#Modifed Lens

[mementomortalitasi]

Lich Emmrich is so trans coded to me

- His main considerations/worries seem to be: how this will change his perception/experience of the world & going through the risks of the transformation itself

- Has been thinking about making the change for years

- When you meet him he's wearing a skull mask, basically lich drag

- Path to lichdom is buried in hidden knowledge & whispered secrets

- Needs to prove himself to a bureaucratic council to do it. Specifically a 'weighing of his soul' that he is doing it for the 'right reasons' & 'won't regret it'

- Rook waiting for him outside of his big surgery

- Anxieties over whether romanced Rook will still be into him as a lich

- Formally coming out as a lich to the group. Even if they were accepting, some of them are still weird about it 🤷 (and getting outed by Harding/vorgoth!!)

- Invasive 👏 questions 👏

- So much paperwork

- Renegotiates physical intimacy without leaning on assumptions/old scripts

- 'Passing' around strangers to avoid prejudice (even though it hides how cool & awesome he is)

[scarynewboyfriend]

This seems very comparable to saying “you can only make a box with these tools” when discussing table top role playing games, which is why i don’t think i’ve ever viewed them under a queer lens (except for ones, as pointed out above, that intentionally revolve their gameplay around identity and queerness).

The genre may be adventure as a standard baseline for many of these types of games (horror is becoming much more prominent as well), but interpersonal dynamics and roleplaying as your characters -their likes, dislikes, flaws and strengths -is a huge part of the game.

Depending on your playgroup (this is important) you may find yourself in a campaign that has very little combat involved and is mostly your characters going around and talking to people, interacting with them and using non-combative solutions to problems (charisma isn't just for warlocks!). If you have a queer playgroup, you're probably going to be playing a queer game!

TTRPGs shouldn't be the same as "here is a regular bar you can be gay in," but more of a "here is a bunch of tools to make whatever kind of building you'd like."

I think this also brings up an interesting conversation about genre definition. How do you classify "queer" as a genre?

I don't think it's appropriate to assume that "queer" also means "romance," as so many mediums tend to. If we take it to mean: a majority of the story revolves around individuals who identify as queer, then it allows us an unbiased avenue from which to develop a story and theme, but it also means that "queer" is not a standalone genre - though personally I find this appropriate. Queer people cannot be universally defined in terms of what they like, how they live, or what they do. Because of this, queer as a genre should not presume to have definite answers to these questions on its own.

If we tag with genres, we'd probably see something like: "action", "romance", "queer"

Or: "queer", "mystery", "thriller"

With TTRPGs these genres become even more loose, since your DM and playgroup will have a lot of influence over the type of story you can expect to experience.

You may not expect your pathfinder campaign to become a horror story about trying to rekindle the love between two eldritch entities before their divorce ends up destroying the universe, but low and behold, your DM has cooked up quite the story indeed!

For this reason, I consider a good majority of TTRPGs blank slates with overarching genres as a primary theme (adventure, usually). They are not so much "queer" or "not queer" as they are "undecided."

D&D is the Taylor Swift of TTRPGs by which I mean it's something with broad mainstream appeal and name recognition and also there are people out there who pretend it's gay

[ms-demeanor]

Do you know of any resources for physical film photo manipulation? Not sure if there's different terms for non-digital stuff, but I'm having a hard time finding anything.

Okay so there are, I'm going to say (casually, informally, and inexpertly - photography experts feel free to correct me or add on to what I've missed), four major types of photo manipulation that are common with non-digital photography. They are: exposure manipulation, compositing, actually photographing weird bullshit, and just straight up painting.

Exposure manipulation gets you things like Ansel Adams "Moonrise." This is what it looks like if it's evenly exposed:

And this is what it looks like with significant modifications to the exposure:

That is. Like. SEVERAL layers of different exposures for the final print. This can be achieved through processes called "dodging" and "burning." "Dodging" is creating a physical mask so that the parts of the negative you want to remain darker are exposed to less light. "Burning" is creating a physical mask so that the areas you the negative you want to be brighter are exposed to more light.

This is a process that is really, really easy to do in photoshop, and really really hard to do in film.

Here is a very comprehensive writeup of how to dodge and burn, and why you might want to.

Compositing is a fancy way of saying "copy/paste". But more so. And with more techniques. Compositing is basically combining two or more images to create one new image. You can do this by making multiple exposures (exposing the negative to light multiple times), splicing film negatives together (physically cutting the negatives and taping pieces to each other), or by combining negatives and prints into a new print. For instance the image below is made up of six different photos, which were composited into a single image by Henry Peach Robinson in 1877.

This is an article written by a photographer who walks you through the process they used to make a composite print in 2020. It involves a lot of planning, cutting, pasting, masking, dodging, and burning. This is a writeup from a photographer who uses a more blunt method of splicing negatives together to create more abstract images.

Actually photographing weird bullshit is what I'm calling "in camera effects." There are all kinds of tricks that you can use while taking a photo to create surreal or magical effects. One that a lot of people know is the speeder in Star Wars:

The floating speeder wasn't achieved through later manipulation of the film, but instead through mirrors hanging in front of the wheels and vaseline smeared on the camera lens to create a blurred effect.

Light painting is perhaps the most commonly used of these kinds of effects:

That's a 6-second exposure, the first three seconds were of the cup and saucer still, then the light was lowered as the cup was lifted and light was swept up when the cup was in place to make it look like it was floating.

The Cottingley Fairy Hoax is one of the best known examples of manipulating photos by just photographing weird bullshit. In 1917, two girls cut pictures of fairies out of a book and took pictures of themselves with the paper fairies propped up in trees, then swore up and down that they actually found fairies.

This seems crude, but hey they couldn't reverse image search the fairies or anything back then. Some of the photos also make good use of forced perspective, which is something that we still use for in-camera manipulations (it was how a lot of Lord of the Rings was filmed in order to make the hobbits look small)

Here's a listicle with a bunch of "hacks" for using your camera and for testing out some types of in-camera effects.

Just Straight Up Painting is what I'm calling photo retouching. It's a bit of an exaggeration to call it "painting" but yeah sometimes it was literally putting paint on negatives or etching away parts of negatives. It's how you end up with photos like this:

Here's an article about retouched photos of Joseph Stalin (maybe the most well known examples of pre-digital photo retouching) and an article about the art of portrait retouching. These examples are relatively subtle, but you can also use these kinds of retouching and airbrush techniques to exaggerate parts of an image or add objects to an image (see the text added to the flag in the article about Stalin).

I can't think of any comprehensive resources offhand, but photographers love to tell you how they pulled of their photos (which is why quite a few of the links above are from photographers discussing process). This is by no means a comprehensive list of non-digital photomanipulation techniques, but hopefully it's enough terminology to get you started on what you're looking for.

[cathrinu]

scattered thoughts on sevika and body modification

As I was rewatching Arcane (as one does) I noticed that Sevika's arm actually wasn't blown off in the blast, just really burnt:

This made me curious as to at what point her arm was amputated: did it become necessary to amputate while she was receiving care immediately following the explosion, or did she eventually decide to amputate? How does each scenario provide different lens to interpret her character?

Save for her prosthetics (and labret piercing), Sevika doesn't really participate in body modification, which is common in Zaun (and kinda atypical for people working in/around the chembarons).

On the topic of her labret piercing, she only gets it after Silco's death and the collapse of the chembarons. I think I could do another post on all of her character designs, but to sum up my thoughts on her post s2 time skip design: it feels like she "grew into" herself more (and generally got her shit together). Her labret piercing definitely feels like it's apart of that.

Onto her (prosthetic) arms: she has a total of four variations across the whole series. With her shimmer-fueled arm she has the "top loader" (as seen in her first fight with Vi in season 1) and the "front loader" (shimmer vials load in her forearm, also the one with the sword). Her gamble-core arm seems to be much more similar, with the only major difference being the shoulder pauldron. Post s2 time skip Sevika has scrapped the speaker, lights, and score counter (and the paint).

I also like that we see Sevika modding/fixing her own arm, it really doesn't make sense for someone as self-reliant as Sevika to outsource maintenance for her prosthetic.

Ill probably add on/edit to this post as I develop my thoughts..... but if yall have thoughts and want to yap pls yap with me i love Sevika analysis.

[lexxiesbimboboobs]

Nonconfirmity in Bimbofication

I was watching a video essay that popped up in my reccomended and I realized one thing that I really love about the bimbo aesthetic (and I purely mean it from a 'traditional' aesthetic side - as a hyperfeminine, pink, plastic girl) - it is not conventionally attractive femininity. In spite of the surgeries it entails, the body modification, the insane upkeep, the typical "bimbo" look does not fit into the beauty standard.

It's "too girly", "too plastic" - literally (quoting from the video) as stated in Mean Girls "more plastic than person". Being this girly is ugly, middle aged women in walmart do, in fact, look at you weird. They will say "oh god! how could she do this to herself?!" - whilst you rock your full-pink outfit and 700cc boobs. If you looked at that and asked some fashion person to give you a makeover, they'd tone you down. Make you more typical, less over-the-top-feminine.

I, personally, in real life - usually dress in a quite masc way - loose jeans and tank tops dominate my daily wear, which is obviously also outside this typical, heteronormative idea of beauty. Pointing a bimbofication stick at myself and utterly inverting all of this, flipping it on its head into oversexed, overfeminine bimboland... still lands you outside of the typical, heteronormative idea of beauty.

I mean yeah, sure, you might be some guys wet dream if you're a bimbo, but that's where it ends. From a normative lens, you're an object, an accessory, a one night stand, a whore and a slut - a bimbo, in its traditional, pejorative meaning. You're (again, from a normative lens) nothing more than a wet dream. Maybe if you kicked the platinum blonde for a more traditional dirty one, left the pink to just accents, put on a longer skirt and had these awful globes of plastic removed from your chest, people would finally take you seriously.

You go from underdressed to overdressed, from underfeminine to overfeminine. all in all you go from "outside of what society deems as acceptable feminity" to "outside of what society deems as acceptable feminity". And I think that is precisely why I, if I am to present in a femme way, would much rather be an over the top bimbo, rather than a "natural beauty".

(Sorry for the different post than usual. Ik this is lots of words and they're not very sexy, but I needed to put this somewhere).

[branchflowerphoto]

Backlit foliage

Shot with a Soviet 1970s vintage Helios 44-M lens with Trioplan modification

[svt-luna]

╰ ᥫ᭡. ⋆· ˚ ༘ * SEVENTEEN LUNA FILES

Bae Jiyeon ❨ 배지연; born January 30, 1997 ❩ known mononymously as Luna, is a Korean-English singer. Born and raised in Kensington, London, United Kingdom. Luna lived in the United Kingdom for fourteen years before returning to South Korea in 2011. She is a member of the South Korean co-ed band SEVENTEEN and its fixed sub-group the Vocal Team.

╰ ౨ৎ BASICS

Birth Name: Bae Ji-Yeon ❨ 배지연 ❩

English Name: Luna Bae

Stage Name: Luna

Birthdate: January 30, 1997

Birthplace: Kensington, London, United Kingdom

Nationality: Korean-English

Ethnicity: Korean

Spoken Languages: Korean ❨ fluent ❩, English ❨ fluent + English accent ❩, Japanese ❨ intermediate ❩, Chinese ❨ intermediate ❩

╰ ౨ৎ ARCHETYPES

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Chinese Zodiac Sign: Ox

MBTI: INTJ

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Godly Parent: Hades

╰ ౨ৎ PHYSICAL

Height: 170cm ❨ 5’7" ❩

Weight: 43kg ❨ 94lbs ❩

Blood Type: O+

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Brown

Body Modifications:

Piercings: Lobe ❨ 3 on each ear ❩, Conch ❨ right ear ❩, Helix ❨ 2 on each ear ❩, Flat ❨ left ear ❩, Tragus ❨ both ears ❩, Rook ❨ both ear ❩, Daith ❨ right ear ❩, Forward Helix ❨ right ear ❩, and Belly button piercing

Tattoos: The number 17 ❨ side of right wrist — dedicated to the band ❩, Crescent moon ❨ side of left wrist — dedicated to her name ‘Luna’ ❩, The letter J in cursive ❨ inside her left ring finger — her initial from her name ‘Jiyeon’ but some fans theorize it’s for ‘Jeonghan’ ❩, A ribbon/bow ❨ on the back of her right hand — her trademark love for ribbons and bows ❩, ‘Lady of the Moon’ calligraphy ❨ by her right rib cage — a nod to her name once more ❩, ‘eventually’ calligraphy ❨ inside her right middle finger — just like she said, “Eventually everything that is for me will come.” ❩, and ‘lovebug’ calligraphy ❨ on the back of her neck — the nickname her grandparents had given her ❩

Unique Features: Dimple on right cheek, piercing siren eyes ❨ cat-eye/ foxy shaped ❩, beauty mark on right cheekbone and left cheek, smirk smile

Medical Conditions: Anemic, has a former collarbone fracture caused after falling during a ballet routine when she was 10 years old, a scar on her right ear lobe after a technical malfunction with her in-ear monitors

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA CLAIMS

Face Claim: Jang Wonyoung ❨ IVE ❩

Singing Voice: IU

Speaking Voice: Jang Wonyoung ❨ has a naturally deep voice when she speaks, however gets higher when she whines and unironically and unknowingly does aegyo ❩

Dance Style: Momo ❨ TWICE ❩ — SEVENTEEN performances, Kazuha ❨ LE SSERAFIM ❩ — Ballet performances

╰ ౨ৎ PERSONALITY

MBTI: INTJ ❨ The Architect ❩

Personality Traits: As an INTJ, often referred to as ‘The Architect’, Luna embodies a unique blend of intelligence, strategic thinking, and an independent spirit. Her personality reflects a deep understanding of the world around her, often viewing situations through a logical and analytical lens. This makes her an exceptional problem-solver, able to assess challenges and devise effective solutions with ease.

Growing up in Kensington, London, Luna was immersed in a world of creativity and intellect. As an only child of a retired ballerina and an anthropologist, she was exposed to the arts and sciences from a young age. Her mother encouraged her to pursue ballet, starting lessons at the age of three. This early training not only honed her physical abilities but also instilled in her a sense of discipline and dedication. However, Luna often felt the pressure to excel, which led to her developing a strong work ethic and perfectionist tendencies.

Despite her outward confidence, Luna struggled with feelings of isolation. Her intimidating features and talent sometimes made it hard for her to connect with her peers, leading her to seek solace in books, art, and music. These experiences nurtured her introspective side, allowing her to develop a rich inner world filled with creativity and imagination.

During her training period, Luna’s INTJ traits truly shone. Her analytical mind enabled her to quickly grasp complex choreography and vocal techniques, allowing her to excel in evaluations. She was often dubbed the ‘Ace’ among her fellow trainees for her versatility and ability to adapt to various tasks effortlessly. However, this did not come without challenges; she faced moments of great pressure to live up to the title and of self-doubt, particularly in a competitive environment where she felt the weight of expectations.

Luna’s leadership qualities emerged during her training, as she often took the initiative to help fellow trainees improve. Her strategic mindset allowed her to navigate the often chaotic training schedule, and she quickly learned to manipulate situations to her advantage, especially during group activities or evaluations. While she maintained a somewhat aloof demeanor, her ability to connect with her peers through shared interests— such as crafts with Joshua or dance challenges with Hoshi— showed her capacity for forming meaningful relationships.

Now as a world known idol, Luna’s INTJ personality manifests in her strong presence and charisma on stage. She is known for her meticulous approach to performances, carefully analyzing each aspect of her shows to ensure they are executed flawlessly. Her strategic thinking allows her to anticipate audience reactions, making her a master at captivating crowds.

Luna’s intelligence also extends to her interactions with fans and the media. She navigates interviews and public appearances with ease, often using her wit and charm to leave a lasting impression. However, she remains somewhat guarded, finding it challenging to open up fully about her feelings, particularly in the context of her somewhat complicated relationship with Jeonghan.

While she is often seen as intimidating due to her ‘resting bitch face’, those who take the time to know her discover her warmth and loyalty. She is protective of her fellow members, particularly the youngest ones, and values the deep connections she has formed within the group. Luna’s ability to balance her independent spirit with her caring nature makes her a unique and multi-faceted character in the K-Pop industry.

Positive Traits: Independent, disciplined, versatile, charismatic, protective, strategic, analytical, ambitious, intelligent, loyal

Negative Traits: Perfectionist, aloof, stubborn, overly critical, reserved

╰ ౨ৎ HISTORY

1997-2011: Luna was born in Kensington, London, into a well-off family that nurtured her artistic inclinations. Her mother, a retired ballerina, introduced her to the world of dance, leading Luna to begin ballet training at the tender age of three. This early exposure fostered her love for performing arts and instilled a strong work ethic in her. Academically gifted, she attended Southbank International School Kensington, where she excelled in her studies and developed a deep passion for music. Despite her wonderful childhood, Luna often felt isolated due to her personality, seeking solace in her artistic pursuits and immersing herself in the creativity that surrounded her.

2011-2012: At the age of fourteen, Luna made the pivotal decision to move back to Seoul, South Korea, to pursue her dream of becoming an idol. This transition marked a significant change in her life, as she entered the competitive world of K-Pop. She initially trained at YG Entertainment for a year, where she faced the rigors of idol training and learned to adapt to the intense environment. Throughout this time, she was constantly approached by PLEDIS Entertainment, a smaller company that offered her a chance to further her dreams. After much consideration, Luna trusted her instincts and made the bold decision to switch companies, believing it would ultimately lead her closer to her goals. She has mentioned in an interview that her leaving a huge and well known company for a smaller one was one of the riskiest thing she has ever done and yet she does not regret it.

2013-2015: Luna trained for another two years at PLEDIS Entertainment, honing her skills as a lead vocalist in preparation for her debut. During this time, she faced various challenges, including rigorous practice schedules and the pressure to excel among her peers. However, her determination and talent shone through, allowing her to form strong bonds with the other trainees. She was supposed to either debut in a girl group or as a solo artist, however, in 2015, Luna finally achieved her dream of debuting as a member of the co-ed band SEVENTEEN, alongside thirteen talented male members. This milestone marked the beginning of her journey in the spotlight, showcasing her versatility and dedication as an artist.

2015-Present: Since her debut, Luna's life as an idol has been a rollercoaster ride filled with both challenges and triumphs. She has navigated the ups and downs of the entertainment industry, facing public scrutiny and the pressures of fame. Despite these obstacles, the joy of being with her fellow members, whom she considers family, has been a constant source of strength. Together, they have achieved remarkable success, creating unforgettable memories and sharing their passion for music with fans worldwide. Luna's perseverance and commitment to her craft continue to drive her as she embraces the journey of an idol, always striving to achieve her goals and dreams.

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST

ೃ⁀➷ comment or message me to be added to the tag list :)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ SUBMIT A REQUEST AND ASK ME ANYTHING!

: ̗̀➛ requests are always open ♡ - lunaఌ

Taglist: @yeoberryx @minminghao @angie-x3

[enchantedanimal]

Introducing the M-V Headgear Technology System.

A Federation workers' muzzle and visor concept/headcanon (featuring Fred).

More information can be found within the following document.

A Federation Handguide to the M-V Headgear Technology System (MVHTS)

The "M-V Headgear Technology System" is made up of two main components: "Muzzles" and "Visors".

Muzzles were implemented as a safety measure. Due to incidents in the past, muzzles started to be used to prevent cases of biting. Some more common cases involved circumstances of a sudden "Polar Bear Syndrome" instance or an agitated worker. Since muzzles were introduced, cases rapidly declined and ceased to exist, and thus it became the standard and requirement for all federation workers to wear them in their daily lives to prevent any future incidents or casualties.

Visors are important in assisting workers. A transparent electronic screen on the inside allows for an overlay to be applied in real time of what they see. This allows the user to get general identifying information, statuses, and Federation notes such as warrants or warnings when looking at residents, coworkers, threats, enemies, or the environment. This also helps with training new members, as the screen shows names of individuals as well as tasks. Physically, a thick uv resistent lens provides protection from hazards, stray particles, and the sun.

When muzzles are used in combination to the visor, this allows an additional barrier of separation between the workers and the residents. Both equipment hides any indication of emotional expression by the user and prevents unnecessary relations with others, especially island residents. This is intended for physical, emotional, and mental protection of employees, as well as keeping professionalism.

Removing the M-V Headgear Technology System

If the headgear needs to be taken off, employees can enter a break room. Upon entering, a sensor in the doorway allows the locking mechanism in the back to be unlocked. The lock can then be opened, and the headgear can be removed. An attempt to leave without the gear fassened or locked will alert a superior.

Note: in recent events of employing residents (such as W0039 or "Foolish"), all workers should be more cautious of their surroundings before removing their MVHTS, even if in a break room. It's recommended that no headgear should be removed if any resident is within the building or area.

In case of emergency without easy access to a break room, users should squeeze both top and bottom buttons located on the back lock in unison for a few seconds, allowing the straps be unlocked and the device to be removed. However this method should ONLY be used in absolute emergencies. When unlocked, the headset itself will make a loud beeping noise and notify a superior.

Employees seen without their M-V headgear outside of a break room that do not have the proper clearance should be reported immediately. It should also be reported if a resident sees an employee without their headgear. Attempts to avoid being around residents while not wearing a visor, especially a muzzle, should be made at all costs as it is strictly against the rules.

While these components are highly sturdy, should any of them become heavily damaged, you should notify your nearest supervisor immediately. A temporary backup should be provided as soon as possible.

Other MVHTS Details

- In regards to WA01, aka the Census Bureau, or "Cucurucho", their muzzle is different from the others due to it's modification. A voice mod and speakers are built into it, allowing for communication with residents and fellow workers. It's also fitted with a smile design (":]") to appear more friendly and recognizable when speaking to residents. Cucurucho is the only worker to not have a visor. Do not make any reference to the appearance of their eyes in front of them.

- The only other speaking worker currently around, WS01 or "Elena", also has a muzzle fitted with a speaker and voice mod. However unlike him, she does wear a visor.

- All muzzle and visor designs are usually very fairly to each other, but as they are specially made, some are different shapes mostly depending on the form of the users face. However requests for sharper/rounder headgear are considered and can be made.

- All M-V systems of Federation workers are primarily white/light grey.

- Only the front-most "mouth" mesh is flexible enough for a straw or liquid to permiate it, allowing for drinks on the job.

- Mesh designs can vary, especially depending on the rank of the employee.

- Each lock on the back is fitted with a dim light. The color of the light differs depending on the employee/rank. For example, WC construction workers have primarily orange or yellow lights, WB workers assigned to guarding and authority have white lights, and WA workers, such as WA02, have a blue light. The higher the rank, the more likely that they may have a more unique color. Elena has a pink light and Cucurucho is an exception as they do not have a light on theirs. Lights are never red as that is reserved for indicating that the headset is unlocked or unfastened. If any workers' lights not amitting light, they should be advised immediately or be reported to a supervisor.

[ellestra]

Lifecycles of Disposable Beings

One of the things I really hoped for in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 movie that it would remember that Rocket and Nebula were for five years the only surviving Guardians. That they became heroes and helped save the Universe and defeat Thanos twice. Not only for the friendship they developed but also because this movie has shown how similar they really are and how important it must’ve been to have each other. And I got my wish in such a perfect way.

Neither of them expresses emotions easily so it’s there in a little things. It first shows a bit when she gets him Bucky’s arm for Christmas and he made her her new one that she then uses to stab and ward off his attacker. The way Nebula fights for him from the start unwilling to let him die and pulling all of her family – including Gamora she kept from away from Guardians all this time. The subtle ways she looks devastated both by his injury and then by what she discovers when she reads his implants and then his history. The way she is the first person Rocket asks about when he wakes up (sure she was hailing but he noticed). How he instantly agrees to help save the kids. And of course the big one is her breaking down in tears when she hears his voice. Mantis has too speak for her because she is so overwhelmed by relief.

They were both remade to be of use to others without their consent and for purposes not their own. They lost the family that meant everything to them along the way but they got through the worst of it together and I was so happy to see them be there for each other.

And I loved so much that Nebula gets to use her extensions to save Rocket (and people in general). Throughout all the movies so far we saw the changes Thanos implemented in her through the lens of the pain and suffering it caused her. We see it used against her and against those she holds dear (in Infinity War it’s her torture when being taken apart again that brakes Gamora and leads to her death, in Endgame Nebula her own mind is used against her will – she doesn’t even own her memories because her father took even that). But now she finally owns it all and can use it as she wants. She can choose her own modifications – get rid of her face implants and get a new arm. She can use the fact that her body can fix itself and she can connect to databases with her mind for the benefit of her friends. She decides how to be and who she becomes.

And this too is mirrored in Rocket. High Evolutionary can consider him proprietary technology and think he owns his mind but he never did. He only gave Rocket parts but all the true advancements Rocket built himself with a little help from his friends. All the real sparks of invention were really Rocket’s all along and he was always perfect in all his imperfections. There was always love and generosity there that he even tried to extend to the High Evolutionary but there was nothing in that man that could appreciate it. But there were people who cherished it and helped it grow until Rocket too could accept all the parts of himself and fully embrace his past and create his own future.

In defiance of another a bad father (because what would MCU be without them and Guardians certainly have the worst - Thanos, Ego, High Evolutionary – you cannot pick a worst bunch). But as bad as Thanos and Ego were we only really watched them through the eyes of the adults they damaged. We see what Thanos’ “love” did to Nebula and Gamora in the scars on their bodies and souls but we never see their childhood pain directly. We experience their fear and hate and lashing out at others and each other but we are spared the gore of what happened (at east on screen). And we only see the remains of the countless lives Ego destroyed on his quest to become a God with capital G. The children he discarded when they didn’t fulfil his expectations. The lives he deemed unworthy once he realized they were of no use to him.

High Evolutionary combines both of them and we get to see it close and personal. This one shows us how it looked from the start when Rocket was too new to know how little he mattered to the one who created to him. Oh, Rocket knew he didn’t care about his pain and the callousness he treated the ones he deemed failure and how easily the anger and abuse came. This is why he stole the parts whenever he could. But P13 still had hope that if he’s useful enough he and his friends would get a reward and be allowed to live under the sky instead of the filthy cage in some dark storage room. He hoped for a better future until he was told he was only parts. That his friends were only mistakes. That there was no future for them.

And what could he do but to disagree and fight back? But even that rightful anger ended in tragedy. Standing up to injustice doesn’t guarantee success. Those he tried to save died and he lost everything. No wonder he’s so scared to try again through out the first two Guardians movies. But his new family allows him space to try and when he loses them Nebula is there to help get him through that loss again. He doesn't end up all alone this time.

It was so heartbreaking to see the casual cruelty of the High Evolutionary – from the big picture to the small details. The little things like dirty, unkempt cages where they are left while their wounds mend. And the cruelty of the whole uplifting process that only cares about the perfection as the end result but never troubles itself with pain of its subjects. Creating perfection to keep it imprisoned and forever subservient – even when they are allowed to be a civilization, they are never free and, like the Sovereign or Counter-Earth, still can be destroyed anytime. And it always will be because perfect creation is nothing but a lie High Evolutionary tells himself.

High Evolutionary could’ve never accepted a creation that would really be what he strives for because that he would have to set them free and he could never relinquish control. He would also have to accept that there would be someone greater than him and he cannot abide that. He spends so much time chasing Rocket to see what made him creative but even if he found it in Rocket’s brain he could never use it. He can’t stand Rocket being smarter than him and seeing the solution he missed. High Evolutionary always needs to be in control and to keep that he could never let anyone be better than him at anything. This is really why batch 89 had to die. He couldn’t stand someone surpassing him at anything. Especially not someone he considered so inferior.

So he is constantly disappointed by his creations and destroys them whenever he makes something newer and shinier. The Counter-Earth is destroyed with all its animal hybrid inhabitants – including the nice bat family Peter charmed into helping them and we barely have time to notice. At least with Rocket’s friends we have time to be properly horrified by High Evolutionary’s cruelty and he at least gets punished for it. But a whole planet of sentient creatures gets lost in explosions and the only one given a moment is Ayesha – everyone else is lost while we only think of saving Rocket. And then saving Nebula, Drax and Mantis.

And it’s horrifying because we learn that all that High Evolutionary’s creations really needed is care and time. We see it with batch 89 and with all the others. The kids they save might've not been creative enough just after he made them but look at Phyla in the New Guardians being her own person. Adam Warlock was naïve and dumb but he was awakened too early and after that he clearly learns fast. He even learnt empathy in 2 days - something High Evolutionary hasn’t managed in centuries. And Sovereign probably can learn too once free of High Evolutionary’s toxic ideas of perfection. There was more to the Counter-Earth than crime and they too could’ve been great once not trapped in the 1980s hellscape High Evolutionary put them in. High Evolutionary’s real failure is not seeing any of that.

All of them needed just time and love and High Evolutionary didn’t have it for any of them. Not for Warlock in his cocoon. Not for 89P13 who fixed his process. There was always the next shiny thing and the last one was left rotting in filth until it was incinerated.

This is all explains Rocket we know from the movies so well. This why he is kleptomaniac with compulsive need to collect technology – it saved him and you should be wary of those who hoard it. It also explains why was so self-sabotaging with his new family. Letting himself love them meant hurt if he lost them and he lost them all. The devastation of the Snap hits even harder now. But this time he at least had Nebula. He had someone who could really understand how deep that pain was even without the details.

Outside of High Evolutionary’s control Rocket has grown into someone who could weather the loss and came and save his new family and have them save him in return. Then they saved everyone they could from the High Evolutionary because he didn’t deserve any of his creations. They were all too good for him.

In the end we see the new Guardians of the Galaxy combining Rocket’s different families. They are made of people who were like Rocket made by High Evolutionary and the ones who joined the Guardians in previous instalments. He started with nothing and too afraid to try this friends and family thing again and look at him now – leader of this team. Working well with others. All of them getting the best of their second chances. And saving the Galaxy along the way.

And somewhere out there on Knowhere Nebula and Drax make sure they all always have a home to come back to.

[iatrophilosophos]

The other thing I'm thinking about this morning is the limitation of any one analytical lens and poor application of gender theory to interpersonal relationships.

Gonna frontload this post with the caveats that 1) this is about cafab relationships to transmisogyny, which i welcome discussion from anybody on but also recognize some ppl are just not invested in or interested in hearing, and thats fine 2) i am speaking from a place of good faith (classical def.) and assuming that we can take what people say about their intentions at face value and these topics are occurring within relationships with grace and legitimate desire to do right by eachother, even though this approach does not always work and is not an exhaustive or universal lens.

My friend said sumn last year that was really foundational for me--"there's always another explanation [for interpersonal instances of transmisogyny]". Meaning, transmisogyny is the sum of small and big events across a person's life, and for TMA people it doesn't really matter if a partner has hateful or "transmisogynistic" intentions behind an action that contributes to the structure. There's always a self-centered reason that has nothing to do with The Structure. My other friend has a line that I think also fits here, which is the idea that most people most of the time don't really have "rational" or cognizant motivations prior to action, just post hoc narrativization of why they did what they did. I don't know how much I agree, but I think it's an interesting lens to use to think about our past actions that can get useful results--how much of the story that I'm telling about this event got written after it, and how does that affect everything moving forward?

This stage setting brings us to a specific cohort that I've definitely been a part of and am working on distancing from: strong willed/bullheaded cafabs with significant personal needs and abrasive interpersonal tendencies. Being someone that only very aquiescing, self-sacrificing people can stand to be around means you're gonna benefit a lot interpersonally from transmisogyny, because trans women and especially young, vulnerable, and/or early transition women are gonna be a large % of the people you attract.

People in this cohort usually know it on some level IME and feel a lot of shame and anxiety around it. Transfem friends and partners will bring it up. We get one of the good ones type behaviors, compensatory hating and policing of other people, and white knighting; and we get various manifestations of definitional games that all fit into the "ontologically incapable of violence" header. Your classic uwuification of cafabs, but also misguidedly trying to find common ground and misconflating relationships to womanhood (talking abt how ppl treated you ten years ago doesn't paper over the thing You are doing Now), and getting into some really bizarre IME feminist ally dudebro shit that seems copypasted from 2012 cishet feminist ally lines (these are also??? Bad????)

All of this shit behavior can((see above caveat #2)) stem from being too lost in the sauce of structural analysis. I think the line that there's always another explanation has a corrolary: you can basically always, to varying levels of accuracy and usefulness, paint an interpersonal problem in the context of structural analysis. And this can be very useful, and it is mainly useful to people who are subject to that structural oppression to understand what is happening and why it feels bad. I see for my friends theory around transmisogyny often (but obviously not exclusively) function as a frame of understanding that says "it isn't your fault. No amount of personality modification will keep this from happening again. Time to take a different tract." This is very useful and good.*

However: this specific understanding of the function of transfeminist theory does not play the same for this cohort of cafab people, because behavioral modification IS the way to get better about shit and stop it from happening. In a lot of these circumstances WE have to understand explanations of transmisogyny as an explanation for why behaviors, attitudes and modes of interaction feel bad to our friends. Yet a third dear friend has a line in a piece of writing that I don't remember if is published or not that says, paraphrasing: "transmisogyny is not 'real', it is a concept we use to understand patterns and attitudes". The essence of a transmisogynist action or behavior or pattern that we exert towards our loved ones is only that it triggers a pattern and understanding of the world; not that it has a big red "GENDER CRIME" stamp on it somewhere.

If we want to throw off the benefits and privileges of being TME in the interpersonal sphere, we have to get fucking nicer to people. We have to yell less and listen more. We have to interrogate the ghosts of our loved ones that set up shop in our heads and challenge how they diverge from the evidence of the real people in front of us. We have to employ whatever dumbass therapyspeak tools let us be more thoughtful and intentional with how we treat eachother. We have to confront the anxiety that we are Problematic and not imbue metaphysical significance to the fact that we Hurt Someone, because that opens the door to us trying to fix it with yet more metaphysical action and not just going "oh, I need to work on the way I percieve your words because the way you express dissent doesn't immediately register to me and I've been steamrolling you for weeks. Shit, I'm sorry, can I ask some questions that will help me notice next time this comes up and react better?"

Finally I'm gonna end with this: transmisogyny as an understanding of lifetime patterns of experience is not One Thing that applies evenly to every TMA person. One of the biggest pieces of me landing on all this above is being frustrated about how everyone I know has a slightly different bar and I couldn't just "stop being transmisogynist", cuz different shit hurts different people. This is kinda my connecting thread to my earlier post about offensive jokes: once we hit the sphere of microaggressions and non-overt patterns and loved ones that want us to actually work on shit instead of divesting, there just isn't actually a prescriptive answer and we have to be familiar with the theory shorthands ppl around us are using, AND aware of how our personal tendencies and patterns of behavior fit into that theory, AND exercising curiosity and care to figure out what the tangible steps for people we love are.

*note that with all theory I do think that even this framing can get stretched to a point it is no longer accurate or useful to goals I think r worthwhile, but that's not my lane to talk about exhaustively.

[huntressao3]

Dr. Vyle

Age: 54

Profession: Head of R&D at Vykker’s Labs 16, surgeon

Species: Vykker

Dr. Vyle is the head of Research and Development at Vykker’s Labs 16, one of the most notorious laboratories on Oddworld and one of the only airships in the Conglomerate’s possession . Dr. Vyle is immediately recognizable by his four sleek metal arms, which replace his natural ones. These arms, each equipped with different surgical tools and gadgets, were self-engineered after a catastrophic lab accident left him permanently disfigured. His decision to create and graft these arms onto himself was driven by both necessity and his relentless obsession with scientific advancement. The arms provide him with enhanced precision during surgeries and experiments, allowing him to carry out intricate tasks faster than any other vykker.

Dr. Vyle’s perpetually furrowed brow and deep-set, glowing yellow eyes and sharp, angular features give him a look of constant, simmering anger—even when he’s simply focused on his experiments. As the head of Research and Development, Dr. Vyle oversees the most disturbing and groundbreaking experiments at Vykker’s Labs 16.

His expertise in surgery is unparalleled, and he often performs grotesque modifications on creatures for the Magog Cartel. From gene splicing to organ harvesting, Vyle is at the forefront of Oddworld’s most heinous scientific practices. His office is a chaotic mess of surgical tables, glass tubes filled with mysterious fluids, and rows of grotesque specimens—many still alive—suspended in jars. His mechanical arms allow him to conduct multiple procedures at once, making him a whirlwind of efficiency. However, this mechanical precision is also what makes him detached from any sense of empathy or morality

Dr. Vyle is intensely focused on his work, with little patience for distraction or incompetence. He’s known for being cold, calculating, and unfriendly, even among his fellow Vykkers, including his personal assistant, Lenny. His demeanor is clinical, but there’s a barely-contained frenzy in the way he operates. When presented with a new challenge or discovery, he becomes obsessively excited, though this excitement often takes a sinister form, especially when it involves invasive procedures or dissection. Like most other vykkers, Vyle has no moral compass—he views everything through the lens of monetary value and scientific curiosity. He is perpetually irked by anything that disrupts his carefully constructed world, and nothing vexes him more than unpredictability—especially when it comes in the form of one particular human girl.

Dr. Vyle’s life took an unexpected turn when he stumbled upon the human girl, Evie, floating unconscious in a river when the interns at the lab were retrieving captured test subjects in the forest. When she was first brought to him, he was immediately intrigued by her pale skin and unfamiliar anatomy with Vyle initially referring to the creature as “Specimen 117” with Vyle believing that she was some form of mutated mudokon or evolutionary offshoot until he heard her calls herself a “human”. Vyle’s excitement grew immensely when he realized that he could be dealing with an entirely new species that was likely worth astronomical amounts of moolah.

At the lab, the subject refused to cooperate despite her very obvious fear, and found ways to grate on Vyle’s nerves, with her yelling strange phrases and disrupting the invasive experiments Vyle attempted to perform on her. Evie one day freed herself from the lab by wiggling out of her restraints, knocking Lenny in the head, and stealing an elum meant to be used in an experiment and freeing several other test subjects before escaping the lab atop the elum.

The loss of Evie has enraged Vyle, and he has since issued a hefty reward for her return, spreading the lie that she is in fact a dangerous mutant and a threat to Oddworld. His reputation- and a significant amount of profits- rests on retrieving this elusive “human” and he will stop at nothing to have her back.

[boringbones]

What type of player are you?

I’m almost never one hundred percent satisfied with my game. When I am satisfied, I start looking for a flaw to "fix." For this reason, and others, I end up not fully enjoying the gameplay. It’s my Achilles' heel. The two images above are an achievement I reached.

Let me explain: In the first image, my game is running at over 100 FPS without any filters (maybe just an SSAO to better harmonize the scene elements and add a bit more depth), while in the second image, my game is running at around 55 FPS but with a ton of filters. Both are in small maps.

I’m always weighing what’s better or worse, constantly balancing things out. On the one hand, I’m proud that I managed to make the game look incredibly beautiful with a single lighting mod that makes it seem like it's full of filters but without the heavy processing load of those filters.

On the other hand, the filters in the second image are applied to my previous lighting mod, which was a bit more "balanced," so to speak. In other words, the elements between the filters and the lighting work more "harmoniously" together.

But when we’re trying to create this ecosystem, we need to think broadly. In other words, if I apply my new lighting mod to the second image, the result will be completely different (which doesn’t necessarily mean better), because I’m designing the neighborhood based on what I see with the filters. If I remove them, it turns into a strange mix.

Meanwhile, the first image was created with this restriction in mind, and it was necessary to harmonize all the elements (meaning recoloring plants and buildings based on what the game was showing me). If a player uses this neighborhood with any lighting mod other than mine... the result will be disappointing.

What I’m trying to say is this: Often, as creators, we strive to present the best and most complete version of our work to the world, and that work depends on a combination of factors to represent the vision we have. These factors involve the colorimetry of the environments (i.e., the colors and textures we apply to buildings), the colorimetry of the plants, terrain, and streets. This means we apply modifications to all these elements based on our vision, and if the player is using any other mod or set of filters, they may never see the same thing. In some cases, this can be good, but in most cases, the result just feels “off.” For example, in the gif below, the filters I’m using are the same, but the lighting mods are different. Both are my mods.

While the first leans toward a softer tone, the second ends up highlighting a green tint (almost like the Matrix). I like both, but I have a preference for the less greenish tone since all the elements in the scene seem to blend better with the environment that was built.

However, see what happens when I show the same neighborhood without the filters. In other words, it wasn't designed to be viewed without them. The colors and textures (even with two different lighting mods) no longer convey the same visual quality with which it was originally envisioned.

Pleasantville carries the quality of having been designed with only the lighting mod in mind, without any filters.

And the result looks charming! I know I’m emphasizing a rather curious point, but what I mean is that building neighborhoods is complicated when we consider all the necessary elements to create harmony within the scenes. When we creators recommend that you use a specific set of mods or filters, it’s not out of vanity, but so that you can see the world we’ve created through the correct lens. Otherwise, what was meant to be a greenish world might look too rocky, and what was supposed to have a nostalgic tone might end up looking like a strange mix of elements.

In the end, the question I ask is: What type of player are you? A player who cares about these little details, or a player who thinks these concerns are irrelevant and do not interfere with their gameplay?

To sum it all up: To achieve the ideal visual, each mod or adjustment needs to be considered as part of a broader ecosystem. It’s not just about adding or removing filters, but about how all the elements (lighting, colors, and mods) interact and harmonize within the scene. By customizing the game to reach this level of quality, we may end up making the experience unsatisfying for those not using the same adjustments. This quest for perfection can be a solitary journey, though it is a fun and laborious one.

[tanukified]

My top 2 vocaloids fr!! 🩷

These two are gonna be individual prints to match my Rin&Len one from a while back (✨)! My style has changed some since I drew the first one but it’s just the over all vibe I want to match so it’s whatever I guess 🙇

// I don’t like append Miku’s design lol so I went for an amalgamation of her other designs, as for Luka since she doesn’t have an append VB I went with v4x design (with some modifications) since I thought it’d match better with the others!!

[queen0fm0nsterz]

I was thinking about the old LN1 character bios and remembered the line about the Twins being "born to be chefs". Assuming their not native to Nowhere, this would mean they had some violent tendencies before becoming residents, like it was their destiny.

This then made think about the end of tson ep 3 where Otto says the something like "Our world isn't the only world, let alone the predominant one".

All this made me realize that the worlds other than Nowhere may have been created by it (The Nowhere is implied to be sentient in it's own right) specifically to create concepts and injustices that could be used to warp and traumatize children, turning them into visitors and then into residents.

Thoughts?

Alright so this is a great question that I think leads to a much larger discussion about how the Nowhere operates. I would like to hear what other peeps think as well.

So, starting from the Chefs. Personally I always assumed that they are part of that group of characters who are from the Nowhere because of the way their description is worded (and also their baby pictures... this one is so cute lowkey...)

--- But following your train of thought: considering what we know of the Nowhere, it seems to amplify certain characteristics of a person, usually the bad ones. Two kids who are a bit propense to get into fights in the waking world may very well become blood thirsty maniacs in the Nowhere.

Interestingly, the modification of traits does not only apply to personality but also the body -- and usually, the physical changes are in relation back to said traits. For example, the Teacher - someone who is known to be controlling - can extend her neck infinitely to look everywhere and have the ability to blink removed to make sure she's always watching. The Doctor, a perfectionist with tons of authority, is always looking down on people while also growing enormous to match his ego. So on and so forth, you can follow this reasoning for a large number of the Residents we meet.

I think other timelines derivating from the Nowhere is definitely a possibility, as we don't know much of how the universes work there.

The general theory of a multiverse irl is that no timeline has any specific weight or importance over others; they are all parallel no matter how different, with no timeline being "the real one". This is if we view the Nowhere under the lens of it being a separate dimension. In TSON, the Nowhere is kind of implied to be sucking the people most vulnerable to it right in, so perhaps the idea Otto has of it the predominant world stems from the fact that he can't explain his fascination with it... or from a real, genuine desire to somehow "return" to the original land, if that's where the other timelines originated from.

HOWEVER, I would like to offer an alternative perspective on this --- based on what I found out during my research on the Ladies. Yup we're going there again

Rather than the characters themselves, this time I'm going to refer to a symbolism that is very prominent in their lore: Buddhism. More specifically the references to the six planes of existance, and how those can be tied back to Little Nights in a loose way. As stated in this site:

" The six realms of rebirth are a schema in which beings are reborn according to the kind of life they lived. [...] The animal realm, in which inhabitants are driven by basic needs, is one of the three “lower” realms. The other two are the hell realm, a place of constant suffering and torment, and the realm of the hungry ghosts, grasping beings who are never satisfied. The three “higher” realms are the human realm [...] the demigod realm [...] and the god realm, where beings enjoy a life of pleasure. It’s important to note that some Buddhists view the realms as literally real, while others interpret them psychologically as metaphors for the emotional states of the human condition. "

(Click on the link to read the whole thing; I only highlighted the parts I think are relevant to this conversation :] )

What I believe specifically relates back to the Nowhere are the three lower realms, from which the place itself may be loosely inspired by because of how its inhabitants are described.

All of these are things we see in Little Nights from various Residents, depending on the social class and place. It is important to note that while these realms are placed in different hierarchies due to quality of life, they all cohexist together without necessarily being more important than each other as they all have the same purpose in the end.

If the worlds of Little Nights operate in a similar way, then what we're looking at is not really a case of dimension hopping, but rather a passage from a plane of existance to the next. A forced one at that, at least in the case of Noone.

Now, considering Otto's assumption, the idea of the Nowhere being a predominant realm only popped up because he was trying to wrap his head around it and how Noone felt, but to tell you the truth, it is a rather baseless assumption considering he's never been there and is only experiencing it in a very limited way. However... considering how many children from different places in time and space have experienced the Nowhere, sometimes even simultaneously, I wouldn't say that it's completely wrong to assume that the place might be the "original plane of existance".

Now. Reflecting on what you said at the very end, I would like to ask a question back: do you think the Nowhere is, hypothetically, only capable of bringing out the worst in people inherently? Or is it only acting this way because humanity itself is more easily conditioned to fall victim to their bad traits?

I've been recently thinking about it because of the Maw. The writer of Little Nightmares, Mr. Mervik, has stated multiple times over the years that the place has not always been the way that it is; at the same time, he also said that it was not man made, but rather created by collective hunger/desire to be fed. These two things don't make sense together unless you assume the Maw was not originally born for the Guests and the whole cannibal business, but rather from a desire of shelter. A need to be fed. Which is not inherently a bad thing -- and it would explain why the structure itself is so largely built to house so many people, and why children still feel relatively safe in it to this day.

So I find myself thinking that perhaps, the Maw degenerated overtime because the people inside of it (cough its leaders cough) did. And if this is the case for the Maw, who's to say it's not the same for other places? The Nest, for example? The School, the Hospital... etc. But. It is also true that the creatures who inhabit the Nowhere (the Ferryman, the North Wind, the Flesh...) all seem to have their own interests and destructive amusement more at heart than anything. If these creatures are what move the large of the Nowhere (which I guess they are considering the eye symbol is all over the goddman place), then the human will can't really do much.

That being said, I am wondering currently if it could be possible for the Nowhere to bring out something good from a person in the right situation. At the same time, the hopes are incredibly slim. Nonexistent, actually, but it's nice to think about hypothetics.

[margindoodles2407]

Heyyy @seeking-elsewhither. You know how I'm giving you a HFSW Bad Batcher a day until you stop being sick. Well since I missed it yesterday,,, and you need your guys,,, well I went to draw Tech and things got. Out of hand

Closeups and notes under the cut

Goggles

You do not know how hard Tech's hair is to get right

So! His goggles I actually struggled over for months and months because, you know. They're hard to draw. And then I found these on Pinterest and all my problems were solved forever. (SERIOUSLY THOUGH I WANT THESE. I MEAN LOOKIT THEM THEY EVEN HAVE THE IMPERIAL INSIGNIA ON THE LENSES)

Now obviously my drawing skills mean I have to scale these down immensely but as you can see. These are not your everyday, run-of-the-mill goggles. Tech built them himself (actually most of his armor was either custom-built or modified) and so they've got some special features built in.

So Tech's an artificier, cause it's High Fantasy Star Wars, and they don't have computers but they sure as heck do have alchemy. One of his modifications is the addition of little lights mounted to the barrels of his lenses, for working at night/in low light, or with materials that need to be illuminated to function properly. The other main addition happens to be the extra magnification lenses mounted to his left lens barrel. He can adjust these as needed when working.

Upper Body Armor

Bro really went ☝ (you know i had to do it to him)

Okay so in the absence of his datapad he carries around his journal. That he is constantly writing in. It also has a panel on the front cover in which he can store some of his vials, because I think that's cool and it's my AU and I Can Do What I Want.

In fact, his writing in his journal is so frequent that he actually has a pen holder mounted to his left pauldron, so when he needs to take a note of anything he can just reach over and lo and behold there it is. (He's also the in-universe inventor of pre-filled fountain pens, because it's too much of a hassle to pull out a quill and a bottle of ink any time he needs to write in the middle of the field.)

His upper arm "armor" actually consists of little bags he keeps various things in, including a bottle of ink for when he needs to refill his fountain pen. Other trinkets include small amounts of alchemical ingredients and small personal trinkets (including, after his ID ring is removed, the chains it was kept on. side side note but while the clones who had their rings removed destroyed the rings themselves, they kept the chains because of the symbolism of brotherhood they carried. a lot of them reworked them back into a single loop and wore them around their necks, like they did when they were cadets.).

And then of course there is the Backpack of Many Things (tm) in which he keeps his many things, including but not limited to: alchemical bottles (both full and empty), bags and boxes and tubes of alchemical ingredients (he has an organizational system), backup journals (for when his current journal fills up, currently he has somewhere around twenty-seven full journals and he's been keeping them consistently since he was at least four-eight), medical supplies (common sense), non-perishable food items (also common sense), a waterskin and several empty extras (also ALSO common sense), his wallet (also also ALSO common sense), and his work instruments (knives, mortar and pestle, stoppers, eyedroppers, stirring sticks, measuring cups, et cetera et cetera).

Right Gauntlet Closeup

On his right arm, Tech wears a special leather gauntlet (as opposed to the metal bracer on his left arm) that, surprise surprise, also carries Things (tm).

He's got a little box (in which to keep miscellanea) that also functions as a holder for- you guessed it- more alchemical vials.

There's also a watch that double-functions as a thermometer and lunar calendar (there's a second face under the clock that has the thermometer, and the lunar calendar you see through a little cut-out window towards the bottom; it's got a little picture of the current phase of the moon in it).

This gauntlet doesn't have any heavy-duty finger armor on it cause he needs dexterous use of his dominant fingers. Also, it was the hand he wore his ID ring on, and with how bulky and complicated that gauntlet is, it was uncomfortable to have any major obstructions to the phlanges there.

Lower Body Armor

Featuring a full view of his cuirass! It... is in very low definition cause this is a small doodle mainly focusing on the legs XD

Okay so on his belt he has larger bottles full of chemicals that would need to be used often and reached quickly. It's not shown here but he does also have a book holster in which he keeps his journal for easy access.

Then there's his leather overskirt, which he wears to kind of cushion his bottles and book holster so they're not constantly chafing against his legs. It also serves as his upper-leg protection in place of full-leg greaves, and especially as a precaution in case any of his bottles ever shatter (protection against both whatever's in the bottle AND broken glass).

He does wear padded knee armor, since, you know, he's gotta kneel down a lot to study stuff and he needs to prevent early-onset knee damage XD

Finally, his boots; they do have the heaviest protection of all his lower-body armor (steel toes and heels, and tough shin guards), but they also double as- surprise!- a place to Hold More Stuff. Yes, he even has little pouches on his legs. I swear he carries like, all of his material possessions with him. If it can't be on his person at all times then why would he own it? (This does not apply to the piano he built into one of the Marauder's walls; I'll talk about that when I make that post about Clones and Music.)

Helmet

Okay so as you can see his helmet is unique because he actually had to design it himself. (Actually, all of Clone Force 99 have unique helmets, but Tech's is unique because it's not a historical style of helmet.) It's built in two separate pieces: a face plate, and a helm; this is so that, even when helmeted, he still has access to his goggles.

Other than that, it's pretty simple as far as helmets go. He did add the antennae just for funsies, but actually they're not really for funsies because he's Tech and everything he does has a Purpose (tm); they're incredibly sharp where they slot into the helmet and he can take them out as a secret weapon in life-or-death situations.

The other big thing is that the cheek guards of his helm are sculpted to look like Tern wings; Clone Force 99 are all Commandos, and as stated previously, Commandos are denoted by the fact that their helmets have wings mounted to them. Of the Batch, only Hunter and Cross have *actual* wings on their helms, but Tech and Wrecker still have the wing motif. (If you want to see the process behind this, and also what bird every Batcher claims, Evie and I had a long talk about it a few months ago, which I will link here. you may have to go into the notes to read the tags to get the complete picture but i assure you it's all there)

[moony-myles]

Queer Coding in Re-Animator!

A mini list of my favourite works that examine Re-Animator through the ways in which it is queer coded!

✶ ✶ ✶

"Refuse of God's Failures" and Transness in Bride of Re-Animator - Logan Ashley Kisner. Gayly Dreadful.

https://www.gaylydreadful.com/blog/pride-2021-refuse-of-gods-failures-and-transness-in-bride-of-re-animator

A short piece that talks about how Bride of Re-Animator exhibits symbolism of the trans community through themes of body modification and creation.

Queering the Slasher : Re-Animator - vide0 n4sty. youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGQe9CmBsN0&list=LL&index=1

A video essay which analyzes Herbert West in specific as an example of a queer character in horror. As well as how the Re-Animator films are queer coded overall.

Made to be Monsters ; 'Re-Animator' - Logan Ashley Kisner. An Injustice!

https://aninjusticemag.com/made-to-be-monsters-re-animator-659943b944df

Another piece by Kisner, this work is longer and goes into more detail about the queer coding of both the first and second films. Specifically they again talk about trans coding and symbolism that can be found in the movies, though this time more through the lens of Herbert being a trans man rather than relating it to the Bride.