WWW: The City of Reddit · 2:06pm Dec 24th, 2016
Merry Christmas everyone! It's that most wonderful time of the year once again, and in keeping with the holiday spirit I decided that I'd make another worldbuilding post today. The subject this time: a location only obliquely mentioned within the story, but nevertheless highly important within the world... the city of Reddit! Get all of that below.
Also, for anyone that might be worried that these posts are cutting into writing time for the actual story, don't be concerned: most of this material was just transcribed from my notes and really doesn't take that long to put together. Speaking of The World Within the Web, Part III is progressing nicely, particularly now that I'm clear of an incredibly busy two weeks that ate up most of my spare time. Expect an announcement about that in the near future.
The City of Reddit
Made by none other than myself
“All things, all things are wanting of a place to call their only universe
So force it if you must”
— E40, by SoGreatandPowerful, the ‘Singer of the Fandom’
In the west of the Web, the rolling expanse of the Saying Sea stretches on and on, the home of sites beyond counting, great or small. Within that sea, at the mouth of the Fronting River, at the tip of a verdant horn, there lies a city. A vast, urban landscape, the size of which is unmatched by any in the Known Internet, save for Central. It is the city of the opeers, the Voting Halls, the countless streets and innumerable subdistricts that stretch for miles in all directions, sprawled out across coast and clustered island alike.
Walk the wynds and alleys, and you will find the home of a thousand, thousand peoples: Moderators patrolling the streets for Intolerables, merchants hawking their wares beside trace-dens, exile-anonymites plotting vengeance with the Red Hats, Blurrite feel-mongers rousing riots, Tubeadours and Tropeadours and cybramancers all together, crammed into the close quarters of a gigantic metropolis that dominates the land and seas and skies alike with its harbors and tall towers. It is a city rich with trade and alive with learning, and yet now convulsing under the weight of gangs and factions, caught between proxy wars, and teetering on an unseen edge.
It is the city-site of Reddit, and for now it is still stands.
Reddit and Subreddit
“Variety is endless in Reddit. Given time, I could do whatever I want. So, naturally, I do nothing.”
— Marrit Tellan, Opeer of Reddit
Reddit is considered one city entire, albeit one with an unusual structure that makes many wonder if it is not simply dozens of separate cities smashed together. Though it is all under one name and all under one pan-urban government, citizens within the walls are given leave to form their own, semi-autonomous communities, called ‘subreddits.’ These subreddits might be centered around most anything: trade, content-peddling, fandom-worship, political activism, recreation, even down to activities that skirt the boundaries of the law. It certainly offers the benefit of variety: virtually every belief, craft, and crime can be found within the confines of the White Jewel of the Saying Sea.
The size, scope, and power of these subreddits varies beyond belief. The largest ones are near cities unto themselves, filled with thousands of sworn citizens and holding great sway among their peers. The smallest might take up a single room in a small house. Nominally, every subreddit is allowed the right to police and rule themselves, with their own sets of laws. In practice, this is a privilege largely left to the most powerful districts, and even then there are city-wide laws that nevertheless supplant any passed by a subreddit—laws promulgated and enforced by the agents of the Moderator Authority. Joining a subreddit is usually simple and easy: one need only add one’s name to the local registrar along with verifying documents, and applications for citizenship are rarely rejected.
Reddit Government: Opeers and Voting
“A simple motto is ours. One man, one vote. Up or down, he can get only that.”
— Veddely Orana, Opeer of Reddit
The Second Age of the Internet has seen hundreds of new sites arise, spurred on by the advent of rapid communication and transportation brought by the Authority. Reddit is just one of these many new communities, with its founders having first staked their claim on the mouth of the Fronting River in the days that Central was only first reaching out. These founders envisioned the city has a bastion of free expression, one in which individual communities would be allowed to join together and flourish without outside intervention or restriction, even ones devoted to what the Authority would later describe as “subnormal” or “profligate” interests. Thankfully, the city’s current rulers have adopted a more pragmatic stance, but a love of liberty remains, as seen in the structure of their government.
Unlike the Devien Isles or the cities of Sajle, Reddit is ruled not by wealthy families, but rather as a democracy of sorts. People who have subscribed to a subreddit are given the title of ‘opeer’—a noble title in the Saying Sea that translates approximately to ‘citizen.’ Within a given subreddit, opeers are allowed to reserve time in their local voting hall to speak their mind, present content, or submit a question to their fellows. The people observing this will then vote on both the opeer who made the initial presentation and those that responded, awarding them either a vote up or a vote down. Receiving numerous positive votes will allow the awarded opeer to rise up in the subreddit’s registrar, and affording them special privileges: the ability to speak earlier and for a longer time in future discussions, as well as the prestige that such prominence brings. One should not discount how important these benefits are: most often, both non-citizen observers and opeers will only hear from the people who present earlier on or from those who have received the most positive votes, meaning that a lack of them will often restrict one to obscurity.
Reddit Government: the Assembly
“The Assembly made be made of amber stone, but whose colors are found on the streets? Our own—black and white, on any patrol you see.”
— Sir Charity Makepeace, Knight Censor of the Authority
The government of Reddit is neatly divided into two separate spheres: local subreddit control and the city-wide rulers. The former are allowed the power to rule themselves to a certain degree, creating internal rules and measures specific to their area in a way similar to a homeowner’s association in a gated community. At the same time, there is an overarching government above them whose edicts are still absolute: a body comprised of representatives from the fifty or so most prominent subreddits, called the ‘Default Assembly.’ Members of the Assembly vote and rule equally, though they do appoint executive officers to preside over meetings and ensure that time is kept properly. For the most part, the processes of this Assembly operate the same as a subreddit: decision is made by vote, and the largest number of votes decides the given issue.
The Assembly are tasked with the day-to-day maintenance of the city as a whole, as well as passing down site-wide ordinances that subreddits are required to follow—’Default Rules.’ In addition, the Assembly work alongside the other major force in Reddit: the operatives of the Moderator Authority.
Moderators of Reddit
“They will come and save you
From this freedom thrust upon your name”
— E40, by So Great and Powerful
Though subreddits are given a certain leave of autonomy, Reddit nevertheless falls under the laws of the Moderator Authority, as do most communities in the Known Internet. It was the Moderators of Central who, using their knowledge of Iterative Manipulation, managed to link Reddit to the rest of the Web via Engine transport on the Blue Line, and in return the Default Assembly allows knights and lords sent by Central to operate within their territory and keep the peace.
The duties of these agents varies depending upon the subreddit, and upon which of the Six Holy Orders they are sworn to. The majority operating within Reddit are Knight Arbiters, overseeing the voting process and the debates of subreddit members so as to prevent conflict whenever possible. The Knight Censors also have their own share of work to do: by ensuring that submitted and sold content is appropriate to a given subreddit, they ensure that none are overwhelmed with unseemly displays—more prurient interests such as those are confined to sanctioned ‘red-zones,’ so as to prevent them corrupting the decent parts of the city. The Knight Regulators operate in the markets and shipping yards to oversee the sale of goods, while the Knight Enlighteners have a small presence in the local academy and the rest of the Watchwind District. As for the last two branches, the Cybramancer’s Guild operates their required halls, so as to prevent the dangers of cybramancy from going unmonitored, while the Knight Prefects are —thankfully—not often found.
Moderators of Reddit: Recent Troubles
“Building a symptom won't cure you
Only facing what keeps you hiding”
— E30, by So Great and Powerful
Moderators are a constant part of Reddit life and usually regarded as necessary to curb crime, though they rarely feel the need to intervene in more stable subreddits. Not all, however, view the increasingly power of the local Moderati favorably. Knights and Peacekeepers now patrol nearly every corner of Reddit, and many circles believe that this allowance has caused the city to drift too far from the ideals of its founders, whom they claim thought that every idea had a right to be expressed and a home to be had in the city. According to these malcontents, Authority law imposes unnecessary restriction upon this freedom, one that is increasingly hindering the dynamism and creativity of the city.
It is true that Moderator presence has become far greater in recent years, particularly after the implementation of new public safety codes and several crackdowns on groups promoting Intolerable activities within the city. This has brought the Moderati into increasingly tense relations with other city-leaders, however, especially since an influx of Channic exiles flooded the city.
The Pao Riots remain the worst of these incidents: after a Ban On Existence was passed and served against several renegade subreddits, several members of the Default Assembly attempted to flex their muscles by demanding the popular and long-serving Lord Moderator Victory-Comes-to-the-Faithful Taylor be dismissed. Her treatment by the Assembly proved such a scandal that the Authority issued a blanket order recalling all of its operatives in Reddit, leaving the Assembly to fend for themselves. The city soon erupted into chaos as groups like the Red Pillar took advantage of the situation, and various subreddits walled themselves off to avoid the escalating violence. In the end, more than a dozen members of the Assembly were forced to resign before the Authority would return, though some claim that this has done little to solve the underlying problems that sparked the crisis in the first place.
The Allfront
“The Allfront! The place itself is intoxicating. Everything a man could ever want, and only a short walk from everything he should never want.”
— Aurelio Dally-Kang, Devien nobleman
By laying claim upon the entire mouth of the Fronting, Reddit has been able to hold a stranglehold on local trade, making it an invaluable stopping point for travelers and traders alike. Virtually every part of the coastline is dominated by docks and wharfs built to accommodate this influx of visitors, which has made that self-same area the home of numerous subreddits that depend upon content created abroad. A visitor stepping off his ship would find himself in a whirlwind of some of the most popular and populous subreddits, a virtual menagerie of music shows, art displays, public performances, bickering opeers, foreign dignitaries that are received in splendor and given leave to speak before the site, and fine traded goods that are bought, sold, and then bought again as the crowds demand. This area is very much the public face of Reddit—the fabled ‘Allfront.’
The Blue Harbors
“Where gold can see, where hearts are bound,
where dreams are ill, where truth is found,
how cold you are, oh yellow moon!
And how I pray I come home soon!”
— Yellow Moon, by Lord Jestin Jen, a Bard Errant and the Warden of Laughter
Like most other sites, the life-blood of Reddit is content, either produced within the city or imported from elsewhere. It is at the Allfront that most of this will be found and traded: ships from all across the Web flock to Reddit to pass along goods to eager crowds, and the subreddits here are the most dynamic and crowded of any in the city. Sajlic traders out from northern lands such as Am-Azon or Eh-Baj may be found peddling any manner of things, while artisans from the Devien Isles or the Blurr may sell quality paintings and sculptures or cheap, manufactured prints alike. Prominent producers or traders often work alongside opeers in the relevant subreddits, who operate as middlemen by bringing these works to the attention of their fellows and gaining votes in the process. Others simply become opeers themselves and bring their own works directly, though this is far less common—with all places in the Web, the vast majority of people are consumers of content, not producers.
Of special note among the inhabitants of the Blue Harbor subreddits are the ones who deal not in images or goods, but rather in words. Reddit communities are built around exchange and discussion, a legacy from the days in which the site was more insular and forum-based. As such, storytelling and theater are highly valued in Redditor culture, making it prominent port of call for both Tropeadours and Tubeadours—mendicant orders of wordsmiths and glib performers, respectively. Tropeadours, sometimes called Bard Errants, are itinerant raconteurs or comedians, spinning yarns from port to port in exchange for fame and fortune (or just coin and hot meals), and are often found trading in tall tales on the streets of the city. Tubeadours, on the other hand, are often more professional, organized into companies that perform shows and plays, though amateur Tubeadours do exist in large numbers as well. The subject, style, and quality of these performances vary wildly: some might be comedic farces or animal shows that last only minutes, while others can be elaborate, dramatic, or intensely surreal.
The Temple Hills
“It's the light that guides us, honey
Unreceptive nine times out of ten
Wishes don't find us, we find them betwixt the silence
Only lonely souls seek to find every sign, every sign
There's something holy”
— E38, by So Great and Powerful
The eastern banks of the Allfront and the lands beyond is a landscape far different from the western half of the city: rather than level fields or placid lakeshores, Reddit’s east-side is crowned with high, rolling hills that rise tall above the streets and buildings. Atop these hills, and racing along their sides as well, are grand, elaborate temples: the homes and local shrines of the various fandoms that have influence in the city. While these communities of monasticism and worship are spread all across the Known Internet, many control subreddits of great power and prominence within the city, controlling large swaths of territory and the absolute loyalty of their followers within.
The Fandoms of Reddit: the Greater and the Lesser
“I had been asleep in the street. I thought I had been asleep. Was I? But I was not, though only that could explain the sight above me. The paper sky was burning away, the fabric veil of blue and pale clouds dissolving from my mind’s eye, leaving behind only the foundations of the world! Terrible numeracies multiplied and stretched thin across strange aeons that were tortured into intelligible geometry, flickering into comprehension. The grave symbols of future times were open, and across the empty gulf I saw the opening of the World Beyond the Web, and the World Beyond Even That!”
— The Seeings of an Honest Eye
It is well-known that above the World Within the Web, there exists a World Beyond, occupied by higher beings whose thoughts and motives are distant and unknowable. On occasion, however, these two planes rotate close enough as to allow glimpses from our world to the next, in the form of ecstatic visions or vivid prophecies that can be viewed by the faithful. Around these visions spring the fandoms: organized orders of devotees sworn to their respective works and idols, bound into zealous communities of friends and rivals alike. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of self-proclaimed fandoms in the Web, though they are broadly organized into two main categories: the Greater and the Lesser.
The Greater Fandoms are deeply influential, widely venerated groups who have been recognized by the Moderator Authority and are given special privileges as a result. Several dozens of these exist, though not all equal in size and strength. The Lesser Fandoms, on the other hand, are bands that in one way or another fall short of Authority standards, often being too small or esoteric—these would include short-lived fad groups, as well as outlandish types like the Banescholars. Fandoms both great and small have their own places of worship in Reddit, ranging from enormous temple mounts to tiny shrines one might find in a single market-stall.
The Fandoms of Reddit: the Gamers
“HOSTILITIES RESUME”
— Headline regarding the Great Gamer War
Though there are dozens of fandoms present within Reddit, all centered around their own temples on the one hand and the content-markets of the Gallery on the other, the ones that have the greatest prominence are the Gamers. It is they whose many shrines spread out across the largest and tallest of the Temple Hills, and often are said to have near twice as many devotees and Opeers in Reddit as the next closest competitor. Some claim, however, that this is the result of a mere misnomer: though known by a single name, the Gamers are, in fact, a conglomerate fandom comprised of dozens of smaller ones banded together rather than a distinct group entire. This is a common strategy used by Lesser Fandoms: by joining forces and being incorporated together under one name and banner, they are able to gain Authority recognition they otherwise would not have met alone. Within the label of “Gamer,” one will find numerous individual orders: though these are nominally considered subfandoms, in truth they operate more or less as separate communities completely.
Though useful in skirting Authority regulations, this arrangement has carried with it considerable problems. With little other than a name and certain ceremonies like the Summer Sale connecting them, the Gamers are prone to factionalize and bicker amongst themselves constantly. This has made prominent the ritual of ‘fire-feud’: combat that is legal and sanctioned under Authority law, the scale of which ranges from man-to-man duels to blockades to whole-scale wars, albeit ones carefully observed by Moderators. Most recently, however, the Gamer fandom has been locked in a seemingly endless battle that has confounded any attempt at peace: the so-called ‘Great Gamer War,’ one of the largest conflicts the Web has ever seen. Though it started with a seemingly insignificant controversy, it soon became a massive ordeal after it was turned into a proxy war by the Channic anonymites on one side and the Blurrite Oppressed on the other. Reddit became one of the major fronts in this battle, flooded with refugees and political exiles fleeing the Chan, causing problems that the local Moderati has struggled to control.
The Fandoms of Reddit: On the Other Hills
“There weren’t many of us, not at first, but we had something better than numbers. ‘The fire of friendship lives in our hearts,’ right? Well… heh, I guess maybe some dead men think I might have taken that ‘fire’ part a shade too literally.”
— Lady Madelin Wright, Warden of Loyalty
Though the Gamers are the most prominent fandom in Reddit, they are far from the only one. The Animen hold a hill of their own, residing in elaborate and colorful sanctuaries. Another conglomerate fandom, the Animen are subdivided into numerous other groups just as the Gamers are, though they share certain key similarities. The Animen are a creative sect, holding considerable influence in the Painted Sea, and use their talents for the worship of the otherworldly brides they claim to have wedded, using totems and fetishes to draw closer to them.
Many other fandoms can be found arrayed on the other hills of the eastern district, smaller than the massive Animen and Gamer cooperatives but far more cohesive as well. The Marvellian Comican have grown considerably in their size and influence in recent years, far outstripping their Deseenian cousins. The Brony Collective, formed in worship of the Six-Friends-Who-Are-One, has built up a place of fair prominence as well, particularly with the efforts of their artisans, the Generous Friends. The DA has carved out a niche of their own, though much of their efforts are spent studying cybramancing at the local guild hall, while all three members of the Tripartisan Alliance have their own circles of influence, albeit none even approaching the size and strength of their holdings in the Blurr. For the most part, these fandoms keep to themselves, save for content-sharing and proselytizing, not least because Reddit practices fandom neutrality: no single community is forbidden or favored over any other, so long as they keep to local law.
The Academy and the Watchwind District
“There is no truth but Truth.”
— The Rule of Zephemiah
Though now a place fat with wealth and bustling with visitors who come from afar to see its forums and temples, Reddit had a less than glorious start: in the more ancient days of the site, most evidence suggests that its greatest appeal was as a place for salacious interests or—even worse—as a sanctuary for unregistered cybramancers. Interestingly, however, Reddit acquired another very different tradition at around the same time: a love of natural philosophy and engineering. Even in its earlier days, Reddit held a great deal of appeal for men of science, one that only grew after it was connected properly to Central via the Blue Line.
In our own time, that fascination has scarcely faded: on the banks of the placid Lake Tyson there stands a center for such studies, the domed Academy. Redditors within spend their time lecturing, debating, and demonstrating their acumen at both the theory and practice of the sciences, with certain members of the Knight Enlighteners making themselves known there as well. Beyond the Academy’s walls, there lies the Watchwind District, filled to the brim with gadgeteers and tinkerers proudly displaying their latest creations, whether they be bronze-cast automatic orreries or arcane navigators or else timekeepers of rare design. Redditors go mad for the latest of these technological trinkets, making the streets of Watchwind among the more popular in the city.
The Closed-Circle Problem
“Life is not a foreign country, infinite and quiet”
— E38, by So Great and Powerful
Impressive though it might be, the Academy and its surrounding environs face their own share of criticisms. The scope of their learning is more limited than some would like, with its focus overwhelmingly on the physical sciences rather than more traditional studies such as rhetoric or theology, and few would ever claim that it could even touch the hem of Central’s robe when it came to teaching. A graver and more embarrassing issue rises from it being the unfortunate birthplace of the Militant Enlightened, a local social movement formed from some of the more self-righteous, self-styled literati around Lake Tyson. Derided as the ‘Militant Euphoric’ by their many detractors, the Enlightened are iconoclastic self-worshippers who spend much of their time protesting the rituals of other groups, smashing their idols, and then brooding together on perceived slights and unfairnesses. Though they are usually little more than insular troublemakers, their presence in the city became such a humiliation as to prompt their subreddit to be expelled from the Default Assembly, a gesture that the Militants are not like to forget anytime soon.
The Militants might be a mere local trouble, but they represent a far larger problem that plagues the Internet of today: the ‘Close-Circle Problem’ postulated by the Knight Enlightener Scorn-the-Adversary Wheelwright. According to this theory, certain communities within the Web are at risk of directing themselves entirely inward, with its members vigorously rewarding those that think alike and ostracizing those that do not. Though hardly the only site affected by this problem, Reddit might be particularly susceptible to it: subreddits are able to essentially close themselves off from any outside influences, and the voting process specifically benefits those that speak in comfortable platitudes rather than contrary beliefs. All across the Web, fanaticism is on the rise, and Reddit has became a hotbed of insurrectionists and zealots from every corner of the Known Internet.
The Orange Islands
“There is a level of dedication against which there is no victory. Note this well: it is the fanatic that wins the war.”
— Excerpt from the Books of Black and White
While the central districts of Reddit are largely respectable, darker elements exist on its fringes. Large red-zones are mapped out in various places around the city for those seeking illicit thrills, most notably in trace-dens such as those found in the infamous Ent Alley. Such practices are usually tolerated in Redditor society, an unfortunate by-product of their libertarian leanings, but it has led to more dangerous societies as well. In the southeastern corner of the city, one finds a grim example: the Orange Islands.
This small cluster of stony shores and barren rocks are less pleasant to visit than other portions of the city: the streets are more often mud than cobbles, hastily made buildings snake up in crowded rings around the sharp hills, and within those streets and buildings one can find any manner of desperate characters. They are linked to the rest of the city via bridges, but nevertheless one cannot escape the feeling that these island districts are isolated and dangerous. Moderators are strongly advised to exercise extreme caution: many groups within are not at all amiable to lawmen.
The Proxy Wars
“Power to the peaceful”
— E30, by So Great and Powerful
The Orange Islands were always infamous: factionalized, prone to violence, and home to riot-rousers and feel-mongers of all kinds. Even prior to the recent crises, certain communities in the city did not escape condemnation: subreddits that were reportedly connected to fleshtrappers were at first tolerated by the Assembly as a necessary consequence of free speech, but were later forcibly removed by the Moderators. Such actions were not always received well. Living proof of that stands on one of the islands: a hastily-made monument to a renegade Opeer that has been torn down by Moderators a dozen times and rebuilt just as many times after. Since the advent of the Great Gamer War, however, the area has become increasingly unstable, as agents and fanatics bleed each other dry in an endless series of brutal proxy fights.
This tension has been blamed on the machinations of one of two groups, depending on who one asks: the Channic anonymites or the Blurrite Oppressed. The Channic are fellow residents of the Saying Sea, inhabiting a gloomy set of islands farther south, famed as masked pirates and libertine troublemakers. The Oppressed, on the other hand, hail from the Blurr, a sun-baked land in the Painted Sea, where they grew from various social movements into an insurrectionist band infamous across the Web. Both loathe one another, and claim that their opponents have secret control over the Web and the Authority, manipulating others into slavery and seeking total dominance over the Known Internet. The two have been involved in a constant shadow war for years, using fire-feuds, secret funding, raids, and assassinations to weaken their enemies, real or imagined.
The Channic Exiles and the Red Pillar
“If you meet a beggar on the road, kill him and steal his possessions.
If you meet a king on the road, kill him and steal his possessions.”
— Channic proverb
It is an open secret that Reddit has deep ties to the Chan, often repackaging the culture of their southern neighbors to make it more palatable to outsiders. In recent years, however, the prominence of Channic culture in the city has grown exponentially, after being flooded with political refugees fleeing the masked-lands during the Great Gamer War. The Chan is largely an anarchic state, spurning government or law that might enslave them, but their nominal leader—the Mootking—saw the building Anti-Oppressed groups as a threat, and used Authority forces to expel them. Many resettled in Reddit, causing considerable problems as the Assembly and Moderators struggled to maintain order in the wake of a tide of hungry radicals washing over the city. Some of these types have since moved on to resettled again in Voat City, a rude and messy port outside of Moderator control, but many others remained and joined forces with the resident Red Pillar.
The Red Pillar is a homegrown movement native to Reddit, founded upon and based around radical opposition to the Oppressed. Claiming to be guided by revelation to certain higher mysteries of life and liberty, the Red Pillar are widely regarded as a fanatical cult of sorts, commanding considerable fear from other citizens. Taking advantage of rising tensions from the Great Gamer War and the Pao Riots, the Red Pillar continue to gain influence throughout Reddit, making many worry what their next move may be.
The Red Hats
“These old weeds, wild and anarchic kings
Braiding rhizomes so far from home”
— E38, by So Great and Powerful
Most recently, however, an even graver crisis grips the city—a new group known as the ‘Red Hats.’ Formed by a melding of the Red Pillar’s Anti-Oppressed zealotry and the xenophobic contrarianism of the exiled Polchannic, the Red Hats are a brutal movement that worship a God-Emperor thought to dwell in the World Beyond the Web, enacting a reign of terror in his name. During the War of the Electors, the Red Hats managed to gain a shocking victory, swelling their ranks with foreign mercenaries and using them to massacre both the Burning Men and the Blue Flag Alliance in a savage surprise attack. Since then, the Red Hats have allied themselves with the Red Pillar, certain elements of the Militant Enlightened, and the remaining Channic Exiles to seize total control over the Orange Islands, purging them of any perceived enemies and establishing a terrifying mob rule.
So far, the Red Hats and the rest of the city have been in an uncomfortable stalemate: their control over the Orange Islands is absolute, but any attempt to move beyond has been met with strong opposition by the Moderators, who previously hoped to merely contain the threat until the Red Hats were defeated in the War of the Electors. After their victory, however, many worry that their ambition knows no bounds, not least because of the character of their leader—a man by the name of Mylon Bret. Flamboyant, charismatic, and utterly ruthless, Bret has declared himself to be the God-Emperor’s only prophet, and the Mootking-in-Exile as well. Worried that the Red Hats will soon seek to expand by importing in fleshtrappers and Torric raiders from the Deep Web, many within the city have urged the Moderators to conduct a ‘red rinse’—a mass ban, purging entire communities all at once. What such a move may spark in the city, however, is a grave concern.
An Uncertain Future
“Tales of old love hang from the hems of your dresses
Tell me, is there a way to recover
the luster lost somewhere along the way?
Tell me, what happened to harmony?”
— Rarity, by And the Rainfall and So Great and Powerful
For now, the stand-off at the Pathologue Bridge continues, neither side willing to make a further move. It is only a matter of time, however, before tensions reach a breaking point. One can only hope that the city-site of Reddit is able to endure whatever storm may come, and open the circle once again.
As intriguing as usual... which only makes the last bit hit even closer to home.
" Part III is progressing nicely, particularly now that I'm clear of an incredibly busy two weeks that ate up most of my spare time. Expect an announcement about that in the near future."
YAY!
can't wait. And here I was worried I wouldn't get caught up before then. Also, on the "Stop taking time away" bit.. well sometimes taking a break and working on something else for a bit can help you get back in the right flow to work even better on the first project.
Seriously... so damn good and just.. love how well you can turn this stuff into things that.... so work.
Well that isn't ominous at all is it?
Once again just.. the shear amount of world building you have done for this story is staggering, and just how well you make the stuff we all just, know about and.. make it take on this whole new life of it's own, and one that makes sense, that works, that feels REAL!. So awesome.
That said... all this talk about troubles, all the factions... and I not the rollover from similar issues elsewhere... the entire internet seems poised to erupt at this point, so many simmering, or outright full boil conflicts, so much tension everywhere, and the story is, just focusing on some small, inconsequential little issue in a backwater site no one gave a fuck about till then... yup totally missing out on possibilities to use all of this... yup... not all building up to... well.... let's just say my allusion to WWI back in the story comments just might be more on the mark then I thought.
I have no idea what this is about, but by god I love it!
4444905 That's my usual stance on life. Thanks for the compliment! Hopefully you enjoy the rest of it!