viric-dreams

[viric-dreams]

Happy year of the snake from a silvered future.

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I did not have it in me to deal with portraits, but it's Lottie's 39th birthday.

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i fear that knifegate is starting to get to me

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An old voracity lives here, in the far reaches of the zee. The priests are long gone, but sacrifices are still made. Perhaps you have come here to make a sacrifice. Perhaps the sacrifice is you.

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Shoutout to characters that are both genuinely deeply kind and also genuinely terrifying and willing to spill buckets worth of blood to get something done. And neither of these are an act, they're just both very true.

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It's been more than two entire years since I finished BaL and now I'm using mobile data at work to be angry about Veils. Okay so. Here's the thing.

When it hunts, Veils paints itself as a beast. It tells you it's only natural for it to kill, that its appetite must be sated, that its confinement down here is to blame for its actions. This creature, who controls the silk industry in Victorian London, claims instinct is its only motivator and to accuse it of strategy or power-hunger is absurd. But when you want to kill it? Then of course it's an incredibly complex being, so much higher on the chain than you, with plans and strategies beyond your feeble human mind. The whole point of the narrative Veils paints around itself is to both excuse itself of accountability and lift itself above the very idea of being fallible, by manipulating its image to fit either mastermind or animal as it sees fit. And people fall for it. I'm not going to yuck anybody's interpretation of the story (very genuinely I love and value differences in that across players) but I see very very few people acknowledge Veils as a political threat or essentially member of government, and many more focus on the monstrousness of it and the role of instinct in its reasoning.

Bag a Legend is in many ways a story about "violence begets violence", about cycles and corruption, but it's also (as many many stories in Flondon are) a commentary on authority. Veils is, at its core, an authority figure who extended its role from political violence to at-will physical violence against its own charges. Its base role, even if it hadn't become the Vake, is violent. It is heavily involved in the Great Game as well as controlling a vast chunk of London industry, and was actively negotiating the purchase of the Sixth City when the PC killed it - a political action in the interests of the Bazaar that would have killed a vast swathe of people it has no reason to care about beyond as a resource. Even if it had never sunk claws into a person, it would still be violent and extremely dangerous. April knows it, the nuns know it, but it seems a part of Veil's strategy is to get any prospective hunters to forget about that part of its role only when it's convenient and remember it only when it's intimidating.

Incompetent when questioned and all-powerful when threatened. The parallel to real-life corrupt authority is just. Infuriatingly familiar. Excellent job, Failbetter.

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I think often about the multifaceted nature of Mina's relationship with their surface love. At various points, Mina had pretended to be his wife or his (male) friend, depending on how they were presenting. They were lovers, but they were also chavruta - talmud study partners, considered to be an extremely close sort of relationship comparable to marriage, but between men historically. If anything, they were chavruta before they were lovers, and that remained so central to their relationship. They could teach each other, discuss ideas, challenge each other, argue, and be closer and wiser because of it. To me, that loss is a significant part of the tragedy in Mina's narrative. It's the loss of their lover, but also the loss of the person who was such a profound connection to their judaism. Their assimilation is as much as tragedy to me as the murder that brought them to where they are now. They've had other lovers, since, but they've never had another chavruta.

[viric-dreams]

wip of twitch having a really fun & good day, don't worry about it

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One thing that can forever be counted on, from bohemian circles to society soirees, is that word travels fast. Extra so, when something is unusual or inclined towards the realm of scandal. It goes without saying then, that when letters stopped being answered, and social events were missed, word quickly spread on such concerning, or perhaps rude behaviour, on The Boisterous Author's behalf. It was not too long after that the author was so quickly spotted at the palace again, attending events much near to The Captivating Princess' side. Figures - its only so long when a raised star turns against their peers, and inclines themself only towards the attention of those at the top. At least, thats what the rumours say.

[viric-dreams]

emojis oc ask game! These are unabashedly just the questions *I* want to ask about y’all’s ocs. Feel free to copy the entire question into the ask box, because this list is hefty and I wouldn’t mind not searching through it, hahaha. Remember to specify which oc(s) you’re asking about!

🌈 - Do you associate any colors with them?

👁️ - How do other people perceive this oc? How close do their first assumptions come to the truth?

💝 - How much effort do they put into appearances? Do they have a favorite article of clothing?

⚠️ - If this oc came with a warning sign, what would it be?

🌨️ - If this oc had a day free from all their responsibilities, how would they spend it?

💙 - Describe their bedroom! Is it personalized, unchanged? Messy, neat?

👖 - Coffee shop or high school AU, your choice: tell me their role.

☕ - What is their preferred beverage(s)?

🧁 - When is their birthday? How do they celebrate it, if at all?

🧠 - What is their stress response: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn?

💭 - How is their mental health? Do they struggle with guilt or shame?

💔 - Does forgiveness come easily or with difficulty to this oc? Can they forgive others? What about themselves?

❗- What are the highest priorities to this oc (at a point in their life of your choosing)?

⚔️ - How does this oc handle conflict?

🌍 - What are this oc’s religious views?

🌊 - Does this oc have a secret or repressed desire?

✨ - Tell something that makes this oc feel happy!

🧶 - Do they do any arts, crafts, or creative hobbies?

🍪 - What are their favorite scents?

☔ - How does this oc feel about rain?

🌲 - Do they have a favorite location to hang out in?

⚡ - Does this oc have any unusual or “irrational” fears?

🗡️ - Does this oc have a signature object, accessory, or weapon?

💛 - Are they ‘good with children’, or more awkward?

🧡 - Physical touch: good or bad for this oc?

👁️‍🗨️ - Eye contact: good or bad for this oc?

🐺 - How does this oc deal with solitude?

🔅 - How does this oc deal with physical pain?

🌱 - Share one of this oc’s early memories.

🐰 - How huggable is this oc?

🍁 - What is this oc’s favorite season?

🌕 - If this oc was an animal, what kind would they be?

🦷 - Would this oc ever bite someone?

🐉 - Very serious question… are they more like a dragon, or a unicorn?

🐸 - What’s this oc’s sense of humor like?

🚷 - Tell one difference between yourself and this oc!

📓 - Do you associate any quotes or lyrics with this oc?

[viric-dreams]

Mina thigh high stockings but its just the legs (very suggestive)

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📕

Sometimes you've got to take a break from the busy life of a Londoner to read a romance novel with a cat on your lap. That's just how it is sometimes.

(Also fun fact- the book she's reading is Belinda by Maria Edgeworth- this novel was even mentioned in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, and known for featuring an interracial romance)

(Thanks for the ask, this was super fun to do <3 <3)

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I figured if I'd queued an art meme far enough into the future the art block might be gone by then... alas.

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spitballing for Ruth and Rosie's reflection. This is Briar (singular), she/her. Two bodies, one person.

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Lampcat tax

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pitiful, wretched, like the rest of them.

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crazy thought but what would a black wings absinthe and cardinal honey cocktail do to you