Dear Worldbuilder 2018
Jan. 22nd, 2018 12:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pannyHello, my dear Worldbuilder! Worldbuilding is one of my absolute favourite parts of fiction. Theorizing and trying to expand on what we're given is often one of the first ways that I try to engage with a shiny new fandom and one of the inevitable draws that keeps me coming back to older, but beloved fandoms. There are few things I enjoy more than seeing other fans' ideas about the worldbuilding in a canon that we are mutually excited about.
I promise that I will be delighted to see what neat ideas you have for any canon and any aspect of worldbuilding that I have requested and that I will be equally happy whether those ideas come packaged in art, fic, or meta form. I very much look forward to seeing where you choose to go!
General Likes:
-Taking elements of canon that are probably not actually meant to be interpreted literally (e.g. most game mechanics or some of the visual metaphors in Utena) and making them an explicit part of the worldbuilding.
-If romance is an element (even background), I have a strong preference for F/F or M/M. Romance is generally neither expected nor required, however.
-Open to IF or mixed media fills.
General DNWs:
-Explicit torture or mutilation.
-Non-con.
-Unrequested ships for canon characters.
-Issue fic.
-AUs.
-Stories using real life tragedies as a back drop or plot device.
Spoilers for all canons bellow!
Owlboy
Canon Specific Likes:
-Robot sky pirates!
-I think there are a lot of really cool ideas in terms of the different cultures that exist within the game world and the different technologies available that we barely get to touch the surface of because Plot.
-Art specific: All the interesting and creative architecture from the houses in Vellie to the various ruins Otus and his comrades have to explore.
-Art specific: Wonderfully expressive characters with fantastic designs! This game is so great for character design - Otus and Alphonse in particular have designs that I just love. And the game is so great for using gestures to their fullest potential - we have a mute protagonist rendered in pixel art and every one of his feelings is communicated so clearly by how he positions himself.
-Solus/Otus, Anne/Bonanza, Noctae/Aegolius, Geddy/Alphonse, and Dirk/Alphonse are all fine. If we're going canon crew, Geddy & Otus friendship and/or Asio & Otus's veeery complicated relationship are particularly choice.
It's up to you whether Otus survived the events of the game or not.
After the Fall of the Floating Continent
So, at the end of the game, the Anti-Hex is successful, the world stops its expansion (and, therefore, no apocalypse), and all the land masses fall back to where they're supposed to be. Excellent! But everyone living in this world has always known a world that's always been floating. Their architecture, their transportation, their technology, their cultures, everything has been built around the understanding that land floats in the sky - it just does. Except, now it doesn't anymore and everyone has to deal with that sudden change.
Fanfiction:
-How do some of the characters (familiar ones or totally new ones) put their lives back together after the end of the game?
-What changes have to be made in terms of lifestyle or architecture in order to live in a non-floating world?
-How is life different? How is it the same?
-How does this change in the natural order affect Owls in particular?
Fanart:
-How does the architectural landscape change as a result of the land masses no longer floating? Do the buildings look any different? Do they structure villages like Vellie differently?
-How does the geographical landscape change? Is there a change to climate once the land masses are no longer floating? How do the land masses land relative to one another and how does that change how the world looks?
-How does technology change? What do common modes of transportation look like now?Does this have an effect on Sky Piracy?
Meta:
-How does the world react to this sudden change? How do they write about and explain what happened?
-What sort of developments take place in the world to cope with life on the surface? In terms of technology? In terms of culture? In terms of relationships between different peoples?
The Loop
This is such a Big Thing in the game and yet we find out so little about what it actually is. I am totally down for the popular fan theory that it's about the Groundhog Day-esque recurrence of the universe (potentially tied in to game mechanics?) or else the slightly less common, but still present fan theory that it's a cycle of reincarnation where each new life is doomed by the events of the previous one, but if you came out of the game feeling like "no, everybody's wrong, the Loop is actually ____" then absolutely go for it. Since we're given so few concrete answers, this is carte blanche to take this wherever makes sense to you. Similarly, is the Loop broken at the end of the game? Is it back in effect? Did the ancient Owls ever really understand the Loop at all?
Fanfiction:
-A story about when the the Loop has occurred, affecting familiar characters or totally different ones?
-A story about the discovery of the Loop in ancient Owl civilization and the chaos that it wrought?
-How they came up with the Hex and the building of the Hex-Machine?
-Something taking place after the game when the Anti-Hex has been successful?
-How the surviving characters who know about the existence of this thing that drove an entire society to existential anguish deal post-game?
Fanart:
-A visual representation of the Loop taking place - whatever that means for you?
-A picture of the moment that Noctae discovered the Loop?
-The building of the Hex-Machine in the Owl Space Library or the plans for building it?
-Owl society finding out about the Loop (the news spreading, the riots, the way that individuals reacted to this information)?
-The moment that the Hex took effect?
Meta:
-Some of the research done on the Loop and/or the Hex?
-Or else writing by some of the other Owl citizens after the Loop's existence was publicized (letters, maybe something like a news report)?
-How does the rest of the world remember the events of the game given that they don't know about the Loop and just witnessed the effects of the Hex and the Anti-Hex? Either immediately after the game or looking at it as a historical event from some point in the future?
Mob Psycho 100
Canon Specific Likes:
-Solving mundane situations through supernatural means and solving supernatural situations through mundane means.
-Lots of focus on the worldbuilding outside of what we get to experience outside of the main cast! I love every one of the core cast of characters and won't be at all upset if they show up, but I feel like there are so many interesting ideas about this world that are implied, but barely touched on in the narrative.
-I really enjoy the general tone of canon and the complexity of the people who inhabit its world. I love the humour, I love that doing the right thing is always a conscious choice, I love the way events oscillate between the casually absurd and the sudden injection of reality and common sense.
-Art specific: Both the anime and the manga for MP100 are a masterclass in well-executed art direction, but I've rarely seen an artist adapt the characters to their own style in a way that I've disliked.
-Art specific: That being said, wow psychic powers in this canon are rendered in a way that looks cool.
ESPer Integration into Society
We get to see little hints of this idea as the ex-Claw members rejoin society and pursue careers outside of psychic terrorism, but I think it's a really interesting idea to explore.
General Questions:
-What sort of powers do ESPers' powers play in their everyday lives? What sort of everyday uses do powers have?
-How does having powers affect their relationships with the world around them? How do average people who know someone with powers feel about it? How often are ESPers open about their powers and how often do they choose to hide it?
-What sort of applications do psychic powers have in the workplace? We see a little of this with Minegishi working at a flower shop, but where else might they come in handy? What does the average workday look like?
Government Employment of ESPers
So, we know that Joseph was hired by the government to infiltrate Claw. This tells us two really interesting things. One, the government is aware of psychic powers as a thing and is actively monitoring threats utilizing psychic powers. Two, the government is willing to hire ESPers to combat these threats (and possibly for other reasons, we just don't know).
General Questions:
-How many ESPers are in the government's employ? What kind of powers do they have? What kind of jobs do they do? What kind of threats have they dealt with aside from Claw?
-How does the government find these ESPers? How do they decide which ones to employ?
-How concerned is the government with psychic powers in general? Do they keep tabs on the kids like Mob who destroy (and then reassemble) schools once in a while or just the active trouble makers like Toichiro?
-Joseph's appearance is so brief, but so memorable. I would totally be down for worldbuilding following how he came to work for the government or his infiltration of Claw or other work that he's done.
Urban Myths
The urban legends arc in the manga was so fun! And the whole Kuchisake-onna reveal was so fascinating (if very, very terrifying). I would love to see more of the urban legends that actually exist in this world.
General Questions:
-We know that some urban legends, like the Kuchisake-onna and the Tsuchinoko, are 100% real. Some of the urban legends we encountered in the manga, were very much not...at least in that instance. Which legends actually exist? Which ones don't? How do they come into existence? How do they interact with the rest of the world?
-How often do ESPers or spirits run into these urban legends? What are the interactions between them like?
Capabilities and Limits of Psychic Powers
We're treated to a wide variety of psychic talents over the course of MP100. Many characters tend to specialize in one particular ability, whether that be hardened chi, pyrokinesis, telepathy, healing, or what have you. Teru seems to be able to pick up a wide range of diverse abilities with a little practice. Mob generally lacks technical skill, but sheer overwhelming power allows him to accomplish a great many things with his abilities - some that we see other ESPers able to do, some that we don't. The abilities that we see look quite different depending on the power and skill of the ESPer using them as well.
General Questions:
-What are some of the things that psychic powers can do? I'd love to see some exploration of some of the abilities that we got to see less of over the series or some entirely new ones.
-What are some things that psychic powers absolutely can't do? What are some things people have attempted that have proven to be actually impossible?
-How limited are ESPers' powers in general? Do most of them have the potential to learn almost anything a la Mob and Teru, but lack the power, talent, or training and so end up specializing in whatever comes most naturally? Or do most ESPers' have a more focused ability pool to draw from from the get go, making mad talented kids who can diversify like that very rare?
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Canon Specific Likes:
-Main anime characterization.
-Interconnection between versions of canon or canon-blending.
-Fairytale motifs.
-Playing with the odd reality the characters live in. Where do the metaphors end and when are we supposed to take the strange things we see them experience literally?
-Art specific: The shadow people motif is always neat and open to being used in interesting ways.
-If it comes up, Anthy/any female character is fine.
Magic in Ohtori
General Questions
-At what point do the metaphors end? What parts of the weird reality are really real? What's life like for an Ohtori student?
-What are the capabilities and restrictions of the magic in Ohtori?
The Outside World
General Interests
-Playing with some of the ideas brought up in the 20th anniversary manga chapter would be choice (I would love to learn more about the catastrophic event that took place in the duelists' childhoods), but is not strictly required.
-How much influence do Akio and Anthy have on the world outside Ohtori? How do they and the events of canon affect it?
-What is life in the outside world like? What does the world look like?
-What is graduation like for an Ohtori student?
Dueling Cycle
General Questions
-What have some of the previous cycles looked like? What kinds of people were involved? How did they play out?
-The duels in the show follow different patterns dependent on what story arc they appear in, which are dependent on Akio and Anthy's resources and motivations at the time. Mikage, for example, probably would not have been a tool whom they utilized in previous cycles. What are some different ways the duels have played out in previous cycles? Has the Akio car always been a thing? What different machinations did they use to drive the holders of the rose signets to fight each other?
-We get to see how Utena gets involved in most versions of canon, but how do they select and recruit other duelists? What qualifies someone to compete for the hand of the rose bride?
Good Omens
Canon Specific Likes:
-The way that mundane things are made almost absurd or given absurd explanations or consequences for their being.
-Similarly, the way that things which are demonic, divine, or otherwise supernatural are made to feel hilariously mundane.
-Humour!
-Queen references.
-Writing specific: Canon compliant pastiche (though, absolutely not necessary if you're uncomfortable).
-Crowley/Aziraphale is fine.
Hell or Heaven
I'm grouping these together because I'm really interested in mostly the same things for whichever of the two you're interested in exploring. Good Omens has such a delightful, charming interpretation of how Heaven and Hell might each operate, so I'm really going to enjoy just about anything taking a closer look at either.
General Interests
-The general bureaucracy of how they operate. What are some of their most outdated, frustrating administrative practices? What are some standard procedures they've put in place?
-What's the job like for someone not stationed on Earth? What are their day-to-day responsibilities? What are the challenges?
-Anything playing with how little entities from either seem to really understand the first thing about Earth and humans.
-Mandatory work social functions and all the discomfort they entail.
-Job performance reviews.
-What do these work environments actually look like? Why have they set them up this way? How well do they actually run?
-How about a time when either one tried to implement something new to make themselves more efficient and it backfired terribly?
Divine/Demonic Influence on Earth
Some of my favourite jokes in Good Omens are the casual information drops re: what Crowley had a hand in creating on Earth, be it Manchester or telemarketers. I'd love to see anything expanding on the history of Divine and/or Demonic influence on Earth's development. The really mundane or petty stuff is particularly choice in this department.
General Interests
-What sort of technological inventions did either Divine or Demonic agents have a hand in creating? How did they go about implementing the idea? What was their motivation in doing so and how has it paid off for their side (or maybe it didn't)?
-What about media they've had a hand in? Music? Theatre? Television? Video games? Celebrity cults of personality?
-Fashion?
-Other trends?
-Really, shoot for anything you can dream up here. E-commerce. Marketing. Modes of transportation. Architecture. Academia. City planning. The vitamin supplement industry. Banks. Sports. Pay-as-you-go cellphone plans. Double lane drive-thrus. Ergonomic desks.
Dragon Age
Canon Specific Likes:
-Dragons.
-Politics! Especially when it comes with a side of intrigue.
-Giant, muscular horned women. Like. Yes.
-Most lore related to magic is really interesting to me.
-If it comes up, Celene/Briala is fine.
Canon Specific DNWs:
-Inclusion of any of the player characters.
Lands Beyond Thedas
So, Thedas may generally consider itself to be the whole world and as far as game events, it mostly is, but I am still really interested in learning about the goings-on beyond its borders.
General Interests
-What do they look like? Climate, landscape, wildlife, architecture - all of this varies so wildly within Thedas! We have a few hints about some of the lands beyond Thedas' borders (e.g. the Sunless Lands, Viridis, Par Ladi). I'd love to see your interpretation of what any of these lands might be like or what other lands might exist that we haven't seen. We've only spent our time in one continent in the southern hemisphere, after all - there are so many possibilities!
-Some of the unique creatures that inhabit these lands. You could expand on the wingless dragons or flying chimeras of Viridis, draw from the knowledge that both Kossith and humans came outside of Thedas initially, or make up your own idea.
-My goodness, what is going on in Amaranth?
-Why are the Voshai so interested in Lyrium?
-How common is magic outside of Thedas? What are the attitudes toward it? How does the understanding of magic and the Fade differ without the overwhelming presence of the Andrastian religion or even elven beliefs to draw from?
-There are lands outside of Thedas that have never experienced a Blight. How much do they know about the Blights? What do they think about the fact that that continent over there gets attacked by tainted creatures from under the earth led by an evil dragon every couple hundred years?
-The Voshai's homeland has been devastated by a "cataclysm", something drove the Qunari across the sea. These lands may not have experienced Blights, but clearly they have plenty of problems of their own! I'd be very interested in learning about some of the events that have affected these lands.
-The Breach was a big enough deal even outside of Thedas that the Executors took interest in the Inquisition. What was the experience of that event like for people outside of Thedas? How did they understand and/or rationalize what was happening?
Kossith
This was such an offhand mention and so little was actually explained about them, but I am fascinated. Given my interest in both the Qunari and the lands beyond Thedas, this interest should come as little surprise.
General Interests
-The Iron Bull theorizes that the Kossith do not look much like the Qunari we're familiar with. What do they look like?
-What does their homeland look like?
-What is Kossith culture like without the Qun?
-Do the Kossith have a thing about dragons or is that exclusively a Qunari thing (and potentially why they don't look alike)?
The Qun
I find the Qunari really fascinating. We learn a little bit more about them each game, but there's still so much that's only hinted at and so many questions that are just answered with the equivalent of "it's a Qunari thing, you wouldn't get it".
General Interests
-The origins of the Qun and its initial spread. What aspects of Koslun's ideas first appealed to people? How did they become popular enough to form a religion? How did that religion become the cornerstone of their culture?
-Similarly, were there people who were resistant to the idea of the Qun when it first started cropping up? What were their reactions to what was happening? What happened to them?
-General glimpses of daily life for the average Qunari would be really neat.
-What is life like for the viddathari? What parts of the Qun take the most getting used to? What are the most appealing? Are there ever any who regret their conversion?
-Each of the games' protagonists have an opportunity to be named basalit-an dependent on their choices. Who are some of the other people who have been considered worthy of such respect by the Qunari and what deeds earned them this title?
-Qunari parables and tales that hold cultural relevance.
-Art under the Qun. What types of artistic pursuits are valued and why? What do they look like? Which ones are discouraged and what is the reasoning for this?
Tal-Vashoth
General Interests
-While it obviously may vary from group to group, what aspects of the Qun are Tal-Vashoth likely to hold onto? Which parts are they the most eager to let go of? Are there parts of the Qun that they initially cling to, but ultimately end up letting go of? Are there parts of the Qun they initially cast off, but end up coming back to for one reason or another?
-What motivates some Qunari to leave the Qun? How do they form communities with other Qunari who've done the same?
-The new social norms that Tal-Vashoth communities develop. Family dynamics! Courtship rituals! Naming conventions! Artistic pursuits (sonnets and otherwise)! Reasons for and methods of celebration! Forms of leadership!
-How do the attitudes of Vashoth born outside of the Qun differ from Tal-Vashoth who've chosen to leave it?
The Fade
I find the Fade as a location and a phenomenon infinitely fascinating, but every time we've visited the Fade in-game, something has been going horrifically wrong.
General Interests
-The day to day inside the Fade. What does it look like, what happens there, what is the existence of any given spirit like?
-What is it like for a spirit to turn into a demon?
-The relationship between dreams and the Fade.
-The way that the Fade interacts with the world during spellcasting.
-The way that real world events and people's thoughts about them transform the Fade.
-Different types of spirits that exist and their purpose.
-The perspective of denizens of the Fade when it comes to rituals like Harrowings or Seeker vigils.
-More information about the nature of the Black City.
The Great Game
Orlais is a fascinating mess of political machinations that we've only barely had the chance to play in.
General Interests
-Complex political plots.
-Assassinations.
-Courtly intrigue.
-Daily life for the people of Orlais as influenced by the prevalence of the Game.
-Bards.
-Power moves that have shaped the history of Orlais.
-The Game's affect on Orlais' foreign policy and their relationships with other countries.
-Rebellions in Orlais.
Transistor
Canon Specific Likes:
-The general feeling and aesthetic.
-Interesting uses of technology.
-Connections between technology and artistic pursuits.
-Politics.
-Art specific: The game's use of colour is woooow.
-Grant/Asher and Sybil/Red are fine.
Camerata
The Camerata are such a fascinating organization and collection of characters and we only get to learn about most of them post-mortem.
General Interests
-Machinations and effects on the city.
-Discovery and utilization of the Process.
-Development and utilization of the Transistor.
-Selection and capture of targets.
-Formation of their plan and the decision to start capturing traces with the Transistor.
Cloudbank
I think that Cloudbank is a really interesting setting and unfortunately we only get to explore it after the Process has started to destroy everything.
General Interests
-Any sort of daily life stuff as influenced by living in a city where literally everything can change based on popular votes.
-What happens when large segments of the population disagree on aspects of the city?
-Cloudbank's economy. Is there any sort of class system? What enables people to so consistently pursue their passions and talents? Are there any jobs that are essential to keeping the city running?
-Sky-painting and/or other similar endeavours that are possible because of the technology in this world.
-The city's architecture is also really interesting.
Pretty Deadly
Canon Specific Likes:
-The heavy use of symbolism (both visual and narrative) and the way that storytelling is used to further the narrative in-universe.
-Art specific: The way the images flow on the page and play with panel structure and the loose/wispy feel of the illustration along with the consistently poignant use of colour. I don't expect anyone to try to copy Emma Rios's art style, but she is easily one of my favourite artists in comics right now and I can't think of any elements of her style that I don't like. Same goes for the series' general aesthetic.
-Art specific: The way that fight scenes are rendered in this canon is also phenomenal.
-Alice/Ginny is fine.
Reapers
General Interests
-The reapers we've encountered in canon have all embodied different aspects, whether that be War, Vengeance, Fear, or what have you. What other aspects are there reapers for? How do they manifest? How do they affect the mortal world?
-Reapers, evidently, tend to work in pairs and we've been treated to some really interesting team ups. I was really taken with some of the meta discussion of the relationship between War and Fear or War and Courage in volume 2. What are some of the team ups that have happened before? How did the reapers influence each other? Who works particularly well together?
I promise that I will be delighted to see what neat ideas you have for any canon and any aspect of worldbuilding that I have requested and that I will be equally happy whether those ideas come packaged in art, fic, or meta form. I very much look forward to seeing where you choose to go!
General Likes:
-Taking elements of canon that are probably not actually meant to be interpreted literally (e.g. most game mechanics or some of the visual metaphors in Utena) and making them an explicit part of the worldbuilding.
-If romance is an element (even background), I have a strong preference for F/F or M/M. Romance is generally neither expected nor required, however.
-Open to IF or mixed media fills.
General DNWs:
-Explicit torture or mutilation.
-Non-con.
-Unrequested ships for canon characters.
-Issue fic.
-AUs.
-Stories using real life tragedies as a back drop or plot device.
Spoilers for all canons bellow!
Owlboy
Canon Specific Likes:
-Robot sky pirates!
-I think there are a lot of really cool ideas in terms of the different cultures that exist within the game world and the different technologies available that we barely get to touch the surface of because Plot.
-Art specific: All the interesting and creative architecture from the houses in Vellie to the various ruins Otus and his comrades have to explore.
-Art specific: Wonderfully expressive characters with fantastic designs! This game is so great for character design - Otus and Alphonse in particular have designs that I just love. And the game is so great for using gestures to their fullest potential - we have a mute protagonist rendered in pixel art and every one of his feelings is communicated so clearly by how he positions himself.
-Solus/Otus, Anne/Bonanza, Noctae/Aegolius, Geddy/Alphonse, and Dirk/Alphonse are all fine. If we're going canon crew, Geddy & Otus friendship and/or Asio & Otus's veeery complicated relationship are particularly choice.
It's up to you whether Otus survived the events of the game or not.
After the Fall of the Floating Continent
So, at the end of the game, the Anti-Hex is successful, the world stops its expansion (and, therefore, no apocalypse), and all the land masses fall back to where they're supposed to be. Excellent! But everyone living in this world has always known a world that's always been floating. Their architecture, their transportation, their technology, their cultures, everything has been built around the understanding that land floats in the sky - it just does. Except, now it doesn't anymore and everyone has to deal with that sudden change.
Fanfiction:
-How do some of the characters (familiar ones or totally new ones) put their lives back together after the end of the game?
-What changes have to be made in terms of lifestyle or architecture in order to live in a non-floating world?
-How is life different? How is it the same?
-How does this change in the natural order affect Owls in particular?
Fanart:
-How does the architectural landscape change as a result of the land masses no longer floating? Do the buildings look any different? Do they structure villages like Vellie differently?
-How does the geographical landscape change? Is there a change to climate once the land masses are no longer floating? How do the land masses land relative to one another and how does that change how the world looks?
-How does technology change? What do common modes of transportation look like now?
Meta:
-How does the world react to this sudden change? How do they write about and explain what happened?
-What sort of developments take place in the world to cope with life on the surface? In terms of technology? In terms of culture? In terms of relationships between different peoples?
The Loop
This is such a Big Thing in the game and yet we find out so little about what it actually is. I am totally down for the popular fan theory that it's about the Groundhog Day-esque recurrence of the universe (potentially tied in to game mechanics?) or else the slightly less common, but still present fan theory that it's a cycle of reincarnation where each new life is doomed by the events of the previous one, but if you came out of the game feeling like "no, everybody's wrong, the Loop is actually ____" then absolutely go for it. Since we're given so few concrete answers, this is carte blanche to take this wherever makes sense to you. Similarly, is the Loop broken at the end of the game? Is it back in effect? Did the ancient Owls ever really understand the Loop at all?
Fanfiction:
-A story about when the the Loop has occurred, affecting familiar characters or totally different ones?
-A story about the discovery of the Loop in ancient Owl civilization and the chaos that it wrought?
-How they came up with the Hex and the building of the Hex-Machine?
-Something taking place after the game when the Anti-Hex has been successful?
-How the surviving characters who know about the existence of this thing that drove an entire society to existential anguish deal post-game?
Fanart:
-A visual representation of the Loop taking place - whatever that means for you?
-A picture of the moment that Noctae discovered the Loop?
-The building of the Hex-Machine in the Owl Space Library or the plans for building it?
-Owl society finding out about the Loop (the news spreading, the riots, the way that individuals reacted to this information)?
-The moment that the Hex took effect?
Meta:
-Some of the research done on the Loop and/or the Hex?
-Or else writing by some of the other Owl citizens after the Loop's existence was publicized (letters, maybe something like a news report)?
-How does the rest of the world remember the events of the game given that they don't know about the Loop and just witnessed the effects of the Hex and the Anti-Hex? Either immediately after the game or looking at it as a historical event from some point in the future?
Mob Psycho 100
Canon Specific Likes:
-Solving mundane situations through supernatural means and solving supernatural situations through mundane means.
-Lots of focus on the worldbuilding outside of what we get to experience outside of the main cast! I love every one of the core cast of characters and won't be at all upset if they show up, but I feel like there are so many interesting ideas about this world that are implied, but barely touched on in the narrative.
-I really enjoy the general tone of canon and the complexity of the people who inhabit its world. I love the humour, I love that doing the right thing is always a conscious choice, I love the way events oscillate between the casually absurd and the sudden injection of reality and common sense.
-Art specific: Both the anime and the manga for MP100 are a masterclass in well-executed art direction, but I've rarely seen an artist adapt the characters to their own style in a way that I've disliked.
-Art specific: That being said, wow psychic powers in this canon are rendered in a way that looks cool.
ESPer Integration into Society
We get to see little hints of this idea as the ex-Claw members rejoin society and pursue careers outside of psychic terrorism, but I think it's a really interesting idea to explore.
General Questions:
-What sort of powers do ESPers' powers play in their everyday lives? What sort of everyday uses do powers have?
-How does having powers affect their relationships with the world around them? How do average people who know someone with powers feel about it? How often are ESPers open about their powers and how often do they choose to hide it?
-What sort of applications do psychic powers have in the workplace? We see a little of this with Minegishi working at a flower shop, but where else might they come in handy? What does the average workday look like?
Government Employment of ESPers
So, we know that Joseph was hired by the government to infiltrate Claw. This tells us two really interesting things. One, the government is aware of psychic powers as a thing and is actively monitoring threats utilizing psychic powers. Two, the government is willing to hire ESPers to combat these threats (and possibly for other reasons, we just don't know).
General Questions:
-How many ESPers are in the government's employ? What kind of powers do they have? What kind of jobs do they do? What kind of threats have they dealt with aside from Claw?
-How does the government find these ESPers? How do they decide which ones to employ?
-How concerned is the government with psychic powers in general? Do they keep tabs on the kids like Mob who destroy (and then reassemble) schools once in a while or just the active trouble makers like Toichiro?
-Joseph's appearance is so brief, but so memorable. I would totally be down for worldbuilding following how he came to work for the government or his infiltration of Claw or other work that he's done.
Urban Myths
The urban legends arc in the manga was so fun! And the whole Kuchisake-onna reveal was so fascinating (if very, very terrifying). I would love to see more of the urban legends that actually exist in this world.
General Questions:
-We know that some urban legends, like the Kuchisake-onna and the Tsuchinoko, are 100% real. Some of the urban legends we encountered in the manga, were very much not...at least in that instance. Which legends actually exist? Which ones don't? How do they come into existence? How do they interact with the rest of the world?
-How often do ESPers or spirits run into these urban legends? What are the interactions between them like?
Capabilities and Limits of Psychic Powers
We're treated to a wide variety of psychic talents over the course of MP100. Many characters tend to specialize in one particular ability, whether that be hardened chi, pyrokinesis, telepathy, healing, or what have you. Teru seems to be able to pick up a wide range of diverse abilities with a little practice. Mob generally lacks technical skill, but sheer overwhelming power allows him to accomplish a great many things with his abilities - some that we see other ESPers able to do, some that we don't. The abilities that we see look quite different depending on the power and skill of the ESPer using them as well.
General Questions:
-What are some of the things that psychic powers can do? I'd love to see some exploration of some of the abilities that we got to see less of over the series or some entirely new ones.
-What are some things that psychic powers absolutely can't do? What are some things people have attempted that have proven to be actually impossible?
-How limited are ESPers' powers in general? Do most of them have the potential to learn almost anything a la Mob and Teru, but lack the power, talent, or training and so end up specializing in whatever comes most naturally? Or do most ESPers' have a more focused ability pool to draw from from the get go, making mad talented kids who can diversify like that very rare?
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Canon Specific Likes:
-Main anime characterization.
-Interconnection between versions of canon or canon-blending.
-Fairytale motifs.
-Playing with the odd reality the characters live in. Where do the metaphors end and when are we supposed to take the strange things we see them experience literally?
-Art specific: The shadow people motif is always neat and open to being used in interesting ways.
-If it comes up, Anthy/any female character is fine.
Magic in Ohtori
General Questions
-At what point do the metaphors end? What parts of the weird reality are really real? What's life like for an Ohtori student?
-What are the capabilities and restrictions of the magic in Ohtori?
The Outside World
General Interests
-Playing with some of the ideas brought up in the 20th anniversary manga chapter would be choice (I would love to learn more about the catastrophic event that took place in the duelists' childhoods), but is not strictly required.
-How much influence do Akio and Anthy have on the world outside Ohtori? How do they and the events of canon affect it?
-What is life in the outside world like? What does the world look like?
-What is graduation like for an Ohtori student?
Dueling Cycle
General Questions
-What have some of the previous cycles looked like? What kinds of people were involved? How did they play out?
-The duels in the show follow different patterns dependent on what story arc they appear in, which are dependent on Akio and Anthy's resources and motivations at the time. Mikage, for example, probably would not have been a tool whom they utilized in previous cycles. What are some different ways the duels have played out in previous cycles? Has the Akio car always been a thing? What different machinations did they use to drive the holders of the rose signets to fight each other?
-We get to see how Utena gets involved in most versions of canon, but how do they select and recruit other duelists? What qualifies someone to compete for the hand of the rose bride?
Good Omens
Canon Specific Likes:
-The way that mundane things are made almost absurd or given absurd explanations or consequences for their being.
-Similarly, the way that things which are demonic, divine, or otherwise supernatural are made to feel hilariously mundane.
-Humour!
-Queen references.
-Writing specific: Canon compliant pastiche (though, absolutely not necessary if you're uncomfortable).
-Crowley/Aziraphale is fine.
Hell or Heaven
I'm grouping these together because I'm really interested in mostly the same things for whichever of the two you're interested in exploring. Good Omens has such a delightful, charming interpretation of how Heaven and Hell might each operate, so I'm really going to enjoy just about anything taking a closer look at either.
General Interests
-The general bureaucracy of how they operate. What are some of their most outdated, frustrating administrative practices? What are some standard procedures they've put in place?
-What's the job like for someone not stationed on Earth? What are their day-to-day responsibilities? What are the challenges?
-Anything playing with how little entities from either seem to really understand the first thing about Earth and humans.
-Mandatory work social functions and all the discomfort they entail.
-Job performance reviews.
-What do these work environments actually look like? Why have they set them up this way? How well do they actually run?
-How about a time when either one tried to implement something new to make themselves more efficient and it backfired terribly?
Divine/Demonic Influence on Earth
Some of my favourite jokes in Good Omens are the casual information drops re: what Crowley had a hand in creating on Earth, be it Manchester or telemarketers. I'd love to see anything expanding on the history of Divine and/or Demonic influence on Earth's development. The really mundane or petty stuff is particularly choice in this department.
General Interests
-What sort of technological inventions did either Divine or Demonic agents have a hand in creating? How did they go about implementing the idea? What was their motivation in doing so and how has it paid off for their side (or maybe it didn't)?
-What about media they've had a hand in? Music? Theatre? Television? Video games? Celebrity cults of personality?
-Fashion?
-Other trends?
-Really, shoot for anything you can dream up here. E-commerce. Marketing. Modes of transportation. Architecture. Academia. City planning. The vitamin supplement industry. Banks. Sports. Pay-as-you-go cellphone plans. Double lane drive-thrus. Ergonomic desks.
Dragon Age
Canon Specific Likes:
-Dragons.
-Politics! Especially when it comes with a side of intrigue.
-Giant, muscular horned women. Like. Yes.
-Most lore related to magic is really interesting to me.
-If it comes up, Celene/Briala is fine.
Canon Specific DNWs:
-Inclusion of any of the player characters.
Lands Beyond Thedas
So, Thedas may generally consider itself to be the whole world and as far as game events, it mostly is, but I am still really interested in learning about the goings-on beyond its borders.
General Interests
-What do they look like? Climate, landscape, wildlife, architecture - all of this varies so wildly within Thedas! We have a few hints about some of the lands beyond Thedas' borders (e.g. the Sunless Lands, Viridis, Par Ladi). I'd love to see your interpretation of what any of these lands might be like or what other lands might exist that we haven't seen. We've only spent our time in one continent in the southern hemisphere, after all - there are so many possibilities!
-Some of the unique creatures that inhabit these lands. You could expand on the wingless dragons or flying chimeras of Viridis, draw from the knowledge that both Kossith and humans came outside of Thedas initially, or make up your own idea.
-My goodness, what is going on in Amaranth?
-Why are the Voshai so interested in Lyrium?
-How common is magic outside of Thedas? What are the attitudes toward it? How does the understanding of magic and the Fade differ without the overwhelming presence of the Andrastian religion or even elven beliefs to draw from?
-There are lands outside of Thedas that have never experienced a Blight. How much do they know about the Blights? What do they think about the fact that that continent over there gets attacked by tainted creatures from under the earth led by an evil dragon every couple hundred years?
-The Voshai's homeland has been devastated by a "cataclysm", something drove the Qunari across the sea. These lands may not have experienced Blights, but clearly they have plenty of problems of their own! I'd be very interested in learning about some of the events that have affected these lands.
-The Breach was a big enough deal even outside of Thedas that the Executors took interest in the Inquisition. What was the experience of that event like for people outside of Thedas? How did they understand and/or rationalize what was happening?
Kossith
This was such an offhand mention and so little was actually explained about them, but I am fascinated. Given my interest in both the Qunari and the lands beyond Thedas, this interest should come as little surprise.
General Interests
-The Iron Bull theorizes that the Kossith do not look much like the Qunari we're familiar with. What do they look like?
-What does their homeland look like?
-What is Kossith culture like without the Qun?
-Do the Kossith have a thing about dragons or is that exclusively a Qunari thing (and potentially why they don't look alike)?
The Qun
I find the Qunari really fascinating. We learn a little bit more about them each game, but there's still so much that's only hinted at and so many questions that are just answered with the equivalent of "it's a Qunari thing, you wouldn't get it".
General Interests
-The origins of the Qun and its initial spread. What aspects of Koslun's ideas first appealed to people? How did they become popular enough to form a religion? How did that religion become the cornerstone of their culture?
-Similarly, were there people who were resistant to the idea of the Qun when it first started cropping up? What were their reactions to what was happening? What happened to them?
-General glimpses of daily life for the average Qunari would be really neat.
-What is life like for the viddathari? What parts of the Qun take the most getting used to? What are the most appealing? Are there ever any who regret their conversion?
-Each of the games' protagonists have an opportunity to be named basalit-an dependent on their choices. Who are some of the other people who have been considered worthy of such respect by the Qunari and what deeds earned them this title?
-Qunari parables and tales that hold cultural relevance.
-Art under the Qun. What types of artistic pursuits are valued and why? What do they look like? Which ones are discouraged and what is the reasoning for this?
Tal-Vashoth
General Interests
-While it obviously may vary from group to group, what aspects of the Qun are Tal-Vashoth likely to hold onto? Which parts are they the most eager to let go of? Are there parts of the Qun that they initially cling to, but ultimately end up letting go of? Are there parts of the Qun they initially cast off, but end up coming back to for one reason or another?
-What motivates some Qunari to leave the Qun? How do they form communities with other Qunari who've done the same?
-The new social norms that Tal-Vashoth communities develop. Family dynamics! Courtship rituals! Naming conventions! Artistic pursuits (sonnets and otherwise)! Reasons for and methods of celebration! Forms of leadership!
-How do the attitudes of Vashoth born outside of the Qun differ from Tal-Vashoth who've chosen to leave it?
The Fade
I find the Fade as a location and a phenomenon infinitely fascinating, but every time we've visited the Fade in-game, something has been going horrifically wrong.
General Interests
-The day to day inside the Fade. What does it look like, what happens there, what is the existence of any given spirit like?
-What is it like for a spirit to turn into a demon?
-The relationship between dreams and the Fade.
-The way that the Fade interacts with the world during spellcasting.
-The way that real world events and people's thoughts about them transform the Fade.
-Different types of spirits that exist and their purpose.
-The perspective of denizens of the Fade when it comes to rituals like Harrowings or Seeker vigils.
-More information about the nature of the Black City.
The Great Game
Orlais is a fascinating mess of political machinations that we've only barely had the chance to play in.
General Interests
-Complex political plots.
-Assassinations.
-Courtly intrigue.
-Daily life for the people of Orlais as influenced by the prevalence of the Game.
-Bards.
-Power moves that have shaped the history of Orlais.
-The Game's affect on Orlais' foreign policy and their relationships with other countries.
-Rebellions in Orlais.
Transistor
Canon Specific Likes:
-The general feeling and aesthetic.
-Interesting uses of technology.
-Connections between technology and artistic pursuits.
-Politics.
-Art specific: The game's use of colour is woooow.
-Grant/Asher and Sybil/Red are fine.
Camerata
The Camerata are such a fascinating organization and collection of characters and we only get to learn about most of them post-mortem.
General Interests
-Machinations and effects on the city.
-Discovery and utilization of the Process.
-Development and utilization of the Transistor.
-Selection and capture of targets.
-Formation of their plan and the decision to start capturing traces with the Transistor.
Cloudbank
I think that Cloudbank is a really interesting setting and unfortunately we only get to explore it after the Process has started to destroy everything.
General Interests
-Any sort of daily life stuff as influenced by living in a city where literally everything can change based on popular votes.
-What happens when large segments of the population disagree on aspects of the city?
-Cloudbank's economy. Is there any sort of class system? What enables people to so consistently pursue their passions and talents? Are there any jobs that are essential to keeping the city running?
-Sky-painting and/or other similar endeavours that are possible because of the technology in this world.
-The city's architecture is also really interesting.
Pretty Deadly
Canon Specific Likes:
-The heavy use of symbolism (both visual and narrative) and the way that storytelling is used to further the narrative in-universe.
-Art specific: The way the images flow on the page and play with panel structure and the loose/wispy feel of the illustration along with the consistently poignant use of colour. I don't expect anyone to try to copy Emma Rios's art style, but she is easily one of my favourite artists in comics right now and I can't think of any elements of her style that I don't like. Same goes for the series' general aesthetic.
-Art specific: The way that fight scenes are rendered in this canon is also phenomenal.
-Alice/Ginny is fine.
Reapers
General Interests
-The reapers we've encountered in canon have all embodied different aspects, whether that be War, Vengeance, Fear, or what have you. What other aspects are there reapers for? How do they manifest? How do they affect the mortal world?
-Reapers, evidently, tend to work in pairs and we've been treated to some really interesting team ups. I was really taken with some of the meta discussion of the relationship between War and Fear or War and Courage in volume 2. What are some of the team ups that have happened before? How did the reapers influence each other? Who works particularly well together?
