#merlin vot

[feathercritter]

---------- Three lights in a dark place. ----------

---------- connection -- intent -- matter ----------

Some quick speedpaints to celebrate Season 3. :)

High Res download links under cut 

All Three: https://www.sashamorrissey.com/artwork/ThreeLights_HighRes.png

Cleo: https://www.sashamorrissey.com/artwork/ThreeLights_CleoHighRes.png

Merlin and B. Man: https://www.sashamorrissey.com/artwork/ThreeLights_MerlinBMan_HighRes.png

Dot: https://www.sashamorrissey.com/artwork/ThreeLights_Dot_HighRes.png

[midstpodcast]

OMELET 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO 🦋📜🪶

It's been a second since our three extradimensional narrators took a swing at drawing #UNEND's favorite definitely-a-cat, Omelet!

Catch Omelet in Season 3 on YouTube and wherever high-quality podcasts are found at the links in our bio! 🧡

[kerosene-in-a-blender]

What incredible act of faith in Merlin giving him a fresh ultraboc was on the part of the Biological Man. Merlin had just struck him in anger and admitting to meaning to hurt him when he did it, even as the Biological Man tried to say that he didn't. Merlin and he had been having conflict for weeks. Merlin was currently in the middle of trying to kidnap the whole crew and use them as sacrifices to travel to a different cosmos. He'd said so many hurtful things and proven that he was not in his right mind by virtue of the thought patterns he was verbalizing. And the Biological Man knows better than pretty much anyone how much power is in a fresh boc, because he helped install them into the Ship's boc array and watched them overwhelm and destroy the equipment meant to measure their energy output.

But the Biological Man still gave it to him, because he trusted that Merlin at the end of the day didn't want them all dead, and hadn't truly given up on this cosmos and the wonder of exploration, he was just scared and hurt and isolated. He trusted the Merlin needed someone to reach out in him in an act of faith that he wasn't irrevocably broken and could still choose to do the right thing. And Merlin rewarded that faith, because he did do the right thing, he protected the Crew from and healed Steve. And he returned that faith to the Biological Man by telling him to publish his book, because it's good and has an outlook on the world Merlin thinks he himself has lost; by telling him to live on as Merlin Vot for the both of them.

[erewile]

Unend S1E08, or thereabouts

[hello-eeveev]

There’s a beautiful parallel/counterpoint happening between Merlin in s2e17 Grace and Merlin in s3e16 Vector when faced the with prospect of Dot sacrificing themself.

In Grace:

In fact, a confusion and sorrow and disappointment well up inside of him. How has it come to this? What have they missed? What has HE missed? Why wasn’t he able to devise a brilliant strategy that would avoid ANYONE having to sacrifice themselves? Surely, if he could just get back in his old body, his old brain, or incorporate his new body with the big sun-brain, he would’ve been able to figure this all out.

and in Vector:

“It is the only way, Cleo. You can end this. No matter what I become, you must not hesitate. You must destroy me along with–” “That won’t be necessary,” says Merlin. “Allow me.”

A sacrifice is still required, but where he couldn’t devise a way to spare Dot in season 2, he sees a way now. And for all Merlin is self-centered and full of bluster, he does not hesitate to trade his life for theirs. He is prideful and arrogant, yes, but when push comes to shove, he has shown himself to, more often than not, be willing take on responsibility for the well-being of the crew.

Rest in peace. I’ll miss you, buddy.

[helimir]

I was gonna write one of those posts that’s like “Imagine you’re a scientist on a remote research mission..” and ends with “every day, Merlin Vot wakes up” but I can’t do it. There is simply no level of abstraction, no metaphor that can even begin to capture the essence of what’s going on here.

You’re a scientist on a remote research mission. Things have gone so wildly off course that it’s become entirely about survival and possibly getting home. At some point (back when you were still doing Science) you accidentally switched bodies with your robot assistant that you made. So now you’re a robot, but otherwise still yourself. Your robot assistant is now walking around in YOUR body and not only is he sentient but he’s starting to experience your memories and develop your mannerisms. You’re not sure what he is to you, but it’s somewhere between infant son, twin brother, and alien doppelgänger who stole your life. And now you find out that he’s been using your body (well, his body now!) to hook up with your coworker. Your coworker who, even after months of traveling and struggling for survival together, you’d still be on shaky ground to call a friend. Maybe he had a thing for you that he never once let on and you never once noticed, but now that your infant son/twin brother/immaculately conceived entire adult man is piloting the meat suit, I GUESS they figured things out just fine! You consider asking your lifeboat pilot to take out your batteries.

Every day Merlin Vot wakes up.

[the-enfolded]

I saw Merlin Vot at Bernhard & Gottle just before he left to explore the cosmos on The Ship. His last lecture was most inspiring.

[sylvesterfromsequester]

The Teachable Student (Unend fan animation).

This was made as a character acting practice, and I think the rough animation does as good a job as any at portraying the characters’ emotions.

Audio from unend s3ep9 by @midstpodcast