#geverse

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There’s a viscerality behind the original Haitian folklore that the Zombie archetype originated from where it was about a “New World” slave who wasn’t allowed to rest even in death, whose body was exploited even when dead to keep working.

I’m thinking of the lore for Monster Realmers and how in-universe necromancy was originally designed as a means to transport the dead at a distance safe from bacteria and illnesses, and then its applications branched off from there. Some cultures used it as part of funerary rites…

So I’m considering exploitative systems of capitalism or feudalism or commerce or whatever where workers aren’t allowed to stay dead. Where they sign reanimation contracts that permit employers to necromance their bodies and use them to perform labor. Sorry, you wanted to bury your loved one? Their body still has a certain quota to fulfill before we can return it to you for a proper burial.

Some zombies are expected to work until the wear and tear gets so bad they fall apart and only then are the ravaged pieces given back to the families. People die fighting for their nation and then are expected to double-die fighting for their nation as undead soldiers. Open casket funerals aren’t much of an expectation unless the mortician can do a really good job.

Sure, some people donate their bodies to science, and I imagine some cultures in the Monster Realm willfully practice having their dead be repurposed to engage in labor, so as to spare the living the toil and struggle. Such places have the dead cloaked and covered up in distinguishing attire to avoid recognition. But a lot of people are very much coerced into it, like technically you chose to sell your organs but did you really?

A lot of zombies are taxidermied to avoid the aforementioned biohazard concerns when it comes to necromancy (weaponizing bacteria and illness has always been a tactic in war necromancy). I think of the image of the Jiangshi with the tag hanging in front of its face. What if one were to riff that image; In Monster Realmers, it’s not just a tag to control the Jiangshi; It’s a price tag. Taxidermied bodies put onto the market for necromancers to wield; It’s a lot cheaper than both the initial and maintenance costs of a chimera, and most people don’t need the specialization of chimeras anyhow, as those are considered more of a bougie product/“skilled” labor, befitting Editaurus’ character.

And let’s not beat around the bush here. People will get freaky with the zombies and Jiangshi. There are laws against it in a lot of places but it happens either way. There’s a vile market for people considered attractive who are kidnapped and murdered so their bodies can be used as sex dolls with all of the necessary enchantments to make them feel as alive as possible. It’s something that Viracious is outraged by and he has a point even if the anti-sex double standard is obvious and Majikus reminds him yes, this is part of what you’re fighting for. To prevent injustices like these. So let it motivate you.

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Another Council of Warlocks commission done by @pespillo!!! It’s the fashionable duo Megarus and Editaurus:

Love how Ed’s web wings were done… The best part is the angle makes it look as if Meg is taking an impromptu selfie and Ed is a bit surprised but immediately rolls with it and poses because that’s just what they do. It even conveys a certain unspoken vibe I always imagined with them:

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Got another commission of another Warlock duo by @pespillo (who is still doing comms!) of these two dinguses Viracious and Kisonus. Kis might be more brazenly loud mouthed while Viracious is more of a pointed, condescending lecture. But they are both juvenile idiots around one another. Kisonus looks like she’s about to bite his head clean off.

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I feel like one of the mean-spirited things Viracious and other funerary necromancers upset about the new generation turning down the practice would be stuff like The only reason you’d have to worry about people bastardizing your image post-mortem is if you didn’t make/maintain connections in life to protect your image in death. So the fact that this generation is so worried about this says a lot, doesn’t it!!!

Ignore how funerary necromancy has gotten to a point where some people will sign reanimation contracts with companies or other entities where they agree to let theirs or others’ dead bodies be used to advertise and speak good of the entity before their body is finally put to rest. Like Shoutout to this funerary home for such good service in keeping my body nearly prepared before I go to bed in this swanky new coffin they prepared me!!! But before I pass on lemme just share a quick word from our sponsor Cubespace-

I think Viracious would rightfully complain about capitalism infecting funerary spaces and intending to address that with his conquests as a warlord and then warlock but otherwise have nothing to say regarding families and other groups who misrepresent the dead for other purposes. Or people who would just prefer not to have their bodies be interpreted like that at all.

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I finally got around to designing Tamara’s outfit and drawing it! You can tell how many times I had to erase haha. This was my first drawing after almost half a year of hiatus, because doing the Council of Warlocks wrecked me.

I wanted to do a feathered/flight motif, due to her ability to manipulate gravity for these and other purposes. Tamara’s sleeves were included to create a sense of flow and dynamic movement as necessary, and illustrate visually what direction she’s falling in. They also, surprise, imitate the silhouette of bird wings! And naturally I gave her Hermes-esque sandals for the motif, because Tamara can run faster by changing the incline of gravity in her favor, or make it seem as if she’s flying on her shoes alone. I’d like to think I created the vibe of a free-spirited character here; Fly high, Tamara.

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Trexdis vibes:

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Did anyone else have multi-purpose OCs, who you’d use for different stories at once? Sometimes original, sometimes as part of some pre-existing media, with minor differences between incarnations. I recall Midas and Lynkos doubling as both Ninjago and Ghostbusters OCs.

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When his children were little, Viracious’ father told them a story meant for kids:

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One day, a man stole fruit from a stall and ran. The owner called out, “Thief! Thief!” A few people ran after the thief for him, but did not know what he looked like; Only that he had fruit, and must run and act like a thief.

The thief sat down with someone else who was eating the same fruit, and began eating the fruit he had stolen. He made sure to wipe his mouth the proper way*.

When the searchers arrived, they saw the thief using polite etiquette. Meanwhile, the other man was holding his napkin improperly. “Thief, thief!” They declared the innocent man. They dragged him off and the thief left.

As the innocent man waited for his trial, it became time for lunch. He began to eat his prison meal. He had learned his lesson and wiped his mouth by holding his napkin the proper way. Meanwhile, the guard held his napkin messily and smeared his mouth.

When the court came to take in the innocent man, they saw him eating properly. Meanwhile the guard ate improperly. “Thief, thief!” They identified the guard. They took him instead.

At court, the guard said he was innocent. The other innocent man was brought in. He said the guard was a liar. Nobody was sure who to believe.

Just then, the judge sneezed. He wiped his nose, holding his napkin the improper way. The two men on trial pointed at him and yelled, “He is the thief!”

*The proper way to hold a napkin is to fold it over your hand like a triangle, with one corner pointing the direction your hand is facing. When you wipe your mouth, you rub your covered hand against it.

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Viracious’ father explained, and his son agreed, that the lesson was about proper manners; If you do not appear and act properly, then you will look as lowly as a common thief!

Viracious’ sister had a different interpretation; She instead saw the story as poking fun at the absurdity of the upper class’ obsession with decorum, and its tendency to judge others based on superficial characteristics. This bias ends up turning against one of its own when a high-ranking official such as a judge is implicated over a forgetful mistake.

Viracious and his father were adamant on theirs being the correct approach, and were unamused by the sister’s takeaway.