#most of his lore is on patreon and discord

[sad-leon]

Creechur!! My goober!

Featuring @gemini-forest's goober, Kraang Leo! They're so silly and would definately team up to bother Feral Leo adslfkjalskdj

I have so many memes i wanna draw with the three of them

#sad•leonart #creechur leo #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rise leo #rise leonardo #post movie rottmnt #uhhhh i dont think this goober has a tag #most of his lore is on patreon and discord #once i get the free time and motication I'll put his lore over here as well #i just kept forgetting to post his silly interaction with gem's goober #i love them #creechur actually has more crossovers than most of my leo's lmao #cuz he and npwd donnie (russ's goober) are the duo ever #they are so stupid i love them

[ataleofcrowns]

Bonus Lore: Crowns of Old, Part I

Hey everyone!! I posted a lot of additional lore on the Patreon last year, and since the game itself will never dive this deep into it, I decided to release some of it and store it on the blog.

As the title says, this is regarding previous Crowns of Arsur - namely ones that won't have any relevance to the story. So, here is some lore about the reigns of the three Crowns after Crown Ashadūna.

The Second Crown: Cunning Arsāma

Crown Arsāma was originally a boy from one of the tribes of Sur who lived in what is now known as Zerat. His appointment as Ashadūna's successor was seen as rather fortuitous, if not convenient, for Ashadūna's newly-founded Empire: it strengthened the ties between the tribes of Sur and Arsur itself during a tumultuous time of transition. Not all tribes, after all, were like-minded or willing to submit.  

Even with Arsāma's appointment as Ashadūna's successor, however, there was still considerable anxiety among the other tribes. Some in the province of Hathura, as well, considered his appointment to be an act of revenge from the tribes that King Fravastis had previously waged war upon, which made them fear for what would become of Hathura under Arsāma's rule.

After Ashadūna's passing, however, Arsāma accomplished something remarkable: he prevented civil war, and solidified harmony within the empire. It may not seem a great achievement, and is often underestimated by those who look to Crowns with more distinguished achievements, such as Zana's brokering of trade routes or Keybanû's treaty with Ivia. However, Arsāma continued the unification process that Ashadūna had originally started. Not through force, but through diplomacy, as well as political cunning.

Threats from neighboring nations loomed large upon the horizon. Historians have recorded the ways in which Arsāma would deliberately provoke threats from the outside in order to give people within the Empire reason to remain united. One famous anecdote exemplifies this best: during a visit from a rather arrogant and temperamental Thalloi prince, Arsāma provoked his ire with subtle remarks that would seem innocent to most, but ones that targeted the prince's weaknesses expertly.

The Thalloi prince lost his temper in spectacular fashion, threatening to run Arsāma's Royal Protector--who was also Arsāma's promised one at the time--through with a spear. The prince was apprehended, jailed for three days and three nights, then finally banished from Arsur, leaving in disgrace. 

The storytellers that Arsāma had invited to the event recounted it throughout the Empire and beyond. Upon arrival home, the prince was stripped of his royal status by his mother, the queen, and disowned for his failure. Beyond humiliating the prince, however, it more importantly served as a cautionary tale to those who sought to sow discord from within: Arsur's enemies would destroy the Empire, if given the chance.

The Third Crown: Mighty Humati

Crown Humati's reign was not as peaceful as her predecessor's. While Arsāma built a unified foundation for Arsur, that same unification now meant that the Empire was a greater threat to its neighbors. Arsāma's methods had provoked many foreign relations, and once he passed and the young Humati took his place, several Thalloi city-states, as well as nomadic Sacati tribes from the northern steppes above Arsur, saw this as an opportunity.

Fortunately for Arsur, Humati was no stranger to war.

Her prowess in military tactics and battle strategy was second to none. She outmaneuvered the Sacati nomads as easily on land as she sunk Thalloi warships at sea. Humati oversaw key battles personally, as she not only understood military tactics but also the importance of logistics. She revolutionized the organization of the army, which now incorporated the combined soldiers of Hathura and Rojan, as well as the warriors of the tribes of Sur. 

Humati's armies were considered to be the most fearsome foe to have to battle at the time: Arsurian mounted warriors and battle magi still invoke fear to this day. Arsur came to breed horses with specific magical abilities to aid in battle, making them a nearly unstoppable force, and the specialized training of battle magi made them devastating on any battlefield.

There are famous ballads written about the Battle of Artioch's Pass, where Arsurian battle magi summoned enormous whirlpools in the Sea of Igris that pulled countless Thalloi warships under, wiping out the entire fleet.

During Humati's time as the Crown, Arsur did not lose a single war and did not have to make a single concession. For every battle she lost, she paid her enemy back tenfold. Despite her military might, however, Humati did not go on an expansionist campaign. Rather than conquer new land, her military principles were not guided by aggression, but self-defense: Arsur would not attack anyone, so long as they did not form a threat to the Empire. 

Humati realized the importance of building relationships, and moreover, she had personally experienced the horrors of battle as a young child and did not wish to inflict it upon her subjects unless it was absolutely necessary. While her tactics seemed ruthless to some, Humati always sought for ways to end a battle as quickly as possible, if it could not be avoided altogether.

This mindset has become a lasting guiding principle for how the High Generals of Arsur are also expected to act, taking Crown Humati as their example.

The Fourth Crown: Medya the Would-Be Priest

When Medya was chosen as the successor, he was recruited from a family of priests, as his epithet eventually came to reflect. He was a Crown that let religious principles guide him in all matters, often spending days at a time in seclusion for meditation and prayer.

His family was part of a sect of worshipers devoted to Apas, the Major Spirit of the Waters. Crown Medya, following its teachings, was a ruler known for long periods of reflection before making decisions. It made him prone to indecisiveness, and overly dependent on the advice of priests.

In fact, during his rule, he instated a special Office of Rituals and appointed a favored high priest, Lady Avjin, at its head. Usually spiritual advice is given by the Wisdom of the Crown who will deliberate with both spiritual and secular experts in order to give many possible perspectives on an issue, but Crown Medya changed this dynamic.

It was a controversial decision. Many praised him for prioritizing spiritual traditions, but just as many criticized him for elevating only certain traditions over others and forcing them upon the whole of the population. Some considered it to be in direct conflict with Ashadūna's aspirations to create a unified, but multicultural, empire.

Conflict continued to grow between various factions. Even the nobility, who first sought to take advantage of Medya's strict adherence to religious rituals, became aggravated at the Crown's insistence on involving his spiritual beliefs in every facet of his governance. Being chosen as the Crown likely had turned his previous, relatively normal devotion, into an almost feverish obsession for the spirits. This only became worse as time went on.

Soon, he named the high priest that he had previously appointed as Minister to the position of the Crown's Sorcerer. This was unprecedented. While a high priest could technically qualify, since priests are required to be trained as magi first, it was understood that the Sorcerer should prioritize magic, not spiritual guidance. Medya soon started to leave all matters of governance to his Sorcerer, preferring instead to pray and partake in religious ceremony.

Ironically, Lady Avjin was much more inclined towards governance than the Crown. While the public was still greatly dissatisfied with the situation, she managed to assuage the nobility merely by her willingness to bargain with them, whereas Medya had drawn a hard line in the sand before. While Lady Avjin essentially ruled, Crown Medya was rarely seen up until his death.

He became known as a mere figurehead, the only one in Arsur's history. Long after Medya's rule, Crown Keybanû would abolish the Office of Rituals.

[ Part II ]

#worldbuilding #patreon #a tale of crowns

[candlekeep]

Transcript:

February 8, 2023

illuminatirob — Hello @Ed Greenwood! I am so happy to be here. I've been a heavy user of Candlekeep's forums over the years, and I have some questions that have been argued extensively, and I'd love to have the ultimate input on then I might be so fortunate?  (Even though, I may get flak over this, haha) Is Khelben evil? I ask the question from the lens of normative ethics, regarding his having taken the Scepter of the Sorcerer King, and giving it to Fzoul. The ensuing carnage and problems were extensive, and in light of them, and the fact that Khelben is one of the Master Harper's that came up with the code of the Harper's, how can he say he lived by those tenets and doing the right thing, with everything that came of his actions in the end? I mean no disrespect: I just love analyzing characters, and I've run through this a million times in my head. Khelben is one of my favorite characters ever. So compelling!

Ed Greenwood — Khelben is an "end justifies the means" person, who (like, say, James T. Kirk of STAR TREK fame) won't hesitate to break laws or rules to "win." He can be harsh and arrogant, too, as he believes he KNOWS the right end goal, and will push for it against the "blindly ignorant." Whereas most of the Seven believe it's not just what you do, or why, but HOW you do it; if you run roughshod over "little people" to forge a better kingdom for them, how are you better than the next tyrant? So Khelben can certainly be seen as evil. That's the thing about the Realms: everyone is a shade of gray. We watch their moral journeys in the novels, and lore, and adventures, and none of them are static. Elminster is generally nicer and more whimsical than straight-shooter Khelben, but also more sly. It takes all sorts to make (and mar) a world.

illuminatirob — Hey @Ed Greenwood, Thank you so very much for that answer, and right away too! I'm honored. I figured Khelben was a consequentialist, and I've had long debates about it, but this is great: thee answer. That's the most amazing thing about ethics: you're "good" in someone's book, and "evil" in another's, simply by the fact that the rules set is different for evaluating morality. Thank you!

Ed Greenwood — You're very welcome! Steven Schend "adopted" Khelben and has penned novels starring him, and he and I have discussed Khelben's character extensively over the years. One other thing to bear in mind: Mystra's Chosen are all very old, and "play the long game," and have suffered much grief, as they outlive kin, friends, and even the realms they grew up in; they're not sane by how we judge things. My Realms tales look at how power corrupts, and how long life claws at psyches, and so on. Khelben became a "hardcase" because it worked for him, to serve Mystra best; the ruthless manipulator and negotiator. Others took different paths.

– From the Greenwood’s Grotto Discord server.

Please support Ed Greenwood’s Patreon for Forgotten Realms lore! The Discord server is open to the public, however only patrons can ask Ed questions directly. Become a patron for as low as $3/month!

#Forgotten Realms #khelben arunsun #Blackstaff #fzoul chembryl #Elminster #Ed Greenwood #Steven Schend #Realmslore #Greenwood's Grotto #Ed Answers

[jiaolong-rp]

What do you do, when you have no time and brain capacity to roleplay your OCs? You make even more OCs! 8D

Meet Wǔlóng Shū (五龙叔 : Fifth dragon), Dalong Shu's fourth youngest brother and father of Gu Helong. Underneath the cut I will put some of the lore around him and Gu Helong. It's basically just copy/pasted from discord brainstorming session, I had, while drawing him. I might clean it up someday. 😅

Don’t like, don’t interact. (°u°)b // Please don’t steal and/or repost.

● Patreon ● Comission Prices ●

Aside from GHL his only child with another dragon, he has quite a few mixed offspring with lesser beasts and a couple noble humans. The latter got him dragged into all manners of mortal court intrigue, which then influenced his behavior in the Heavenly Court.

He is pretty much male presenting, but dressed to the nines like a favored royal concubine.

He's pretty much showcasing that he's been charming multiple Emperor-fathers in his life. In modern times, at least 5 multibillion dollar business dynasties are led by either one of his adult human sons, or the fathers of his minor human sons.

GHL is officially recognized as WLSs only pureblooded dragon son. But that's only because the father is unknown and GHL hatched as a pretty normal dragonling from his egg. In truth however, GHL is only three-quarters dragonblood. Not that anybody but WLS knows, anyways. GHLs actual dad is the king of the dragonsnakes, whom WLS had a brief affair with in order to curry some favors from him. Neither the other dragons, nor GHLs actual father know, that this affair was a fruitful one.

Everybody in the Heavenly Realms knows that Dalong Shu's youngest brother had spent hardly a night in his own bed. so there's plenty elder dragons in the realm, that at least assume they are GHLs father. Which is part of the reason, why GHL hasn't been completely denounced from his ranks in the Heavenly Realm for being a useless and potentially unhinged criple. All those elder dragons, that could make that decision, just feel too bad for their maybe-son. So, while WLS is really not a good parent for GHL, he is in his own way still protecting him from harm, by omitting the truth about his father.

Part of the reason, why WLS is so pushy about GHL having to marry well for status, is because WLS is as of yet, unmarried himself. Partly is by his own making. For he would never marry below status, so all his human and lesser beast lovers always only got a nice affair and a child or two out of their attempts at romancing the fourth dragon prince. But on the flip side, the dragons, that WLS slept with also never intended to be serious about him, most of them already being married themselves and not wanting to anger DLS by taking his youngest brother as a lowly concubine. Nowadays, WLS owns his status as the Heavenly Whore. But there was a time, where he too dreamed of romance. [16:02] The only one, who ever came really close to marrying WLS was GHLs father. Their affair started at an attempt by WLS to create a diplomatic bridge between the dragons and dragonserpents, by giving birth the king of the dragonserpents' king. However, the two quickly fell for each other hot and hard. And just as WLS realized he was gravid and was about to tell his lover… things went bad. The dragonserpents' king did actually propose. But his proposal was something along the lines of "Abandon your brother and join me. Once I conquered the dragons, you will reign as my queen!" And well…. WLS may be a whore, but he is a filial whore. He would never betray his big brother. So he broke it off with the serpent's king, returned to the Heavenly Realm and when he laid his egg, he claimed not to know who the father was.

Nowadays WLS and the serpent's king act around each other like a divorced couple, that has equal parts hot and bad blood between each other.

#;my art #ch; Wulong Shu

[askagamedev]

Bit of a nebulous question. For series of 3 or more entries, how do you guys make a game feel like..."definitive"? I didn't play Wario Land as a kid, but playing Wario Land 4, I look at this game and go "yeah that's how Wario should be aesthetically" despite it being his 4th entry. What goes into getting an IP to elicit that response from players?

Most of that comes from careful brand management. Well-established franchise characters have lore bibles - established rules governing their appearance, behaviors, mannerisms, backstory, and other relevant details. These rules can clarify things about the character's personality like "This character maintains a sense of honor and will not kill a helpless enemy in cold blood", as well as "this character's color palette includes these shades and may never wear these colors". It is the purpose of these rules to define and establish what feels like the character and what does not. We developers then use these rules as constraints within which to create an in-game representation that conveys the desired experience.

The higher the commercial value of the character, the more important the managers of these lore bibles become. For new characters, the responsibility of maintaining character bibles usually fall to specific designers on the team - usually leads and seniors. For well-established franchise characters across multiple games, the bible is often maintained by a chief creative officer or creative director type. In the case of licensed characters like James Bond or Scooby Doo, there are often entire licensing teams dedicated to maintaining and enforcing the bibles.

Going from the set of rules to the actual gameplay experience is where people like me come in. We need to take a character outline and turn that into a set of game mechanics that, when played, feel like the character. This is exhibited through a variety of different aspects. Let's run with the Wario example. Wario is heavy and weighty. Wario is selfish, gluttonous, and greedy. Wario is short-tempered and does not think long-term. Wario is willing to bend the rules in order to achieve his goals.

We can demonstrate his weightiness through his animations. When he changes direction, his large belly should probably continue with some inertia in the old direction. He should probably cause dust clouds to poof when he lands from a jump. His jump arc should probably be shorter than other, lighter characters. His facial animations should be very expressive - he should demonstrate his desires very clearly on his face when approaching game elements he likes - food, treasure, etc. This combination of visual storytelling and game mechanics as metaphor for aspects of his character combine to make the character feel like Wario to the player. We try to do this for all major characters. Most of the time we do a decent job. Sometimes we don't. The bible enforcers try to keep us honest about it.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

#character design #brand management #franchise management #intellectual property #how things work #legal implications

[lighthouse-enjoyers-anonymous]

The CSH pipeline (aka my downfall)(aka my favorite band ever)

Last year around June, I listened to Car Seat Headrest for the first time, I think starting with Sober to Death. I had seen mention of the band before in memes about it being "incel" "male manipulator" music, but it was associated with a lot of bands I already had an interest in. My first instinct when seeing that something is being shit on is to go and consume the media so I can judge for myself whether it's actually that bad or if the fanbase is just being characterized by a couple shitty fans and if it's being meme-ified like Weezer. This has lead me down some questionable paths but I ultimately like this way of consuming media because I do end up finding new stuff I enjoy without being restricted to what's popular. I started listening to Mitski because I saw a tumblr post about how people don't like her work. Idk. Anyways I loved Sober to Death and started listening to their other top songs to get a feel for it. I think I mainly just listened to Twin Fantasy and Teens of Denial at first, then ToS and MBIKMB after a while. I wasn't hardcore into it and I knew barely anything about the band except I had picked up somewhere that Will was a furry (I have zero idea when I learned this but at the time I thought it was the most hilarious thing I've ever heard). I was just focused on my other interests much more (you know how it is). Fun fact, my ex included "It's Only Sex" on our relationship playlist when we dated in March, which

1- is an absolutely insane red flag 2- proves I knew about the band earlier than I remember Flash forward to February. I must have seen CSH mentioned a lot more on tiktok or pinterest or something, because I suddenly had a lot of interest in it. Sometimes I get waves of "oh god i'm a fake fan for not knowing everything about this subject" and that spurs some manic search to CONSUME ALL. I started listening to every album available on spotify, learned about Will's pre-CSH projects, and was instantly hooked.

This guy had written songs that spoke to me in a way only several other artists had in the past. On top of that, he had lived less than an hour away from me for the majority of my life (until he relocated to Seattle in 2014), AND most of his music was written at the age I am now. There was something so personal to me about it. Obviously, it was a popular-ish band so it wasn't really underground or anything, but it wasn't known by everyone so I still had the opportunity to introduce it to my friends for the first time. That being said, I still got teased a bit for listening to "sad gay furry music" :/ Touché.

Anyways, I then learned about 1 Trait Danger. Oh boy. I had heard the "Timmis" sound going around on tiktok without realizing it. God Andrew Katz is amazing too. It was silly, it was stupid, it had a new plotline to follow for each album, there was a discord server, there were costumes, there was Will Toledo, there was SO MUCH TO LEARN. So naturally I joined the Patreon so now I get some sick behind the scenes video game development content.

Deeper into the rabbithole comes Cate Wurtz's comics, which are mentioned in several CSH songs, and generally help to contextualize Will's work. Holy Shit I love Crow Cillers. I only started reading it yesterday. I have yet to fully understand what's going on because there is such a mash up of themes. It's entirely possible I made a mistake and managed to skip some crucial lore, but I'll figure it out eventually. Ynce Iche is badass. Other things that this hyperfixation has caused me to get into:

Radiohead and Weezer. more stereotypical incel music but I D K

Costume design? I'm in the process of building a trait mask, and I will make another post about this because I need help!!

animation, possibly. I'm hoping to animate parts, if not all, of 1 Trait Bangers. I have no prior experience with animating so this will be.... fun...

video production. I am ALSO in the process of creating a series of tiktok style videos to all of twin fantasy. if each one is about a minute, I should have... 71 videos. 1 down, 70 to go! This is cool because I got to visit the spot in Harper's Ferry mentioned in BL-I-D.

CSH livestreams. I looove the acoustic sound. Do miss the other band members though. Lots of his covers have lead me to find new music as well.

Will Toledo's tumblr. I scrolled all the way to the bottom of it and i'm attempting to compile a playlist of every song he mentions on there.

Will Toledo's spotify monthly playlists. That funky guy is listening to soooo much welsh folk. This raises questions about what the possible new album will sound like, but I'm down for anything!

Andrew Katz's instagram reels. I love these funky little videos it's like a vine revival with all of our favorite band members.

Will Toledo's high school bands/comics. The Mr. Yay Okay facebook page is so blessed I love seeing shitty home video recordings of them playing with a Ouija board.

New friends! Shout out to the cool people on the 1td discord server. game nights are always hilarious

Pop culture references. I have been convinced to buy several books simply bc they were mentioned in a song or his tumblr. also I started NGE and I will eventually get to Twin Peaks.

That's all for now! I should be able to update as I find more stuff to deep dive into, and as my creative projects unfold. It's going to be a busy couple of months in my house though, as I prepare for college. If I end up switching hyperfixations before I complete anything, I must apologize. But I don't owe "you" anything. I say to my singular follower, cheezbot. Hi cheezbot.

#car seat headrest #cshr #csh #will toledo #infodump #1 trait danger

[someones-anachronism]

Masterlist / Blog intro

Hi there! I'm Basil (also goes by 7nder, 7, Brandy)

Autistic Aro-Ace ADHD Agnostic Atheist Anxious Artist (Amongus)

Welcome to my goblin pit >:)

Games: Deltarune (and Undertale sort of), Minecraft, Skyrim, Sky: CotL, Deep Rock Galactic, Borderlands (2 and TPS), Stardew Valley, Pokemon, Cookie Run (Ovenbreak and Kingdom) Food Fantasy...

Shows/Movies: Most of the MCU, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, The Promised Neverland, A.I.C.O Incarnation, Pluto, Good Omens, Doctor Who, The Good Place, and a LOT of horror movies (e.g. Halloween and Saw franchises) Oh yeah I also make music but I haven't really posted any of it :\ Speaking of music however,, I really like alternative but that's only because it's the genre of most of the songs I like. I prefer songs based on their individual sound, rather than what band played them, their genre, or the lyrics. Because of this I have like one Christian rock song in my playlist (Creature by half•alive, by the way) Top three bands (based on the fact that I like some of their songs the most) - Muse - The Killers - Depeche Mode

Some links to other sites and shit:

Twixter I'm only there for collecting reaction images tbh, but I do post art occasionally.

Twitch I stream mostly DRG and Terraria for now, but will probably start streaming Minecraft again. And Stardew Valley, and other things.

Youtube Mostly Sky: CotL videos and soon to be edited VODs of my DRG/Terraria streams

Discord Server Come here to chill and talk about lore, memes, gaming, and art :D

Webtoon I have a webcomic! Warning: I have zero schedule for this 💀

Patreon If you want to give me money for being super duper cool /silly

Ko-fi This is just if people feel like giving me money for something specific. As of creating this post, it's a Lancer plushie >:D

im too tired to make a dni list so uh. the usual suspects. yeah

[teddytoroa]

where would I start watching joe hills stuff? seeing your posts makes me kind of want to get into his videos

HELLO and WELCOME

Joe Hills is on youtube HERE.

I recommend watching his Hermitcraft season 9 videos since they're the most recent (and I'm watching them at the moment and they're a lot of fun!!). You don't really need to know any of the other folks on the server to enjoy them and you'll just kind of pick up the broader context through episodes. Unlike a lot of other smps theres not a huge amount of roleplaying or ~deep lore~ so it's easier to get into imo (though I'd advice watching the episodes chronologically anyway).

Joe is easily one of the funniest people I've ever seen anywhere in my life, a kind and thoughtful member of the community AND a talented and brilliant builder (they're building a massive scale model of a working pinball machine in survival minecraft based on the James Webb telescope images and it's insanely cool). They write haikus and share them at the end of their Hermitcraft episodes as patreon rewards. They dress as Beetlejuice on stream (the Beetlejhost) and every time they hit a tip milestone they make their facecam bigger. They pay their discord mods a living wage. They make puns and portmanteaus all the damn time and they're usually good. They're from Nashville, Tennessee. They're willing to kill for the LGBT+ community. They wear lime green cat eye prescription glasses and lime green fishnet fingerless gloves. They don't believe in monarchies. They do typography irl and also in Minecraft, and they're REALLY GOOD AT IT, which is impressive because typography in Minecraft is HARD. One time they spent many hours transporting four TMNT-themed frogs through all three Minecraft dimensions and it was the scariest most stressful thing I've watched in years.

They also stream twice(?) a week on youtube and twitch, one Minecraft stream where they make things on the Hermitcraft server and one arts n crafts stream where they make things in the irl fleshrealm real world, both with ZombieCleo (another minecraft youtuber I also love and highly recommend <3).

They also have a tumblr and a twitter where they are hilarious and brilliant in text form and reblog lots of neat fanart and such.

I also really like the unaffiliated tumblr account @joe-hills-said, which collects his many many many wonderful things he has said in videos and streams.

There's also this decade-old video of them doing minecraft 'cooking' based on the My Drunk Kitchen youtube series and it brings me much joy.

Hope this helps!! Vote Joe Hills for MCYT Sexyman!!!

#the amount of joy and peace and happiness I get from joe videos is unquantifiable #and I am more than happy to share this and spread the good word #also i'd really like them to win the competition it'd mean a lot #i think he deserves much more recognition and getting this much exposure to potential new fans and supporters would be pretty fucking cool #vote joe hills

[yuuana]

Music Monday #210: JAEHYUN - Forever Only release: August 2022 genre: Kpop, R&B

Monday again and oh look, still on my Kpop bullshit. At least this time it's a different subgenre? Stressed out jaguar burrows into comfort sounds when stressed so yeah, the two musical spaces I've been in this month are ATEEZ and K-R&B, so shoot me.

Jaehyun's second appearance via SM Station and first solo on NCT LAB is a heartfelt, up-tempo R&B ballad that, unsurprisingly, had me hooked from the second that acoustic guitar lick started. What can I say? This jagu has predictable tastes. And a weakness for a guy who plays guitar and can serenade me with such a sweet voice. Worse(ish), this goes back to the trend of being an up-tempo love song whose lyrics are full of melancholy (select English CC for official translation). Even Jaehyun admits there's wiggle room for hope in the lyrics he wrote, but the overall vibe is meant to be a wistful melancholy, which lives more in his voice than it does in the backing track.

The music video leans more atmospheric over narrative, the camera spending most of the time on Jaehyun as he sings the song, first in "his" room and then transitioning to the beach. The beach "set" is really perfect for the vibe, the deep blues of a night shoot and the warmer yellows and reds of fire light (both actual and simulated). (what do you mean, my night-and-wild-water bias is showing?) It's another dimension of soothing

Of course, NCT means SMCU means asking the lore question. Shortest answer: not lore. Like Taeyong's "Ghost," this is a passion project Jaehyun's been working on for some time now, something he co-wrote as part of a conversation with his fans. The song itself is a vibe check and the video is, as noted, much more about building an atmosphere rather than telling a story. Between SM Station being a non-lore place in general and LAB being a sub-space of Station meant specifically for showcasing what the ever-growing NCT is able to do musically, this is not a surprise.

"Forever Only" is out now wherever you prefer to stream music, including Amazon, Deezer, and Tidal. NCT just wrapped SMTown 2022 Tokyo with the rest of SM, with NCT 127 tour tickets on sale now (or maybe sold out, depending on when you read this, since they tend to go fast).

Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

#music #music monday #kpop #kr&b #nct #jaehyun #jaehyun of nct #sm station #nct lab #Youtube

[mirandamckenni1]

Liked on YouTube: Which Neurotransmitter is the Most Stimulating? (Neurotransmitter Lore) || https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMEBliw9lmA || Grab Atlas VPN for just $1.83/mo + 3 months extra before the SUMMER DEAL expires: https://ift.tt/K8hugTX 👈 #ad #atlasvpn This is the neurotransmitter tier list – I hope you find this video to be very stimulating! I guess this is neurotransmitter lore ;) Support the Channel on Patreon - https://ift.tt/RxBCSHL Join the Community Discord! - https://ift.tt/wTYe86A 0:00 Intro 4:53 Ad 6:15 Dopamine 9:30 GPCRs 14:39 Noradrenaline 17:42 Serotonin 21:25 Glutamate 24:55 GABA 27:00 Acetylcholine 29:35 Banana Outro 30:21 Dopamine (again?) *Team* Writer/Producer/Thumbnail Artist - That Chemist (Joey) Lead Animator/Graphic Designer/Editor – David Vesicle Animator - Chogi Lead Writer/Biochem Research - Exergonick (Nicholas) Writer/Biochem Research – Trev Chemistry Assistant - Maurice Technical Lead - Polygorg (Georg) Rigging/3D Systems Engineer - Robot Chicken *Acknowledgements* Ballerene for his ballin' biochem help *Music* - A huge thanks to @S3RL for letting us use his music in the video! "Dopamine - S3RL feat Sara" Contact S3RL - https://ift.tt/9ugsXJU *References* Dopamine: https://ift.tt/8Sxptec, https://ift.tt/Um9vzFN, https://ift.tt/2oSxqdQ, https://ift.tt/iMJUfms Noradrenaline: https://ift.tt/4kSc8Rs Serotonin: https://ift.tt/MGimTvY, https://ift.tt/uIGimMr Tryptophan: https://ift.tt/xqsZ810 Glutamate: https://ift.tt/Tnlavgj Gaba: https://ift.tt/kcgYdVW ACH: https://ift.tt/6y9psI7 Dopamine:Function & Symptoms: https://ift.tt/7hXCwZN Acetylcholine in Learning and Memory: https://ift.tt/OUaMi3S Cholinergic Crisis: https://ift.tt/ojw8mJc Cholinesterase Inhibitors for Alzheimer’s: https://ift.tt/LUqlBD7 Myasthenia Gravis: https://ift.tt/1pdieBb Cholinergic Receptors: https://ift.tt/4BSoIgE Otto Loewi: https://ift.tt/Onedr2f Acetylcholine (ACh: https://ift.tt/iUIqADB GABAergic Dysfunction: https://ift.tt/sKePxbT GABA Receptors: https://ift.tt/9WHziZq The Neurobiology of Addiction: https://ift.tt/whktJdy Mechanism of Action - Benzodiazepine: https://ift.tt/ICy6DbN Anxiety Disorders and GABA Neurotransmission: https://ift.tt/FuE9NJS Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA): https://ift.tt/nA3tHhr Molecular Mechanisms GABAB: https://ift.tt/uPjTsBb GABA and Glycine Receptors: https://ift.tt/t0EAjZ4 GABA Receptor: https://ift.tt/PNbeou1 NMDA Receptor-Dependent LTP/LTD: https://ift.tt/K1L0paq Glutamate and Depression: https://ift.tt/8J7Kmct Glutamate Transporter 1: Target for the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence: https://ift.tt/ZkbPKI1 Glutamate: What It Is & Function: https://ift.tt/9Ycbt5m Glutamate Receptors: https://ift.tt/OsKJN9R The History of (MSG): https://ift.tt/vJCFVYK Serotonin Syndrome Case Report: https://ift.tt/9tRjkOK Brain Serotonergic Circuitries: https://ift.tt/WR1jmVU Abnormal Cells Constipation: https://ift.tt/K62Wpxo Serotonin: https://ift.tt/iUIqADB Dopamine D1 Receptor: https://ift.tt/1RgANx8 Dopamine in Motivational Control: https://ift.tt/W1Ehted Norepinephrine: https://ift.tt/SkpJREf Adrenergic Neurons and Receptors: https://ift.tt/jzZ7LCx Noradrenergic Synapse: https://ift.tt/4BSoIgE Adrenal Stress Hormones and Enhanced Memory for Emotionally Arousing Experiences: https://ift.tt/ECvPrM2 Dopamine and Noradrenaline in the Brain https://ift.tt/onUx0jJ Noradrenergic Synapse: https://ift.tt/4BSoIgE Dr Julius Axelrod: https://ift.tt/Xfln2rF Adrenal Gland: https://ift.tt/Wgv1YwH Locus Coeruleus-Norepinephrine: https://ift.tt/zpaLqoP Food-Related Reward Signals: https://ift.tt/EUpXG5O Drugs Disrupt Presynaptic Dopamine Neurotransmission: https://ift.tt/t3LHEYC Biochemistry, Dopamine Receptors: https://ift.tt/PZ035Qf Parkinson’s Disease: https://ift.tt/K9ujlFi Signaling Dopamine D1-like Receptor Activation: https://ift.tt/Vyma8Tz Ventral Tegmental Area, in Rat: https://ift.tt/skSUTcN Arvid Carlsson: https://ift.tt/KzLE6p3 Anatomy and Function of VTA : https://ift.tt/B7Fjom3 Dopamine in Motivational Control: https://ift.tt/W1Ehted Relevant human Proteins found in RCSB PDB RCSB.org 10.1093/nar/28.1.235 And predicted proteins found at https://ift.tt/G0JzLMk

#IFTTT #YouTube

[beepartcollection]

I posted 101 times in 2022

That's 61 more posts than 2021!

60 posts created (59%)

41 posts reblogged (41%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@beepartcollection

@beepiesheepie

@phantomeus

@kaxenart

@the-unicorns-of-nienna

I tagged 91 of my posts in 2022

Only 10% of my posts had no tags

#my art - 55 posts

#beepartcollection - 36 posts

#reblog - 31 posts

#artfight2022 - 15 posts

#3d modeling - 11 posts

#3d sculpting - 10 posts

#3d art - 6 posts

#beep art collection - 6 posts

#d&d - 5 posts

#d&d character - 5 posts

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#seriously though if you want me to make chimpanzee noises just give me a vampire or a greaser and i will go insane (in a good way!)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

i think Dismas would look pretty good with some grey hairs

42 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

#4

Forgot to upload this ^^;

Around the end of Artfight (July) I was too burnt out on art, but I wanted to make something of @jovithorart ‘s Percy. Just something quick before college claims my life

Some screenshots for details!

See the full post

58 notes - Posted August 28, 2022

#3

See the full post

73 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

#2

@quazies is doing a fanart showcase of their lil pootis character, so I just had to show off this 3D model I made a lil while back. Ain’t he cute with his lovely third dimension??

184 notes - Posted October 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I’ve been in love with @jayrockin ‘s “Runaway To The Stars” and I absolutely adore their aliens the bug ferrets Knowing how their media typically is I made what the average bug ferret Twitch stream probably looks like (with the help of people in their patreon discord)

There is: The streamer, the game, Chat, Donation Statuses, Next stream schedule, CC, Stream logo, People this ferret is playing with (multiplayer), CC for those guys, their names, Death Counter, Bell notif animation, “Like what you see? Sub for more!”, Follower notif, bit donation notif, tip jar, png chat bot, Shimeji, G Fuel ad (sponsored), Dark Souls lore explanation video, bug ferret drama alert, glitch exhibition

it’s a mess but its a beautiful mess

1,204 notes - Posted March 10, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #love that my 2nd highest post has ~200 notes while my most highest has uhhh 10x more than that lel

[candlekeep]

Transcript:

February 8, 2023

Cdawg — Did you have the notion of Vecna having visited or influenced Faerun in the past before WotC introduced it in 5e? Was there no need for it as Larloch fulfilled the preeminent inscrutable lich role?

Ed Greenwood — Oh, yes. TSR in the old days went back and forth on "are the TSR Worlds connected or not" (the Wizards Three DRAGON articles were an editorial assignment to keep visible support for worlds TSR was then englecting), but I had them ALL linked, via gates (portals), as that's where high-level Realmsplay inevitably went: hopping from Prime Material Plane to alternate Prime MAterial Plane (Toril, Krynn, Oerth). So Vecna and others had visited, and been visited. Archvillains can often bankroll their schemes, or get monsters or armies for them, by "robbing" another world.

Juniper Churlgo — Which reminds me of an ancient unanswered question for Ed. Any gates between Abernys (Birthright) and Toril?

Ed Greenwood — Yes, there are gates linking Abernys and Toril, but the NDAs stand thick and strong on this, still.

Cdawg — This makes me wonder if Larloch and Vecna ever met. (I doubt it would be directly). If so, how did that encounter go?

Ed Greenwood — They've met more than once. Most of their meetings did not go well. They are...guardedly polite with each other, since Vecna discovered how much more powerful Larloch is than he is.

Augustoc — Larloch is above deity level? Really?

Ed Greenwood — Larloch has HUNDREDS of "bound" liches working for him, in three worlds. And where Vecna has a Plan B, Larloch has a Plan E. That shook Vecna a lot.

Augustoc — Also, Larloch is canon in other worlds? I wasn't aware of that. Where else can one see his influence besides Toril?

Ed Greenwood — Another meaty SMACK. Those NDAs are EVERYWHERE. Old friends; you'll come to hate them as much as I do, soon.

– From the Greenwood’s Grotto Discord server.

Please support Ed Greenwood’s Patreon for Forgotten Realms lore! The Discord server is open to the public, however only patrons can ask Ed questions directly. Become a patron for as low as $3/month!

#Forgotten Realms #d&d #dungeons & dragons #Vecna #Larloch #Ed Greenwood #Realmslore #Greenwood's Grotto #Ed Answers #lich #liches

[radioromantic-moved]

hoohuguhghouhgh stellar firma posting? on MY christmas day? it’s more likely than you think.

-AUGH. AUUGHGHG the new episode was SO GOOD. they’re going to seize the means of production

-god i LOVE these fucking space leftists. they really went there. david’s finally breaking through trexel’s crusty brain sludge and teaching him about the nature of the working class that’s so funny

-trex chooses anarchy <3

-i also adore how imogen is just past the point of even caring. she wants to see where this goes as much as everyone else. 

-someone on discord suggested that between his knowledge of obscure stellar firma lore and his patreon-exclusive videos trexel has a special interest in history and FINE. fine. that’s very sweet. is that what you wanted to hear.

-he and cyril can infodump to each other or something. maybe. possibly.

-i hope we get to see enola again now that we’re talking about revolution...i miss them.  

-anyway good episode! great episode! started off sad because i don’t like it when david’s depressed but it got SO GOOD. space communism for the win :)

-and hhhey. the SONG.

-don’t forget...trexel is the best

-at long last he returns to the cosmic lounge for his grandest performance yet!

-i’ve listened to it three times just this morning thank YOU

-augh this is so good i’m so happy. this really is the most wonderful time of the year. i have to write a college essay at some point but i’m not thinking about that.

#this is precariously close to just being a tr*xel gush which is worrying but hey. #nyx on comms #trex tag #tag: neurotic and nonbinary #christmas m

[tryinghuman]

Trying Human: New Readers’ Guide!

Trying Human is an ongoing webcomic series that began on June 1, 2008.  It currently spans 6 volumes consisting of 4 chapters each totaling 22 chapters and nearly 1200 pages (as of November 2022).  It is set to end on Volume 8 Chapter 32.  Depending on my workload, there will be some side stories after its conclusion.

Genres:  Ufology lore, Romance, Mystery, Drama

The story follows four main interweaving storylines including:

1947

(From Left to Right: Walter, EBE1, Phillis, and Dr. Glasner)

The beginning of every chapter and follows Phillis Lennox, Walter Edwards, Dr. Vernon Glasner, and a recently captured Grey alien, EBE1 (Extraterrestial Biological Entity One).  Phillis wants nothing more than to leave the Nellis Airforce Base Section 51 and start a family but after becoming emotionally intertwined with an injured alien, she doesn't have many options left.

The Greys

(From Left to Right: EBE1, Hue, Rose, Shade, and Tone)

Rose Marie Williams is an alien abductee who's been up close and personal with the Greys for most of her life, though she remembers very little of it.  Her abductors include Tone, Shade, Hue, and EBE1.  Recently a grinning Grey has taken an interest in her...

The Reptoids

(From Left to Right: Magnus, Gracelis, Quazky, Longus, and Don)

Quazky is good friends with, Hue, a Grey who’s constantly getting himself into trouble thanks to a device known as a Trying Human Circuit.  Quazky's brother, Longus, is head-over-heels for a human male named, Don.  Quazky's crush, Gracelis, is marrying his worst enemy, Magnus.  He's got a lot to deal with.

The Majestic12

(From Left to Right: Dr. Glasner, Roger, 8, and 6)

Rose's on-again-off-again boyfriend, Roger, has just been accepted to a secret government run organization known as the Majestic12.  Now known as simply '12', he tries to fit in while following the lead of 6, 8, and a shady figure who lives in the lowest levels of Area 51.

There’s also a whole lot of other characters pulled from Ufology lore within Trying Human.  You’ll meet them and more along the way! 

! Content warning ! 

This story contains alien abductions/experimentation, depictions of Grey alien faces, animal death and mutilation, violence against women/children/aliens/pretty much everyone, blood, nudity, vulgar/offensive language, guns and gun violence, corruption, sexual assault, drug and alcohol use, and just some pretty bad dudes.  This story and its updates do not use page-by-page trigger warnings.  Please proceed with caution.  If you have questions or concerns about specific content before you begin reading, feel free to reach out to me here or at [email protected]

Similar Tastes:

Readers who might like this webcomic may also like X-Files, The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland, The Shape of Water, Signs, Invader Zim, Men in Black, Welcome to Nightvale

Supplementary Reading:

These books may add to your enjoyment and understanding of the lore within Trying Human.

Secret Life by Dr. David M. Jacobs

Missing Time by Budd Hopkins

Captured! by Kathleen Marden and Stanton Friedman

Links:

Comic: http://tryinghuman.com/

Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/introducingemy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tryinghuman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tryinghuman

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/introducingemy

Tumblr: http://tryinghuman.tumblr.com/ (You’re here!)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/introducingemy/

Discord: https://discord.gg/PEnqeCN

Hiveworks: http://www.thehiveworks.com/

#trying human #tryinghuman #newreadersguide #webcomic #comic #graphicnovel #longpost

[empresskaze]

Reactions to RQG 174

Even though the episode has gone public I'm still putting everything under the cut because HOLY SHIT. Obviously MASSIVE spoilers under. Also cw cuz I describe death a bit.

Ok so before the episode aired, for a week everyone in EA on discord was speculating who was going to die. I mean it was evident based on the last few mins of 173 and because Alex is terrible.

Most of us considered none of the PCs would die because only Azu had been actively thrown over board and she has loadsa hitpoints™️. It's actually funny that they figured Helen hurt Azu more jumping out of the carriage voluntarily then Alex did throwing her off a crashing airship.

Also SO MANY DICE. JESUS. And the quiet while Alex was rolling all his NPCs, I mean it added to the already tense situation cuz obviously we can't see anything but hearing Ben/Lydia/Helen/Bryn reacting to Alex's facial expressions was hard.

When Alex started listing who was tossed I was like oh oh oh no oh no. Kobolds, Barnes, Carter AND WILDE MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT BARD. Apparently Wilde rolled a nat 1...which meant he was thrown higher and farther than anyone. My heart sank but I held out hope...

THEN ALEX PUTS THEM IN INITATIVE ORDER BECAUSE HE'S HORRIBLE!

Azu seeing Barnes IMPALED IN A TREE and Carter unconscious with him. Hamid running to the kobold lumps in the snow. Zolf running to Wilde (shit I'm getting emotional again). Azu casting (I forgot the spell but basically healing) and Barnes coming too while Carter doesn't. Hamid digging for the kobolds (who have 8 hp...) finding Sassraa and Meerk dead.

Zolf...finding Wilde impaled on part of the ship, dead.

Fam, I'm not gonna lie, I started balling. I physically stopped the podcast and went into the bathroom to cry. Wilde is my fave character has been since Damascus and we had so many questions!!!!! And now thanks to the nat 1, he was dead.

I hadn't been liveblogging because I started the episode after it appeared on Patreon and when I got to that part mostly all of EA had finished it. I started saying how I'd gotten to Wilde's death and didn't know if I could continue the episode I was that upset. I couldn't even type. The RQ discord is so great, everyone in EA gave me hugs and said try to make it to the end of the episode so I said I would.

I'm not going to keep play by playing the episode because it would take too long but scenes that just wrecked me aside from Wilde dying.

Cel running to the deck, seeing all the chaos and saying "no no not again" to themself! CEL WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE???

Zolf telling Cel "I'm not strong enough" when Cel asks if Zolf can cast rez. BEN'S SOFT ZOLF VOICE MURDERED ME.

THE ENTIRE HAMID/AZU CONVERSION IN THE SNOW. HOW THEY'D BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE. BRYN HAVING HAMID CRY, MR MONROE HOW DARE YOU. Bryn admitted in chat he cried listening to himself in 174, his performance was amazing.

Carter dying, legit did not expect him. He's a pain in the ass but damnit he's still a fun character.

Ok. So I made it to the end of the episode and with Eagle Druid lady showing up, I trust Alex. Helen even said the 4 of them asked Alex specifically about Wilde because of the parallels to the real Oscar Wilde and Alex told them to trust him, so I do. I hope they all can come back but Wilde needs to because LORE.

I've never reacted this way to a podcast, not even TMA 170 made me cry, I only teared up. Hell I don't remember the last time any piece of media like this. This was uncontrollably sobbing over NPCs that I'm overly attached too. Beholding today was actually pretty cathartic because you got to see eveyone else react and you knew the ending was coming.

Sadly next week starts the Halloween specials so it'll be a MONTH before 175....

Fuck.

RQG is definitely a podcast.

#Rqg #Alex make it right please #That's my emotional support NPC #Kaze thoughts #Rqg spoilers

[monstersandmaw]

Hello folks! Welcome to June! And on the very first day of the month, I bring you this offering. You said in a poll that you were interested in the vampire WIP, so here it is. Although it says WIP, each part has been extensively edited. The story as a whole is a work in progress though, and some elements may change as it develops, although it's all mapped out and I know where it's going. It's written up to Chapter Six, and is sitting at a total of 23,000 words, so it's not going to be a small project!  You said you wanted more multi-chapters, so here it is! (I won't neglect the other ones though, I promise! Winter Solstice's next chapter is also ready to go, and is in the posting queue too!)

Now, this one is set in Skyrim - but wait! Don't stop reading now if you're not a Skyrim person!!! It's not following the events of the game, and only features a few characters from the vampire-themed DLC, Dawnguard. You don't need to know about Skyrim to enjoy it, I hope.

It centres on Kjartan, a pureblood vampire (rare) who has lived a cloistered life at the dour Castle Volkihar, located on a remote island in the northern sea of Skryim. His father, Lord Harkon, is a sadistic and obsessive vampire lord, who until just before the start of this story, had been hell-bent on bringing an ancient prophecy to pass that would darken the sun, and therefore increase his vampiric powers. In the game, I think he wants to wipe out the sun entirely, which is stupid because the humans couldn't grow crops, and the vampires would also starve without humans. I removed that element from this story becaues it's dumb af. Without spoiling what's to come, Kjartan was not treated well at the castle, and after his much older sister, Serana, returned to stop Lord Harkon's dumb plan (accompanied by the dragonborn and the anti-vampire faction, the Dawnguard), he left with her to travel Skyrim and learn how to stand on his own two feet a bit better.

Serana took him to various locations in the north of Skyrim, and discovered that he has some magical talents other than his innate vampire abilities, though he's not particularly strong. She suggested he go to the College of Winterhold, an ancient bastion of learning and scholarship, as much to socialise him as to teach him to use his magic, while she continued south to keep working with the Dawnguard.

It is at this point that we pick up Kjartan's story. I am aware that not everyone will be familiar with the lore of Skyrim, so I have tried to weave it into the worldbuilding side of the story without infodumping on you, or making you have to look stuff up.

I really hope you enjoy it - this one has come to be a real favourite of mine, with socially awkward, emotionally repressed Kjartan, and outgoing and outspoken Nora, his first friend at the college...

Any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments or on Tumblr or Discord. Otherwise, here's 3140 words of Kjartan's POV for Chapter One. It will be alternating every chapter between Kjartan and Nora. (Kjartan is pronounced with the 'j' soft, like 'kyar-tan').

Kjartan

“Your talents are… ‘adequate’ enough to gain entry to the college, but you’re hardly the strongest mage we’ve ever considered,” Faralda said condescendingly as his conjured light faded and the residual magicka in the air sputtered out. The high elven gate keeper of the college still looked like she’d swallowed something bitter though, and she continued to stare at him.

“Thank you,” he said, still standing in ankle-deep snow outside the small barbican gate of the College of Winterhold. Beyond, the leaping expanse of the ancient, crumbling stone bridge stretched away into the blizzard, partly masking the millennia-old college building behind, perched on its promontory like the lone survivor of a shipwreck. With half the town of Winterhold now sitting in the sea below the cliffs, it felt somehow apt to think of the venerable old complex of buildings that way. Of course, most of the inhabitants of the town wished the college had gone down to lie with the rest of the rubble, but that wasn’t his concern. He was here for the college, not the town.

“Ordinarily, that rather underwhelming display would have been just about enough to get you admitted to the college,” the mage went on, “But there’s very obviously something else about you which will need discussing with the Master Wizard before I can even let you set foot on the bridge, let alone into the college.”

Meekly, he bowed his head, his long black hair sliding forward to hide a handsome, if extremely pale and drawn face. He’d been waiting for that. “I understand.”

With a soft huff, Faralda nodded and ushered him into a tiny stone chamber in the gatehouse that had room for no more than a fireplace, a battered old table, two chairs, and a round window the size of a porthole. There she left him sitting with his hands in his lap, and his dark gold eyes burning. As she left and slammed the door behind her, he caught her muttering and he held his breath.

The wait for someone to appear was not as long as he’d thought it might be. Apparently it wouldn’t take hours of arguing amongst themselves. The woman who strode into the squat, stone chamber forty minutes later was short but still very much imposing, power washing off her like a font of pure magicka. She wore traditional belted mage robes that crackled with all sorts of enchantments, and her stern expression fixed itself instantly on him the moment she entered the room.  

“Kjartan Volkihar, is it?” she said in a gravelly alto voice as she stood in the open doorway, letting all the snow flurry in from outside. The single candle on the table guttered instantly and left nothing but the soft glow of his eyes and the weak light from the window to his left. It was clear that she was not impressed or even intimidated - if her steady heartbeat was anything to go by - and that she knew of his family’s reputation. “A vampire. And a pureblood, nonetheless.”

There was little point denying it. He couldn’t hide with illusion magic from someone as powerful as Mirabelle Ervine, or change his unnatural eyes with their entirely black sclera and red-gold irises, glowing even in strong sunlight. Illusion spells might work on the everyday peasant, but to those two mages here in the dimly lit room, his eyes must have shone like the recently extinguished candle flame.  

“Well, it’s not entirely without precedent, you’ll be pleased to hear, but I need to know you can control yourself,” she said, and before either Kjartan or Faralda could have prepared for or prevented it, she had drawn a little belt knife from its sheath at her waist and nicked her inner wrist. Blood welled up, bright and hot and ferrous, and his eyes went immediately to it. Thirst clamped at his tongue and throat and his canines throbbed in his gums, but he never moved so much as a muscle in his body.  

The slow drip - loud as hammer blows to the vampire - of falling drops onto the stone was the only sound in the room for almost a minute, time stretching. He wrenched his eyes from the crimson liquid after only a few heartbeats, and fixed her with his careful gaze instead, and all the while she glowered at him, wrist bleeding, daring him to react. Finally with a flick of her other hand, warm, golden light sparkled at the cut, the skin stitching itself back together, and in an instant the damage was healed.  

“Apologies for such theatrics,” she said, voice clipped and professional as she entered the room and closed the door. While she spoke, she began to pace. “I had to make sure of your reactions and control, and warning you would have spoiled the test.”

Read the whole thing right now, as well as all the Mermay 2020 posts (five in total, including extra artwork) and a surprise, nsfw ‘ghost lover’ story, plus everything that’s been posted already on Patreon!

#vampire #vampire story #male vampire #vampire x human #male vampire x female character #3rd person narrative #it is set in skyrim #skyrim vampire #volkihar vampire #volkihar