#middleground

[eulaliasims]

you talk of timing like our planets just aren't aligning as if we don't have any say in deciding (waiting is romance until they are never ready)

[odiabonecessario]

It infuriates me to think we have to pay bills if we want to have water and light. How's anyone supposed to live without those two? What if I'm broke and I can't pay it? Should I just fucking die?

Although I lean a bit towards the right, just by thinking about the idea of having no support from the government if we can't sustain ourselves scares me

[dmoonlight13]

Self governance trumps Discipline. Discipline implies a disregard for the self and an implication of punishment for behaviour that is not obeyed.

Self governance brings forward a state of “self authority”; as where Discipline requires shutting out certain parts of yourself in order to reach a goal or state of being. Self governance brings forward a state of self actualization, understanding and accepting all parts of your self. Including your shadow self and highest self in the picture.

Self governance means to acknowledge all of the parts of yourself and actively choose as the observer which parts you want to push energetically towards growing and which parts need to be transmuted through nurturing and care.

The words we use around our personal work is important.

[nexthlive]

Maroon 5 - Middle Ground (Official Music Video)

[medowlarken]

now that i've finished the game and have had time to digest, i can't stop thinking about Maelle's act 1 and 2 dialogue lines that i had initially thought were just odd, but now make me go insane

full game spoilers under the cut!

i specifically mean her comments about the gestrals. she's the only character who blatantly comments on their intelligence (or lack of) and she does so on multiple occasions. they attacked us not caring that we're not nevrons? what do you expect, they're gestrals. Gustave shouldn't bother apologizing to that one guard he yelled at; it's a gestral, it'll forget the whole thing in a minute anyway. she even comments on Monoco, arguably the most 'human' of the gestrals after he fails at his wannabe suave introduction ('i guess he really is a gestral after all').

of course it's not serious--they're more jokey little snipes here and there when one of them does or says something silly. and the gestrals are supposed to be comedic relief created by a young boy, hence their childishness. but when i first heard those lines, i couldn't help but think it was a little...odd. they stuck with me, made me go 'huh' every time she said them. they're passive, almost unthinking condescending little comments that, while not malicious, show that Maelle doesn't really consider the gestrals to be on the same "level" as the humans. they're dumb little sillies who like to fight and that's about it. and maybe all the expeditioners feel that way, but the thing is, she's the only character that says so out loud. not even type A scientific brainiac Lune ever implies she thinks of gestrals as lesser. it's only Maelle and she does so more than once.

to me, this was the very subtle first instance of Paintress Alicia poking through the Maelle paint shell. how Painters feel about the inhabitants of their Canvases seems to vary, but it's def not as equals. how could they? they're literally gods. the humans in the Canvas were only created to populate Aline's fantasy city and her care for them stops there; Clea straight up does not gaf and uses them as tools; we don't ever see og Verso's pov, but seeing as how Monoco and Esquie are based on his dog and childhood toy, it's not very hard to guess. after Maelle/Alicia regains her memories, i was fully expecting for the sentience of the Canvas' inhabitants to be a talking point, especially when arguing with Renoir about why they should preserve it. like, the humans and non-humans living there are alive. destroying the Canvas would be murder, right? that's how Maelle/Alicia should feel, and that should be her main motivation, right? right???

except she doesn't. in all her arguments with Renoir she only ever talks about how they need to preserve the last sliver of Verso's soul residing in the Canvas. about how it's her home, how much she needs it to exist to be happy. it's kind of about her brother, but it's mostly about her. not once does she say "you can't kill my friends because they're people who don't deserve to die because of our family drama". the only time she brings it up is in her fight with Verso, and even then it comes off more of an attempt at (well-meaning) manipulation. because after she realizes what she is and the power she has, i don't think they're fully people to her anymore. not really; not in the way that her and her family of Painter gods are. it's like the gestrals in acts 1 and 2. this is painfully apparent when she talks about Verso in front of painted Verso--not once does she acknowledge his agency. she insists that Verso would want his Canvas to live on despite his literal painted clone repeatedly trying to kill himself and everyone else. she talks about him like he isn't there, because obviously she would know better than he would. she's the original's sister. the Paintress. they're hers and she needs them.

ironically, the only Painter who really shows respect for the personhood of the inhabitants is Renoir. he apologizes to painted Verso for his fucked up existence and listens to Lune and Sciel when they speak to him directly. he acknowledges Sciel's grief for her husband and unborn child. that doesn't mean he won't erase them all because ultimately his family comes first, but it's still more respectful than any of the other Painters. he also agrees that destroying the Canvas is the best course of action for everyone. the Canvas is broken beyond repair: it's been twisted by his wife's grief, his eldest daughter's anger, and now his youngest daughter's obsession. and the inhabitants caught in the middle will never be able to do anything but suffer through the consequences; they've actually done nothing but suffer in the humans' case, since they were never supposed to be a part of Verso's world in the first place. they only exist to play make-believe with Aline, and now she's gone and their world's creator is dead. to Renoir, destroying them is the same as saving them, and being the benevolent god his family can't or won't be ('strange to offer oblivion as recompense').

that isn't to say that Maelle doesn't love her friends, because she does with all her heart. but they aren't the reason she wants to preserve the Canvas. and you can love someone and still not necessarily respect them. after act 2, she doesn't mention Gustave once, and it's not because she's accepted his death. it's the opposite. death is meaningless now that she can reverse it for everyone. as their goddess/daughter/sister/friend, they will never be on the same level as her, and her need to protect herself from grief and pain means that in the painted ending, she probably will ultimately break her promises. she will never let Verso go. no one will ever die or get sick or change in ways that she doesn't like; they'll stay exactly as she needs them to be, for ever and ever because who is going to stop her? in the painted ending, it doesn't seem like anyone knows the truth of what's happened besides her, Lune, Sciel, and Verso. maybe Gustave would say something, but it looks like he's too busy being happy with Sophie (as he should be; Maelle made sure of it).

another line that stuck with me was when they enter the forgotten battlefield and she says "i don't want to see that [death] anymore". not, "i don't want anyone else to die", or "i want the deaths to end". she doesn't want to see it. what i thought was just odd phrasing now makes me crazy over the implications, and the foreshadowing for her painted life ending. because in that ending, she doesn't have to see anymore death because she removes it completely, whether the inhabitants like it or not. it's very those who walk away from omelas, with Verso and og Verso's soul suffering for the sake of Maelle's utopia. it also runs against the whole 'for those who comes after; when one falls, we move forward' mantra, because there is no more moving forward. everything and everyone stays perfectly preserved and stagnant.

of course, that's until she ultimately dies from Canvas exposure and either Renoir or Clea just nuke the damn thing. or maybe the whole cycle just starts over again. horrific either way.

anyway this was long and rambly but basically i love Maelle and her fucked up family of artist gods and i'm so glad the devs didn't pussyfoot around with a neutered, feelgood ending. tragedies should be tragic and the fact that the two choices you get are both fucked despite one of them being lowkey the 'good' ending is based and i love it

[eggwishing]

jasprose doing the dreamworks face is making me sick

[atanxdoesstuff]

Lost Memories

[finz-art]

"I would have you by my side in Menzoberranzan."

Minthara and Kalius sharing an intimate moment above the lights of Menzoberranzan city, commissioned by @ilikedetectives!🖤🤍 Their inwoven braids representing the bond of marriage; symbolising memories, fate, and someone's personality/essence.

Kalius, OC © ilikedetectives

Minthara �� Larian Studios

Art © FinzPhoenix

[muchmossymess]

uh oh guys, hot take alert:

i think revali may have invented hand held aerial archery HEAR ME OUT- (this is a long one boys)

okay. evidence one: why the fuck would a rito shoot like that. like, it makes nearly zero sense, it would be such a hindrance to their flight and their main stake is that they can be higher than you can shoot whilst still pinging you... which revali has overcome with his gale

evidence two: tulin and the concept arts. obviously rito style archery would be held in their talons. before totk came out idk if anyone had really thought about it too much, but the developers had, as you can see in concept art (from the creating a champion book). and like, its logical, powerful, and allows for peak maneuverability. also, when in flight revali (and teba) holds his bow in his talons before switching to his wings. surely its easier to keep it in your wing (obvi ignoring the effects to flight but hes doing that anyway firing the damn thing) rather than switch back and forth- unless you were taught that way, because why would you hold it elsewhere, you need it in your talons to shoot.

evidence three: we dont see any other rito do it (...kind of). throughout botw and totk, we never see another rito flying with a bow in their hands. in totk, its mostly tulin, who holds it in his talons, but in botw the big one is teba. during the medoh quest, he actually gives *link* his bow, and therefore does no shooting in the sky. teba and harth had both tried to take on medoh before, but we never see this, and while they holds their bows in their hands *on the ground,* we dont see it.

...except for aoc (uh, spoilers?). there are two times we see a rito other than revali hold their bow in their hand for aerial archery. but it is not with any rito soldiers, either during cutscenes (the bows are only on their backs) or gameplay (they swoop down, and then hand hold bows on ground. they arent seen flying at all but thats prolly for the same reasons as botw: its very hard to code that (and so they write the lore around that fact)). the first time we actually see another rito do this, we dont see it. Its teba, as he comes thru the portal, but all we see is the arrow shot, and then him freeze frame with the bow in one wing. we dont see the bow in his hand for the rest of the fight. the second time we actually see him fighting like this, it *is* in the air, but its noticeably different to revali.

hes a lot slower, it clearly takes a LOT more effort to shoot the bow, and he only pulls off one arrow at a time. its canon that revalis bow is heavier/harder to draw, and he manages to effortlessly stream arrows whilst fucking floating midair. i think teba, forever a revali fanboy, heard of how the champion mastered his own style of archery and sought to teach himself, but lacked one key thing: revalis mastery of wind.

evidence three point five: revali could easily use his powers to hold him in the air longer/slow his descent long enough for him to fire his shots. it makes sense, really. if he can use his gale to propel him, he can sit on the updraft for a hot sec, or even curve the path to carry him along while he lines up the shot. this would mean he wouldnt need to flap as much as other rito, who would obviously need to keep flying

evidence four: revalis fighting style and his needs. revali works with non rito, obviously. he needs to be able to communicate with them on the battlefield, and they wont understand the muffled chirps if he holds his string in his beak, so he needs his mouth free to speak hylian. also, revalis main tactic is fly up with gale, shoot, fall, either shoot more or use velocity and weight to knock around opponents, and then fly back up. he often needs both feet planted firmly on the ground to get a good hold of his gale, something that is harder to do if you have a bow in the way.

also, take for example the kick he delivers link in their fight (aoc). that would possibly damage the bow, or give the opponent a chance to grab his weapon, if he held it in his talons. and to switch from feet to back is a risky maneuver during freefall, and could lose precious seconds, and then when you get back in the air you need to get it off your back again. its much easier to keep the bow loosely in your wing the whole time, meaning your free to attack melee, land and rise all while not wasting a single moment getting your next shot lined up.

so yeah, i think the rito used the talon grip for aerial archery, and would often use the hand held method on the ground for a variety of reasons (more powerful shots?, easier in some situations like hunting), but revali was perhaps the first to use hand held aerial, another reason he was one of the greatest archers ever.

[eulaliasims]

I decided to makeover their living room. Why? Idk. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Wanted a warmer vibe and leaned into the bohemian look a little. Feels cozier now!

Marzipan: THIS ARTISANALLY DISTRESSED VINTAGE TABLE IS UGLY. >:(

[kremy-lecroux]

wow!!! that’s a lotta responsibility! but I mean, what’s one more baby, hm? (im looking at YOU, Torbek & Gricko)

what do you know about raising lizardfolk young? wonder how different it is from….uh, genasi?

No more than the average lizardfolk, I have to assume. It's not like I flip through childcare books as a hobby in my spare time...

I know the biggest difference is that baby lizardfolk can eat food pretty much immediately after hatchin'. It doesn't take very long at all for our teeth to grow in, an' our mothers don't produce milk, so we sorta just immediately skip to baby food. A lot of lizardfolk prefer feedin' their children specifically bugmix--a nutritious concoction of mostly bugs that has a good texture to it, helps sharpen our teeth an' get us adjusted to tougher materials. I could probably make some myself to be honest, but... we don't know what the baby eats yet.

If I had to guess, Gid probably knows next to jack shit about raisin' genasi children. He was raised by humans, after all. I don't know much about human kids myself, but I do know they need their mothers' milk for a good while after birth... Good baron, where are we gonna find formula all the way out here...?

[maythray]

might go back and revise this later on to be a bit clearer but, for now it works. my thoughts on the nature of souls in deltarune and their relationship to a body. yay!

[jaycecore]

yeah I definitely think jayvik aren’t the parental type; but the uncle type? oh yeah no question

[deadwooddross]

The charms you make and sell occasionally are quite delightful, would you be willing to speak in more detail about your materials/methods? They've instilled in me the urge to make my own charms but I have no idea where to go looking for ingredients.

Sure! But first, a word of warning: Beware the Beadlust....it is far too easy to end up like that dril tweet with the candles but its beads. As for ingredients, I mostly peruse etsy! Not the best place for many reasons, but it's kind of like foraging to me, sifting through pages and pages of garbage to find the little grandmas doing lampwork and the bigger stores that seem to actually have a physical location somewhere (and sometimes sites off of etsy). And of course the occasional weird one off/vintage thing that pops up you gotta kinda know what material/style you want to look for though and willing to scrooooolll awhile, due to search algorithms being barely worth spit in a bucket these days. Otherwise I look around irl, i like Trading Posts as far as the US goes, which are basically just craft stores that tend to have a fun range and depending where you are may have some neat stuff from local native artists, which is cool. My current one I mostly go to for seed beads if I can, bc etsy sellers tend to charge you out the nose for a tiny baggy Oh, and thread, pay attention to thread and hole sizes, some beads have TINYYYY holes that are meant for TINYY strings or wires. I like waxed cotton, but for the finer stuff I have some uhhh some kind of nylon thread. I haven't figured out beading wire yet because i dont have anywhere to keep all the shit i'd need for crimping. But I do know how to Tie String! ALSO, THANKS! I will probably make more, i'm just excruciatingly picky about arrangement so it takes a second to settle on putting anything together

[pebbles-scatter]

i think about how excited doof was when perry came over to repair the dull-and-boring-inator. and how like multiple times (the butler + doofs reaction to platyborg come to mind) its essentially stated he wants perry on his side. like yeah you could chalk it up to Evil but i mean (gestures) look at them. look at how Dearly fond doof is of perry. he wants that sapient platypus sooooo bad

[shoeboxcoffin]

been getting really into transfem kaeya ngl