Miracles of Arx Nubibus: Paris' Phalanx

Okay! Nobody requested anything the last time I posted something, so I'm gonna write about whatever the heck I want this time! I figured since I talked about the Legion last time, I may as well talk about the Phalanx a bit.

Now, I know the Phalanx was disbanded around Chapter 85 or so (and as I write this, Chapter 196 is the most recent free chapter), but I figured I'd discuss them a bit. They were pretty instrumental in allowing Paris to get where he is. If it weren't for Mist, he'd have been locked up ages ago and probably killed by the Executioner.

So yeah. Even if they split ways, they did have a mutually beneficial relationship for a while. Paris was hidden from the military and Jase got a face for his criminal organization. While everyone was freaking out over Paris, Jase was able to get some stuff done.

But, alas, Jase and his people are far more pragmatic than a certain purple and green clad villain. They wouldn't do anything too serious because they understand the meaning of 'suicidal action' and aren't a fan of the consequences. Arx is a closed system. No immigrants come in, so if you kill too many of the people on the ship, you're dooming everyone on it. You need humans to keep everything running. In this sci-fi, human jobs were left intact because everyone needs to pitch in to keep things running. Humans need jobs so they can earn money and find a sense of purpose. Without any sense of contributing to society, mental health takes a bit of a dip. At least, that's my experience.

Also there are some jobs that I don't think robots will ever outdo a human with. Like doctors and teachers. Sure, some people flourish with online learning, but others (like me) prefer having a human I can ask questions. Even remote learning was a struggle for me back in COVID time. Man, that was already five years ago...time flies.

Then again, I've been writing Arx for almost four years now, so it really has been a while.

Anyway, I digress!

Originally, the Phalanx was going to be the counter to the Legion. They were going to be the big teams that battled it out while minor villains ran around and did other stuff. And, of course, there would be other independent heroes as well. Alas, Jase was too sensible to cooperate and eventually they cut Paris off. How dare they.

I don't mind though. Jase, Mist and the others grew on me and now I do hope they get their own happy ending. It probably won't be as obvious as the more heroic characters, but I don't want them to die miserable deaths. Unlike certain other villains I can think of...

Funnily enough, my trigger-happy editor has never asked me to kill a member of Jase's crew. They became Solstice after Paris left because they wanted a rebranding. Jase named the team after June in a way. I think she explains it either in the main story or a side story, I can't remember, but basically her birthday is in December, which is near the winter solstice, and her name comes from the month in which the summer solstice is. I was quite proud of myself for the name.

Anyway, Mr. Editor, who has been begging me to kill Achilles since Chapter 2, and kept asking me to kill Hot Rod from the moment he was introduced to the moment he did in fact die. The very same editor who won't leave me alone about killing Light Master. Has never asked for a Solstice member's death. I think that's his seal of approval right there.

The Phalanx kind of went off the rails from what I originally planned, but hey. I'm okay with that. The entire story has gone a bit off the rails if I'm being honest, but I don't think that's a bad thing. The story's evolved through the writing process and I think it's better for it. I never expected to get so attached to June (I was quite happy when she won the second anniversary popularity vote) and someday I might like a wallpaper of her and Jase. Or a wallpaper of her Solstice outfit. Too many good ideas! Alas, they probably won't happen unless she gets voted in for an anniversary wallpaper.

And I have so many other fun characters. It wouldn't be nice to let June hog the spotlight.

Anyway, I think that's enough rambling from me for this month. I'll see you in April. Look forward to the April Fool's Special I'll be posting on Patreon!