In Which Medic Writes Stories
Retvik (known as Medic on this blog) needs no introduction, as she’s far and away the most prolific writer and editor the site has ever seen. She’s written 2,924 articles, more than double everybody else combined, and she also edits, illustrates, and graphically designs most of the rest of what’s on the Daily SPUF. Truly, she’s more dedicated to the craft of writing than anyone I know.
But gaming journalism is only one of her ongoing creative projects, she also writes a massive sprawling universe of countless characters, worlds, and narratives called the Phoviverse, and I’ve been reading it since roughly 2015. It’s been mentioned or sampled a few times on this site, but I wanted to take an article to talk a bit about some of my favorite stories and characters that reside within the vast annals of Retvik’s primary fictional catalog.
Many of my favorite Phoviverse stories take place in the various gladiator arenas across the setting. Most of them are in the Great Arena, the primary hub of the sporting league, but occasionally matches happen in other places depending on the needs of the story. Regardless, I really enjoy any stories involving gladiator fights as Retvik always takes the opportunity to showcase creative or interesting combat styles. Characters often are forced to outwit their opponents and make the maximum use out of whatever weapons and combat styles they brought with them into the arena, and fights can get very wild when both sides have multiple combatants comboing their abilities in novel ways. This one was my favorite of the bunch, mostly because Retvik wrote it as a birthday present for me, knowing I’m a sucker for underwater combat and love playing, watching, or reading it in pretty much any setting.
I really like how supportive and communicative Phoviverse character always are towards each other. Everyone is always doing their best to help each other, or acting forgiving towards those who antagonize them, and there’ve been many cases where I’m surprised because I’m expecting bitterness or pessimism from a certain setup and then instead everyone acts very mature and cooperative. Retvik’s characters display a lot more emotional intelligence than most, which is a refreshing break from modern media which seems to thrive on miscommunications and selfish or melodramatic reactions to provoke drama, so I appreciate getting to read an ongoing narrative that doesn’t constantly abuse those tired tropes.
While there are tons of characters across the Phoviverse canon, my second-favorite is probably Tenuk, since his primary gimmick is shapeshifting. Whether on the battlefield or in his day-to-day life, Tenuk is often shifting forms for either tactical or whimsical reasons, and it’s fun to see a character so cheerfully fluid in his notion of self. This story includes one of Tenuk’s more ingenious and infamous gambits, shapeshifting into a fluffy kitty during a deadly situation to proc Retvik (the character)’s protective instincts and supercharge himself in the nick of time.
My favorite character is Litvir, who was originally a villain (in fact he was intended to be a swiftly dispatched one-off character) and constantly has to grapple with not only his sordid legacy but also with his evil inclinations. He is perfectly capable (sometimes also gleeful) in acting underhanded, ruthless, or manipulative to get what he wants, and must reconcile these personality traits with his new moral code and increasing responsibilities for the universe at large. I’ve always loved “reformed villain” characters, especially when they don’t lose the questionable skillsets and attitudes that originally made them villains, and I have been spoiled for choice with Litvir content since he’s one of the three major characters in the franchise. I also like how his proclivities translate to a ‘mischievous trickster’ role in group stories or ones focused on everyday social interactions.
The other two main characters are Retvik and Arkay, and these three have starred in the lion’s share of Phoviverse content for as long as I’ve been reading. The three have very complementary personalities, combat styles, and even color schemes, and for a while the series mostly followed the three of them going on missions while a fourth character (Galyn) served as something of a pilot/ship commander/radio point-of-contact who stayed back on the Thantir Two while they got themselves wrapped up in their latest adventure. This story begins one of the higher-profile storylines the trio underwent during that era, a deadly trial orchestrated by a higher power that wasn’t afraid to sic countless obstacles in the way of their unlikely success, and the whole thing is a fun read that will showcase all three characters and their relationships and dynamic. It’s an era of the Phoviverse I look back fondly on as it was my introduction to the setting as a whole, so I spent a lot of time with these three before the world broadened and began covering a lot more focal characters or stories without them in the later generations.
But my favorite story is probably this one, focusing on Arkay as he attempts to go on a fun date and instead finds himself in a difficult situation that puts his mental and physical endurance to the test. It really highlights to sort of selfless yet conflicted character he is (more was, he’s gotten a lot better after so many adventures and additional time to come to terms with himself and who he wants to be) and it does so as a quick, action-packed standalone story that still sets up the possibility for future character exploration and plot consequences.
It really is a commendable achievement to write so many words for so many years in a single canon. Especially given just how diverse the genres and narrative styles are; Retvik’s stories run the gamut from philosophical conjectures to pulp sci-fi to romantic dramas, and I encourage anyone who hasn’t read it to give it a go. There are a ton of memorable characters and unique experiences to be had within its diverse and deity-studded domain. Happy Birthday to its creator and congratulations on over 15 years of Phoviverse, here’s to 15 more!