#taith talks

[tathracyn]

TaDC is inspired by I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, where a group of humans are tortured for eternity by a sadistic AI. The key differences are that Caine is a 'nice' ai, and he honestly likes the gang. (He still tortures them, because he can't understand humans and can't see that he's ignorantly evil)

IHNMAIMS ends with the humans all killing each other or suiciding to escape their torture, but the AI catches the last human and turns them into a horrific flesh mass where they can't ever die or move or scream. I strongly suspect that TaDC will end similarly, with one of the players remaining in the circus as while all the others either escape or abstract.

(I also heavily suspect the gang legitimately can't escape, because they're actually digital copies of their human selves' brains. They only exist as data.)

[tathracynart]

My Monster Hunter inspiration continues to drive me, and I keep designing things off of my horrible biome killer dragon. Most recently, I started learning Blender in order to model the greatsword design!

[tathracyn]

"The Professor says that if we can so treat the Count's body, it will soon after fall into dust. In such case there would be no evidence against us, in case any suspicion of murder were aroused. But even if it were not, we should stand or fall by our act, and perhaps some day this very script may be evidence to come between some of us and a rope."

Jonathan Fucking Harker, the legend that you are

[tathracyn]

One of the biggest determining factors as to if I could run a game of Lancer is the fact that I'd immediately canonize tumblr as an active media platform during ThirdComm

[tathracyn]

I'm again reminded why Dracula became (and remains) such a hit. The suitors and Van Helsing's days-long hunt of Lucy seems normal enough, to us who know of vampires now, but when the book was first released, Van Helsing would've come across as blasphemous and ungodly for what he asks of them. Something that's reflected in all the boys' reactions, and only slowly drawn away as pieces of evidence are shown, and rebutted, and reexamined, until finally they believe him - and then commit, and reach some measure of peace as Lucy is at last laid to rest.

Stoker did an excellent job of drawing his contemporary audience into his story, assuring their own doubts and skepticisms. Through Van Helsing, he asks them to trust that what is being done has purpose, that the characters are acting not out of madness but out of a deep and noble understanding of Evil's weaknesses.

I can only imagine how hard a sell that must've been for its time, and looking at how he managed it is fascinating.

[tathracyn]

Hey. Hey Failbetter. Dropping a story about a trans woman who, pre-transition, promised her life to a demon in exchange for her greatest accomplishment being writ into history books, only for her to turn away at the last minute and choose to live instead of merely being remembered, is not what I was prepared for today.

[tathracyn]

"I implore your pardon, madam. have read your letters to poor Lucy, and know how good you are and how your husband suffer; so pray you, if it may be, enlighten him not, lest it may harm. Again your pardon, and forgive me."

I find it extremely interesting that Van Helsing consistently encourages people to keep secrets and not share important information out of a concern for others' "delicate" natures. And that it often backfires. Not telling Lucy's mom meant she didn't know not to remove the garlic, and he suggests keeping it from Jonathan yet the moment Jonathan learns what's going on, he rallies.

[tathracyn]

Accompanying my otgw cards, here's the beginning of the Glitch Techs cards I've been designing!