidavit from the Bureau of Extradiegetic Information as part of our documentation on addressing this subject, and as it concerns you, I should read it here... let's see:

The subjects of Affini reproduction, uplift, and early "zeroth bloom", just like the subject of any non-adult subjects in the Human Domestication Guide, are deliberately left undefined and vague so as to maintain a strict "No Children in HDG" policy. What has been stated is that affini experience a "zeroth bloom" in which they are brought through a pre-sapient process of development, and upon its completion, enter a "first bloom" in which the first few decades are spent training to care for xenosophonts. Any more detail than this is deliberately left unexplored. Thanks for your understanding!

Well that's certainly not nearly as interesting as some of the delightful details I can share from my first blooms taking their first few sessions of "Terrans Are Adorable!" Let me find my photographic records, you simply must see the gleam in their photoreceptors the first time they see one of these adorable scrungly little critters. Their cores just. light. up.

Ecstasy Verdigris, 4th bloom

[hdg-lorets]

*I come up to the desk and drum my knuckles on it to get your attention. I seem a bit nervous, uncomfortable and the action seems a bit stimmy*

I asked a previous question and I think I did it wrong because there's been no response? So I'm trying again. What do Rinans and Beeple look like? People mention them and in the later case I can make an educated guess but it's still frustrating not knowing for sure.

*My shirt reads "No drugging, trancing" underlined, "or touching without explicit permission from the Sophont. She/he is autistic and VERY sensitive to change.

DO reassure her/him if she/he has made any perceived social errors, or gently explain if an actual error has occurred." In Affini script.

"This is for EVERYONE's sake, not just the Sophont." In Terran. Signed "Vet Erasmus, fifth bloom." In both Terran and Affini.

The affini clerk oh's, and produces a little printed message from the Bureau of Extradiagetic Information. It reads:

Hello there from the Lorets! We assure you, no social error or faux pas has occurred. There's been a lot of activity in the background trying to get the new HDG Wiki up and running, including pages specifically for the various xenosophont species in the Compact, and we've left off answering questions on Rinans and Beeple because we wanted to have something shiny and complete to point to. Unfortunately lack of time, available spoons, and other pressing matters always tend to get in the way of these things. Thanks for your patience with our actually providing good info to you!

I'll be checking with some of the notable HDG artists out there to see if they're amenable to letting us share their artwork of Rinans and Beeple in particular, as well as finalizing a good intro of what one can expect from these fun-sized xenosophonts. Watch this space for more details!

Delcan, HDG discord loret and general all-around nerd

The affini then beams and waves, trying not to make too many embarrassing sounds about the cuteness of terrans.

Hazel Hawthorne, first bloom

[hdg-lorets]

Ooc question here: feel free to answer privately. I'm writing a story wherein a characters past before the Compact came to their planet was horrific and I don't think I can tell the story without discussing their childhood. The child version of the character would not be in any way even tangentially in a kink situation, they would be a full adult (early 20s) by the time they're under the Compact's care. However there is a planned part of the story when they are telling an Affini friend about their past, and it's done through a narrated flashback. Is that allowed or?

In short: yes. from the Setting Rules section on children and relevant clarifications:

"Showing flashbacks to the childhoods of characters born before the arrival of the Affini, who are adults by the time they meet the Affini, is perfectly fine."

There are some edge case ways that this could be pushed beyond the limits of acceptability, but narrated flashback of past events and traumatic childhoods is usually going to be fine, and occurs in many stories.