demonboundSitri

@grimmwald: Was on mobile, sorry. I @ you this time. And I suppose there's no reason to accommodate others other than that it would be a kind thing to do. I guess it's a matter of how much that's worth.

@nordok: So, I'll be direct, if a CVU character wanted to switch to CVNU, would they be able to bring their canon? And, incidentally, that last line was the most delightful backhand I've seen in a while. Just charming.

That's an interesting analysis, but I feel like it rehashes a lot of the old points without making room for new ones. I mean... I hate to say this, but your argument really reads like "Because we (the CVnU) don't want to write with you (the CVU)."

If I'm misreading that, by all means feel free to correct me, but if I'm raising the question about how CVU could reasonably be streamlined into CVnU and the answer is "No, it doesn't benefit us," then I feel like that's exactly the sort of exclusionary behavior that some of the people have expressed concern over.

I'm gonna... kinda go on a little tangent here, but I've been thinking, and I've got to wonder: does the U even matter any more? I realize that maybe I'm coming at this from a point of privileged oblivion - the split predates me. I wasn't around for the discussions, the reasons, the drama leading up to the split. I've heard about them, I get them (both sides, really), and it just doesn't matter all that much to me, because I wasn't a part of it.

But moving on - does it really matter? Is there anything in CVnU or CVU that would - realistically - be ruined by joining the universes? Sure, there would be some personal canon to reconcile, but I think "Why wasn't <Big Name CVnU Hero> in <Big CVU Event>?" could be pretty easily waved away with "Well, he was busy with <CVnU event> at the time." Couple that with the fact that a good number of the characters being written right now (not writers, just characters) are relatively new on the scene, it makes sense for them not to have that history.

Just looking at it from a logistical standpoint, though, what would need to be done? What rules would need to be considered? I know there's the pretty big difference regarding Empire Claims, but maybe that's something that could be discussed by COEs / people who are interested, and see if something can be worked out? Both U's handle them differently, but not necessarily badly. Similarly for most of the rules differences.

Especially given that lately we're seeing more and more people write across the universe borders - to me, that's like seeing people say "hey, those rules differences aren't such big differences, we can work around that." And if we can work around it, why not just bring them together.

I honestly am kind of feeling, especially, that a lot of the reason people are still writing the different universes is just personal character canon. There's a sense of "I wouldn't mind writing there, but I really like my character, I don't want to leave him/her behind" that I think is some of the holdup. If we could come up with an agreeable way to match canon, I think we could get this all together. It might even be as simple as taking the characters on a case-by-case basis, and saying "Here, this is what I have, this is what I've done, does this work? If it doesn't work, what needs to be changed to make it work?" Looking at most of the current characters, it's not that much - especially looking at the current more CVU-characters. None of them are leading armies or empires, they're just heroes and villains and vigilantes trying to make it in the world. So, maybe they were making it in a different part of the world, and things could just... blend.

And with all that said, if it's not the rules and it's not the characters, why not just go for it and put everything behind? Let the universes mingle, and get the pesky "this U / that U" mentality out of the way, and I think we'll start seeing crossovers with all the characters, and I think that might be a good thing for both universes.

Instead of talking about why it's not happening, maybe we can tailor this a little more towards "What actually needs to be done to make it happen? How do we make it happen?"

I just feel like the more I look at things, the more I feel it's possible. Can we do it, guys?

Edit: Man, everyone posting at once. I realize my post doesn't reflect some of the above, but I'm gonna leave it as is, and I have read what you guys have to say up there even if it didn't make it into my post here because if the timing.

@voracious:

Sitri laughed softly at his obvious discomfort. Maybe she shouldn't have thought it was funny. Maybe it was the demon, or maybe it was the blood loss. She tried, cautiously, for the hand he offered, caught it on the second try. The world was a little more spinny than usual, but it wasn't going to end. Not today. She pulled herself up to a sitting position, waiting there for a bit. "I'll be okay," she assured him, in the general sense. Sure, it was more than the standard Red Cross donation, but she wasn't in get thee to a hospital forthwith territory or anything.

She would recover, eventually, without any lasting damage. Maybe that wasn't the best benchmark to be using for things, but... well, after the encounter that had left her blinded, little things like losing a lot of blood just didn't phase her much. Rest, drink orange juice, eat spinach. She would be fine.

Of course, in the more specific sense... "I still don't know where the hell I am," she told him, with another amused laugh. "Poland or one of those -stan countries or something? Hell. I freaking suck at geography. I'm from LA," she added, a bit more helpfully, and considered. "I think I can get back to the city all right. And once I'm there I've got friends who can pick me up. Suppose I gotta sort that stuff out anyway, in case I ever get my ass kicked outside city limits." She shrugged. "Probably good if I just sit for a little while, though."

A smile crept up on her. "I did warn you I was likely to make bad decisions about you," she teased. "Seems like maybe it's a bit mutual."

Sitri felt him close against her, and reveled in the unique feeling of having a willing victim - no struggle, nothing offered grudgingly, but someone who wanted it as much as he did-

Um?

No, wait, that was him. She was... here. With him. Yes. Very much, yes. No fear, no anxiety, just blood and desire and a sense of union. She was slipping in to him again, his emotions blending in to her own, and didn't care. For a few moments, they were inseparable. Time passed in heartbeats - maybe a handful, maybe an eternity. One of them pulled away, and she was herselves again. The world was dark as always, and hazy around the edges. Darkness where there was nothing, and darkness where there would have been darkness anyway. The warmth lingered in her mind, the tremble in her limbs.

Lust, maybe, or blood loss. Both, she thought, with what little thought she had spare. He murmured something - maybe an apology, maybe a promise. She didn't forgive him. Forgiveness would have been an insult. He moved, and she remembered that she could move as well.

Breathe.

In, out. She found a voice, not sure which of her it belonged to. "Don't." The voice of restraint. Not really the voice she wanted to hear. A slow breath, and her fingers moved across the back of his neck. "Not here." Now, that was more reasonable, and she found she almost agreed with herself. The public alley was hardly the place for that sort of thing. Not that Sitri was really that much of a prude, but at the same time, it was a reason. Easy to hold on to.

Not like him. No, she couldn't hold on to him if she wanted to. That was a good thing. She'd tried to hold on in the past, but it didn't work out. This was different. Let everything go, and see what happened. Let someone else lose control, for once. Live vicariously. Let him be what she wished she could let herself be, sometimes.

But I try to be good.

So did he, she thought. She smiled, in the haze. "I would... very much like to, though."

Great! Let me know when you're old enough that you know boomerang arrows are stupid.

Your mentality, on the other hand, seems to be about that of a 12-year-old.

What is this, 1900? A woman's place is wherever she damn well wants it to be! Get out there and kick his ass already!

By him? Girl, we gotta work on your self-confidence.

Nah, you're definitely a fruitcake.