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hotvintagepoll · 8 days

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Do you have any opinions on modern (post-1970s) movies that you feel capture the essence (in a good way) of Old Movies?

No, unfortunately. That doesn't mean I don't like modern movies or that modern movies aren't good, but modern movies—and here I'm really using modern to mean post-2010, so contemporary movies—have different standards for pacing, characterization, budget, and production that make it harder (or impossible) to capture some of the magic of old movies. Even when modern movies clearly try to emulate that old-movie feeling—I'm thinking of La La Land, The Artist, The Shape of Water, In the Heights—they play the homage too broadly, or they ignore crucial components that make the original films work.

There's kind of too much to go into here without writing a full essay, but essentially, the Old Hollywood system—ugly, failed beast as she was—made some movies simply more accessible to make, due to the ongoing storage of props, sets, master craftsmen, crew, and onscreen talent that could move from one movie to the next without pause. If you needed a dancer, he was already on staff. If you needed a fancy bed, it was already in the warehouse. That kind of longterm storage is invaluable if you want to crank out movies quickly and cheaply because it saves so much time on individual negotiation and sourcing. Modern production companies have to work out individual contracts for every actor on every film; crew members have to negotiate rental contracts and source pieces from scratch; if you need someone with specialist skills, you have to contract them specially at a high rate, which a lot of small companies can't (or won't) budget to do. There's sand in the wheels where there needn't be any. It's wasteful, and costly, but that's the system modern movies are made with.

Which all means that even if the modern movie system wanted to make a classic movie musical just like the old ones, they couldn't, because the talent isn't already there—it hasn't been trained up enough, and there's not that breadth of knowledge you can only get from people who have been allowed to work in the same department in the same place for decades. Movies like La La Land fail, for me, because they present themselves as descendants of Fred Astaire or Busby Berkley movies, while missing the bit where Fred Astaire was a master of his craft. When you watch Fred Astaire dance—or Moira Shearer, or the Nicholas Brothers, or Ann Miller—you are watching a true artist at work, purposely showcased by the studios because they already have them on contract. Modern movies, on the other hand, tend to take people who already have star talent (as actors) and try to convert them into dancers/singers—or they pull dancers/singers off of Broadway, but then they don't have the star power built in. You end up with lackluster musicals where no one truly knows what they're doing, or they do but they're not built up enough by the studios to sell. And that's me discussing just on-screen talent for musicals—there is a huge loss behind the scenes, as well, for all kinds of movies, where roles that would have been filled by union crew who moved continuously from one job to the next have been swapped for freelance labor who live with immense turnover, financial insecurity, and knowledge loss. You could hand me the budget and I could try to make an old movie, but the industry itself has changed so much it's impossible to recapture that charm of steady, niche talent, the amazing possibilities of bonkers set design, and the ability to take a risk on a smaller movie because the other films being produced by the same studio can help balance the budget.

I've talked way, way too much about all of this! Sorry, I just have a lot of thoughts—and the one above is just one of them; the talent loss and storage issues are only facets of a much bigger problem that extends to how we watch movies today, how we market them, what we expect of them, and what's allowed in them. It's a crying shame because the talent is still there, but times change and so does the industry, for better or for worse. (And, just again to clarify, I don't think modern movies are bad—they're just missing a lot of the juice old movies got to play with, even if there's more talent available than ever before.)

#asks #hotvintagethoughts

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gatorbites-imagines · 4 months

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John Constantine x tattoo artist?? Smut or no (you choose!) I think it would be cute if john gets his tats from the reader (also kind of a possessive/marking quality there lol)

John Constantine x Tattoo artist male reader

Headcanons

Sorry there’s been no posts this week, classes have started up again, so as you can imagine I’m exhausted and have a lot less free time. I’ve been using most of my free time to read JJK, ngl.

Imagine being a magical tattoo artist, something like a seal maker. You do large complex and beautiful pieces, but you hide different seals and protection markers inside the patterns. It keeps the real purpose of the tattoo a secret, but is also pretty to look at.

John already has tattoos in the hellblazer comics, but imagine you giving him different ink. Something a lot less obvious and more attractive.

It makes him pass as a hot blonde British guy covered in a lot of fancy ink, instead of some brit with lotsa weird cult looking tattoos.

John becomes one of your most common customers, mainly because a lot of the tattoos you put on him disappear after the seals been used, since its all defense and storage. He might also use it as an excuse to see you more, so he can flirt.

John being John, would get a tattoo right above his crotch, think like a reverse tramp stamp, or a succubus tattoo, just so he can have you sitting between his thighs as he gives his flirting his all.

You definitely end up railing him within an inch of his life in the tattoo chair, tsking and “punishing” him for straining the tattooed area too much, and “messing up your work” when he writhes too much.

In the beginning its just a friends with benefits situation, something like a “happy ending” you might say. John wouldn’t be someone to do relationships for the most part, since most of the ones he’s been in haven’t ended great.

He subconsciously also wouldn’t want to paint a target on your back, since hes always involved with all kinds of stuff. But he cant help but always find himself back with you, getting some new seal inked onto his skin.

And if every visit ends up with him bent over the tattoo chair, or down on his knees to “thank you”, then who will judge him.

John would end up finally acknowledging his feelings when you save him from his big bad of the week, using your complex and intricate tattoos to pull out weapons and spells, and later seal the being that’s after him.

Its hard to deny how he feels after that, and though he wouldn’t put it into words, he would act differently. Like just showing up at your parlor to spend time with you without getting anything done, or sending you little protection charms or trinkets.

At some point you guys just start kissing and acting like a couple, without actually putting a name to it. It’s a dangerous life you both live, and words mean everything, so you never tell anybody you guys are lovers, since that would make the target on you both even bigger.

It doesn’t keep you guys from pretty much living together and acting all domestic, or being completely exclusive to just each other. John turning down all advances made on him confuses people in the beginning, until they just come to accept it.

John ends up with even more tattoos, these a lot more complex than average useable seals. These are the kinds that you have spent your entire life developing, and had only used on yourself because they’re that powerful.

The league are knocked back by how powerful his spells have become, and how much damage he can withstand. Only other magic users with the knowledge know just how amazing his tattoos are. He never tells them where he got them, just because he’s an ass.

You end up helping out more with his business, and he ends up being free advertisement for your parlor. Of course, no one gets tattoos like you or John, you would never give a possible enemy that kind of power, but it helps pad your pockets quite a lot.

John’s enemies end up targeting you as well, but they’re easily dealt with for the most part.

He ends up getting teased be friends and allies that he’s getting soft and domestic, cuz he doesn’t go out to bars like before, and wants to be home in time to watch a movie with you, or just go to sleep together.

He ends up a lot less stressed too, since you rock his world whenever he needs it, and become someone he can let down his defenses and just be vulnerable with.

In the end he probably gets pavloved to get in the mood when you tattoo him, or he hears the noise of the tattoo gun. John always blames you for making him this way, because you always go down on him after giving him new ink, not that he’s complaining.

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sirfrogsworth · 1 month

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hi hi!!!

I'm a CFX artist (I do hair and cloth for 3D animated movies) and I wanted to clarify something!!

the encanto post? we talked about that one at length at work when it was first made, and it is incredibly evident that the guy who posted it is just bad at his job. the exact same effect can be archieved by changing the camera focal length- but animators never reach for technically competent solutions. (this is a roast.) and even if thats not possible, there is NO reason for why her shoulder area or chest are completely crushed or why her feet are inside of her hip bone.

and also, since I am in the department that comes right after animation- if I had gotten that shot, I would have either sent it straight back to the animator to fix it, OR cleaned it up myself, by which I mean it absolutely did not look like this off-camera by the time we send it for final light render.

essentially if animation looks that messed up off-camera, it is not "animation magic", it is actually someone doing a bad job.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

For one thing, the behind the scenes image was not close to a final render so I don't think you can fairly judge what was probably just the animator lining up and blocking the shot. I don't think at that state they were concerned with the shoulders, chest, and feet. I'm betting the final polished version looked much better.

And I also disagree the exact effect could be achieved by changing the focal length.

As a photographer, focal length is not just about cramming everything into the field of view. I don't only use a wide angle because I want more stuff in the photo.

It is also an artistic decision.

Wide angle lenses exaggerate distance and can make foreground objects seem massive and background objects seem tiny.

Look at this super wide angle shot of Otis lusting after a tennis ball.

The ball has a huge presence in the photo. It is only two feet away, but the distance between them seems immense. The ball takes up as much space in the photo as Otis.

Compare that to the ball in this telephoto image.

The picture now becomes less about the ball and more about the act of chasing it. The ball is literally only a foot closer to Otis, but it has no commanding presence like in the super wide shot.

So what artistic intention comes from using a telephoto lens like in Encanto?

Telephoto focal lengths compress distance. Background objects appear much larger in the frame. They also flatten the face and give a more flattering perspective of said face. Human faces can look a bit alien at wider focal lengths.

So what if you want the background to look large and encompassing and you want the flattering facial proportions from a telephoto lens, but you also want a foreground object to have a commanding presence like the ball?

You cheat!

This is not a technique confined to the world of 3D animation though. It is actually an old live-action trick. They will actually use another person's hands to do effectively the same thing as above.

In Hellboy II, Guillermo had two problems. He wanted a telephoto feel and depth of field and he also wanted a very intricate practical egg prop that could open mechanically.

To get the proportions and the framing and the feel of the shot as intended, he double cheated!

He made a big freaking egg with a big freaking fake hand.

(I know there is a picture of the giant hand somewhere but my googling failed me.)

In any case, I think this is just a case of good problem solving over incompetence. I think the director or the animation lead wanted this scene to fit within a specific focal length and it was easier and more efficient to just give her crazy long arms.

I'm not trying to dispute your expertise or animation-splain. Perhaps there was a better way to achieve the same look. But if the final result looked good, I don't think we need to bash someone who was probably under tight deadlines and had a lot of other work to complete. At least not without a lot more information.

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julymarte · 1 year

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since my only real contribution to this fandom has been thedifferences analysis i did with my friends i think it’s time to separate it from the AU post and make it into a real masterpost, this is gonna be pretty long so be ready for it Disclaimer: models and art are fluctuating so i’m going to highlight only the recurrent stuff and the related evidence for the candy theory, so i’m not claiming this to be the indiscutible canon so take this evidence as you polease, just know it’s there but going forward....it’s time to begin with a few copy and paste from the previous posts with a few corrections along the way What is the candy theory? the Candy theory generates by the names of their alchemy lesson candies, according to it, they highlight their strenghts/charm points so Tail Fin Candy for floyd meaning legs and height and Dorsal Fin Candy for jade focusing more on his torso/back i’ve seen many people comapring sprites to prove this theory on twitter so it’s time to show some examples, i tried to recreate them as best as i could (consider as i said art tend to be a lil less reliable than spites as it heavily depends on the lineart artist who’s assigned to the job)

this repeats in pretty much all the versions aside the mermaid sprites that are copy/pasted BUT on that someone call in the octavinelle trailer to support the theory

some also link that to floyd possibly being a late bloomer as we clearly see baby floyd was indeed shorter than baby jade in middle school even without the aid of guiding lines

both the tweels are of course still growing, since despite being GIANTS they are afterall still 17 but we heard a detail from floyd unique from what we know about jade, In floyd’s starsending episode translated by Ekala he states that

to adjust the mold of custom made shoes he has probably gotten considerably taller within the year

According to some this means that floyd’s uniforms aren’t short on purpose but are simply his first year ones and hedidn’t change them...but in that case jade wouldn’t have grown much in height... according to these theories then floyd “just started” getting his growth spurt while jade is pretty much settling his height and frame, but considering his apetite i wouldn’t be surprised to see himweighting more than floyd if we wver get an official weight for the boys(as we do know trey weights less than rook etc) but we are swimming too much in headcanon waters let’s proceed with the analysis in the previous posts these were the differences that emerged some of them are based on artwork so i’d take them with a lil caution especially on the topic of the hands that proved to be especially unreliable (floyd even got them changed in one of his sprites cause they looked too soft , sometimes jade has softer hands too) shoulders seem to be fluctuating as well

starting with some artwork analysis in the magic archives we get a view of the eels from the back, and floyd was the only one with sketch underline, this was the result considering jade and azul wearing clothes properly (and even pretty tight in jade’s case as we saw before)

further update to support the theory comes from the Union Birthday model atlases starting with the difference in rendering of their vests that being the same shape have some pretty distinct rendering on the contrary of the usual ( mermaid copy/paste-very similar halloween) as in jade we even find back the return of the button crying for help

another element is the belt as all the models come with a separate belt but i decided to merge it with their hips to give better context as there’s no variation in the legs and as usual floyd’s are slightly thicker but something we never analized surfaces here , and i think there’s not even need to explain this

some relate this to their first bday art too even if their model don’t show significant difference

also in mer-form when having the same position you can see another visible difference between jade and floyd

in the masterchef ones we see pretty much we see a similar thing to the birthday boy vests even if shoulders and waist are pretty much the same they still keep a small but consistent difference

before jumping to the “it’s just the clothes” bandwagon i remind you that once again jade wears skin tight clothing and floyd loose/oversized stuff

this pic actually leads us to the latest difference found aka the forearms always from the masterchef models

i hope to update this masterpost next month with their proper leg difference with floyd’s basketball club wear coming out to compare with jade’s vargas camp leggies so yes apparently jade’s the titty twin and floyd the ass one, and you may wonder wasn’t jade the ass one? i am afraid to break it to you but his beansday backside is fake af and all thanks to the harness

in conclusion these are the predominant differences it’s also left to dind the difference that rwas mentioned to riddle about the fact that ears are also different but the art is inconsistent on that matter and we didn’t come to a proper solution and it might be something only perceived by the characters

#twisted wonderland #twst #jade leech #floyd leech #masterpost #analysis #long post

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mr2swap · 1 year

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Take it easy son!

-Okay dad, you already had fun and relived your time of youth and glory now give me back my body and my life or I'll tell mom about the statue you used to exchange our bodies, I know you keep it in the safe in your office! -

I can't believe that my father fucks me like that, he tricked me into touching his fucking magic statue to exchange our souls and have fun with my life and my youth, being a fucking old man sucks I thought it would be fun at first like in the movies and I would learn to see the world with a new perspective but every day I wake up with a backache that doesn't stop until I fill my mouth with a dozen pain medications, my father neglected his body and now I have to live with his huge belly, his thick mustache and with his painful infection every time I go to urinate, my mother has incited me to go to the doctor but I will not let anyone see the tiny and dysfunctional cock that now hangs from my obese crotch.

I have no fucking idea how to do my dad's law job every day all I do is go to his job and drop my fat ass on my dad's office chair for 8 hours and pretend he worked at the computer so that my mother doesn't suspect anything, I have tried all the combinations that I can think of to try to get the fucking statue out of its safe, reverse the exchange and return to my body but I have tried all the possible dates since mom's birthday up to mine and nothing seems to work.

and while he has fun using my fit body to fuck a bunch of random girls and guys in my old room, partying with my friends, and winning my track meet thanks to my long hours of training I sit on the stands next to my mother watching as he shows off my muscular body flexing his biceps to the public after winning first place.

-Wow! take it easy son, there's no need to tell your mother our little secret, she's only been in your body for a couple of weeks, listen, I'll make it up to you when we change again, your birthday is near, isn't it? How would you like to have a new car? I think it's time to change that junk car you have for something better, it's a bit embarrassing to have to move around in that coffin with wheels-

“HEY DAVID ARE YOU COMING? OR ARE YOU GOING TO TALK TO THAT OLD MAN ALL DAY?”

The voice in the distance almost made my heart stop, Monica my girlfriend was sitting in the backseat of my old car with my best friends and her girls, I had not seen or talked to her since my father put me in his obese 250-pound body.

-look, son, we'll talk later, I have things to do…- She ran out using my long and muscular legs and jumped into my car, and left without looking back. leaving me standing there in the middle of the field like an idiot while my mother slowly came up behind me.

-Hey Joe, are you ready to go? I want to go to the mall to try on some shoes for church before I go home- I looked at my old mother who came slowly to kiss my fat cheek and take my hand to walk with her back to dad's truck.

I sighed and walked with her swinging my hairy belly until I got to the car, I just hope my dad doesn't make any more excuses to give me back my body, My parents' wedding anniversary is near and I don't even want to think about what he has prepared for me. mother... maybe I should buy him a gift with my dad's credit card in case my father decides to extend his stay in my body longer, I don't want to make my mother angry and make me sleep on the sofa, my back wouldn't take it.

Hey! You can support me to continue creating stories, see similar stories on my patreon, you can also join my discord if you are interested in role-playing about bodyswap, possession and transformation, m2m!

#bodyswap #body swap #male body swap #body switch #male transformation

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constantineshots · 7 months

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I'm kind of confused on John Constantine's characterisation. But, to be fair, I did come across him in the dp x dc crossovers, so...*shrug*

It's just that he ranges from the most pathetic, self-centered but also accidentally altruistic smoking asshole who couldn't care less if you burned alive to a soft-hearted tsundere who wants to help but lets nobody see that and tries to be an asshole to drive them away.

Also the thing about him backstabbing everyone he spends more than five minutes with, but still being on the JL's speed dial???? And everyone says he's an asshole who's more trouble than he's worth but they still turn to him for help?

If you have the time, could you please clear that up a bit? What is he like in the comics? The good ones I mean.

Thank you and have a nice day.

hello! sorry this took me a minute- had a lot to say. its a long post SORRY

buti think the simplest way to describe it is that in regards to the dc x dp crossover, they focus more on the dc universe's john constantine- which is the mainstream universe, with big shots like superman and batman and all of the things that make him, for the most part, seem like he's the best in magic and this man who is on, as you put it, the justice league's speed dial. he's the butt of most jokes, he never actually shows his bisexuality in a healthy manner because he's more likely to be joking about it than actually being in a relationship with a man (his usual love interest is zatanna, and ofc, bisexual people are allowed to date someone of the same gender, but what annoys me is that they are willing to joke about his bisexuality without showing him actually dating these men that he jokes about).

however, vertigo comics (which is dc's black label: comics like hellblazer (john's line), lucifer, the sandman, etc. reside because the topics they touch are for mature audiences- and not just because lucifer's naked 90% of his comic run) is where we get john constantine. in hellblazer, he starts off as a terrified man who's willing to do anything to survive- and, honestly, i'd say that's still the case throughout the series. he seems more real. more possible. more like someone i can connect to.

all the magic he's learned isn't this "inner power" that we see in characters like zatanna (love her, no shade to her) who was taught her magic by her father and has been around it her whole life, or characters like the enchantress. he picked up some books and started digging through them and learning to regain some semblance of control of his life because of his abusive family and just overall not being the most popular kid.

a lot of john's character stems from trauma- his family life, newcastle, most of his relationships with other people, the things he does in general, being in ravenscar, etc.

i said something a while back that i think still stands to this day- he's not a hero because he'll do anything to save his friends or himself, but overall, he comes first. to put it in perspective, there are times he knows things are dangerous, and yet he still asks for favors. also, this guy was dying of lung cancer (yknow. because he was smoking as much as he was) and he didn’t stop smoking, of course. no, he basically pulled this huge con on a bunch of higher people in hell and was like “well now if i die, a whole war starts” so they? made sure he would live. that’s the kind of shit john does. he’s a con artist.

while john doesn't like to sit on his feelings too long, he does care- he just doesn't like showing it. he shoves people away when they get too close, and when someone hurts him- for example, kit moving back to belfast and essentially breaking up with him because of the fact people attacked her to try and get to him, john was horrible. he was cruel. he called her cold, which he knew would hurt her. then, he went into an immediate depression and was homeless for,,, what, a year? because he blamed himself for so much shit and kit was just what made him keel over.

on top of that, john is pretty political. his whole character is- he talks about climate change, he talks about racism, he’s aware of his privilege, and in one of the more recent runs of hellblazer, he shows that too. shame that one wasn’t very long- would’ve liked more of it. however, his dc run doesn’t show any of that. it’s like they’re showing john but without getting into the gritty parts of him that make him him. it’s like they’re scratching the surface and won’t just take the metaphorical shovel and slam it into him. which sucks- i like the idea of him being around the other characters, somewhat, but i don’t want him to be the go to guy when it comes to dc comics’ magical people. he certainly isn’t that. they have those- they’ve got dr. fate and zatanna right on the league, why do they need john?

his character in vertigo is definitely not a hero, and dc wants him to be that. they want him to be the magic guy they have on speed dial. they want him to be the sexy guy with a cigarette in his mouth flirting with everyone in sight. they don’t want to delve into the darker territory because it’s going to scare people away, and the ones that are scared away probably shouldn’t be interacting with his character in the first place.

honestly, i’m probably missing a lot, but this is getting to be storybook length as it is, so sorry for my little tangent but i hope this helps!

#john constantine #asks #this is so long i apologize

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sixthwater · 1 year

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Hi everyone! I'm fully now, and here with another pick a card! It's show this time though hehe. I figured it'd be nice to here some encouraging nice words in these unsettling times, so without further ado. . .

(Left → Right / Pile 1 → Pile 3)

Decks Used: Book of Shadows Vol. 2 Tarot, Astrological, Woodland Wardens, Seed & Sickle, believe in your own magic

Disclaimer | Pinned | Paid Readings

Pile One

Cards: VII of Swords, The Hermit Rx, The High Priestess, Leo, The Hare and Oak Rx, The Snake and Fern, Datura, Clover, Rose, Throne

This energy is beautiful. Having the Seven of Swords pop up might be a little concerning, but in some cases it doesn’t fall in the pile of it’s traditional meaning. In this case, it can definitely be holding your cards close to your chest or pulling/sneaking away from a situation with information. In this case I’d considering it re-evaluation since the imagery looks like sorting or filing through various file cabinets to see what went wrong or what’s missing, and that’s the overall energy here. Aah Trampoline by Kero Kero Bonito is playing and I think it fits your energy. You might be frustrated by your current circumstances, or you might feel like everything is against you, but actually the fact that you aren’t rushing ahead or pulling any shortcuts is benefiting you. It’s a great thing that you’re taking a pause and ‘wiping the slate clean’ on whatever you’re doing, which most likely is somewhat creative or something you’re trying to bring to life. It could lightly be related to a physical make-over but we have Leo here along with a bunch of other cards related to artistic endeavors so. Instead of throwing a fit and just tossing things in the trash or publishing what you can, you pause and self-reflect. What went wrong, how can you fix it, did you possibly miss something? You try to connect with yourself in order to solve this, and you’re willing to start with a blank state. Due to this, you’re going to have blessings come in and be highly rewarded. I don’t see this issue lasting very long, maybe a month at the longest, but for your patience and understanding you’re going to be given everything you’ve hoped for. It’s also helpful that you’re working hard at what you want anyway. You know you’re good at what you do, and you know your limits. You have a pretty healthy ego which will help you in this process. This is pretty straight forward so keep doing what you’re doing <3

. . .

Pile Two

Cards: Knight of Swords, King of Swords Rx, Death, Capricorn, The Spider and Passionflower, The Beaver and Birch Rx, Cornflower, Cherry, Buttercup, Sun

Setting boundaries. You’re becoming more comfortable in your power and becoming more unapologetic with who you are. Nerves by Icon for Hire seemed to be strong here. You’re starting a new chapter in your life but it’s not drastic or anything, it’s just drawing a few more lines in the sand, not letting people walk over you as much or take advantage of your kindness like they did before. There’s a possibility that someone ended contact or a situation made you realize how much your moods are affected by others, and you decided to do something about it after a period of grieving or isolation. Capricorn is about independence or self-reliance, and the woman within the King of Swords is a CEO. You are in the baby stages right now of trying to figure out how to move around by yourself or just moving differently — to bring back the same energy as before but by yourself. There’s a bit of stubborn energy, but it’s not bad. Feel free to tap into a bunch of different things until you figure it out. For this pile I don’t believe it’ll be the standard ‘cozy games to play on a rainy day’ options, but I believe in your perseverance. It could be hobbies that you thought you’d never enjoy or ones that seem boring to you honestly, it might just catch your interest this time around. All in all, your rebirth is just in time for spring…if you’re in the northern hemisphere at least.

. . .

Pile Three

Cards: Queen of Pentacles, III of Wands, King of Pentacles, Neptune, The Skunk and Magnolia, The Frog and Lotus Rx, Buttercup, Pimpernel Rx, Henbane Rx, Expectations

Keeping Your Head Up by Birdy. Your energy is funny honestly. Self-care. Relaxation. Unbothered. Not completely, but you’re not about to stress yourself out over it, the answer will come to you over time. Even in the three of wands, the person is cozied up near the fire seemingly after a bath with some candles. You are ensuring that you are safe and cared for, if not externally then internally. If you are going out, its low key and only with really close loved ones. The majority of your time is doing a lot of indulgent activities to make yourself feel good, because some of it is self-reflective and processing some emotions on the low. You’re becoming more comfortable with yourself and less worried about society and what it expects of you. The trivial things. I feel like it might be a few specific people instead of society as a whole, but regardless. It’s a very balanced and relaxed feeling; there’s active energy here and you’re aware of the work that needs to be done, but you also understand that you can’t constantly be doing shadow work and be on the grind in the physical. Running on an empty tank gets you nowhere. This is such a healthy mindset and you’re being applauded for it. It kind of reminds me of those jokes where you study for an hour and then reward yourself with three hours of television. You might be someone who overworks themselves on the regular or is very hard on themselves so you’ve finally come into an era of figuring out a balance. Taking control over your own energy. Good for you.

#pick a card #pick a card reading #tarot #tarot reading #tarot readings #tarotblr #mysticalcreations #just a short sweet reading bc the reading I really want to do is apparently still off limits :')#but you guys deserve a sweet one in the meantime

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childrenofthesun77 · 2 months

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Okay, commentary based on rough translations for servamp chapter 139 under the cut

Mahiru gets to use his uncles weapon to make the night sky as bright as midday (aka what mahiru's name means). That's so cool!!! I'm a bit suprised that he can use the weapon though because he's has no magic abilities according to tooru and I thought the weapons could only be used by magic users? Maybe being an eve helps? Or maybe it has something to do with whatever is special about mahiru. Anyway, the ritual requires a moon to work so I guess turning night into day might help to stop that.

On another note, tooru is still badly injured and starts to bleed again, please don't die on us uncle tooru.

Kuro finding the strength to stand up again as he sees mahiru's light was sweet to see. I believe the sloth demon says something about always going to remember mahiru's name when he sees dazzling light and kuro tells tsubaki that midday is no time for vampires.

I think misono is telling lily that he doesn't believe lily that it was all a farce, that he does have expectations of others and that he does want to repent for his sin, calling back to misono's talk with the lust demon at the end of the lust arc. Don't trust my translation on these things though. Anyway, misono says that you can't end a game of chess without the kings on the board by a checkmate, but you can end the game in other ways like a stalemate in which no moves are possible anymore, which is the situation misono goaded lily into, ending the game and freeing misono from the spell. Ironically the only pieces remaining on the board are pawns (aka characters/chess pieces lily seems to see little value in). Back in the garden lily turns into butterflies and vanishes while misono is confused because it should be night, but it's as bright as midday.

We also return to sakuya and mikuni. Mikuni attacks sakuya, but sakuya reveals that he used his powers and the spot he attacked was the sakuya from five seconds ago (?). Then sakuya attacks mikuni, but it's not the real mikuni either? I didn't really get it, but there seem to be multiple mikunis (I think 13 or 12 now that sakuya killed one) in different locations and tsubaki's subclass are facing them trying to stop tsubaki from destroying himself (whatever power tsubaki is using right now seems to harm him and he can only keep going because of mikuni's help. If mikuni would stop helping tsubaki might be forced to stop the ritual/would not be able to complete it. Or maybe it's about some barrier spell mikuni used? I'm not sure what exactly mikuni is doing to help tsubaki).

Higan is facing one mikuni and something prompts him to talk about the time he lived with a woman who for a short time made him feel like an artist and not like an abnormal being.

All in all it seems as if things seem to turn around this chapter! Mahiru got to use a powerful attack that seems to have filled the other heroes with hope, even though we don't know yet what exactly it managed to do (is pandora finally destroyed so the eves and servamps can finally split up into smaller battles again?), but since the moon seems to be a big part of the ritual it might help in that regard.

I still have no idea why the hell mikuni is doing any of this (his main attack, granted he developed it when he was 16, was about judging those who kill humans. So why is he okay with killing millions to gain power? Has envy's curse turned him insane too?) and I guess lily returned to his side after misono freed himself?

It's great to see that misono is now free and able to share what he learned from lily once he runs into the other characters again.

With tsubaki's subclass now also trying to stop mikuni and lily's plans (and tsubaki from destroying himself) the protagonists should be able to convince them to fight together with them right? Now that they have the same goal.

Really liked this chapter, servamp has their protagonists on the losing end a lot more often and longer than I'm used from other stories so it's nice to see the protagonists get some wins.

#servamp #servamp 139 #servamp spoilers

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crazybookcat · 4 months

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Alternate version + lore under the cut

I've had this thing finished for about a month now. Sooo I figured it was time high time for me to properly introduce this boy to you all! His name is Times New Roman or otherwise know as Frak and Merl's hubband.

Ok now with the introduction over on with the actual lore! Roman is from an au I made with my friend @smokbeast called Betatale. (You can see more about Merl, Frak, Roman and a buncha other characters on his blog, go check it out!) As the name says, Roman is meant to be from some sorta beta of Undertale. He sorta had Sans' place in his au, but not entirely, he's def his own thing. He is not a sans, and he is not in any way related to Frak. His family is all dead thank you very much. Much like Sans he only has one hp, but that's due to his lil condition. He was born with an immense amount of magic which his soul and body is way too weak to hold. So he's on perma hardcore mode, one hit one kill. (Well- most of the time ;3) Roman has the power to travel the multiverse. It takes a lot outta him and he isn't able to do it without touching Frak. Mostly because it wouldn't be possible without his other half, but also cuz Roman wouldn't even attempt to go anywhere far without him. (Merl came into their lives after me and Smoki had traumatized these two so much they refuse to not be near eachother pretty much constantly anymore).

Roman is the token 'extrovert' outta him and Frak. On the outside he's very friendly and disarming. Bro will attempt to charm his way into just about anyone's good graces. He jokes and jabbers, easily sliding on the mask of a well adjusted monster. (Something he defiantly is not). Oh also he's 5'0, my boy is short short. Roman's an artist and he tends to sketch the people around him a lot, like some sorta romance movie main character. (His sketchbook mostly consists of Frak and Merl but don't tell them that-) A lotta his quiet time is spent drawing, tinkering with random machines, or talking his beloved's (proverbial) ears off about his latest ideas. I almost forgot to talk about his attacks- how silly of me. Ok so my boy's head is basically a Gaster Blaster, from which he can admit devastating blasts of magic. It's his most dangerous weapon, and something he can easily manage to do with his high levels of magic.

Mostly he just tries to stay outta range so he has time to snipe a hit with his blast attack. Staying out of range often means hiding behind Frak, who he stays very close to in battle. Mostly it's so Roman can lead an enemy into one of Frak's attacks or heal him. Speaking of which! Roman has a kindness/patience soul. He just likes to pretend that his only soul trait is patience because I traumatized him of course. Alrighty, I think I'm done for now- if you read all that I'ma give you the biggest pat on the back. Feel free to send me asks about him! The aus I have with Smoki are seriously my biggest brainrot atm.

#This is prolly one of my longest posts to date daum #I went a lil bit feral there #But yeah if anyone has any questions or anything feel free to shoot me an ask!#I will happily lore dump #I'll prolly be posting more about Roman Frak Merl and everyone else soon #I'd post more art of them but I honestly havent had much time to draw for a hot minute #bookcat draws #roman oc #undertale ocs #undertale au #betatale #friend ocs #Frak oc #Merl oc

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possumcollege · 1 year

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We have to understand this is magical thinking right? Do any of us believe only derivative, commercial-looking work is going to going to suffer if this junk is allowed to take hold? If only we each cultivated unique, challenging, exciting new styles, we'd be safe from- Ope! Nope. Nevermind.

Turns out, scavenging, amoral, shitbirds really like unique, challenging, new styles. They're drawn to them like pigeons to a gutter full of fries. They lick their lips over anything they think will add flavor to the mathematically-churned filler they've made out of others' creative work.

None of the top 5 burgers you can buy from your car are good, but damned if they don't make the people who own their names a lot of money. AI trawlers don't need to make good work to get rich, they just need good enough. Stirring in a dash of your quirky, unorthodox, personal style might just be what they think gives them that edge to stand out until it falls beneath the next fresh thing.

This isn't about who will be good enough to avoid being ground up to pad the portfolios of ravenous parasites. This threatens all of us who create images and stories with our own hands, hearts and minds. If you can't understand that, then your best hope of not becoming their next meal is to remain so thoroughly mediocre as to be beneath anyone's notice.

For the rest of us we need to speak up and stay mad as hell until we get the protection we deserve. We need to demand regulation that prevents image generating software from operating like a dragnet and treats any product of that image trawling like the fucking unethical deepfakes they are before the VC firms and lobbyists get their bizarre, blurry little digits into legislative pockets.

I cannot stress this enough, this kind of thing will negatively effect artists of every description. If the software can't replicate your medium yet, it's because they haven't tried hard enough. 2D, 3D, animation, if it can be converted to a set of 1s and 0s, it can be averaged out and reassembled. Maybe not well but it will be good enough to replace people.

This is already effecting translators and copy writers and it's bearing down on anyone who writes for a living. The technology is already scary good at replicating styles and getting close enough for companies to treat qualified translators and writers as the machine's babysitter, only proofreading for glaring instances of nonsense. Read the stories of translators tasked with holding the thing's uncanny hand and they'll tell you that they're being hired to edit work that is frequently useless without human intervention. If you've watched any video with auto-generated captions you've seen for yourself how dodgy it can be.

Companies can run these programs for the cost of license and electricity, and pay qualified humans as little as possible for "quality control" while holding up the product of that person's labor as proof of what the technology can do. They are already using lies to shore up their own reputation while diluting the quality of acceptable work and disenfranchising skilled human creative labor.

For writers, this has already been going on for years. It's a virus that just jumped species to a visual medium. How far it spreads and the damage it does will be determined by how we fight it now.

The last three years should already tell us what a grim fucking prospect that is.

#ai art theft #ai art generator #ai art #AI #working artists #artists on tumblr #visual art #no ai art #no to ai art

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thegapbetweenmoments · 3 months

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New Muse Ideas!

So here is my consistent conundrum: I like writing things with what I like to refer to as notable supernatural elements. This could be a vampire character (Alicia), a necromancer (Diana and kind of Belle), a time mage (Tom), etc.

The problem with this is twofold. One issue is simply that many people aren't super interested in fantasy based things, which is 100% fair and fine, and why most of the time I just write without the supernatural bits unless otherwise specified.

The other is that even when people do want to write supernatural-ish things, sometimes the vibes don't line up with whatever it is that I made for my characters, which is why it takes a while for new characters to be made even at times like this when I'm relatively active.

SO!

Below is a list of character ideas I've come up with that I'm currently considering. If you see any on the list and go "Ooh! That sounds cool!", please let me know, because that kind of input is super helpful for this process. Doesn't matter if you're a mutual, nonmutual, never interacted before, etc (though more weight will be given to mutuals/people who've interacted before). Just drop a little response and that will give more weight to the idea. Once one or two have been figured out, I'm going to make a new post about FCs, because tbh I suck at picking those, but that is a thought for later!

The list of thoughts (under read more so that I don't take up the whole dash):

Half-devil lawyer (Honestly, this is a character I actually did use for one thread and I enjoyed a lot. I may make this one even if people don't want him, but weight and priority will likely be given to things people actually want. I've always enjoyed devil contracts as plot devices, and he might be just a smidge lawful evil)

Freed djinn nurse (General concept is that she has pretty significant powers that only work if she uses them in response to a wish. She wouldn't have to respond to every wish, and like more nefarious djinn she'd probably try to use the wording of wishes in order to bend things to work how she wants, even though she as a person is not trying to harm anyone. Job as a nurse is essentially so that she can hear wishes that are inherently more benevolent and grant or bend those to do good things)

Rune mage tattoo artist (Essentially, the thought behind this is a guy who can write a long, complicated series of glyphs as a sort of magical sentence on something and activate it to give whatever it's written on an effect. Take this to its logical conclusion and with enough time, this can be used to give magical tattoos to people that give them some type of ability or effect)

Air mage pilot (I mean the usefulness of the power is kind of obvious, but also I think she'd likely own a smaller plane of her own and generally be a bit more chaotic/daring than most of my girls on here, which is a lot of the fun behind this idea for me personally)

Blood Mage Butcher (I like when characters have these powers with crazy amounts of evil potential, who then use them for completely mundane, neutral-to-good aligned things. I think this guy is just passionate about meat and grilling. Probably early to mid thirties with wholesome dad vibes. Maybe not the route most people would go for characters they want to write with, but certainly one I find amusing)

Lightning Mage Art Thief (I'm thinking she shorts out cameras and security fixtures, then just walks up to an expensive piece art and swaps it with a replica, possibly with a nearly invisible hidden signature. Some real heist movie bullshit. Then, she goes back to some incredibly mundane or wholesome day job. Maybe an elementary school art teacher who steals to buy art supplies for class)

#OC ideas #open rp #feel free to let me know!#Thank you in advance for any input offered

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srarizard · 4 months

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Back on my Rayman bullshit.

I literally have nowhere to talk about Rayman but the Tumblr tag seems to be popping so here goes. I am probably the only person on planet Earth who cannot stop thinking about Reflux. I will always be critical of Rayman 3 for its very surface level characters and unfunny "humor", but it still has a lot of environmental storytelling if you look for it. For example, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the Knaaren are bipedal toads.

Artistic liberties were taken, of course, but it's almost a perfect match. It also explains the dot on his forehead, as most toads have warts all over. The warts only become more prominent during the final boss battle, too.

Not to mention, the tunnel system they live in is directly outside of a ravine full of poisoned water. This implies that there might have been a time when they were semi-aquatic. They also have flat teeth, with no canines. I like to think it's because they are herbivores forced to feast on whatever they can find, because they have no plants within miles to feed on. It would explain why they prefer the brain, as it's squishy and easy to chew, as well as the zombie eggs that are the only notable, reliable food source seen in the desert.

Now, what about the way that they evolved? Most of this is speculation, but I can at least tie it together. Knaaren are invincible canonically. Reflux contradicts this in two ways; he has defeated other Knaaren to claim the title of champion, and he dies at the end of Rayman 3. It can only be concluded that he isn't a "normal" Knaaren, and the best way to explain this is to acknowledge the fact that the champion receives the power of the Leptys. Not only is Reflux the only Knaaren to use magic, his boss battle is, quite frankly, insane. I just replayed it yesterday, and it came extremely close. It's possible he used his power to exhaust the other Knaaren to the point where they can no longer fight in order to claim the title of champion using those powers.

In theory, it can also be said that the power of the Leptys creates a weakness. God powers must take a lot of energy to channel no matter what sort of creature you are. So, in theory, Reflux was burning the candle at both ends, pridefully striking down challengers and assuming that he would never be defeated with how much power he has come to earn. He becomes a monster in his thirst for revenge at the end of the game, which ultimately kills him. What this implies about the Leptys is vague, but it certainly has something to do with the deity.

Now, this is my favorite part. Reflux is actually the only character Rayman has ever done wrong. I'd say he's the only one Rayman ever killed, but uh, depends on your view of canon, so I'll be focusing on what is undeniable. Rayman blasts into the desert without warning, and granted it's to save his friend, but he ruins Reflux's life in doing so. He had no choice but to become the champion and shame his opponent. Reflux made his entire identity on being champion, and eagerly accepts when André promises the ability to claim revenge. Rayman was just supposed to be a fun exercise for him, and now Reflux finds himself outcast due to an outsider who doesn't even want to be champion. It's the fault of his pride, but it is still a way that Rayman has made someone's life worse.

It's also interesting to think of them as cultural opposites. Rayman comes from a lovely dream world, and Reflux comes from a hellish nightmare that he had to claw his way to the top. Rayman was born a hero, and Reflux had to earn it. Ubisoft really shot themselves in the foot by not expanding on that, I think. They could have really made something out of the contrast of dreams and nightmares.

Anyway, thank you for coming to my TED talk. If you read this far, please stan Reflux.

#rayman #rayman 3 #knaaren #blorbos #long post #hyperfocus moment

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xerith-42 · 4 months

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So in your rewrite why did Araphel destroy Kulzak’s eye and why didn’t Irene heal it. Also do you have any more Kulzak crumbs I humbly beg.

I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!!

In my rewrites Araphel did destroy Kul'zak's eye, it actually happened during that final fight against him as an attempt to stop Kul'zak from shattering his relic. It didn't work, but whatever fucked up and evil magic Araphel used to destroy Kul'zak's eye was something Irene couldn't heal. She tried to, but the wound always repelled her magic away and just didn't work at all.

After the failed attempts Enki whisked Kul'zak off to one of their vacation homes in Galruk and tried to heal him in a variety of different ways. The one that had the most promise and that is considered a core memory for both of them was a potion that Enki spent almost a year figuring out the components for, gathering said components, and then brewing. It was a long, arduous process, and multiple times Kul'zak told Enki that this wasn't necessary. He was perfectly content living without his eye, it was his idea after all, if this is the price to pay then it was worth it.

But Enki can't live with that. "What's the point of all this knowledge if I can't use it to help the people I love?" In the end it didn't work, but the attempt was greatly appreciated. Kul'zak did their best not to let this keep them down, instead turning to try and understand/love this new aspect of his appearance from an artistic sense. He had paintings commissioned of him that depicted him with this new eye in a beautiful way, hoping to show to his fellow wanderers and everyone who saw him that this change didn't make him any less beautiful or worthy of love than before. He and one of their muses even wrote a song about the "One Eyed Wanderer" to cement that this is who Kul'zak is now, and they can live with that.

Oh yeah Kul'zak is so nonbinary in my brain it's not even funny. Every time I think of Kul'zak I just think "You would use neopronouns". Probably star/starself would be their favorites bc Kul'zak is such an astronomer/astrology girl. It's actually how astronomy started as a science in the ancient days. Wanderers, merchants, sailors, farmers, normal people just looked at the stars a lot and noticed patterns in them, wrote those patterns down, and then theorized about them. I imagine stargazing is one of stars favorite pastimes, something they tried to do with each of the divine warriors at least once, including Xavier who wasn't even divine, just this simp who Kul'zak was fond of.

Kul'zak does have everyone's sun signs memorized and Enki is the only one who fully understands what they're saying. Menphina's in a bitchy mood one day and Kul'zak barks "Stop being such a Gemini," to which she yells back "Shove those stars up your ass!!" Irene understands it kind of because she asked Kul'zak what the hell they meant when star said she was "Being a total Sagittarius." Esmund and Araphel do not understand this weird star bull shit at all, but Kul'zak is having fun and they don't understand half of what he says anyways.

I think a lot of music in the MCD world was composed by Kul'zak. He learned how to play many instruments in his time, and possibly made a few of his own, probably some of the weirder ones that have fallen into obscurity. Some of his compositions are credited to different people, and some don't even have his name on it, but that really wouldn't bother them. As long as there is music in the places star once called home, Kul'zak is happy.

Unlike some of his peers, Kul'zak could honestly care less whether anyone remembers him in the future. His name could fall into complete obscurity, his relic could be left to rot somewhere where it will never be found, and all his findings could be attributed to someone else. As long as there are still wanderers, poets, musicians, bards, travelers, and those with free spirits who let themselves love the world they live in the way he did, they're happy. As long as there's still a world for them, he did his job right.

#minecraft diaries #text post #aphblr #aphverse #mcd headcanons #kul'zak the wanderer #menphia the fury #shad the destroyer #irene the matron #enki the keeper #esmund the protector #answering asks #queued post

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klutzyroses · 1 year

Note

Hi bby can i have a request about ike/vamp boys withe a s/o who has an ocean eyes like gojo satoru but her personality is opposite like she's calm/shy/respectful?

Anyway i really like your writing. have a good day/night💞

Gojo has beautiful eyes, doesn't he?👀

IkeVamp HCs: SO with Ocean Eyes

How would react to an s/o eyes like the ocean?

Suitors: Vincent, Theo, Vlad, Charles

Vincent

Vincent was an artist. And as such, he is used to seeing beautiful things, even finding beauty in the dreary.

But Y/n? She was a whole other level of beauty. He felt as though he could dive right into her luminous sparkling blue and sink into its depths. She was so stunning, he could spend hours staring into her eyes, contemplating their color, the different shades, how the sun and moon reflect off them.

He isn't when sure he even has the colors to replicate those marvelous irises in a painting, but he is going to try, trust and believe.

He couldn't get enough of her, especially her timid, soft-hearted nature, made her all the more wondrous. Like the calming sea of her eyes reflected the gentle soul behind them.

Y/N has his whole heart with her beautiful ocean eyes and her tender disposition.

Theo

Not alot of things can take his breath away, especially not women but...Y/N was a different specimen entirely.

From the first time they locked eyes, he fell into the rippling waves, sinking willingly into them, drowning without complaint.

How they sparkle and shimmer like the surface of clear water, just above the shy rosy blush on her cheeks as she diverts her gaze from his.

He often finds himself looking into the eyes of his hondje, uncaring of whether or not she was embarrassed, because she was much too gorgeous to look elsewhere.

He would tell her just how breathtaking she was, just to see those resplendent irises widen and those pretty cheeks gloss over with an embarrassed red.

Vlad

The man has been alive for a very long time. A very long time. And still he has beheld such beautiful eyes.

It's almost fated. He, with eyes so red, the blooming roses are put to shame, while she, his beloved, outshines the blue sky just by blinking alone.

Framed with her long lashes, her glimmering orbs peer up him shyly as she timidly asks him for his attention, making her even more endearing to him, if possible.

He could spend days just thinking about his fair flower with her soft, serene smile as her luminous eyes reflect the sun, sparkling as though stars have appeared in the morning sky.

He finds himself taking her face in his hands, making sure she was focused only on him, smiling tenderly as the shy beauty stared at him in adorable confusion. He just wants to gaze at her all day, letting her brilliant eyes capture him in their lucelence.

Charles

He could not believe how lucky he was. Not only was his lovely girl the cutest he ever seen, but her polite, reserved demeanor made her all the more desirable.

He could simply gush forever about her beauty, how her eyes capture him and he never wants to look away. It gets better when his belle covers her pretty face in embarrassment.

He could almost swear that she could belight an entire room with just a bat of her lashes, they practically glow in the dark really. To him, she is absolutely magical.

He could randomly ask her to look over at him, just so he can see that sparkling blue focus on him, causing him to fall all over again, into the sea of her eyes, and into his love for her, as though it was the first time.

He will press kisses to her cheeks over and over, just to see her flustered face and her soft voice raised a pitch from the embarrassment. He just loves her so, so much, his beautiful blue sky.

🌸

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikevamp vincent #ikevamp theo #ikevamp vlad #ikevamp charles #ikemen vampire headcanons #ikevamp headcanons

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cavegirlpoems · 1 year

Text

Another take on demihumans as social constructs

I had an idea knocking around inside my head, and then I saw that Dan had already done it over on Throne Of Salt, which rather undercut my brilliant originality. More time has passed, so I figured I'd have a crack at the idea myself.

So. Demihumans (elf, half-elf, hobbit, dwarf, orc, half-orc, goblin, hob-goblin, dragon). Rather than positing each as a seperate species - and then getting our skull-callipers out to compare them - we'll just look at the position each occupies in our setting socially, and extrapolite backwards from that. EG, let's suppose you're an elf because you do elf things and people treat you like an elf. But you're still recognisably an elf. What would that look like? How do you get that in society?

Suffice to say, this is all a thought experiment. I have no idea how this would play out in a proper setting or actual game.

Elves

"This person has autism, but their knowledge or power means we have to treat them respectfully."

An elf is quite possibly smarter than you, but (if you aren't also an elf) the ways they think don't make sense. They follow patterns and customs that most people don't, they prioritise things regular people don't, they just fucking know things sometimes. Sometimes unusually innocent, sometimes deeply worldly and old before their time.

Elves typically go into professions where knowledge is important, and people can't just reject you out of hand for being unearthly and weird. Mages, priests, artists, nuns, midwives. That air of oddness can be a perk; it lets people know they're dealing with an elf, and should be prepared to act accordingly.

You treat elves with respect. After all, they know things and they have sufficient power or clout that if you offend them, they can make you regret it.

Most have at least a smattering of magic, some handy utility powers and maybe something like a magic missile to smack people who don't show respect. They take to it naturally, and often don't get that others can't just learn magic with the same fluency and focus that they do. Isn't it easy?

It doesn't have to be autism, but that's the most common one, and also the one the author has and is familiar with.

Different types of elves correspond to areas of focus. Wood elves like the natural earthy things like birds and trees, high elves like some 'respectable' topic like history or heraldry, dark elves know about something vaguelly taboo like poisons or spiders.

The term 'half-elf' is basically the same as 'high functioning'. Not really used by elves among themselves, but regular people use it to describe elves that seem more normal and approachable.

Generally, elf-ness is broadly hereditable, about as hereditable as autistic traits in the real world. A changeling is just somebody who turns out to be an elf despite nobody expecting it based on their family.

Elf communities exist. Cloisters and hideaways. They get weird fast.

Dwarves

"From a commoner family that knows marvelous trade secrets."

Being a dwarf means you've inherited the family name (or been adopted or married into it). You're one of a particular clan, and your clan knows how to do something that they guard jealously.

Metalworking is a common one. Mining and underground construction techniques are another. Warfare with specific secret techniques is another. Maybe a mix. Whatever it is, your clan has a secret way of doing things that gives you an advantage. Dwarf-made armour is just better than everybody else's. Dwarves who go to war fight in ways that seem impossible to replicate without their lengthy training, and are shockingly effective.

Dwarves often have magic of their own. More secrets handed down the clan. They have their own little sects of the mainstream religions, and their own priests.

The techniques of the dwarves give them an edge over other people. They're just commoners, but they can negotiate with nobles and even royalty, because if the dwarves aren't paid to their satisfaction nobody else can do it as well. And, really, a noble who's jewellery isn't made by dwarves is an embarassment.

These secrets need to be kept, or the dwarves lose their wealth and power. Dwarves prefer to live away from outsiders, in innaccessable places like mountain villages or underground fortresses. They don't trust non-dwarves, who might try to steal their secrets. The exception is other dwarves, who have a vested interest in preserving dwarvish independence.

They know how to hold a grudge. When you're jumped-up commoners bargaining with nobility, you have to.

Hobbits

"These people have fucked off to live independently, and its too much effort to get them to come back."

Hobbits have opted out of mainstream society to go and do something else. Maybe they dig holes in hillsides and make a commune that lives in a rural idyl. Maybe they have a caravan and travel the world with like-minded hobbits, trading goods and stories. Maybe they flee from persecution and live in floating villages hidden in the marshes.

Basically, they're hippies. They rejected the rat race and went to live some more authentic, satisfying or reasonable life off in the middle of nowhere. Their communities are tight-knit, idealistic and egaletarian, mostly. When a hobbit community goes wrong, it goes really wrong really quickly, and then falls apart entirely.

Some people are first-generation hobbits, who - alongside a group of like-minded individuals - chose to live like this. Some were born into a hobbit community and decided to stay. Some found a hobbit community and got adopted into it.

They love their pipeweed, and they're good at hiding. Hobbits get on with dwarves a lot of the time, even if their relationships tend to be distant.

The author has dated a number of hobbits in her time.

When some horrible dark lord rises up, fueled by the fire and smoke of industry and averice, and starts building dreadful armies and dark satanic mills, hobbits tend to be among the first victims they go after. Them and other minorities. Hobbits don't tend to fight back in an organised way, they go to ground, move on, or form guerilla resistance movements.

They are probably living happier lives than you are. Why aren't you a hobbit, actually?

Orcs

"Soldiers without homes."

Being an orc means fighting as a way of living. No farms, towns, shrines, capitals. Just a military camp that moves as the campaign moves. War is all you know. Home isn't a real concept, or isn't anymore, you just live wherever the fighting is, or wherever you go the fighting follows.

Some orcs are mercenaries. Poverty or desperation or persecution pushes them to sign up with a mercenary band. A tent in a military camp is still a roof over your head, sort of. Sometimes the orc is fleeing something, or ambitious.

Maybe they don't intend to be an orc for long. Really, though, cashing out isn't likely to happen. You die young, or if you don't your so scarred - emotionally and physically - that regular society doesn't want you back.

Other orcs didn't have a home to begin with. An invasion took it from you, and now your home is occupied by somebody else. Or your home has been on the front-lines of a trench war for decades and completely fucking uninhabitable, and the conflict is all you know.

Orcs stick together. Their real loyalty is to their comrades. An employer has their loyalty only as much as they pay them, unless that employer is also an orc.

There's a code. They treat orcs on the other side of the conflict better than the rest of the enemy. If you capture an enemy orc, he's one of yours now. He switches sides. Maybe his whole band surrenders and joins you, and they're with you now. Their loyalty is to the orcs, not to whichever kings and emperors started this war to begin with.

Sometimes orcs end up in the armies of dark lords. This lasts as long as the dark lord keeps paying them and doesn't expect them to break the code. They don't care what fucked up stuff the dark lord is doing, spend long enough as a mercenary and you get numb to attrocities, so long as the money keeps coming.

Other orcs take a more direct approach, and support themselves through banditry and conquest.

There's a lot of overlap between orcs and goblins. There's surprising overlap between orcs and dwarves.

Goblins

"Sentient vermin."

Even worse than being an orc. Somebody in power wants you gone, and now you don't have rights anymore. Basically outlaws.

A goblin might be a heretic, a criminal, somebody whose land got stolen, a fugitive, or something like that. Or just born to goblin parents. You're not part of regular society, and regular society wants you fucking gone. There's overlap between goblins and orcs. People don't like to admit it, but there's overlap between goblins and hobbits.

There's absolutely no social safety net when you're a goblin. Individual people might be nice to you, but others won't be, and maybe there's a bounty on your head again. Best to hide from them, then.

Goblins get really, really good at hiding. They find places they can escape from the world, and they band together with other goblins. When society is your enemy, fuck 'em. Feed yourself through subtle theft, banditry, whatever it takes. Trust your fellow goblins to keep you safe. If regular folks look at you funny, kick their teeth in so they won't want to chase after you in a hurry, and go to ground. Fill your home with cunning traps. Fuck 'em, look out for your own.

The world wants you dead, but you're clawing and spitting and snarling and still alive.

Hobgoblins are when these outlawsarm themselves and actively fight back. Guerillas, terrorists, militias, what have you. They cobble together uniforms, and stick the heads of those who'd oppress or exterminate them on spikes before fading back into the shadows. They're probably also orcs. Kobolds are when these outlaws are also dwarves, and have secret knowledge that mean you have to take them seriously, even while trying hard to get rid of them. Kobolds tend to be very good at building impregnable fortresses full of traps.

Dragons

"Personally strong enough to do whatever the fuck they want with no consequences."

The rule of thumb is this: if you can walk into an average town by yourself and demand they give you tribute, and get it without any noteworthy resistance, you're a dragon.

You probably weren't a building-sized fire-breathing carnivorous flying lizard to begin with. But once you hit a certain level of power, you realise nothing's stopping you from turning into one if you want to, and there never was.

Dragons shapeshift. They look like people, until they don't. Every one is a legend. Every one is unique.

Kings aren't dragons. Their power comes from systems of laws and heirarchy and custom meaning people choose to follow them. Wizards might be, as might particularly mighty warriors. Subtlety and subterfuge aren't particularly inclined towards making you a dragon, normally, but often somebody who excels in those areas will - when their back is to the wall - reveal that they were a dragon all along.

If you can personally reduce anybody who speaks back to you to two whisps of smoke coming from a pair of shoes (or a red smear), you're a dragon.

Some dragons do their best not to act like dragons. They try to be benevolent, to blend in with society, to only flex their power in emergencies. The rest - the majority, even - are problems.

A typical dragon ensures those who follow them are loyal by making dramatic examples. They tend to enjoy skull fortresses, big piles of treasure, and appending titles like 'the terrible' onto their name.

People who set out to slay dragons generally fail. Those who succeed normally become dragons themselves.

Elves become dragons disproportionately often. It's the focus that does it. They're often the most reasonable dragons.

Orcs do too. We call them black dragons, and they burn bright and furious, leading a horde of orcs behind them until they inevitably perish doing something exciting.

Goblins also produce a lot of dragons, particularly kobolds. A goblin who becomes a dragon is really good news (for the goblins and hobgoblins and kobolds and orcs of the world) and really bad news (for the sort of people who decided you were a goblin in the first place). These get called red dragons, because of all the blood that they leave behind.

Red dragons tend not to be inclined to be merciful to their enemies. Their followers, on the other hand, often do pretty well for themselves. When you have a red dragon on your side, you might not have to be a goblin for long.

Very successful kingdoms have been founded by a red dragon with a big dream.

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