crypticvirago

[crypticvirago]

I hope they're happily travelling the universe together 🥺

(Closeups below the cut)

[crypticvirago]

Wrote just about six chapters of the human AU before realizing I wanted to change a bunch of things that were plot related. Started to rewrite, and now I'm coming to the realization that I do actually know how to do slow burn.

And by slow burn I mean that they're probably not even going to like each other until about halfway through

[crypticvirago]

Having friends/family that support and use Generative AI despite me telling them how harmful it is to the environment, how it's diminishing the intelligence and critical reasoning skills of the children/adults who use it, and how it's a fucking slap to the face of anyone who values the creative process because it makes it easier to write a fucking grocery list or do their homework is pathetic.

[crypticvirago]

My skinny scientist guy of choice

[crypticvirago]

I had SO wanted to write something short and sweet, a few years or so post the ending of Wounding, for Christmas as a token of appreciation for everyone that read Wounding. But this holiday season at my job has been royally kicking my ass and the only thing I've been able to do is daydream about it

[crypticvirago]

Al-An the space GOAT 🐐

[crypticvirago]

"No one answers his choked cries. He is alone.

No, not altogether alone. He has Her, and She hovers over him, eyes glinting. They both know she could help him, free them both from containment. Or just simply kill them both. He's at her mercy, powerless. Is she pleased at this? he wonders. Would she find it amusing that he now knows why she was so scared?

Perhaps. The emperor chuckles and traces his cheek. "Ah, Al-An." she says, and it's with Robin's voice."

(Commission for @vaultbuggo, writing by them)

[crypticvirago]

Glass Animals - A Tear in Space

Half promotional art for my fic <3 To the readers who have stuck with my bs this long, thank you, and see you next year.

Chapter 10 - Bait (2495 words) Chapter 11 - Don't Take it to the Grave (3650 words) Chapter 12 - Dreams of Abstract Things (1639 words) Chapter 13 - Dead Pink Parade (2845 words) Chapter 14 Luck of the Damned (1559 words)

[crypticvirago]

Architect Society thoughts

(This is gonna be a pretty thick info dump so I'll put it below a break so I'm not clogging up anyone's feed).

All this mostly started with my attempt at trying to figure out some odd aspects of how Architects are represented in the game, and it spiraled into me imagining hypotheticals and putting way too much thought into things that don't need it/will probably never be explained.

I know that Architect society is presented as this whole, cohesive unit in the game, but I've always wondered if it's more than that. And while we have no idea how Architect society is divided up, or if it even is, we do know that Al-An is in a position of high importance. He states as much, and considering he was given the very important task of finding a cure for the bacterium outbreak, it's likely he was pretty high up.

Which makes me start thinking about how status is represented in Architect society. If it's something physically represented (like how royalty wears crowns, or military wears uniforms) or if it's something built into the 'code' that uniquely identifies each individual 'component' or Architect in the Network

I think both, and like to imagine they use their horns as symbols of status and add adornments to them - it's almost archaic tradition but since metals like gold, silver and platinum are rare in space because of their density, having more of them symbolized importance and longevity of "usefulness", i.e., how long you've been alive and contributing to the Network

(Idk I just want to see Al-An wearing platinum jewelry with pearls or amber, because cosmically they're far rarer than emeralds or diamonds, reflecting his incredibly important status.)

Which brings me to some things never explained in game. There are statues that get made of Architects you can find in the Koppa mining site, as well as a whole ass garden that gets made as a "place to reflect". Why? What purpose does it serve, unless Architect's value art in some way? I keep thinking about that one Architect that died there. Why did they go there, and choose to die there, if they didn't find comfort in the place?

People, myself included, characterize Architect's as being solely invested in scientific study alone, but they have to value art somehow. Otherwise, why would those statues be made on 4546b? Why would all of those objects, some with purely subjective value, be displayed in the primary containment facility and the quarantine enforcement platform? Maybe not valuing it to the extent of study, but still regarding it as serving some sort of purpose.

And now, what if there's an almost outlier section of society that, rather than studying the sciences, are more interested in studying the humanities? Valuing philosophy, art and even their language, placing it in high regard? What if the number that study those has been dwindling for hundreds of years, largely looked down upon by the majority of Architect society for their study into what might not be considered important to progress? Sort of like nowadays - where people consider getting a degree in the arts secondary to a degree in the sciences. But they value that study regardless, and have their own complex of buildings atop a mountain like we see at the end of the game, in some separate location.

And even further - what if there were even Architects that found themselves discontent with being in the Network and left? Regarded with disappointment and shamed by the society they left behind, deemed crazy and defective, but finding individualism more valuable. Forming a sect somewhere either among the mountains, or below the cloud layer, away from 99% of all other Architects.

What if they alone survived the outbreak? Not deliberately, but just because the infection never had the opportunity to spread to them. They might not even know what happened to the rest, to those that remained in Network. They were told to never come back to the mountain peaks, so they never did. Never cared to. They just know that at one point the progress stopped, and the ships stopped flying overhead.

What if, when Al-An comes home, Architects he once deemed lesser, flawed and defective, are all that's left of the people he loves? Robin not understanding the differences, and is relieved and happy that there are some of his people left. But Al-An's just conflicted because they aren't his people. Not really. It'll leave Al-An with his race still technically alive, but his people are well and truly gone. There's no place for him among them, unless he can accept that sole individualism as his new reality. Having to come to terms with the fact that the society he was searching to restore can never come back to be, but the Architect's are not truly gone.

I'll likely have many more thoughts to add, but I found myself caught up thinking about the evolution of the Architect's as a species - from their birth of sentience to the cybernetically enhanced, interstellar traveling people we know in the game. About the scraped beta dialogue between Robin and Al-An about how they had to work hard to survive the threats of evolutionary and technological advancement, and all that meant for them and their society.

I could probably go on forever about what those evolutionary hurdles must have looked like and the sacrifices needed to be made to continue on, since that's just my cup of overthinking biologist tea. But I think I'll leave it here, for now.

[crypticvirago]

I've not had the opportunity to write over the past week because of work but I've been thinking A LOT about Architect societal structure recently. Would anyone actually be willing to read any of my thoughts about it

[crypticvirago]

no spoilers but the arcane act 3 design for machine herald viktor is the sort of humanoid body design i want for al-an send tweet (semi-spoilery pics under the cut)

do we see the vision

[crypticvirago]

Because I'm curious, and I don't think Al-An actually has set pronouns in game: what do YOU guys refer to Al-An as?

(This is not in regards to gender, btw; it's literally just what pronouns you use when thinking or writing about Al-An. If you're not sure, just pick the closest one and explain in the comments/tags!)

[crypticvirago]

Human AU looking strong

[crypticvirago]

The red lights turn off. The controls go dark, joysticks limp in Al-An’s grip. The headlights shut off.  The thing lets them go. Whatever it was. Wherever it had come from. It lets them go and disappears, and the only reason Robin can even tell is because that blue mouth and red markings vanish somewhere out in front of them.  And then it hits her.  They're dead in the water. Dead, five hundred meters down, in a pitch black cave, with a tank that gave them less than four minutes of air and a sea truck cabin with a steadily depleting oxygen supply. A sea truck that was extremely damaged, maybe unrecoverable, but thankfully, for the moment, didn't seem ruptured.  Logic. Panic kills. Need logic.  Robin tries coaching it into herself, but somehow isn't able to. Just feels the fear gripping the both of them, the adrenaline causing her body to shake and leans into it. Doesn't mean to, doesn't want to, but there's not a lot of positives at the moment.  The flashlight is blindingly powerful in comparison to the previous darkness. Al-An holds it in one hand and tries pressing the ignition with the other, but all that happens is a soft clicking noise when the button is pressed. The engine's aren't online. They've probably been torn clean off.  Logic. Al-An’s good at logic. Al-An can handle it.  "Robin, calm down," Al-An's suddenly saying. Harsh, maybe without meaning to. He sounds stressed. Speaks through gritted teeth. "You're going to cause us both to panic." 

something something i said wounding was my comfort fic, and therefore again I need comfort lmfao - but also Oh my god my hand slippded my hand really slipped why go through grief when i can watch alyou go through it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway - I know you said not to say sorry but sorry i gotta tag you once more @crypticvirago - go read the rest here

[crypticvirago]

You wanna break through, understand and comfort the waters so bad

another piece for @crypticvirago 's fic :]

these were some of the doodles I did whilst reading at the hospital ages ago :v

I still kinda wanna draw these... but there's more freedom to change my damn mind on csp OAKSJAJSJS

[crypticvirago]

Lil doodles sorta taken from sketch book back when i read it a seocnd time bc of a long ass stay away from home - yes I still think about @crypticvirago's fic

also using @cynautica 's architect font (thank u for sharing :] )

theres something about Robin not knowing what Al-an looks like where my brain HAS no choice but to just imagine those moments before she has any clue, when she thinks of Al-an, she sees her body ... I love how she notices it's not her

[crypticvirago]

@trackerwrites

big fan of the colors hummm