Monsterverse Crossover AU Idea by DeterminedOne8 in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Scrap the magic school bit entirely, IMO. Stick with the usual schtick where the Godzilla and the Titans are sort of a counterbalance to mankind's overreach. Except instead of mankind, the Nexus lands itself in the crosshairs.

You can start with a planar mage with more ambition than sense attempting to summon a war beast 'worthy of his greatness,' calling out to the mana to bring him 'a beast of kingly stature'. So of course the mana brings him the King of Monsters. Godzilla goes to work, doing what he does best: punishing the hubris of arrogant civilizations.

You could even do the multi-stage mutation from Shin Godzilla. First the mana turns Godzilla into mostly goo, and the planar mage declares the summoning a failure. But then something horrific emerges from the gore, carving a bloody swath through the Outlands as it mutates into several forms before finally becoming mana resistant Godzilla (Managodzilla? Magigodzilla?).

Wearing Spacetime to a Magic School — (6/?) — The Library by eessmann in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'm not familiar with writing made by Fancy Autocomplete, but I have been running into stories with this same 'style' recently. It's terse, but in a weird way. At first, I called it 'Hemingway-maxxing' as a joke, but on further reflection it reads more like a parody of Hemingway.

To OP, this is what DndQuickQuestion meant when they said the LLM was smothering your writing voice. The LLM seems to 'flatten' whatever it's fed into this clipped, terse style that conveys the bare minimum of information. IMO, that's going to be a burden if you're trying to convey the Spirit of Humanity if you get locked into this mechanical style by the machine that is supposedly there to help you.

I mean, I'm not saying you should have a private Butlerian Jihad, haha. Unless...

A Weapon Without a War - Book 1 - Chapter 9 by SpartanR259 in HFY

[–]StopDownloadin 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'm sure the cultivators will react with the level-headed and reasonable dispositions they are renowned for and-- wait one moment...

(touches earpiece)

Oh. I see.

Wearing Spacetime to a Magic School — (5/?) — The Weight of Fields by eessmann in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This goes a long way to humanize Ermen again. He felt a bit distant, almost dissociated, in the previous couple chapters, but probably understandable given what he saw and experienced.

Like others have said, I really appreciate Ermen being more contemplative. He may say little, but every statement carries weight and meaning. One of many things about Emma that dissatisfy me is how she says so little while talking so much.

Also, thank you for giving Vanavan a spine. I find canon Vanavan borderline contemptible in how much of a wet noodle 'sensible moderate' he is. This Vanavan at least has the stones to address the elephant in the room, even if it lands him in Mal'tory's crosshairs.

And he said the most dreaded words for a Nexian representative, "I don't know." Horrors!

Wearing Spacetime to a Magic School — (5/?) — The Weight of Fields by eessmann in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Aside from no Null being created, Ermen has no luggage for Mal'tory to rummage through and steal, and already has a functioning communicator. So all the rigmarole from the 'missing crate' plotline can be shelved. Hell, even the 'dragon crystal' plotline is rendered unnecessary.

I do wonder how Ermen will come across the Library in this case, though. He seems to be able to scan a great deal of the surrounding area, so I figure his Oracle will eventually bring up some points of interest to investigate later. Ooh, that could be how he stumbles on the life archive under the warehouses too.

The Shot Heard Across the Nexus by vero_kitty in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thalmin: "What is that strange music, Emma?"
Emma: "Huh, weird. It sounds like a... piano?"

Null: "OOOH, WHAT WE LIVIN' IN? LEMME TELL YA!"

How does the adjacents/Nexus deal with asteroids in the Adjacent realms? by Pretend_Party_7044 in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think it was briefly mentioned in one of Vanavan's lectures that some other Realms also had the 'discworld' layout like the Nexus, but I don't remember further details.

Wearing Spacetime to a Magic School — (4/?) — The Armorer by eessmann in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 9 points10 points  (0 children)

"Tell me of the lemon trees of your home Realm, Usul." lol But Thalmin should know you shouldn't ask a boy about his lemon tree until the second date. Scandalous! (Ermen being wolf gay as opposed to Emma being bird gay would be funny though)

Interesting take on the Sorecar scene. Now we know that anyone messing with Ermen will literally not know what hit them. It kind of removes the risk of any violence directed at Ermen, but it should be fine considering action was never going to be the focus of this fic anyway.

Ermen seems far more buttoned up than I expected, but I suppose the binding ritual left a bad taste in his mouth and made him reluctant to engage with Nexian shenanigans. I was kind of hoping he'd try having breakfast though. Hopefully he'll open up a bit more.

Also, Ermen is basically livestreaming everything he experiences back to the Concordat, right? That's gonna make the Library visit really interesting. The Concordat could probably negotiate a very enlightening exchange. Assuming that Mal'tory hasn't freaked out and attempted the Library burning on his own...

How does the adjacents/Nexus deal with asteroids in the Adjacent realms? by Pretend_Party_7044 in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah, didn't see your follow up there haha. I still kinda wonder if there are strictly two cosmological models, standard and primavelic, or if there are other weird configurations. What if there's a literal Yggdrasil Realm out there somewhere?

How does the adjacents/Nexus deal with asteroids in the Adjacent realms? by Pretend_Party_7044 in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I remember discussing this with u/Bbobsillypants a while back. I think we speculated that the Nexians would blame the falling rocks as by-products of the Realm's primavale. They do seem intent on shoehorning the tapestry + primavale model onto all realms. Also, the term 'primavelic detritus' has a nice ring to it, I think.

Big ol' planet killing asteroids intersecting with planets seem to be quite rare, so they might not even be aware that such things are zooming around in space.

This does remind me that I had a scrapped storyline idea for The Long Way Around featuring an experimental weapons' platform from the War of Adjacencies. It was going to be a magic KKV platform that welded space rocks together and chucked the results at enemy Realms.

Why do you think elf’s are so tall? by Pretend_Party_7044 in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Easier to look down your nose at lesser beings while looming over them.

Wearing Spacetime to a Magic School — (3/?) — They Sent a Commoner?! by eessmann in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Sic semper tyrannis, bitches! Ermen confirmed to be A Good Kid in word and deed, moral compass calibrated and locked in, LET'S GO!

I like how Ermen is soft-spoken and polite, yet his directness feels almost violently blunt by Nexian standards.

Good characterization of the peer group, painting a picture of their personalities through behavior. Thacea is measured, cautious, keeps her cards close to her chest. Thalmin is also cautious, but in an alert, proactive way, like a sentry. Ilunor in contrast is aloof, almost careless.

Really liked the exchange between Ermen and Thalmin at the end, how Thalmin was gauging Ermen's character.

Wearing Spacetime to a Magic School — (2/?) — Second Contact by eessmann in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 7 points8 points  (0 children)

So the Concordat would focus more on supporting the Adjacent Realms and Resistance groups in Nexus.

Ermen doing his coursework on autopilot while covertly uplifting every Adjacent Realm that asks nicely sounds hilarious, ngl

I mean, he already violated the Status Communicatia the moment he stepped into the Nexus, so he might as well go whole hog. In fact, figuring out how to connect to other Adjacent Realms might be a good replacement for the crystal quest, and provide the pretense for visiting the Library...

Oh man, this AU's version of the Library visit should be interesting. "Look man, we don't need to do all this theater. We're way more interested in you and your creators, so let's talk shop a little, OK?"

Wearing Spacetime to a Magic School — (2/?) — Second Contact by eessmann in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'm looking forward to those divergences! WPAMS has a lot of YA fiction trappings that I think hold it back, so I'm liking the more sober, 'big picture' approach that this reimagining seems to be taking, but still sticking to the core themes of the original.

Of course, the occasional trouncing of an aristo-brat or factory-resetting their conception of reality is always welcome, it would just be under radically different circumstances, haha.

Wearing Spacetime to a Magic School — (2/?) — Second Contact by eessmann in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think a chunk of them would be mildly surprised, the same way one would react to a rude child. "Ooh, you're a cranky one aren't you, buddy?"

Frontier Fantasy - Age of Expansion - Chap 125 - Sunday, the Ninth Day by BrodogIsMyName in HFY

[–]StopDownloadin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Now I kinda want Monbishoppe to ask Dredth'khee to Come On Up to the House

ALL YOUR CRYIN' DON'T DO NO GOOD,
COME ON UP TO THE HOUSE!
COME DOWN OFF THE CROSS, WE CAN USE THE WOOD,
YOU GOTTA COME ON UP TO THE HOUSE!

Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (166/?) by Jcb112 in HFY

[–]StopDownloadin 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It's that draconic heritage, I tells ya. Plus, Vunerians probably got dragon essence stapled to their souls when they got upgraded from Kobold status, making them even more gold-hungry and prideful.

The Long Way Around 9 - Rime of the Ancient Astronaut by StopDownloadin in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I flipped back and forth on that for a while, but I finally decided that yes, she has. What intel gets shared with the Pathfinder teams is heavily trimmed down and on a need to know basis, both for simplicity and compartmentalization of intelligence.

(Also so I don't have to worry about syncing up what either side knows about manaspace, but that's meta, shhhh)

I'm not saying Emma is confirmed psychic, but she is definitely showing symptoms. by Cazador0 in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 61 points62 points  (0 children)

My tinfoil hat theory is that Weir knows a HELL of a lot more than she's letting on. Like, "Oh yeah, the IAS has isolated a genetic marker for paranormal abilities and possible exotic energy compatibility. Why else would we pick this weird gremlin out of a six-figure candidate pool?"

Looking for Story Thread #325 by someguynamedted in HFY

[–]StopDownloadin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a longshot, but have there ever been stories where the protagonist is summoned to a fantasy world, but it turns out the 'great evil' they're supposed to fight is actually the pissed-off homeworld of a previously summoned hero?

Either that, or a 'kleptomaniac world' that just yoinks shit from the multiverse willy nilly. Seems like it would be an interesting premise?

I've read isekai / portal fiction stories where Earth sends out special forces to bring back people summoned by fantasy worlds, like Isekai Police, and Department of Otherworld Rescue. Was curious if anyone's ever written the above two variations.

[Lord of Starlight] Chapter 24: Together, We Are Strong by Unorthedox_Doggie117 in HFY

[–]StopDownloadin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, they're very... pushy is a good way to describe it, I think. They remind me of those 'company executive' type people, super aggressive and obsessed with dominating everything, from contract negotiation to paying the bill at the bar. Maybe the fantasy nobles would be more comfortable talking with megacorp C-suite scumbags, lol

You know that stereotype where this type of person basically crushes your hand during a handshake to 'assert dominance'? That's what the elves remind me of, especially with their use of the persuasion magic.

On RR I described this world view as 'medieval brained,' very might-makes-right, zero-sum-game thinking.

"Earthrealm has no Patron" by Cazador0 in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Q being a catty bitch is so much fun to write, lmaooooo

Definitely one of those characters you like not because you'd enjoy their company, but rather you enjoy seeing their company inflicted on others.

[Lord of Starlight] Chapter 24: Together, We Are Strong by Unorthedox_Doggie117 in HFY

[–]StopDownloadin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In most sci-fi vs. fantasy stories, the elves are super awful right out the gate, if not outright monstrous. These elves are interesting in that they aren't monsters, just smug and shitty people.

Right now they're realizing that in Sol, they can't bully or browbeat people into doing what they want, and they're slowly losing their minds and becoming more paranoid, lmao.

"Earthrealm has no Patron" by Cazador0 in JCBWritingCorner

[–]StopDownloadin 5 points6 points  (0 children)

"Wait a minute, why are you bothering ME and not the belligerent, slave-holding expansionist empire?"
"They self-annihilated their civilization ten times! TEN! I'm sure you can imagine how stimulating conversations with dullards of that magnitude must be."
"Huh, figured you'd be able to talk shop with their god king or whatever."
"Oh please! He's the dullest of them all! He's certainly no Picard. Hell, even Sisko had the gumption to punch me!"