#not that im opposed to this its just alien to me

[thatneoncrisis]

would it be any more sustainable for you to run a small merch store? you could stock prints and stickers and maybe pins or whatever but wouldn't have to pay travel to art shows. plus it doesnt technically have to constantly be in stock, it could be made to order whatever. i know this is also pretty difficult to do as someone who wants to do so myself but!! idk just wanted to suggest it on the off chance u hadnt thought of it

that Does seem like an interesting idea i just wouldnt have the faintest idea of where to start

[vixscribs]

despite benrook being a decently popular ship I can't seem to get behind a lot of fan content I see. Those are coworkers. There's no way they're snuggling and shit that's highly unprofessional.

[upsidedowngrass]

If Objects live with humans side-by-side in an AU, the objects would be small in pet size like dogs and cats.

hmmm, maybe!!!! tho actually ?? i LOOOVE the idea of them being human sized! the characters canonically have heights listed in ft, and TECHNICALLY this could just be like.... irl units scaled down, BUT i think its rly fun to interpret it fairly literally!! ESP given that liam and bryce DO end up standing near humans at two points and seem to be around the same height! IDK... theres just smth so cool to me about imagining objects just hanging out. that you could be at eye level w them. its almost unsettling but not enough for it to be noticable!!!! its kinda like theyre Large Beasts, but almost SHOCKINGLY human!!!!! like they could believably just. live in the same house as a human with near minimal adjustments. like having an alien living w u. that may just be my general interest in alien/creature/whatever design, but i just RLY enjoy them being similar to humans in small ways, but different in more SUBTLE but arguably MORE extreme ways if that makes ANY sense!!!!

NOT to say i dont like when theyre drawn closer to the size of dogs or cats (itd be a little silly for me to spend so much time on that recent piece if i did!)! i think itd be a bit MORE of an au than just them just being human height, but i DO think it could be SUPER cute. i tend to Generally lean on less on those sorts of ideas but it certainly would be VERY fun!!!!

[transhoverfish]

OK TRAILER TIME

SO PRETTY!! now, because everything in this is cinematic (and it's only a teaser), i would take basically this entire thing with a grain of salt for how accurate it will be to actual environments and gameplay. the cinematic trailers/teasers for the first two games are full of things that didn't make it in. still looks VERY GOOD and im so excited!!!!!!

onto a few specific things, this specific area ^^ shows up in a steam screenshot (which i will get to later), and considering the high amount of light and coral, this is potentially this game's version of the safe shallows! that pink fish that swims by is also the youtube channel's current pfp, and as such is probably replacing the peeper, which was the old 'mascot' fish. this character is also using alterra tech, which i think is very interesting! are we still working for alterra, or are they just such a mega corporation that they make basically all water/space gear? the diving suit looks a bit like the stillsuit with its colors! the design itself reminds me of the cold suit,,, :o

now, the thing about this scene is that it goes by pretty quick, and is supposed to draw attention to the water vortex (and won't it be fun if THAT is an actual mechanic!!! god i would be so so scared), but upon a few pauses and look arounds... there's a building! that is so clearly some old ruins!! it doesn't look anything like the usual ruins/bases we've seen before, so i would guess that these are NOT built by the architects, and instead a new alien race. the assumption is that this planet is also very much abandoned,,, which begs the question, why? not the kharra again, surely? or is it just these surface-level ruins that have been left? and if they went deeper, why? this appears to be the only screenshot/sequence that shows any of these ruins. how many more are there?? I DEMAND ANSWERS!!

also, entirely possible im wrong, but this new character bears some resemblance to ryley, imo. the earlier scenes of him doesn't match too closely, and their hair is entirely different, but this shot specially depicts a very similar face structure, eyebrows, lips, and nose! now, this could be (and probably is) a new guy that just kinda looks like him, but if it IS ryley,,,,, what's he doin here? is he working with alterra still? is he just off exploring various ocean planets? even if this isnt him, i want to know these things. wheres my guy :(

another thing pointing at this being ryley is that this game is intended to be a direct sequel (as opposed to bz being a spin off), and if its in an entirely different environment, then it stands to reason there's a chance theres returning characters. otherwise,, this game would just also be a spin-off!

(also, would absolutely love if that oxygen warning is an actual popup ingame!)

and here's the second character that pops up! the steam screenshots also only show two people in co-op so far, and i do wonder if these are two of the playable characters and not just random models/characters used for the teaser (similar to how bart is a trailer for sub1 despite not being playable, and fred in bz's trailer). this person doesn't seem to be anyone from either game (she looks a tinyyy bit like lillian, but not enough that i can say it could be her), and she's in a new vehicle! everything still looks very atlerra, though, and the two characters seem to know each other, so once again i wonder if this is a lore reason, if these ARE alterra workers, or if this is just to fit in with the aesthetic of the other games.

BIG FISH!!!!! BIG FISH!!!!!!! this thing looks VERY new and introduced in the teaser in a similar fashion that the sea emperor was shown in the first sub1 trailer, so im wondering if this might be THE Big Fish (or simply just one that they've finished the design for). with brightness turned way up, it appears to have a nose and mouth on level with the two humans, much below the light on its head. a similar hunting tactic to anglerfish, maybe? and so many tentacles!! and pincers! BIG FISH!!!!

no exact date for early access, which makes me think we won't get it until spring at the earliest. however, the first two games came out in winter (december for sub1, january for bz), so its possible it will keep with that trend and be out before march. don't take my word for that, though, this is purely speculation.

with this teaser (or potentially before, i was not actively checking this LOL), there's also now a steam page up with additional ingame screenshots and description of the game with a lot of new information!! because tumblr has a screenshot limit, im going to rb this post later with all of the steampage info.

but there is a LOT of new stuff we've learned now!!! pair all of this with this article showing screenshots the devs have dropped in sub1 time capsules (which i will also talk about in the rb), and oughhhh it is a GOOD DAY to be a subnautica fan!!!!!! are we all ready to get dragged back into this fandom?? i hope ur all ready. we're gonna get water vortexed. help.

[mai-komagata]

re: sexy stabbings

im writing this very long meta on how galadriel x sauron and silvergifting dynamics help an audience recognize different forms of seduction in a relatable way (including queer forms of seduction, which audiences are normally blind to), and how recognizing these ships isn't about "crack shipping" but about the text using the language of sexuality/eroticism/seduction to convey concepts that would otherwise be vague and not-understandable like temptation to a metal object or wounds that cannot heal or possession by an alien being as well as concept of "men in a fantasy/magical/superhero setting are not just power levels" -- ie. the strongest man should always win. Galadriel is *integral* to this because most characters in tolkien are male and audiences are pre-disposed to ignoring emotional dynamics in men other than anger and violence -- the contrast with a female romance lets an audience be like "these people, adar, galadriel, celebrimbor are more alike than distinct". (wow maybe i don't need to write it, anymore!). But since that is taking me very long to write and i keep running into queer-erasure every day i'll just say this: the reason we don't see Sauron torture Galadriel in the same way she tortures Celebrimbor is not because his relationship with them is cosmically different (obviously its different bc they are different people). Galadriel is not more "pure" or "loved" than Celebrimbor. Neither is blameless (i.e. both were ambitious) and neither is deserving of torture (nobody deserves that, even Sauron). It's because there is different symbolism to the way they are being hurt. Arrows being used as martyrdom is a millennia old way of showing homosexuality. Stabbing is metaphorical of penetration. He intended to kill both of them for denying them the Nine. Because Sauron is bad at impulse control, he takes and believes he is wiser than he is. If he wants something he will take it and then regret that he broke his favorite thing. (note he doesn't regret killing other people he doesn't twistedly love, like mirdania, or the orcs).

Galadriel had Nenya (i.e. Celebrimbor's magic, untouched by sauron) and Elrond was able to save her (love and light win the day). Celebrimbor died as symbolic for what happened to Eregion (he was alone and eregion fell).

This doesn't mean BOTH scenes aren't meant to be erotic. The stabbing is hot and the caressing of the arrows are hot. But they are hot in a BDSM/noncon way. "Do you understand what it's like to be tortured by a god?" sorta way.

Pragmatically, though, the reason we don't see more graphic galadriel is because it would make audiences uncomfortable. You can be way more graphic with gay shit and people won't be squicked than if you are graphic with m/f abuse. As i said, a good 50-70% of the audience won't even NOTICE the gay shit and think its just standard fantasy violence. The closer you make it to outright rape, the less compelling it is, because Sauron needs to both be APPEALING and EVIL in order to understand why people are drawn to the rings of power and why it is essential to oppose it.

[disclaimer: this is not anti galadriel x sauron, it is just in favor of seeing the ship in a dark way as part of the larger narrative. When I talk about shipping them in a dark way i don't mean simply its my kink, i mean this is a dark seduction story at heart. The actors are very hot, their acting is very sexy, but the function in the larger story is to display the different ways sauron tempts and corrupts people, including galadriel, celebrimbor, adar, and how sauron himself was corrupted by melkor].

[semi-senioritis]

Im so goddamn nervous for the final round

With that said though, it seems like Till is crying. Even though the comics have shown Till being a little standoffish with Ivan, I do think that Till geniunely cared about him. So maybe he's grieving him here as well as Mizi. I mean from Till's perspective he literally has nobody left now.

Also noting Luka's heartrate monitor which seems to be hooked up to his earpiece...I guess it helps him keep track of it???

Its kinda hard to read it, granted I'm not a nurse or doctor or anything like that, but I've been trying to find heart rates that might match.

This is the closest I could find. It *looks* like his heart rate is more on par with sinus tachycardia (again not medical professional here). Its probably a result of his illness (literally cant remember the name of it), but it can also be an indicator of exercise, anxiety and/or stress. So Luka could also be nervous about the final round (which is fair given that Till is a prodigy and if he decides to lock in for the final round, then Luka really could be cooked). He could also just be exerting himself too much with all the movements he does on stage.

I think it would be interesting though, if Luka died not because he geniunely lost to Till, but because he was so overworked and pressured to be this perfect human idol, that he collapses and dies on stage from the stress on his body. From his illness, to hardly being able to eat, it wouldn't surprise me if his body just gave out.

I think it'd also be kind of interesting since the Alien Stage video suggests that he wouldn't be opposed to Hyuna killing him since he doesn't resist when she holds the knife to him.

Because while Luka is also a victim of the alien stage, it doesn't necessarily negate what he's done to Hyuna and Mizi. And since its obvious he wants Hyuna, whether for geniune companionship or in a possessive-controlling sort of way (you know like how someone who may not have control over aspect of their life might desire to exert their control over someone else to rectify that?), being denied death at her hands would be a bittersweet, karmiac sort of justice.

Also its 5am so if none of this makes sense just know I'm not even fully coherent right now.

[wolven91]

Slugs & Apes - Chapter 2

The looming alien remained still, like a monolith.

The only thing that betrayed that he was even alive was the steadily expanding chest before it mesmerizingly shrunk back down. It was... alluring in a strange yet exotic way. No one Blarah knew could move in such a deliberate and measured manner. It was one thing to hear about the ‘solids’ and the bipeds, but to see one was… nothing could have prepared her.

The second proof that he wasn't simply made of metal or stone were his eyes. Colourful things unlike the deep solid black of Sluggat-kind. White and green, they flicked left and right as they attempted to focus intently on one of her eye stalks at a time.

Why couldn't it just do what a normal person should do in polite conversation and use both its eyes to look at both of her eyes! To stare so intently at one was.. was.. lewd and very forward.

The poor overwhelmed sluggat moistened her eyes with deliberate slowness, and began to speak in the brief respite from his overwhelming gaze. Her mantra repeated again and again; ‘She was not some easily seduced floozy’.

The lie was comforting and easy to comprehend, even if she was well aware of its flimsy nature.

"Of - of course I can help, where were you trying to get to?" The young slug said in as professional a tone as she could muster.

"I was greeted by a rather large representative, a blue hue to him? However he asked me to go to the waiting lounge as he was called away. It seems the freighter we piggybacked through the jump with to get here needed his attention..."

"That sounds like the dockmaster, I can contact him and see if he wants to meet you here or if we need to send you away?"

"Ah, thank you, I'd really appreciate that."

Blarah began to type in the old slugs contact number as she tried to release the tension in her body. His voice, the deep vibrations that he blasted through the air directly at her in the tiny quiet office had rolled over her without mercy.

A grunt came from the communication device.

"Ah, sir? The human got a bit turned around and is in the administration office, do you want to come up and get him or should he make his way to you?" Blarah asked carefully.

The old dockmaster; Blargh, was an old and rightly huge sluggat with the blues common to his home planet's race. Sluggats after all never stopped growing, albeit slowly, as they aged. Blargh was probably the oldest most would have encountered and had the mass to back it up, although he had never actually said how old he really was.

"Urgh, uh, no.. take him to the diplomatic room prepared for him. I'll update your clearance now.."

"Wait, no sir, im- I'm quite swamped right now, we need someone else to-.."

"There; it's done, be sure to be polite, you're his liaison until the Big Slime says otherwise. Once he clears you; come back and you can catch up, I'll pay you double time while you're away and until you're back on track. .." the line cut off without so much as a farewell or chance for her to voice her protest.

She wasn't opposed to helping the alien, she wasn't one of these nutjobs that had demanded that not only the humans be denied entry into the Community, but petitioned for their abandonment without a home due to them not technically being considered ‘sentient’ by outdated classifications.

She felt sorry for this new species that were so alone in their troubles in a cruel and dry universe. 

But now, as she undulated with anxiety in the presence of one, they were, for lack of a better word, alarmingly, alien.

"Sorry if I'm causing you problems, but I really am grateful for your help." His face contorted, it seemed the only part of his flesh that was normal and alive, but even then; only parts moved and folded as she would expect. At the moment his mouth had stretched wide to the sides while the flesh around his eye holes crinkled up in what she tentatively labelled as 'happy'?

"It's alright, let's get to the lift." She said waving a wet tentacle. She stopped at the door to hit the lights, leaving the human briefly in the dark, just as the slappy, slick sounds of someone moving at speed came down the corridor.

Pleppany appeared in a rush and skidded to a stop in front of Blarah, out of breath and began to talk at the bemused sluggat.

"He wasn't on the freighter! He was on a transport that flew WITH the freighter, he landed over an hour ago!" She explained to Blarah, gesturing out the window and the massive ore freighter that was still inching its way into the dock on the other side of the window.

"He's loose and no one knows where he is! I'm going to miss my chance!" She groaned, practically losing all cohesion and puddling outwards on the floor.

"'Is she alright?" An earthquake-like voice rumbled not scant centimetres from Blarah's body.

Two opposite things happened at once that flew past the Human's notice.

Firstly, Pleppany did a fantastic impression of a human by coming to a complete frozen stand still, her eyes stalks shooting up and holding ramrod straight in shock.

Meanwhile, Blarah practically melted as the waves from his voice caused her skin to wiggle and roil. It took every scrap of her will power to prevent her eye stalks from becoming limp in the effects of his voice in such close proximity.

There was no denying it. He knew what he was doing, what he was doing to Blarah. Him and his hard skeleton and his.. his vocal sorcery!

She would have to address it sooner rather than later, but Pleppany, a credit to her craft, had re-coalesced and stood up again, rippling in the same manner as she did when she wanted the fast food slugs to get her extra portions or preferential treatment.

Pleppany had no shame as she oozed forwards and undulating, with practised ease, began to 'work' the Human as she had been trained to when seeking out a story.

"So! The mysterious humans finally made it to our humble corner, we're so glad you've made it; how was your trip?"

"It was alright, much quicker than our own transports."

"Oh yes, we're glad you're impressed with them, I suppose they're very confusing to you?" She continued, getting too close for comfort now as she tried to slosh herself between the human and Blarah. Pleppany continued without waiting for the Human to respond.

"I suppose you could do with a guide? I know all the best places on the station and both for socialising and getting some quiet time..."

The human’s face wrinkled again, but his mouth remained still, it was the flesh between his eyes that wiggled this time, as the two sets of dense whiskers that ran over his eye slots briefly came together or at least closer for a moment.

"Actually, I'm okay without. I have a guide for now thank you." He stated in a firmer tone than before. His own straight tentacle unfolded and extended past Pleppany's back before settling against Blarah's upper back, who had made a point not to be pushed away by the interloper, but now, with appendage touching her back, the harder, smaller tentacles pushed gently into her moist flesh to encourage her forward before relenting and folding back against his own side.

She got the message and surged forward, leaving the bewildered Pleppany in the snail trail. 

Blarah had experienced several times in the past what Pleppany was probably only getting to live through for the first time now; rejection.

Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought, although he was still a cad for flirting so aggressively. 

With no further delays and in merciful silence they reached the transporter that would slide along the rails that crisscrossed the Station and deposit them as close as possible to their destination.

Her credentials were indeed now on par with the high class sluggats of the station which allowed her to select the diplomatic quarters near the top of the station, a far cry from her own quarters half way down and the middle of the Station's guts.

"So she was intense..." came a quiet rumble.

"That was Pleppany, a friend. She just thinks she needs to use her looks to get what she wants. Deep down she's actually quite insecure..." Blarah said, rippling in embarrassment and being honest in an attempt to defend her friend.

"I can understand that, I meant nothing by it..." the rumbling thunder said again. She had to keep taking deep breaths to remain steady and firm.

They stared out the window together as the transport rolled along towards their destination.

"My names Gregory by the way, or Greg for short..." Her mind was filled with rolling rain clouds over a parched savanna.

"Blarah, a pleasure to meet you." She demurely responded, a slight dip as she bobbed her entire body in respect.

A moment ticked by, followed by a second.

"This is why I'm here, you know..."

They stared out into deep space in silence together.

The rolling darkness that was the edge of space wasn't as black as one would think. It was the edge of the bubble that made reality. It was still expanding at a significant rate, but whether it be sluggat or human, the eye didn't know how to process the lack of existence that it was comprehending.

The result? 

A chaotic swirl of colours and impossible geometry. Truly and utterly breathtaking. The first pioneer sluggats that made it this far had apparently nearly starved due to their desire to sit and watch the unending show of the universe growing.

"It is beautiful..." She murmured, whispering it as fact that couldn't be denied.

"Yeah, I'm very lucky to be here right now..."

The silence was pregnant and long.

The ding surprised Blarah and caused her to ripple. Sliding and stepping off the lift in turn, placed them in front of his quarters, the only ones in use in the diplomatic quarter. As he approached, the doors opened into a plush and well furnished home.

It was not of sluggat design and it was just as strange as he, yet he strolled in as if it was his own home.

"Don't stay outside, come in and make yourself at home!" He called from inside.

Blarah's eyes bulged. Not just welcoming her, a stranger, into his home, but to demand she treat it as her home? He WAS courting her! To provide a shelter for one's partner, so they could begin the ancient dance in privacy?!

She wouldn't be taken by surprise.

She wouldn't be seduced.

She would give a polite rebuttal and excuse herself from his presence. 

Whilst this, the most dramatic dilemma she had ever encountered, played out in front of Blarah, she wouldn't have thought about the possibility that at the edge of the system; a sinister ship with a sinister goal could have slivered into the shadow of the planet like an eel; where it remained, coiled and waiting to strike.

[narwhalandchill]

a bit more serious/negative note on childes characterization and fandom perception, saw a post where the tone upset me quite a bit

i did do a whole vent/rant/cathartic 2.4k words of writeup on this yesterday which like did help clear my thoughts a lot but in hindsight is way too long to just release by itself so i suppose ill just summarize my thinking now

so i would really appreciate it if a certain subset of childe fans reading his character a specific way (the trauma, identity crisis, dark abyss experiences, etc. - you know the one) could stop acting as if its this like. superior canon proven hoyo intended most real and intellectual way to look at his character and interpret his narrative. as opposed to just one reading of the canon material among others. and im sure most people are civil but ive seen this tone enough to just need to get this off my chest rn.

like im not "missing" something or being "tricked" (what?) by childe or the narrative. its not some naive ignorance about this reading being a thing and the ways people argue for it. ive read his lore. p much memorized it rly. and i simply did not find the arguments that compelling or feel that inserting this additional layer of subjective interpretation atop my understanding of the canon text did much to enhance childes narrative potential or characterization for me.

simply put. applying this super strict irl psychology logic (bc yes a real 14 yo going thru some irl version of ajax' backstory would get severe psychological disturbances as p much given. i know what the DSM-V is) to fantasy game characters isnt how i enjoy engaging with childe or any character really.

genshin is a fantasy game and fantasy as a genre has always readily sidestepped things like realistic psychological consequences of various heavy experiences in favor of building a compelling narrative whenever necessary. i dont find arguments relating to irl psychology particularly relevant at all on the subject really. if you enjoy this approach, go on, have fun! but please understand that its an interpretation that people can disagree without being "wrong" or failing some arbitrary reading comprehension test.

like the dismissive tone i see from people who simply cannot comprehend that like no, this take isnt some universal truth of hoyos that every person will glean from reading up on childes lore and appearances if theyre big brain and intellectual enough is just... really fucking rude? and alienating.

im not going to go on a like whole ramble on all the things that i personally see very much as hinting towards childes characterization going quite a different direction than this popular heavy self-doubt, psychological angle would suggest. its my interpretation after all, and could be proven wrong the way any interpretation can. but for now ive read his lore for years and looked into every single tidbit that involves him and so far hoyos writing of him hasnt given me any convinving case for changing my view drastically anytime soon. and id just like to be allowed to exist in this fandom space without being randomly jumpscared by posts alleging im reducing his character to this or that just bc i see his greatest narrative potential elsewhere.

theres enough insane shit and incredibly interesting lore relating to his overall role in the story and the cosmic scale of teyvat as a whole to be invested in already. like taking childes character as depicted to us and how in-game content characterizes him at a relative face value as opposed to seeking an implied internal struggle of sth hidden and repressed is me simply finding that take the most unique, fascinating, horrifying, compelling and exciting way to see him instead. thats what i love about him and his character. like im sorry, in my eyes the dark past corrupting innocence and trauma angle has just been done to death already in media. childe can have something actually different and breaking those tropes is what makes him stand out for me!

anyway. this whole situation is not sth i wanna start flaming ppl for or make into some drama, i try my best to stay on my lane and let ppl live even if i disagree w these sorta takes on childe. and i just wish for that grace to be extended towards myself too.

[freebooter4ever]

So you guys know i (try to) post daily doodles, and i have said before that i draw for about 2-3 hrs every night. BUT that also means i dont post about like 80-90% of the drawings i do each night. Today though, i've been thinking about A*I and my own relationship with drawing, and how utterly baffled i am that anyone would want to use it to like...draw for them..and how the concept that *tell a computer what art to do so i dont have to do it* is alien to me. So here's ALL the drawings i did tonight. The bottom one is the last one i did and the one i would normally post. And i want to talk about A*I without talking about good or bad end product. Because i dont care if im making the shittiest art in the universe - i still wouldn't use A*I. Not even as a ‘tool’.

If you've been around here for a while you know i have a love/hate relationship with my art. I write too, but writing doesnt make me so frustrated and angry that i want to throw my computer out a second story window. HOWEVER. There is a huge caveat to that anger.

It happens after.

You could look at it a little like hockey. Every game is fresh, right? I mean god knows the US made an entire movie about how every game is a new game and the odds could always fall in your favor no matter how stacked against you. So every drawing i go into it excited - like LOOK at that reference material, its gorgeous. The gesture is beautiful, the post is interesting, there is something about it that is just begging to be drawn. But then say you hit intermission in the hockey game and the opposing team scored a few points. And i step back and look at the drawing and realize i started to go wrong somewhere along the way. But its too late now, you gotta commit and keep going. And you do but somehow the final score is STILL 6 to 0 and thats when i want to flush all my art down the toilet and never look at it again. But its okay because the next drawing is going to start with a blank canvas and who cares what happened last time.

Ok maybe a bad example.

The product is never really what drives me to draw - i mean, sure i do like it a heck of a lot better when i have something /anything/ that i can post to show that im sticking with my everyday doodle. But its not a requirement to doodling. The process of drawing is always fun. Its when i come out of it and look at the stupid thing that im like ‘well fuck i fucked that one up again didnt i’, and THEN i get annoyed lol.

I dont sit there consumed with frustration over ‘gee i dont know what to draw’. This is never an issue. I HAVE TOO MUCH TO DRAW. Sometimes i avoid certain gifs/photos because in the back of my mind im like ‘yeah no, i havent leveled up that far yet, i cant do that justice’. But i dont want to admit the sheer number of images of geno alone i have saved. I think my biggest reference folder is still aoki and that has over two thousand screenshots - i dont think anyone will ever surpass that LOL. I have a never ending supply of practice art to be done.

The frustration comes when i have an image in my head and i want to get it down on paper so-to-speak (computer whatever). So - when im NOT using reference (or at least not an exact one) and am making an ‘illustration’ (ish). But again, the process isn't the issue. I like the act of drawing, i like the image in my head slowly taking shape, i like how vividly i can see it. Yall know how obsessed i am with personality - that's not just part of the drawing, that IS the drawing. And each deicision in the illustration is defined by the personality/character.

A computer can't fucking do this.

Could i maybe tell a computer ‘draw geno in the shower’. Sure. And it probably could. And if i didnt care about the process - if all i wanted was a very good drawing of geno in the shower....that probably would be fine. Maybe great even. Maybe it would be the best damn drawing of geno in the shower ever. And then i'd feel like shit because a machine is producing art that is more valuable to other people than mine ever will be. But holy fucking shit that ruins the entire POINT of drawing???? Why would you do that?

I mean, im sure yall can infer the entire point of the act of drawing geno in the shower. He's hot, he's wet. ANYWAY.

In my opinion, a person who wants the end product and doesn't care about the process of getting there....that person is not an artist. That person is someone who enjoys art, and probably thinks they have a lot of good ideas to make into art, but who doesn't feel that pull to make art themselves. They just want to buy art. And they want it cheap. And mindless computers being trained in seconds on the decades of creativity and hard work of art masters is a heck of a lot cheaper than a human.

And the hardest part of all this for me is how worthless this makes me feel - nobody wants you, they want that automatic button. Kinda like my dad that way (haha)

[grimmweepers]

fragrance question for you!! why is it that scents like black opium are so popular? is it bc they're by big luxury brand YSL, or bc of hype? particular notes that work together??? I've been thinking really hard about getting it for myself as a christmas gift this year, but if there are scents that are BETTER (maybe a tiiiiiiiiiiny bit more subtle) I'd love to hear ur thoughts!!

ahhhh i love this question!!!!

i think ‘paying for the brand’ is so prevalent in shopping these days, and it absolutely extends to the fragrance world too. i personally believe that part of the hype for black opium is because it’s simply YSL, a luxury brand. and its image is marketed at being mysterious and sexy, which tends to sell quite well. being able to afford luxury brands is a huge feat! so logically, you would go for what generally does well.

that said, it’s not all about the name! staples like black opium wouldn’t be staples if they smelt terrible. i think part of its charm is its scent profile. i suppose it’s because the scent family of black opium is more ‘approachable’ and ‘well-rounded’. you’ve got your vanilla and coffee notes blended with a bit of floral and spicy which typically isn’t overpowering for the general user! (as opposed to notes like neroli or oud which some people tend to find polarising or ‘clinical’).

i’ve often seen people describe black opium as ‘addictive’ and ‘dark’ and with all of this into consideration, i completely understand the appeal. like… who doesn’t want a scent that makes people turn around and ask “who was that? a spy? a rockstar? maybe both?!” (knowing what i know about you, even if a little, i do think it’ll suit you. esp with your tattoos ><)

oh! and typically, more expensive perfumes have better ‘projection’ which refers to how impactful it is in a room. black opium will most likely last, i can tell you that much! she’s bold! and if you’re going to spend an arm and a leg, at least it’s worthwhile.

if you want something more subtle but you love how black opium smells, see if it in comes in roll-on or solid form. you get the scent but without giving yourself a headache. those forms are usually better for sensitive skin/noses too.

if you want suggestions for something similar, i suggest

alien by mugler - i believe it’s got that same vibe, only a bit softer. maybe a tad more on the ethereal side, rather than edgy but it’s unique (i personally like this one better than black opium)

coffee break by replica maison margiela - this is a nod to the coffee note in black opium. this one is unisex and lighter. it feels more relaxed. one of my close friends loves this one!

and this one is a complete wildcard but i just wanted to throw it in because of the unique concept. it might interest you! you by glossier - this one is actually meant to adapt to the wearer’s skin so whatever it smells like on you, could smell different on me. i’d describe it as clean and subtle. on me it smells musky and warm but on others, it can get woody or even powdery. super interesting if you want a truly personal fragrance!

IM SO SORRY I GOT YAPPY I REALLY JUST WANTED TO COVER ALL QUESTIONS 🫶 thank you for asking!!!! this one made me put my thinking cap on lololl

[sonicgirlsmackdown]

FLEETWAY MATCHUP ROUND 1

Propaganda under the cut c:

Ebony the Cat/Ebony the Mystic Mog:

She's a witch and café owner

She and Super Sonic are inseparable to me, I cannot look at anything with Suoer Sonic if Ebony isn't here. I can see Ebony just fine tho

YOU KNEWWWW THIS WAS COMING. A magic black cat named magic black cat :) She learned magic after years of hard work and uses it to oppose Eggman and his goons. She owns a jazz cafe in downtown Metropolis Zone and hires/adopts Super Sonic :) She is able to use her magic mostly to affect the mind by illusions, glamours, and ultimately the spell that seals Super back into Sonic.

i love her

she is sooooo trusting of super sonic she believes in him so much it makes me so insane i mean neurodivergent. why is she like thissssss idk but its great. also. stco did her dirty and im mad forever

Probably one of the coolest characters ever. Witch lady who runs a coffee shop and has a soft-spot for dangerous strays

When I was a kid I'd never list Ebony as my fave Sonic character because I thought she was too cool for me to like

silly magic cat lady

she's so cool and definitely should've appeared more

she's so silly i'm definitely normal about her

Amber:

Chill alien lady

[pub-lius]

burr pt.2 electric boogaloo (this joke is only funny to me)

its politics time, because Burr had a really fucking long political career and i get tired just reading about it. (also here's pt. 1)

Washington and Adams Administrations

Burr said he found politics "a great deal of fun" so he entered the 1792 gubernatorial race in NY, but withdrew bc Daddy Clinton told him to. He was supported by Northern republicans, but was distrusted by Southerners (wonder why). According to James Monroe, my detested, it was better to select "a person of more advanced life and longer standing in publick trust, particularly one who in consequence of such service had given unequivocal proofs of what his principles really were." Now, you may be thinking that he must be talking about Jefferson, but this is Monroe, and he was probably just kissing his own ass, as per usual.

Burr sided with anti-administration forces who opposed Hamilton's financial plan and Washington's foreign policy. Burr also defended Albert Gallatin who was unseated in 1794 after Federalists determined he did not meet the 9 year citizenship requirement.

Burr voted against Washington's nomination of John Jay as envoy to Britain in 1794, and was one of the most outspoken opponents of the Jay treaty.

Burr set his sights on the presidency with an energetic campaign in the 1796 election, and Republicans endorsed him as their second choice (ie vice-president canidate), but it was still a little divisive. Most, if not all, Democratic-Republicans voted for Thomas Jefferson, and only half of his voters also voted for Burr. Burr finished fourth with 30 electoral votes.

Burr retired from the Senate in 1797, and returned to the New York Assembly in 1798, making several enemies during his brief term. As relations with France got heated over the XYZ affair, Burr advocated for defensive measures to protect New York harbor. This was reasonable since New York was very strategically important, but it's location made it vulnerable to a naval attack. This prompted accusations that Burr had switched parties to the Federalist side, and that he abused public trust for personal benefit, a common theme in rumors about him. Allegedly, he participated in private land speculation ventures in NY and sought to enact legislation removing restrictions on land ownership by non-citizens, which would increase the value of western lands. Basically, they thought he was trying to influence legislation so he could make money.

Hammy boy is back and this time he is working together with Burr. Burr and Hamilton secured a charter and raised subscriptions for a private company to improve the water supply of Manhattan. These were two incredibly intelligent and creative men, and that is greatly reflected in their choice for the company's name, The Manhattan Water Company (/sarcasm). Turns out, the extra money from this was used to establish the Bank of Manhattan, which was controlled by Republicans. Pretend to be shocked even though both of them lived on Wall Street.

Some weird shit went down with the Republican voters in New York in the 1799 election, and Burr was turned out of office. People were really suspicious of him, but he remained a vital asset.

Burr opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which won him Demo-Republican support, especially in New York which had a large immigrant population. This ensured that NYC elected a Republican delegation to the state legislature in 1800.

Election of 1800

Republicans wanted a New Yorker for their 2nd presidential choice (im saying this instead of vice presidential candidate and you'll see why). Clinton refused, so Burr was the next option. He was nominated on May 11, 1800. Jefferson claimed he harbored reservations of Burr, but he was acting all nice to him to ensure Republican victory. Jefferson was also very busy with his behind-the-scenes campaign, writing letters and encouraging press support that was critical of the Adams Administration. This is when he called him a hermaphrodite btw.

Burr had a far more active campaign technique. He visited Rhode Island and Connecticut in late August to secure Republican support. Burr's political prowess during 1800 raised suspicion among enemies and supporters. He didn't fit the stoic, unattached statesman who just let his supporters run the campaign for him. Burr campaigned more like a modern politician.

It was generally expected that each elector would cast one vote for Jefferson, one for Burr. Each elector had two votes, and they didn't distinguish who they wanted for president, and who they wanted for vice president. Whoever came in second would be VP, so the party would generally determine who they would advocate the most, and who they would advocate the second most. Basically they were like "this guy is great! this guy is also pretty good. also we HATE those guys (other party's nominees)" So, they really just hoped that Jefferson would get the most, and Burr would get second.

...but, uh, by mid-December, Republicans still didn't have a president in office. They definitely defeated the Federalists, because Adams and Jay had like. no votes. But Jefferson and Burr both had 73 votes, and were at a stalemate, which meant that the vote would be taken to the House of Representatives.

Federalists JUMPED on this opportunity, specifically Hamilton, who had already doomed Adams to lose the election. Some Federalists believed that Burr was more flexible and less partisan, and would be more likely to approve Federalist legislation. Other Federalists who supported Burr hoped that if the two parties were deadlocked for too long, Federalist-leaning Congress would resolve the impasse with legislation authorizing the Senate to elect a Federalist president. This is stupid and idk why people thought this was possible.

Hamilton launched into his smear campaign of Burr. He advised other Federalists not to trust Burr in very simple words, but in the background he was spreading awful rumors about Burr, which was pretty usual. The only difference from how he attacked Burr vs how he attacked Adams is that he didn't publish anything about Burr, but he would have.

The House of Representatives announced Jefferson was the winner on February 17, 1801. Burr made only a few comments and they were guarded, evasive, and contradictory. He seemed particularly angry that there were rumors that he was soliciting Federalist support in an attempt to steal the presidency, which he didn't do, but he happily accepted any Federalist votes.

"...take no step whatsoever, by which the choice of the House of Representatives can be impeded or embarrassed, [instead] keep the game perfectly in Your own hand." -advice from Federalist Robert Goodloe Harber against withdrawing from the election that Burr followed

Jefferson Administration

Burr was inaugurated as VP on March 4, 1804 by James Hillhouse in the Senate Chamber of the new capitol. He gave a brief address of "about 3 sentences" which was overshadowed by Jefferson's speech.

He immediately received a shit ton of letters from associates seeking appointments and demanding removal of Federalists. He handed these off to Jefferson, who removed the "midnight appointments" from the Adams Administration.

In fall of 1801, Burr campaigned for a naval position for Matthew L. Davis, and it was around this time that Jefferson began to distance himself from Burr. Davis' appointment was reliant on Clinton and De Witt for a NY appointment. De Witt talked mad shit about Burr, and Burr was so upset that he talked in the third person about it (he did this a lot).

"The handbills were numerous, of various descriptions, uniform however in Virulent and indecent abuse. [T]o Vilify A.B. was deemed of so much consequence that packages of them were sent to various parts of the country." -Burr

Burr lost like. all political relevance except for being VP. I mean, people still respected him because he wasn't bad at his job, but they were incredibly suspicious of his Federalist friendships, alienation from Republicans, and his now infamous opportunism.

On January 27, 1802. Burr cast a tie-breaking vote that undercut Republican effort to repeal the Judiciary Act of 1801, which provided reforms to the Supreme Court which allowed for a potentially Federalist controlled judiciary (shout out John Marshall). Burr voted for Republican repeal, and secretly informed Federalists he would add amendments to make it acceptable to moderate Republicans. He resolved the tie in favor of Federalists.

"I am for the affirmative, because I can never resist the reference of a measure where the Senate is so nicely balanced, when the object is to effect amendment, that may accommodate it to the opinions of a larger majority; & particularly when I can believe that gentlemen are sincere in wishing a reference for this purpose. Should it, however, at any time appear that delay only is intended, my conduct will be different." -Burr (apparently in 2020 I didn't think it was important to have dates for my quotes.)

After Burr announced a select committee consisting of 2 Republicans, 2 Federalists, and 1 moderate, The New York Evening Post wrote, "The Vice President was very deliberate. He took ballots of the respective Senators, examined them attentively, state the number of them, & holding them up in his hand, mentioned that gentlemen, if they chose, might come and examine them. Mr. G[ouverneur] Morris hoped never to see, in the Senate, a proceeding implying so much distrust." And i'd love to tell you what political party the Evening Post was associated with, but I didn't know how to take notes in 2020, and I'm losing my mind just a little.

Burr continued to be estranged from his own party, possibly to form his own, but no one really liked him so, tough luck. Burr contacted Jefferson, saying that he thought it was best for him to retire for the sake of the party, and wanted Jefferson to publicly give him his confidence. Jefferson said he had no influence in the last election, but he would in the next, which is weird and foreboding but aight. Jefferson didn't trust Burr because he was pissy that Burr warned Madison not to trust people (ie Jefferson) too much.

Burr retired without Jefferson's "mark of favor", and was replaced as VP by Clinton. After leaving the vice-presidency, he entered the NY gubernatorial race to have some kind of a job, since he was majorly in debt.

*wipes sweat dramatically* okay so i think i'll have 1-2 more Burr posts, and then we're onto Lafayette, which is going to be significantly more extensive because I've read two full books about him, and taken notes on him. and THEN i have to do Hamilton which will be. even more extensive. but we got this. okay bye see you in the next one

[oh-cramity-its-amity]

18, 20, 26 and 38

taken from this ask game!

18.) do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens?

honestly not really. i think i used to when i was younger believe in ghosts. im not opposed to the idea that ghosts exist because i can believe theres a potential possibility of them but ive never personally felt or encountered anything that would set me into a yes/no answer. aliens though? yeah, but not in the sense where its all theatrical and movie like. i think galaxies being infinite and space being so vast, theres definitely something, but i dont think we'll meet it any time soon. in our galaxy? hell no. but space is so big that im sure somethings going on somewhere.

20.) favourite things about the night?

peace and quiet. i like how dull and simple it feels to be around in the dark. how the lighting isnt as bright as it is in the day- esp when i turn on my christmas lights. its just a general feel of calm. also?? driving at night in the summertime with the windows down. absolutely NOTHING like that feeling. arm draped out the window, air a bit cool- but not humid or sweater worthy. music on, night driving.

26.) fave colour and why?

ik this is v obvious but purple. SPECIFICALLY dark purple. not REALLY dark but like a violet? like a deep purple. i really feel like it's such a gender neutral color and super beautiful to look at. sunrises where theres purple infused in the horizon. its like a sense of warmness. i always say like "purple is the masculine pink but the feminine blue" but i feel like no one but me understands that terminology- but i like how in the middle and androgynous it feels.

38.) fave song at the moment

scavenger by finishing ticket !!!!

[baylardo]

voyager novel lore that lives in my mind rent free good and bad:::::::::::::::

kathryn gets Basically Killed(?) in String Theory by a nacene thats been posing as her sister phoebe and her final moments before death have her envisioning Chakotays face and she has this internal hmmmm moment of questioning why she's seeing him as a comforting face as opposed to like her father or mark (((((its really awesome please read String Theory ive never felt so fulfilled reading these hegging books lmao)))))))

harry kim's romance life makes me sad and he third wheels b'elanna and tom for a time and eventually he proposes to libby and she declines and also libby breaks up with him and eventualy he gets a new gf nancy and eventually she is revealed to have a terminal illness and also is pregnant and also doesnt want to keep baby and also goes into a coma and also they take the baby out of her and incubate it and also nancy gets healed and chooses to leave harry and their unborn baby lol so harry's left a single dad with barely any ties to earth and thats awesome CHEERS!!!!!

also author oc character alien biology bonds herself to harry's unborn daughter and i feel so normal about that momcore hahahahahahaha rubbing sweat off of my brow shes so not maternal as a character shes a cocky pilot girl i have normal thoughts about her and harry kim together (not canon U___U)

kathryn and phoebe fight a lot during kathryns brief time on earth in Protectors and it sours their relationship and kathryn leaves earth for 3+ years without either one attempting to amend things/apologize and this is all awesome because kathryns already died and come back to life at this point lmao GROW UP

after tom and b'elanna go through this bombastic scheme to lie to their friends and family involving belanna and miral "dying" in order to protect miral from prophecy this is the last straw for julia paris defending/forgiving her son for lying so much so she decides she needs to get custody of their children bc theyre unsafe in their care and b'elanna ends up hating her mother in law for it and tom goes to family law court and tom ends up winning and keeping his kids and its "kids" bc belanna's pregnant with their son at this time anyway they end up naming him MICHAEL which i guess is julia's father's name??? if i remember correctly lmao,,,,,, anyway i thought that was poor taste for the ordeal she put them through for no reason haha

the emh realizes he loves seven but through some long chain of events he has to erase his memories of her and him together (sad) she tries to rebuild their friendship afterwords ;___;

belanna asks kathryn if her and chakotay are ever going to have children and kathryns like "no lmao" and chakotay gets visually sad about it and then its never brought up again *PUNCHES WALL*

theres a scene where kathryn and chakotay skinny dip in an alien planet lake together at night like they slip out to go swim naked together IM FINE IM FINE IM FINE. that book also has chakotay admiring natty kathryn in her element on a planet doing scientific research and yknow just yearning looking at her and thats sooooooo cute

threshold gets mentioned by harry kim in the LAST voyager novel thank you amen

the doctor gets to meet again/interact with/say goodbye to kes in String Theory in a WAAAAAAAAAAY more poignant way. that trilogy is awesome i cant hype it enough LOL. kes also has a baby in that one,,,,,,,,,, and it also goes on to explain Fury,,,,,, and janeway in Night for that matter but thats really my only neg on those books is it gives explanation behind kathryn's melancholy and i thought it was unnecessary and also the books end with kathryn being unable to remember anything from the trilogy and thats cringe to me lmao bc u get a pretty epic JC nugget in the second book (((first bullet lol)))

i love infinity's prism - Places of Exile id recommend reading it if you are me and you love exploration of "JANEWAY GIVES UP" as a plot. :) one of my faves. its short and sweet, you get a JC (unborn) baby with a name and everything please clap. this book got me to actually like neelix/kes lmao A FEAT. i also get to indulge harry/b'elanna, even if its a little Toxic in this one U____U;;;;; kes and neelix have triplets named after characters who die/are dead in the book lol

ONE mirrorverse story for voyager has chakotay as captain and janeway as engineer, they are lovers, janeway ends up being evil and works for belanna (has some very wlw vibes lol) and hates humans. they (JC) end up killing each other. <3 janeway calls chakotay "chuckles" in it. the idea of engineer mean grouchy janeway is so BIOYIOYIOYIONG AWOOOOGA to me.

[vancalox]

hiiiiiiiiiii sorry it took me literally 3 months to do this but here she is !!! my tav, vierynrae drisune — viera to her closest friends and vierie to her doomed-by-the-narrative boyfriends. disclaimer please immediately disregard her hair bc i still havent found a hairstyle OR fit i like for her, but since she would realistically change her look every 6 to 10 hours im happy just waving some selections of note @ u all <3

truly unfathomable lore dump under the cut (tw for physical assault and miscarriage)

she/her

209 years young <3

astarion romance with a generous sprinkle of dream visitor sexual tension for reasons i'll get into (tldr the emperor takes the form of her dead fiance bc they both know its the only form that could ever hope to get through to her 😍)

"seldarine" drow! formerly a lolth sworn menzoberranzan girly, now a well established and famed diabolist of neverwinter (we'll get into it lol).

nowadays shes lolth's no. 1 hater but — having regrettably served her pretty contentedly for 100+ years — she feels too alienated from the seldarine pantheon to truly consider herself a follower. she does toss a prayer eilistraees' way for good karma's sake every now and then, though !

fiend pact (of the chain) warlock ! outside of the power her patron offers her, she's relatively useless in a fight (ie no multiclassing for her lol). the majority of her skills are in leadership, social maneuvering and underhanded political subterfuge. forging her pact was a very deliberate and very necessary move from her perspective to like. add some bite to her bark going forward.

im saying that her level one feat (if the mod ever drops lol <3) is magic initiate: bard and while she isn't canonically a multiclass, she could very easily become one if her pact fell through.

she's canonically a noble background, though she could easily be mistaken for a sage. truthfully all of her interest in the arcane stem from political ambition, noble is the correct answer (and a background she tries to keep under wraps)

lawful evil alignment, bordering very close - and eventually transitioning - to lawful neutral. evil is a sort of unfortunate necessity from her pov right up until the start of bg3, but her character is more aligned to the Lawful part as opposed to the Evil part. she follows a strict code of professionalism, unscrupulous loyalty, and also sometimes "just business, sorry kid" :/ but outside of those circumstances she's as charming/kind/reasonable as they come lol

ok. whew. heres the full unabridged off the walls loredump. prioritizing her menzoberranzan history over her diabolist career bc otherwise i'd need a whole third month for this lol.

viera drisune (later taking the elven adult name vierynrae) was the 13th of 21 total children borne to mistress viciiva drisune, matriarch of the 17th house of menzoberranzan

only vierynrae herself and 2 other sisters actually survived to see viera's elven 'adulthood'. one sister was xaeszara drisune- the firstborn and heiress. xaeszara saw herself as an aspiring proxy of lolth, forsaking politics as she became utterly consumed with fanaticism and religious fervor. she perceived acts of heresy against her goddess in the everyday routines and familiar faces of her kin, and often took to culling her siblings and cousins in sporadic ritual offerings to the spider queen :)

arac'nene drisune, the 16th child and vierynrae's younger sister, also survived - specifically because she was just as deranged as the eldest. she didn't possess xaeszara's zealotry, but still relished in lolth's simpler tenets of chaos and slaughter. the two essentially allied together to pick off the other siblings and minor family members, arac'nene acting as xaeszara's attack dog against any she deemed undevoted to lolth. which was all of them, naturally.

vierynrae only survived because she clued in to the alliance early, and knew the only way to survive was to win the favor of their matriarch and mother, viciiva, by making herself an invaluable asset in all matters of house affairs. and she did! what she lacked in combat prowess she made up for in charisma and intelligence, and quickly earned the trust (and protection) of viciiva after overseeing several successful raids/assassinations of rival houses and improving their overall position in drow hierarchy. the other two siblings couldn't touch her without dooming their house's winning streak or worse, earning the mother matriarch's wrath.

for almost 70 years viera enjoyed the relative safety of her mother's protection, while being groomed by her into a natural leader. vierynrae's actions helped house drisune ascend the ranks of nobility until they were eventually named 10th of the great houses.

in all those years she dutifully followed the tenets of lolth, the only faith she'd ever known, until one day while skulking about in the caverns just outside of the city, she met kiryn'kel nathril , a handsome, bewilderingly sweet man whom she would soon come to learn was not only a seldarine surface drow, but also ironically a cleric of eilistraee, who would regularly venture deep into the underdark to save its denizens from the tyranny of lolth.

against all odds (and in spite of several dozen death threats and attempts viera would make against his life) they fell in love, and began an affair in secret that would last for over 15 years. during this time kiryn taught her about the surface; about sunlight and freckles and kindness and what an honest, earnest hug felt like. he was patient, and successfully de-radicalized her, soon even convincing her to begin aiding him in his efforts to undermine lolth and free any who might stand a better chance on the surface

try as he might, though, he was never quite able to convince her to leave menzoberranzan and marry him up in his home in neverwinter. she had too many ambitions in her own city and still held on to the drow superiority she'd been indoctrinated in to. what's more, she still held a stubborn, optimistic hope that she could miraculously change her home from the inside (while conveniently consolidating all her power and authority over the other houses, too, of course)

this didn't happen, obviously. vierynrae's family's suspicions were growing due to the subtle change in her attitude over the years, all culminating with her abruptly learning that she was pregnant with kiryn's child. she knew her child was a son, and that her house already held the two total male heirs allowed (ie: the two surviving men xaeszara hadn't murdered), and so she finally accepted kiryn's proposal and began to make bittersweet plans to flee the only home she'd ever known.

the plans were short lived, and the pair were inevitably caught by house drisune mere hours before they had agreed to leave. to avoid the shame - and consequences - of the truth getting out amongst the other houses, the matriarch viciiva allowed vierynrae to live, but only after cutting off her ring finger, confiscating its band, and forcing her to watch as kiryn'kel was publically and sadistically executed.

but this wasn't enough for xaeszara, who noticed during the execution that viera's hand hovered a little too long - a little too protectively - over her stomach. in her grief, vierynrae barely noticed her two siblings' whispers, nor when her mother was invited into its fray. the gravity of her situation only dawned on her when her mother bid her halt during the long walk back home, and asked her one grim question: "is it a male?"

her silence was the answer, and viciiva nodded, permitting xaeszara to push vierynrae down a flight of stairs carved into the stone. arac'nene was waiting at the bottom, laughing, to kick her nearly to death - more than enough to guarantee the child would never be born.

minutes blurred into hours, and vierynrae -grieving, raging, but mostly numb - knew her days in house drisune were numbered. she never went home, instead limping her way out of the city gates and on towards the secluded place she had first met kiryn all those years ago.

from there, she began bargaining, first to the gods - who would not answer a lolth-sworn - and then to the anyone in the nine hells who would listen. she screamed at the cavern walls that she was willing to bargain, and after three days, the fiend who would soon become her patron emerged from the dark. she offered up his soul to him right there in exchange for the power to raze the city of menzoberranzan and everyone in it, but the devil only laughed. "do you truly think your little soul is of equal value to that of the city of spiders?" he asked. "how many souls call menzoberranzan home, i wonder? thirty thousand - fifty? not to mention the wrath of lolth this tantrum of yours will inevitably bring about . . . why, that price alone is worth as many souls as you have hair on your head."

and with that, the terms of a pact began to form. a drop of infernal power for every act of service - and for every soul sent to the styx - tallied by the silver hair on her scalp. each deed's value would be measured in strands, turning black as the underdark itself to mark the progress of such an insurmountable price. once every hair had turned, she would know at last that the pact was complete, and she would be powerful enough to return to the underdark and attempt a final stand. until then, she would serve her patron in any and all things.

her first kill was her mother, matriarch viciiva. her patron was true to his word; as 17 strands of silver hair turn blacked, she felt an equivalent surge of power - just enough to make the weeks long trek out of the underdark and up into the sunlit lands, alone.

i hit the block text character limit oh god 🤪

and so her new life began. she navigated a hostile surface world with only her patron's whispers to guide her, eventually settling in neverwinter, in spite of a population vastly hostile to her kind. over the years, her uncanny ability to sniff out a desperate soul - and then cordially offer then aid - made her a recogniseable and accepted figure in the city, eventually putting her in the position to make a legitimate business out of it.

business flourished, and as her renown grew, so did her power, forever measured by her rapidly darkening hair. by the start of baldur's gate 3 she is formiddable — a diabolist and the right hand of her patron, feared and respected, secretly amassing every resource, ally and advantage she has at her disposal through low whispers and coded letters. all of it to pay the price of marching — one day, perhaps centuries from now — on menzoberranzan, and having the power to take it.

[dateamonster]

what’s your opinion on monstrous transformations (both fast and slow), and also more controversially what do you think about having monsters/nonhuman characters serve as minority allegory (as opposed to society’s hate for them being being an allegory)

ohhh hold on this is a rly good question i think abt a Lot actually.

ok getting the first bit out of the way, love a good monstrous transformation. fast, slow, its all good. i personally like gradual slow shifts the most but its a situational thing. transformation is one of those things that like just always has to be symbolic. even more than the degree to which Everything is symbolic ya know. so like context rly matters when it comes to how to invoke it most effectively.

MOVING ON

i think from the phrasing of the ask ur looking for something more along the lines of like. for example shapeshifters as representation of nonbinary people or aliens as representation of different cultures rather than like monsters vs humans as allegory for racism. but im also not sure you can meaningfully separate the two! the latter i think is more overused so it like registers more as an immediate red flag, but its like. if the aliens from avatar werent being violently invaded by humans it wouldnt make like their reskinned stereotypical indigeneity anymore tolerable i dont think.

which isnt to say i think every story that draws connections between fantastical fictional species and real world people are inherently bad. i dont really think theres any trope that i believe cant be handled well by anyone under any circumstance. the super easy fix to bad rep via monster or fantasy creature characters is basically just have actual humans who also represent those same identities and communities and experiences so that the audience isnt drawn to connect the traits of any one group with your fictional species.

the harder fix is to like seriously analyze why you want this character to be a monster and what that says about them and what that says about you and your own experiences and biases and what you actually want to communicate with the inclusion of this character. and when applicable hire a sensitivity reader. its kinda crazy how many pieces of media seem to prefer half-assing the hard way over just doing the easy thing and not assigning the status of token minority to a literal monster.

of course once again all of this is ya know circumstantial. im speaking to like my own experiences and the things ive observed. and its weird too! bc im also speaking as someone who like is trans and nonbinary and thinks of myself and my gender expression as inherently intertwined with monstrosity. and as someone who is autistic and thinks of myself as a changeling. and as someone who is a fat person who represents themself with a pig themed sona. if i talk abt cringeass hollywood blockbusters engaging in High Fantasy Racism i feel like to be fair i kinda have to talk about independent own-voices creators who write stories and make art about their own identities in the lovely language of monstrosity. theres not rly a way to draw a hard line around the former without the risk of catching some of the latter.

so umm as usual i dont rly have a snappy all encompassing answer for how i feel abt this kind of characterization. im simply too much of a Nuance Enjoyer. i do i guess think this is something that generally turns out better when it is someone making art about their own experiences, but also unless i believe minority artists are a monolith, which i dont, i need to accept that artists will inevitably make stuff that is beautiful and resonant to some people and totally repugnant and offensive to others, and that both of those responses can be like totally justified and correct. thats art babey!

anyway slight digression but i think any case where a character feels more like an allegory than a fully fleshed u know Character is gonna flop for me no matter how relatable it is. tbqh, id rather more ppl try and fail to make beautiful grotesque frightening sensually moving monsters out of their lived experiences and their empathetic connections with others than succeed at creating bland toothless universally approachable Good Rep tm. if u know u know. if u feel me u feel me. that is all.