topfsecret

[topfsecret]

there is no greater honor than having kinnies reblog ur fandesigns tbh like. im so glad u approve kanaya maryam irl. thank u mr sollux captor

[topfsecret]

Cringe started as a verb describing a physical reaction, i.e.: "I cringe when I see [x]."

Modern slang has turned cringe into an adjective describing anything to which a person might have such a reaction.

.

This shift in language is illustrative of a shift in culture.

.

For a while there, in the early 2000s, there was this big sex positivity movement and we talked openly about kink and queer sexuality and creating a culture of consent that broke away from traditional conservative ideas of moral respectability.

And now we are in the midst of this giant purity culture backlash, this giant push for rigid conformity all over the internet. Anything that deviates from the norm even remotely is ridiculed.

And this cultural shift is perfectly encapsulated in this singular linguistic shift, this verb becoming a noun.

The Revenge of the Pearl Clutchers

That's what "cringing" is. It's pearl clutching.

When the pearl clutchers turned cringe into an adjective, they turned a reaction into an accusation. The pearl clutchers don't want to take responsibility for their own kneejerk emotions. They want to blame YOU.

They are saying, "My disgust isn't the fault of my own backwards prejudices. It is YOU who are inherently disgusting. My inability to cope with even the slightest deviation from norm is not the problem here. YOUR refusal to rigidly conform is the problem. I am not the one who is cringing. YOU are the one who is cringe."

Fuck 'em.

.

Take the word back.

Cringe is not something people are.

It's something judgmental assholes do.

[topfsecret]

Veiltober - day 29, Eluvian

I really loved making this one!!! Eluvians are one of my fav parts of DA lore, and making this one was so calming. I do hope you enjoy!! As always, prompts for Veiltober by @lynnerdo !! <3

This one and all other Veiltobers are also available on my Redbubble!

[topfsecret]

Mourningvale

[topfsecret]

HSSS 2024: Applications Close Soon!

Hello!!!

This is one last announcement for Secret Santa applications!

They close on November 4th at 11:59pm CST. The application form can be found here. Please read through the FAQ if you are unfamiliar with the event, and join the Discord to meet and talk to other participants!

Very excited to see all of the gifts this year! ヾ(＾-＾)ノ

[topfsecret]

Can you make hideo kojima he's my favorite gamer

i made hideo kojima from twitter in dress to impress

thanks for the request!

[topfsecret]

Hello everyone, it's me again. Today I wanted to give you a small update on how my situation and development of the great dead bird desert is going.

First of all thanks for liking my recent work. It gave me a bump in motevation. And that's gonna be an important word later on, keep that in your minds. Anyways, let's get to the recent stuff I did for the great dead bird desert shall we? First off all the Canyon is going to get a big update. I am trying to figure out Axiom to see how it can form organic material. Here's my first finished result for the canyon's revamp below.

Again I am trying to figure that stuff out so I might not be a pro. The science express also got a massive overhaul for its interior design, leaning more into the science-y feel of the concept art for trainwreck of science.

The left shows the old versions of how the carts used to look like. The right side shows the newer, overhauled versions. Back to the map itself.

The reddest deadest desert is actually nearing its end- Nope, still going. Can I be honest with you? Like really be honest? So I havent been so clear about how progress went now was I? In all honesty THE WAS NO PROGRESS like look at those renders down there, that is the ENTIRE map, no cuts, no nothing the entire thing.

if im honest, I feel ashamed for the slow progress that I've been making. Its a real buzzkill. Rant Incoming. Scroll down for information and more screenshots. Though, there is a reason why progress wasnt really that good. You see where that "important word" comes in? Yes thats right, the word called motevation, you see where I'm going with this, right? Recently I've noticed that I am not happy with this whole minecraft map thing since it's just a loop of "build this, release it on pmc, next project" I honestly dont even know when this whole thing started im just frustrated and unmotivated and the worst part is it's been bleeding into my personal live as well. Because It honestly feels like a meaningless loop, making something and then just going on and on. I know that's how some things go and all but I'd like to feel some sort of accomplishment for the "hard work" that I do, but nope it's just another moment where I say, 'thats done with, next thing' and honestly the projects I've been working on during TGDBD havent given me the same feeling either. For example heres a map I've been building

its a small fnaf themed map, it took a lot of time to make, you'd think that I should feel some sort of 'good' feeling when looking at it, but the only thing I am reminded of is how frustrating it was working with chisle and bits!

Let me give you another example this time from TGDBD The Original version of DBS

even now when I look at this it makes me puke at the though of that god damn lag that kept terrorising me while I made this, it was unbarable! I decided to stop building and revamp it later on because the performance was so LOW and dont get me started on that god damn piece of glass that says 'Dead Bird Studio' on it this thing still haunts me to this day!! You see where I am going with this? No? Well what I'm trying to tell you is these mods just make it harder and harder to work on this map. You might be suggesting 'why not remove the mods if they are such a pain?' well problem is they are sort of the backbone of the map. Since a few parts of the map rely on these mods otherwhise It'll break and I really really wanted players to drive the Conductors train (and it was ofc for myself to enjoy) but instead of coming to enjoy this map, I came to hate it. I dont want to hate it, but these past negative experiences are just overweighting the positive experiences I had. Not to mention I am in my last year of Highschool which is, of course the most demanding, year! So that also didn't give me enough time to work on this map. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Do you understand where I am coming now? Good! Because I have made the executive decision to Cancel this map! I'm sorry if this made anyone sad if you even cared for this project that is.

I know that whole rant up there wasnt the most professional but I honestly feel ashamed for not getting much done with the time I actually had. Anyways, files for this map wont get given out, maybe on high demand but thats unlikely.

Thanks for all the support. ~T.L.

[topfsecret]

[topfsecret]

day 306

braids!

[topfsecret]

coming up with an au were a dead character lives but shaking my head while i do it so everyone watching knows i support the role their death played in the narrative and consider it a legitimate writing choice

[topfsecret]

Pathologic 3: The Bachelor

The Pathologic 3 page, cleaned of text. We just painted over the text with a mouse because we couldn't be bothered to get our stylus, lol. Feels nostalgic. Daniil isolated png under the cut! (Free to edit to your heart's content!)

If you put this on your blog or website, please let us know! (not because credit is necessary - this isn't our own art - but because we love to see people's website/blog themes :D)

[topfsecret]

Huevember: Day 1 - Casual Yellow 🌻💛🌙

[topfsecret]

Some more of your questions to the Hiveswap: Act 3 team over at What Pumpkin!

Q: Has the basic outline of the story remained since the launch of Act 1 & 2? Has it undergone major changes over the years? A: There’s a broad strokes outline followed since Act 1 that hasn't changed all that much.

Q: Will we see any more of Trizza Tethis? (Caroline) A: Unfortunately, yes.

Q: Will the characters we chose to come onto the train have a bigger role in the later story because of such? (12Cashmere) A: Not like, enormously bigger but yes, Chixie’s role changes significantly. There’s going to be a lot more carryover on choices like this from Act 2 to 4 and 3 to 4.

Q: Have there been any characters whose quirks were particularly difficult to figure out? (Alienoid) A: A guy named Garjon.

[topfsecret]

"Any regrets?"

"Wish I'd brought my Switch. It gets boring in here."

"I mean, regarding the operation."

"Oh. Uh... I feel like I should have taken more pictures that time I dyed my hair, seeing as I can't really, uh, do that anymore. Apart from that, no, not really."

[topfsecret]

This is genuinely a really great response, thank you!!!

(And thank you for using "y'all", that's very kind!)

I honestly lost track of all the doppelgangers and devs, so I appreciate the correction! :D

(We should definitely pay attention to the dev usernames more - I personally wrote this at a whim and without extensive notes, I want to do that next time.)

We have some questions - no pressure in answering! - we'll bold them, so you can see it easily. We really would love to have further discussion :D

Now that you've detailed it, the allegiance makes more sense - DTI vs. Lana + Agamemnon - which would make him be seen as a "savior" to Lana of some sort and ensure that she's devoted to him (before he told her to make doppelgangers too, damn.)

How do we know that Agamemnon is influencing the real Lana if there are already doppelgangers from the Devs' experiments?

So, the Lana Quest / LanaDoesNails being different doppelgangers... Are they Diarben and Gigi's creations, or Lana and Agamemnon's?

The possibility that the Devs (characters) make these games in-universe as brainwashing tools to fool us (ARG solvers) is also interesting. None of the Lanas is truly free (regardless if it's a Dev work to trick us or not)... not even the one in the hospital in Lana Quest.

So, the "reveal" that Agamemnon poisoned Lana (getting her hospitalized) and took her soul was done to a doppelganger?

As for Artemis, while my theory is pure speculation on this "goddess connection" regard, I know from mythology that her having descendants in the traditional sense seems unlikely. However, she may have descendants indirectly or by magical ways, be reincarnated into Lana, or the whole... "chosen mortal" thing.

Or. Agamemnon thinks Lana is connected to Artemis (or whoever god/s who imprisoned him), but actually, she isn't? He just wants an excuse to manipulate her. And her obsession with ancient greek mythology isn't a sign of anything except to add to the theme? Hm...

(I mostly say Artemis because she was one of the first gods involved with mythological Agamemnon - and he had to sacrifice one of his daughter to appease her. In some stories, Artemis took pity on the child/on him and leaves her alive.

Is that why DTI Agamemnon wasn't punished more severely? Did the goddess - Artemis or otherwise - tell him to do more sacrifices and doppelganger creation to achieve the ultimate form out of pity?

That sounds like a strange choice from any god who thinks Agamemnon did something wrong by wanting to be immortal (as per the song... but then again, if the Lana Quest is a Dev creation, the lyrics could be 100% a lie. Though I feel like Lina being influenced by Agamemnon in the game, and singing the song, is significant?)

Or was he not told by anyone to do sacrifices after being freed by Lana? Or, Agamemnon simply thinks, since the Devs did experiments and brought results (doppelgangers), he can do the same with greater results? (his ultimate form, becoming ultra powerful)

All in all, we love that this is bringing up questions - this is our first time being invested in an ARG, so it's quite exciting! :D

Dress to Impress Lana Lore: Why her?

Post Date: 1 November 2024

special thanks to youtuber callmehhaley for her video "SECRETS In The LANA LORE QUEST & Breakdown! *STORY EXPLAINED?* | Dress To Impress Halloween Update"

also thank you to youtuber izzzyzzz for her video "The Dress To Impress Horror ARG Explained"

For my thoughts on Nurse Julie from the Halloween Update, feel free to visit TopfSecret's Lana Lore Tag!

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Why Did Agamemnon Choose Lana?

At first, it's easy to say that Agamemnon symbolizes the predatory people in the fashion industry. The early Lana lore cements this interpretation. Agamemnon's minions exploited Lana's sickness, roping her into a job so she can pay her medical bills, before trapping her in the whole Awakening business.

But the Halloween Update reveal that Agamemnon may have caused Lana's illness in the first place is... wild. It doesn't undo the above interpretation, especially with the shadowy cult stuff. But why Lana? Why not take someone who's already got a terminal illness? There's plenty of desperate people to take advantage of in this age of capitalism.

The song "Temptation" may have the answers. It's reaching a little bit, but please bear with me!

Let me tell you a story of betrayal Between two people unalike There was a goddess, who was immortal against a jealousy of a warrior and when the time came for a judgement There were more wrongs than a right There was no solace, no immunity banished from who he used to be

So, there's precedent in greek mythology of mortals being punished for wanting to surpass/being better than the gods, for example Arachne - being turned into a spider for defeating Athena in a weaving contest. There's also precedent of mortals being punished for cheating death (wanting immortality), as in the case of Sisyphus - doomed to push a boulder up a hill for eternity because he trapped Thanatos (personification of death) and prevented him from taking Sisyphus' soul.

So it's not a stretch to say that Agamemnon isn't a new figure. I can't say if he's literally mythological Agamemnon, but he could be? From wikipedia: "Agamemnon has slain an animal sacred to Artemis, and subsequently boasts that he is her equal in hunting."

ummm... yeah. That's punishment material, babey. A warrior (well, hunter) of sorts being jealous of Artemis' immortality... makes sense, but not quite.

Regardless, in my opinion, DTI Agamemnon is old enough to have been jealous of a goddess' immortality, trying to get it, and then being punished for it. I'm guessing his punishment is being denied a physical form, doomed to be a ghost forever (since he wants immortality so much). My rationale: he's seen as hallucinations and dark shadows in the Halloween Update, which is probably the earliest chronologically (since it talks about Lana's leaving her house and her hospital days).

He only got a physical form after sacrificing multiple souls (seen in the earlier updates), such as the Fortress Security Footage #1. It's not his "ultimate" form, though, which is why he keeps trying to get more sacrifices.

For the temptation in his heart His life was doomed right from the start He wanted more than what he got But it was locked away

Well, duh. Immortality is locked away from mortals for a reason. If his life is "doomed from the start", it could be that DTI Agamemnon is based on (or is actually) mythological Agamemnon, where his entire family has been doomed due to the actions of his ancestor, Tantalus.

Obsessed with immortality He wanted to live eternally Wanted to make himself a God and now he's locked away

This explains itself. He may have been locked away by the goddess that he was jealous of back in the first verse.

So he planned to sneak into the palace and consume what wasn't his he thought you made it, with all his malice but he was caught in carelessness

"Sneak into the palace" could have not been literal, because I have no idea what the literal equivalent is. However, a palace and a fortress can be equated in some way - which may mean that he's creating The Fortress to consume what wasn't his (souls of the innocent).

How about "He thought you made it, with all his malice, but he was caught in carelessness."?

Well.

This is where my speculation goes to an unhinged place.

Ready? Of course you are.

So: I think Lana may have been related to whoever goddess punished Agamemnon in the first place. Whether she's the goddess' descendant, or a reincarnation, or simply an unlucky mortal chosen for a quest, Lana Dress to Impress may have divine purpose.

That's why Agamemnon chose Lana as his main collaborator/pawn instead of other terminally ill young women (or others whom he thinks is easily exploited). He wanted to get revenge on the goddess that punished him in the first place, so he took it out on Lana.

I think "he thought you made it, with all his malice" means that Agamemnon has the impression that Lana made it (the Fortress) for him.

"But he was caught in carelessness" because he assumed wrong. In truth, Lana made the whole thing to stop him - at least at first, before he started influencing her. In the previous updates, we see that Lana made the whole Saudade/Coterie thing to stop the Awakening. It could've been a prophecy, or something driven inside her because of her divine heritage. Her obsession with ancient Greek mythology could be explained by her unknowingly reaching for her birthright/quest hints/etc.. (Although, that goddess would not be Artemis, I think.)

I think Lana made all that stuff to stop him and the Awakening as soon as she left the hospital. She thought she was free! She wants to, has to, fight back against him!

But of course, Agamemnon is still stalking her, waiting until the right time to influence her again, to make her work for him instead.

now the time came for a judgement and he pleaded for his life he would be banished, and stay immortal if only he sacrificed a few souls

The problem is, I still don't really know how these lines fit. "Stay immortal if only he sacrificed a few souls" wouldn't make sense if the gods didn't want him to be immortal as more than an incorporeal shadow/hallucination.

Maybe he knew, somehow, that he had to sacrifice a few souls to become immortal (not only tangible, but also having an Ultimate Form through the Awakening)? Did he know that innately? Or did someone else, a greater force, tell him? I really don't know. We probably need more information.

If you're a bigger Greek mythology nerd than we are (which is probably the case - do let us know if I missed some important part of the Agamemnon mythological lore.)

Thank you all so much for reading!

.

To see more Dress to Impress ARG thoughts:

TopfSecret's Lana Lore Tag

[topfsecret]

juliana (lana x julie x lina) should kiss rn

[topfsecret]

Dress to Impress Lana Lore: Why her?

Post Date: 1 November 2024

special thanks to youtuber callmehhaley for her video "SECRETS In The LANA LORE QUEST & Breakdown! *STORY EXPLAINED?* | Dress To Impress Halloween Update"

also thank you to youtuber izzzyzzz for her video "The Dress To Impress Horror ARG Explained"

For my thoughts on Nurse Julie from the Halloween Update, feel free to visit TopfSecret's Lana Lore Tag!

.

Why Did Agamemnon Choose Lana?

At first, it's easy to say that Agamemnon symbolizes the predatory people in the fashion industry. The early Lana lore cements this interpretation. Agamemnon's minions exploited Lana's sickness, roping her into a job so she can pay her medical bills, before trapping her in the whole Awakening business.

But the Halloween Update reveal that Agamemnon may have caused Lana's illness in the first place is... wild. It doesn't undo the above interpretation, especially with the shadowy cult stuff. But why Lana? Why not take someone who's already got a terminal illness? There's plenty of desperate people to take advantage of in this age of capitalism.

The song "Temptation" may have the answers. It's reaching a little bit, but please bear with me!

Let me tell you a story of betrayal Between two people unalike There was a goddess, who was immortal against a jealousy of a warrior and when the time came for a judgement There were more wrongs than a right There was no solace, no immunity banished from who he used to be

So, there's precedent in greek mythology of mortals being punished for wanting to surpass/being better than the gods, for example Arachne - being turned into a spider for defeating Athena in a weaving contest. There's also precedent of mortals being punished for cheating death (wanting immortality), as in the case of Sisyphus - doomed to push a boulder up a hill for eternity because he trapped Thanatos (personification of death) and prevented him from taking Sisyphus' soul.

So it's not a stretch to say that Agamemnon isn't a new figure. I can't say if he's literally mythological Agamemnon, but he could be? From wikipedia: "Agamemnon has slain an animal sacred to Artemis, and subsequently boasts that he is her equal in hunting."

ummm... yeah. That's punishment material, babey. A warrior (well, hunter) of sorts being jealous of Artemis' immortality... makes sense, but not quite.

Regardless, in my opinion, DTI Agamemnon is old enough to have been jealous of a goddess' immortality, trying to get it, and then being punished for it. I'm guessing his punishment is being denied a physical form, doomed to be a ghost forever (since he wants immortality so much). My rationale: he's seen as hallucinations and dark shadows in the Halloween Update, which is probably the earliest chronologically (since it talks about Lana's leaving her house and her hospital days).

He only got a physical form after sacrificing multiple souls (seen in the earlier updates), such as the Fortress Security Footage #1. It's not his "ultimate" form, though, which is why he keeps trying to get more sacrifices.

For the temptation in his heart His life was doomed right from the start He wanted more than what he got But it was locked away

Well, duh. Immortality is locked away from mortals for a reason. If his life is "doomed from the start", it could be that DTI Agamemnon is based on (or is actually) mythological Agamemnon, where his entire family has been doomed due to the actions of his ancestor, Tantalus.

Obsessed with immortality He wanted to live eternally Wanted to make himself a God and now he's locked away

This explains itself. He may have been locked away by the goddess that he was jealous of back in the first verse.

So he planned to sneak into the palace and consume what wasn't his he thought you made it, with all his malice but he was caught in carelessness

"Sneak into the palace" could have not been literal, because I have no idea what the literal equivalent is. However, a palace and a fortress can be equated in some way - which may mean that he's creating The Fortress to consume what wasn't his (souls of the innocent).

How about "He thought you made it, with all his malice, but he was caught in carelessness."?

Well.

This is where my speculation goes to an unhinged place.

Ready? Of course you are.

So: I think Lana may have been related to whoever goddess punished Agamemnon in the first place. Whether she's the goddess' descendant, or a reincarnation, or simply an unlucky mortal chosen for a quest, Lana Dress to Impress may have divine purpose.

That's why Agamemnon chose Lana as his main collaborator/pawn instead of other terminally ill young women (or others whom he thinks is easily exploited). He wanted to get revenge on the goddess that punished him in the first place, so he took it out on Lana.

I think "he thought you made it, with all his malice" means that Agamemnon has the impression that Lana made it (the Fortress) for him.

"But he was caught in carelessness" because he assumed wrong. In truth, Lana made the whole thing to stop him - at least at first, before he started influencing her. In the previous updates, we see that Lana made the whole Saudade/Coterie thing to stop the Awakening. It could've been a prophecy, or something driven inside her because of her divine heritage. Her obsession with ancient Greek mythology could be explained by her unknowingly reaching for her birthright/quest hints/etc.. (Although, that goddess would not be Artemis, I think.)

I think Lana made all that stuff to stop him and the Awakening as soon as she left the hospital. She thought she was free! She wants to, has to, fight back against him!

But of course, Agamemnon is still stalking her, waiting until the right time to influence her again, to make her work for him instead.

now the time came for a judgement and he pleaded for his life he would be banished, and stay immortal if only he sacrificed a few souls

The problem is, I still don't really know how these lines fit. "Stay immortal if only he sacrificed a few souls" wouldn't make sense if the gods didn't want him to be immortal as more than an incorporeal shadow/hallucination.

Maybe he knew, somehow, that he had to sacrifice a few souls to become immortal (not only tangible, but also having an Ultimate Form through the Awakening)? Did he know that innately? Or did someone else, a greater force, tell him? I really don't know. We probably need more information.

If you're a bigger Greek mythology nerd than we are (which is probably the case - do let us know if I missed some important part of the Agamemnon mythological lore.)

Thank you all so much for reading!

.

To see more Dress to Impress ARG thoughts:

TopfSecret's Lana Lore Tag