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I'm terrible at uploading my work here, but do linger in the walls. chevron-misc is my more usual tomfoolery

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test sprite for figuring out art style, dimensions and flow :)

what if you found something shiny and picked it up

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I'm still working on my projects I swear

Decided to set the main game aside in favor of a proof of concept that should be much simpler to program... for now..

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A little more concept art for my beloved Ouroboros. This one’s got a place in the story already, and ambassador of sorts down in the Rims. And yes, I am delighted to inform you that their name is Bundle.

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Figuring out the stylization I want for my !very own! rpg

if you’re interested in that sort of thing, make sure to check this blog or @chevron-misc for updates under the tag Ouroboros It’s planned to be set in the Rims, an underground city soon to be a wasteland as one face in the crowd seeks to unravel the mysteries of magic and science

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Pranoia

Lavernt Eris Moongazer, the subject of intense paranoid episodes and an illustration of just that

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Journal Entry of the First

I have been... out of sorts since he last letter I received from my friend. We had not exchanged too many correspondences, and yet I- had grown accustomed to talking to someone else, someone who understands much of the way I speak.

Life has been cruel to me since my beloved Z̷̡̡̡̨̼̬̣̥͇̞̺̜̣͓̼̥̝͓̺̼͓̫̱͕̲͔͐͌̓́̐̓͛͆̔̈́̍͌̅̀̋͘͝͝ͅė̴̡̛̳̱̻̳̹͕͉ͅņ̶̧̪͈͙̣͓̗̉͗̂̏͑͊̇̀͒̚͝͝͠ì̸̢̡̢̬͔̦̯͚͈̩͔̝͕̖͈͕̹͕̣͇͉̩̮̪͖̺̅̑̀̕͘͜͜͝ţ̷̡̨͇͉̼͈̼͖̞̹̞̙̫̜̺̺͍̘͎̳̹͕͂́ḣ̸̛̗̠͐͒́̿̽́̃̅̉͊̎̒̓̄͛̅̉̈͌͊͊̋̏̚̚͘͝͝ left my side on this mortal plane. I- have done my best to not think of hir, but I find my memories bleeding into my vision in the still hours of the morning. Too familiar is the grief that dances with golden hair and miscoloured eyes, too familiar is the loss of a friend. A lover. A- Vance is not one I knew well. Perhaps my affections of him were mere projection... It matters not now. The locals have gone from loving me to wariness, I see it in their eyes. No longer do they visit my great library, no longer do they stop to make conversation on the street. Unwell, they say. I look unwell. The whole world seems against me, I think I- ... I think I may leave this city I’ve called home since my rebirth. I suppose all things must eventually die but the gods.... and those who fraternized too deeply with them...

--Lavernt Eris Moongazer

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People who see pics of like those fucked up deep sea fish and creatures and go "omg I'm never going swimming in the ocean again 😰😰😰" calm down. They're 5000 feet below where you are and also i went down there and none of them even knew you. Leave them alone bitch

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A Letter to an Acquaintance, entry 3

Shandar Vance,

I apologize deeply for this long lapse between the time I wrote last and now, you are not the only one to have faced struggles, however… I’m so sorry. I do not know how attached you were to your home, but I know that change is always difficult. If you are indeed the man I recall spending those weeks with, I know you do not deserve such things, let alone in such extremes. Assassination…. Your home must be truly corrupt, and I wish you steady paths in finding a better one. I do know some basics in wilderness survival, if need be, and I’m always a letter away if ever you need advice or simple company. I did not see much outside of the city you lived when I er… visited, I hope it is hospitable to you.

 If I may ask, of all the things you chose to take with you, why the message box? They are neither especially light nor wieldy. I am deeply please to continue to be able to communicate with you, but I hadn’t realized it was such a priority of yours.

 As for my own activities, I regret to again stunt it with ‘very much has been happening’. My experiments with my own constructed substance continue to reach heights and depths I never imagined. Uncanny… it started as a puddy in my hand, but dear friend, I now believe it is capable of housing life. Not the imitation of life, but real, active life. I must explore it further, but I cannot pray the time pass faster. The past month has been an utter fever dream of restarted trials and grappling with units of measurement. I have had to invent several new processes to gauge the passage of energy through living things. It reminds me of my youth, back in the Rims when I first started observing the nature of magic so very long ago…

I. Apologize, I’m likely still lacking on sleep. I can’t seem to convince myself to take break, but this letter was a good excuse. I’m sorry it took so long, I suppose it’s got something to do with some sort of phenomenon that the social scientists have started blabbering about. Something to do with unusual pattern of development and.. attention. Did you know some people can choose what they focus on and remember? It sounds strange to me, but I suppose that’s why the world is as vaguely functional as it is.

 I’m sorry again, I have rambled on a bit long, or- perhaps not long at all. I wish not to distract you unless you wish to be distracted. I much anticipate your response, and hope we can come to something steadier together… though slim that chance might be.

Steady paths, Vance.

-Lavernt Eris

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A Letter to an Acquaintance, sending 2

Miss Lavernt I apologize for taking so long to respond to you, my friend. It has been a difficult two weeks but I have finally found the time to sit down and write back to you. Many things have happened since I last sent you my correspondence, or at least that is what it feels like. My brain has been whirling about in my skull, and even now I don’t fully feel like it’s settled–though given where I am, this is not surprising. Suffice it to say, I have run away from home. Or, a home. Dorimea was merely a place to stay for a few years, and I would have left eventually. But I am sensing that now was not the time the others had hoped I would choose. They tried to stop me on the way out, though I gave my excuses, and though by rights I am completely free to leave. I believe they tried to assassinate me. Why, I do not know; I am of little threat to anyone; but the looks in their eyes when I informed them of my intent made me worried enough that I made sure to escape in the dead of night, taking only what I could carry on my person. With me I have some essential lab equipment, as well as several books of notation and reference. I regret that I was forced to leave behind the vast quantity of my work, but I believe that it will remain safe, though my life was, potentially, at risk. Science is objective from myself, if they are not fools they will understand that there is no need to destroy my work. That said…I suppose my last correspondence laid out very plainly their foolishness. Regardless, what’s done is done. I am on the road now, headed for the north, away from the war. My research was concerning some particularly intriguing qualities of various plants, and even some insects, and I am interested in investigating that. Why do certain insects seem to be able to induce a temperature effect around them, why do certain plants seem to be able to change the very makeup of their leaves? I feel that those in this world have come to take things like these for granted. They are just “the way of things” to many, but I feel a craving to understand. My itch as an artist calls to me as well, seeking to sketch out these creatures and properly document them. I do hope that my research will be of interest to you as well, knowing your proclivities and our shared fascinations. I shall be sure to keep you up to date with each of my discoveries, to the best of my ability. I feel like my troubles have taken up most of the subject matter of our correspondences, though, which I do apologize for. I have been known to ramble, especially about my research, and it has not led me to make many friends in the past–and considering I have few of those these days, I would be remiss to be so careless as to push you aside, unintentional or otherwise. Not to mention that I am intrigued to know more about you, my mysterious pen pal. You live in an entirely different realm, after all, and life must be so much different there. Already my mind jumps at the chance to learn more. I await your tidings and your words with eagerness. - Vance Callabast of Serecium (by @artifabrian  ) #letter#fantasy#magic#science#politics#correspondence#Lavernt#Vance#science bastards in arms#fuck around and find out#birds of a feather

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A Letter to an Acquaintance, entry 2 (proper)

Shandar Vance,

It’s unusual for me to think of politics at all, let alone so much. Luckily, I have not had to deal with them myself for about a hundred years or so now. I would recommend doing as I did, simply working your way to third partied distance. Alas, I… cannot solve your birthright.

Seeing as how it impacts you so, and hardly at all in the vice versa, I would simply ask you to review it again yourself. What is to be lost either way? You have a great mind, friend. I hope that’s not forward, I am unsure of quite its meaning between our tongues. But you are simply built for something more.

I have seen the stars in your eyes, I have seen the sun in your hands. I fear that remaining in such transient and pointless conflicts will only rob you and the world of true wonder. As far as staying, the only methods I may suggest are, at least where I live, considered vaguely immoral. The stubborn hearts of men can and need to be controlled to get anything done in such tangled systems. I’m sure you know what emotions catch and hold attention the strongest, and while I don’t necessarily endorse them, it is always an option of sorts. If you’re interested, I have experience on that matter as well.

Criminal brands aren’t handed out for nothing.

If you decide to weather your trials plainly or escape them, I’ll do my best to advise you. I would- truly hate to lose a new friend so soon. In the meantime, I would very much like to let my thoughts wander with you. I can elaborate on godhood if you would like, but it is many long-winded passages of explanation. I am also very intrigued in your magic, as it seems to diverge from mine. Anything you can tell me of it, I would love to hear. Please, friend, do share. I wish to gain an understanding of your world. Not the petty squabbles of nations, but the world itself.

-Lavernt Eris Moongazer, with sincerity.

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A Letter to an Acquaintance, sending 1

Miss Lavernt, I am very pleased to have received your letter. I was similarly engaged by our previous interactions, and very intrigued by your apparent godhood. I have to say in all my years and in all my travels I have yet to encounter a deity in the flesh, much less a god who shares similar interests when it comes to science and magic. I have been doing my best in my position, though with tensions heating up in the south I find my attempts to focus on my research further hindered by my duties as a politician. I am not certain why the others continue to entertain the notion that I am at all competent in this field. I suppose this is what you get when political positions are something determined by birth where I come from. The convening of so many different countries and kingdoms lately has given me new perspective and shown me the glaring flaws in the way my own citystate runs things, though in turn has shown me the flaws in the way they run things. I find it amusing that no matter how much time passes, humanity never seems to absorb the idea that each of our perspectives are uniquely valuable and no one is right or wrong. Perhaps this is why there has been so much squabbling. Pride and arrogance run deep in these circles and few actually try to listen to each other, especially in the face of pressure and threats. More and more I find interactions between kings and dignitaries to be less conversations and more verbal sword fights, each person doing their best to batter the other with their opinion and no one letting their guard down long enough for anyone’s words to sink in. It is even worse then that I do not function as they, preferring instead to take my time and absorb every opinion. I have been told that people often think I am scheming things, due to the fact that I tend to prefer not to volunteer an opinion immediately, tend not to make my stance known instantly. Quite the opposite–I am merely trying to understand the situation in full so that my stance might not be so ill-informed. If there is ever a time for caution, it is when war is on the horizon. That said, I feel among the least equipped to answer to the call of war. I am no general on the field, nor am I a strong leader with the people’s interests at heart. I am an explorer, and a scientist, and occasionally an artist. My research has been at risk of being neglected in these times, though I still make time, late into the night if I must, to see to it. I feel like I am being stretched between two lives, and soon there will come a breaking point. A thought brews in my mind, and I find myself turning to it more and more in recent days. Running off and disappearing to some distant location far from all the politics in the world was my habit years ago, and though circumstance and duty have made such frivolous actions less feasible these days, I still find myself drawn to the idea. The unknown calls to me, desperately asking to be understood, and my duties grow tiresome. I know that if I left now, many would be disappointed in me, but I ask myself, what am I really contributing here? I will think on it further. For now, I offer you the thoughts of a mind probably long due for a good night’s sleep, and the eagerness of a man wishing to hear back from one of the few individuals he might consider a friend. - Vance Callabast of Serecium

(by @artifabrian )

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A Letter to an Acquaintance, entry 23

Since returning to my home on Step Two... well you aren’t familiar with how steps work yet, are you. My apologies, let’s try again.

Since returning home, I’ve been deeply pressed for time, as I once again appear to have upset the government in my local city state. Rest assured, I have the experience to handle this properly. Politicians never do like advancements in magic unless it serves them, and this is an edge I have refused to share. I believe my recent findings will revolutionize how we handle labor, production, and progress. I shall be excited to send you updates as things move along, but for the time being I’ll satisfy myself by explaining how it is we met in the first place.

During my stint as a god- yes, a true immortal, I became familiar with how one may travel through dimensions of reality into others unlike their own. Gods themselves rest on a proverbial ‘higher’ plane, though there are several realities I believe are perfectly mortal, familiar even. I have taken to calling each of these planes Steps. To travel metaphorically downward through reality is to walk down Steps, and vice versa. I am new to doing this in my current life, and so I find it difficult. I did manage to step downward onto the very plane that you call home. After returning and by borrowing your knowledge of local magic I obtained a sort of focus for your world’s energy. I brought it back with me and experimented in folding objects from a focus of my world to yours, and have created a pair of boxes. A pair of boxes that should link shared space between separate planes, allowing for communication. Actually sending you the box has proven difficult, and with my limited focus I cannot simply return and give it to you. I believe I’ve done it by now, and I believe this letter may go through. Operating the letter box is simple. Just put what you wish to send inside, close it, and energize it in whichever way is most powerful for your local magic. I have perfect faith that you will be able to hit the necessary threshold to trigger temporary spatial folding.

I do all this, friend, because you both fascinate and delight. I.. will also admit that after my chaotic visit, I hold a distinct fondness for you. We’re quite alike, you see, tangled up in science and magic until those around us feel far away... At any rate, I eagerly anticipate your response. I’m curious as to your studies and will be happy to share mine. I realize this letter was patchy and chaotic, but after so many attempts I’ve forgotten quite what you don’t know. So please feel free to ask you questions, we have a lot of learning to do from one another.

-Lavernt Eris Moongazer, with sincerity.

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A brief Overview

Sce (sk-ay), a poorly named universe I began creating when I was twelve, has been my personal passion project for over seven years now. It began simply as a way to tell stories between my middle school friend who loved D&D, and myself, someone not allowed to play the table top to end all table tops. I developed a sort of tsundere attitude toward D&D, and as reflex determined that I would create a game just as fantastic, without all those rule books and math!

I got another friend on board with it, and we made a central cast of characters that I know at least one of them still use from time to time for animation, though I lost contact with both original cocreators after my life got shaken up like an etch-a-sketch. Massive eternal credit to them (if y’all ever find this blog and want to be named, feel free to message me). 

It didn’t take long for the formal game playing to fall apart, but what it broke into has lasted far longer than that original goal ever could. It is now an amorphous, multi medium project that follows over 9 distinct stories through a whole slew of settings and characters. It started in a single, beloved classic fantasy world and has since blossomed into shattered timelines, wildly deep magic systems, new worlds, and space! Though granted the bulk of it remains on the original and central planet and its narratives (for now).

This whole blog will follow a very loose form as I try to compile and record all the tangled thoughts and ideas I have for the universe. Linearity has never been my strong suit, but I’ll do my best to provide context necessary for each part. Generally speaking, I tend to focus much more detail on the two earliest stories, so those will probably be receiving the most content.

Hope you all enjoy, it’s a pleasure to work on this.