u/BA_Bones_33 — reddlx

John Stewart Sr. - passed over, unfit, or feared by “the big blue bosses”

I thought the show was awesome and I’m so excited to see where they go with it. One topic I found worthy of discussion/theorizing is WHY John Stewart Sr. was passed over. It really feels like there’s more to the story beyond the question about fear. I’ve got a theory, for sure, but would love to see what folks are thinking.

TLDR: there seem to be three core ideas with a few offshoots to consider, but I’m thinking it’s option C…

A) There could be multiple people on earth who are fit to be a Lantern, but JS Sr. wasn’t “the most fit”… B) JS Sr. was scarred by his upbringing, rightfully jaded from growing up black in a racist society (i.e. not his fault, and super sad if true, but basically the ring thinks his heart is too heavy or haunted). Sometimes those scars can be too difficult to work past… C) The Guardians recognize that a black man, who knows the struggles of oppression, would be too dangerous within their Lantern Corps. because he wouldn’t be afraid to start a revolution when he finds out their agenda isn’t what they claim. Hal was easier to control and less likely to rebel.

(A) feels too basic, and thematically, I’m not a fan of (B), but I personally love option (C). The way the show frames the Guardians, it feels like a setup to find out that they’re not as altruistic as they claim. The only issue I see is the notion that the ring selects the bearer, but what if that’s not entirely true? What if the Guardians have influence over the decision (or control it entirely), but they tell the new Lanterns they were “chosen” by the ring to add to the charade of this being a pure force of good.

Forcing the Lanterns to back-up their consciousness could certainly be for “posterity sake” but it feels like a way to review their activity and make sure they’re not going against the Guardians’ agenda. The fact that Hal stopped uploading himself, is curious. Did he grow suspicious of his bosses? Did they deploy him in a way he couldn’t support? Even the fact that he doesn’t want to wear the suit gives vibes of no longer being proud of his work.

“They’re allowed to have tantrums, we’re not.”… at the very least, the show seems set on interrogating societal racism and its lingering presence in power dynamics and double standards.

I’m new to the Green Lantern comics but loved the first epi enough to want to dive fully in (so please send recs. if you got ‘em), and curious to hear what folks think.

u/BA_Bones_33 — 7 hours ago

▲ 2 r/fantasywriters

Adopting AND adapting realworld languages (feedback needed)

I'm writing a story where a Common Tongue has taken root, but it's only a few centuries old, so certain titles and phrases still linger from other languages. I know this is becoming more common with authors using french, german, arabic, etc. in their writing, but I was hoping to get feedback on an example to see if I'm making a mistake conceptually. Or if I might offend folks in the way I'm adapting some terms. In MOST cases, I'm using the exact spelling and translation of the realworld term or phrase. But I was hoping to "invent" a few as well, using the language as a base. We make up new words, phrases, and slang all the time, so I figured...why couldn't they?

The example -- in Japanese, there is a short-form philosophy called the Dokkōdō (The Path of Aloneness, or The Way to Go Forth Alone) written by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. The kanji roots/translations [Doku 独 (alone/single/ independent), Kō 行 (to go/walk), and Dō 道 (the way/path)], each give the phrase its meaning, but as you can see, there are multiple ways to interpret it theoretically.

The idea of "Aloneness" isn't true to the philosophy. It's more about self-reliance and commitment to your path. But more to the point, many of Miyamoto's precepts don't align with the worldviews in the story I'm writing (only some do). Self-reliance can be great at times, but as proven by posts like this, sometimes we need help, and that's okay too. To that end, I was planning to cut some precepts while adding others that better reflect the world. And I was hoping to adapt it with a new name.

Ichíkōdō - The One Path, The Single Path, The Way (still written by a fictional Miyamoto to pay homage to the inspiration). The LITERAL translation would be something closer to "One-way Path/Street", but I was hoping there would be flexibility for interpretation, given it's a different world.

I want to be respectful, so again, most terms/translations would appear exactly as they do in our realworld languages. However, intentions only get you so far, and I don't wish to offend. I also don't wish for something like this to break the story's credibility.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I plan to get expert review on other translations, but I was curious what the community thought on the approach in general. It's not too late to take the Herbert approach and just reinterpret Dokkōdō as "The Way" (ex. "Lisan al-Gaib" was adapted to "Voice from the Outer World" even though that's not the literal arabic translation, which is closer to Tongue of the Unseen, or Voice of the Unknown).

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u/BA_Bones_33 — 14 hours ago

▲ 192 r/fantasywriters

Why do people care about tides and plate tectonics?

Was there a book or series in recent years that used tides, tectonics, or weather patterns in a plot-critical way? Is it a grassroots movement I missed that wishes to stress the importance of paying attention in 6th grade geography?

I don’t get it. Who cares if the realms don’t fit together like jigsaw pieces? Who cares if that mountain range would never allow for a verdant valley on the leeward side?

Unless your planet is the exact same size as earth, the same distance from a sun that’s exactly the same as ours, with ocean/land mass of exact proportions, spinning on 23 degree angle… you get the point.

If there are readers who care about this stuff, I’d be interested in hearing why.

u/BA_Bones_33 — 4 days ago