#and i liked drawing all the steampunky bits^^

[araneapeixes]

Commission for @blackdogmotel!! loved working on this one, thank u again<33

[spiderziege]

[hermit ask game] 18, 19, 25

18) whats your favorite thing about the fandom?

hmm i mean for a relatively big fandom it still feels very chill, which is nice. ive been in some very very bad fandoms and i think hermitcraft is one of the most enjoyable ones ive been in! but my favorite thing i think is still THE ART!!!! in every form. theres so much art and so many artists and all of it is so good!! i think seeing all the cool fanart was what made me check out hc in the first place, so yeah. big fan of art

19) favourite hermit design?

hmm theres a lot of good ones, favorite to draw are probably false cleo & tango! but i think my favorite design of mine is season 8 scar with the swaggon brand wheelchair... that one's fun :D should draw that again i wanna make his wheelchair a bit more steampunky i think

25) any hermit quotes that have stuck with you?

hmm honestly cant think of one off the top of my head... i have shitty memory when it comes to things like that lol

[ilikereadingactually]

The Wings Upon Her Back

The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills

what an incredible pleasure to sink into a book that's compellingly written and crafted. i had hit a little bit of a slump of books that weren't doing it for me, but this one had me from the first page.

i love the worldbuilding here, the purposeful claustrophobia of it—towers that climb into the sky, but very little sense of a wider world. a class system within and across devotion to different specialized gods. the larger structures of facism, and the smaller, more personal structures of control and abuse. it's a very tense book, but in a great way where i was anxiously rooting for Zemolai to find her way out, not anxiously waiting for something terrible to happen.

and Zemolai! i loved her. i loved the flashbacks to her youth, and i loved her in the present—deeply flawed and hurting and scared, and i wanted the best for her. there were some other lovely characters too, young people around Zemolai who she was leaving behind or drawing nearer to; there was also Vodaya, an explosive and almost irresistible force of control. all of these characters, and others populating this world, were relayed with such delightful nuance and reality!

this book was a real gem, i'm glad to have spent an otherwise stressful week of my life reading it and cathartically crying about it.

the deets

how i read it: an e-galley from NetGalley! i'm still not quite caught up with my galley reading, but that does have the nice benefit of being able to buy this book immediately upon finishing it.

try this if you: dig a science fiction setting with a fantasy/steampunky feel, love books with moral quandaries, get excited about middle-aged protagonists, or have ever enjoyed wingfic. also if you're an Ann Leckie fan, i think there's some resonance with Imperial Radch.

some bits i really liked: i'm so into social commentary T^T

They thought their utopia was scalable? Nonsense. A hundred people could be brought to a consensus on the common good—maybe. A thousand people couldn't even begin to agree on a definition of common good, much less how to achieve it.

---

Every step forward is a choice, and every choice is made in the shadow of choices we've made before. You are every person you have ever been, continual and simultaneous, an iterative being composed of a million decisions, large and small. The question is not whether you can shed the past, but at what point you begin to control your future.

pub date: April 23, 2024!! go out and get it babey!!

[lemon-pear]

Pokémon World Fair (Kalos, 1889)

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and Pokémon of all ages, I'm pleased to announce that our city's bright and shining future is here to-day, thanks to the Power of Science!"

And with that, Clemont pressed the button.

From their perch above the crowd, Ash and Pikachu saw the whole tower light up, casting its electric light over the city and illuminating the smiling face of its young creator.

Ash gasped in delight and wonder. He had never seen anything like it!

"The Power of Science is truly amazing," he exclaimed.

Hey-hey, it's Diodeshipping Day! Turns out I was going to explode if I didn't post something for these boys today, so I dusted off one of the many, MANY Pokémon XY AUs that never made it past some rough concept sketches and turned it into a little comic-thing. This is a pseudo-Victorian/1889 Paris World's Fair AU, which I'm still really attached to as a concept! Since the Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair, I thought it would be fun to imagine if Lumiose Tower had been built in the same time frame (it being completely electric is probably a bit of an anachronism, but shh... electrical engineering is going to be more developed in this world compared to ours because people have electric-type Pokémon to help them out!).

Anyway! 1889 Ash decided to visit Lumiose City for the spectacle of the fair, but ended up staying for the amazing and wonderful person he met there (who just happens to wear spectacles). I didn't have a reference available when I drew the bottom sketch, but I picture Ash wearing the same steampunky outfit he wore in M19, Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.

The other XY characters are part of this AU too, but I never got around to drawing them, so it’s just Diode-related for now! Team Rocket would have an airship, that's all I know :D

[transsexualunderground]

Hello Mr. Jade Prideoftheline, you may be reconized me as @Susan363 who's often posting hcs, incorrect quotes and ideas on Olivia's blog. I send this message to you because I wanted to say that I really adored your Anpanman oc, Kaitojishaku. Despite not knowing much about him, I can see that he's a very funny character, and the idea that he and Horrorman are just a "dumb@sses in love" couple? Mwah! Chef kiss. 💋🤌

I really wanted to know more about Kaito, I would like to resquest that you put on his design, I know that he is suppose to be a magnet but I can only picture his head as a U size magnet. I hope that this isn't much to ask!

Oh yes yes of course! I can give a whole damn infodump about good ol' Kaito!

For posterity's sake, though, I'm slappin' this under a readmore. This is a long dang infodump!

Name: Kaitojishaku... or, that's their alias as a thief. Their real name is... last name Jishaku, given name Kaito. How creative. However, each "Kaito" is spelled differently in Japanese. The "Kaito" in their alias means "phantom thief" and the "Kaito" in their actual name is spelled in the way a given name might be spelled. Different kanji.

Pronouns: he/she/they. Albeit I think they'd be open to more. In Japanese, I think they'd tend toward the neutral and formal watashi for their "I" pronoun, just to amp up their dramatic phantom thief vibes.

Kaitojishaku was conceptualized to fill in a niche I didn't think was filled in the Anpanman 'verse: a gentleman thief/phantom thief archetype!

And of course, what's better at grabbing shiny things than a magnet? So, Kaitojishaku was born! And I started by making them the very fun flavor of morally grey that the Anpan-verse tends to lack. It's very black-and-white there, so I thought, let's throw some well-intentioned light grey in there!

Now onto design. Here is the very first piece of Kaito art, I'd say circa... August o' 2022?

Their design has changed a little since then due to interpretations from my good pal @olivias-hyperfixation-corner. Olivia interpreted their thiefy mask as cat-eye glasses, and I loved the thought of these being sorta... both! Kaito's metal body that isn't made of magnets and just metal got reinterpreted into a turtleneck sweater. So they just... kinda don't wear pants, ig.

But I did once draw them in an alternate outfit to show further limb motion and further establish their disproportionately long arms as intentional!

Oh, and their eyeshadow(?) changed a bit.

Kaito's two-tone design was definitely inspired by ENA.

Now, onto lore!

Kaitojishaku was created by a smithing fairy (think about how Uncle Jam is a baker and a fairy) named Anvil in a steampunky city that'd be a solid sleeper train's trip away from the main town in the show.

She was given two powerful gifts by Anvil. One was a jacket filled with pockets upon pockets. He can basically cartoonishly pull larger objects outta 'em. Bag of holding style.

The other gift he was given was a staff/cane of sorts in order to help him push off from any metal surfaces he encountered, but he didn't really seem to get it, instead getting frustrated with the world around him being something he just kept getting stuck to.

She left in the night, climbing up a nearby mountain as a thunderstorm raged. Yelling to the heavens on a cliffside, they were struck by lightning.

They fell down the cliff. For months, they were just... dead. In pieces. Magnet bits. All that was found of them when the town looked for them was their cane.

But... THEY LIVED. Kaito's pieces clicked themselves back together, but when they came to, their memory was scrambled, only a vague visage of a shiny city left in their thoughts alongside their name.

Their first place of residence was an abandoned baikin-lair they turned into a bunker of sorts. They decided with their name and their tendency toward shiny things, their purpose in life must be stealing. So, that's their thing for a little bit. Until it starts upsetting people. So now their thing is stealing and then immediately giving it back if they weren't supposed to take it.

Their first encounter with Anpanman involves her just grabbing a piece of his head very casually, and then when Anpanman's rightfully confused and distraught, she's just all "oh, did ya want that back? Sorry, here ya go." And then she just presses on. Anpanman says something along the lines of "How strange... nobody else just takes like that except... Baikinman."

Upon hearing this name, Kaito decides that this Baikinman fellow is worth meeting. A fellow thief! They make their way to the Baikincastle and introduce themself to both Dokinchan and Baikinman. Baikinman tells Kaito of his plots against Anpanman, and Kaito thinks it's all in good fun, so he agrees to help. He wants Kaito to go steal an anpan head so he can screw it up and replace Anpanman's head with it.

Kaito proceeds to leave and take WAYYYY too long at the bakery just having pleasant conversation with the bakery gang. They even end up politely asking to take some bread with them!

And they do! Off they go sneaking an entire head of anpan and not sneaking some additional bread for their new friends Baikinman and Dokinchan!

By the time they get back, it's been hours. Horrorman now pops in calling to Baikinman and Dokinchan because he made lunch and he's the only competent cook in this house, before he goes "oh, who's this, hora?"

And then Horrorman and Kaitojishaku hit it off immediately. Horrorman's willing to be nice to literally anyone and go with their plans until it turns out That's Bad and Kaitojishaku is willing to steal from literally anyone until it turns out That's Bad. They've a lot in common in that way, lol. This Is Relevant Later.

Baikinman baikinsciences the anpan head into a messed up one. He lures the bakery gang out and gets Dokinchan and Horrorman to guard all the entrances so Anpanman can't get a new head.

But this Messed Up And Evil Head is... not working as intended. It kinda just gives Anpanman an existential crisis. It was supposed to, y'know, make him evil for a bit, maybe.

Kaito realizes, hey, wait, that's just a dick move! Ain't that, like, psychological torture. So, time for a bit of counterstealing!

They go to the back door and... just ask Horrorman to let them in, because they need a favor. And "every good thief has a few accomplices!"

So he does. And Kaito gets a new anpan head! But Dokinchan notices and tries to put a stop to this. And her and Horrorman bicker a bit over this before Kaito throws a smoke bomb and with their epic phantom thief skills, scurries off.

They replace Anpanman's head after asking a very "distracted with trying to figure out how to improvise an anpan head" Jam and Batako if they would rather do the honors (and is ignored because they're absolutely frantic rn), they chuck the head onto Anpanman, typical genki hyakubai, anpunch, baibaikin.

Things calm down, and Anpanman says they really don't have to steal.

But Kaito argues that it's his purpose in life.

Anpanman says it doesn't have to be.

Kaito just asks why Baikinman is allowed to have his purpose be defeating Anpanman, if that's the case.

The truth is, Anpanman thinks Baikinman's too dead-set, but Kaitojishaku seems more receptive to change.

But Kaito's not ready just yet. They say that maybe their stealint will benefit everyone next time, and with another smoke bomb, they disappear.

Then the Hoshi story ensues! You've already seen that, but I'll link it for everyone else reading.

During that, Kaito has resolved to their new "stealing with permission, mostly" outlook, such as... "stealing" free samples. Or rocks off the ground. Or Hoshi back from Baikinman.

After that, there's the plotlines Olivia mentioned such as sleepovers, but I also have plans for another plot where Kaito meets their maker - literally! In Anpanman movie fashion, heheh. Good things happen there, worry not.

Oh. And I forgot Kaito's houseboat. Alongside their bunker, they have a houseboat they found abandoned and took up after realizing how big the world is. They name it the Kaito Go after the Anpanman Go, but, Sailorkun tells them most boats usually have SS before their name... so now it's the SS Kaito Go. It's just a tidy little vintage houseboat. Cozy!

But lastly, let me talk about their personality. Kaito tries to be very cool and sneaky and stylish, but they're also just silly at times. Their magnet hands will get stuck to their magnet body, for example. They have a knack for dramatics and tend to be very bombastic and energetic. But they also have a more caring, calmer side. That's the side that tends to get philisophical and all that. And in truth, they're more naive than one might think. They were created an adult, but barely had anyone to teach them... a lot, really. they don't have the basics down. They have random strings of advanced concepts known, though, so it's a big ol' scramble of things.

Kaito tries their best, honestly, and they don't mean harm. But they do wanna go grab loot and break into places and look cool doing it. And who can blame 'em?

So, that's Kaito.

[mechanomorphic]

so uhh, i really like the idea of a mcsm s3 taking place w different characters somewhere else in the portal network and i ended up going a little overboard and now i have this whole indulgent au and these characters so im just gonna post abt them

general world stuff: takes place in another world from jesse/the order of the stone. this world is inspired by like, what i remember from soi from when i was like 10-11 - so theres the usual minecraft stuff but its a little more steampunky and theres magic and wizards and airships and an Ominous Big Bad lurking in the shadows and skylords (called captains bcs i gotta draw the line somewhere).

caspian: his names the most likely to change bcs i dont think it suits her. was originally cass but i thought it was too similar to cassie rose and eh. design is inspired by lewis’s character in soi and is probably the most direct visual reference in the main cast. they’re the “player character” (in game terms, main protag in narrative) and an amnesiac - she’s not sure where they came from but he’s sure its not here. a bit of a fish out of water, but talented w a sword surprisingly and good w redstone. he keeps having prophetic visions and seems to be chased by some malicious force, perhaps something to do with their past?

elliot: son of a wizard, though elliot isnt very good at magic he’s is a master enchanter. he finds caspian and takes him back to his dad’s fortress. elliots kinda the lucas/radar of these guys - less of a fighter and more of a heart. he can try to fire off a spell in battle but that usually doesnt go well. he’s a softie that seems to be able to get on the good side of just about anyone. his prosthetic arm was made by quincy.

quincy: childhood friend of elliott. very high energy and bouncy! quincy is a bit on the chaotic side, but they’re also a genuine sweetheart to the core. they’re great at building machines and redstone but also has a bit of a griefer streak, they like to blow things up to build new and better things in the ashes!! their primary weapon is a bow.

bo: okay so 90% of bo’s name being.. bo is bcs i though it would be funny for the character called bo to hate the bow and arrow. thats it. bo is half villager, half human and she was adopted by a wandering trader called archer. bo’s just passing through quincy and elliots hometown when she gets caught up in the Plot and decide to help these hapless fools. her personality is quite rough at first but she slowly softens to the rest of the main cast over time, and becomes fiercely protective of them. she doesn’t use typical weapons, instead she mostly tosses splash potions/offers potions to help her friends out, and when all else fails she bashes bad guys w her shield. also her brown eye changes colour depending on what potion she uses.

[techmomma]

SINCE I CANNOT DRAW CURRENTLY Here’s a rundown of different planet types in Starbound. All planets revolve around one of five types of stars: Gentle, Temperate, Radioactive, Frozen, and Fiery, with each increasing in difficulty, respectively. Certain planets will only appear on certain difficulty tiers. So for example, Lush/Garden planets only appear around Gentle stars, while Volcanic planets only appear around Fiery stars, but most of the other planets can occur in varying degrees around different types of stars.

There are six tiers of planets/objects you can visit. Their primary biome is typically what gives them their name. A planet that has forest biomes, but is mostly a garden biome, is called a Garden/Lush Planet.

Some spoilers for the gameplay storyline.

Tier 1 (easiest)

Garden planets: These are your starter planets. Lush, full of resources, they usually have a mine and for sure have an Ancient Gateway, a teleporter to the ARK. They only have one surface biome, which is Forests, but can have mini-biomes within including Spring biomes, patches full of flowers, and Mushroom forests, full of mushrooms several stories tall and usually housing the Agarans.

Barren planets: Like the name says, there ain’t shit-all here. These are mostly for base-building, and are easiest to terraform later around end-game.

Moons: Where you find the Erchius Fuel in both liquid and crystalline form. There’s no atmosphere, so you need an Environmental Protection Pack (EPP) to give you breathable air. Fun to bounce around on with lighter gravity. Beware not to dig too deep, for you may disturb what lies below...

Asteroid Fields: Empty pockets of space with big chunks of asteroids you can mine for copper, silver, and sometimes gold. The only enemies are ghosty-type monsters that mostly just sort of bug you.

Space stations and friendly ships: You can visit stationary space stations for missions, resources, and sometimes gathering crew members. Friendly ships are also places for resources.

Tier 2

Forest planets: A little bit more difficult than Garden planets, but still with resources galore. Biomes can also include Gardens and Jungles, and mini-biomes include Alpine, Giant Flower Forests, Mushroom Forests, Spring, and Swamps, where Froggs live. Forest planets are where you’re most likely to find settlements of Florans.

Desert planets: Now we’re really getting someplace different. Covered in sand, cacti, and palm trees; beware the occasional sandstorm.Biomes can include Barren (fucking nothing there), and Savannah, with grasslands and trees and prairies. Mini-biomes include Oases with healing water and reeds, Tar Pits with oil and bones, Colorful with rainbow trees, and Bones. With bones. And bone caves. And bone people. Who want to eat your bones.

The Erchius Mining Facility: Owned by a Hylotl corporation, this is how you repair your ship’s FTL drive to explore other systems. Horrible mutated monsters who were miners now want you dead, along with an unspeakable horror deep in the bowels of the mine. 

Tier 3

Ocean planets: Planets covered in a giant ocean with floating, sandy islands. The islands only rarely have settlements, but there will often by Hylotl cities, ruins, and sunken ships on the sea floor. There are no secondary biomes or mini-biomes. Needless to say, this is the type of planet you can most commonly find Hylotl.

Savannah planets: Dry grassland planets, not as lush as forests but not as dry as deserts. Can have Garden, Barren, Desert, and Forests as secondary biomes, and can have Colorful, Tar Pit, and Bone mini-biomes. These are most populated by the Fenerox npc race.

Snow planets: Snowy wonderlands. Chilly, but not perilously so. They can contain Garden and Forest secondary biomes, as well as Alpine, Bioluminescent (glowy glowy), Steamspring (full of steampunky machines and melted pools), and Prism (full of rainbow crystals) mini-biomes.

Hostile ships (occur on all following tiers): Space pirates and cultists abide here. You can steal their shit.

Space Anomalies (occur on all following tiers): Space dungeon encounters. You don’t know what they’ll be until you explore them. Mostly generic encounters, such as old mining facilities, labs, refineries, shelters, and space camps, but can be more unique encounters such as derelict USMC ships, Novakid saloons, astro-gardens, space diners, and more.

The Floran Ceremonial Hunting Grounds: Go through some underground caves with monsters to fight a giant gross spider.

Tier 4 (only accessible after acquiring the EPP for radiation)

Jungle planets: Your most likely bet to find Avians. Filled with tropical jungles and monsters. Secondary biomes can include Garden, Forest, Savannah, and Mutated. Mini-biomes can include Giant Flower Forests, Mushroom Forests, Eyepatch Forests (forests made of eyeball trees and uhh. Eyeball dirt), and Swamp.

Mutated planets: Bathed in radiation, the jungles are full of weird colors and stripey-trees and pools of poison. Can have Jungle, Savannah, and Forest secondary biomes, and Eyepatch, Flesh (yes, fleshy blood-cell ground and fleshy... trees) mini-biomes.

Toxic planets: Like ocean planets, but with a poison ocean and industrial wasteland cities in the background. Whoever made these planets is a mystery, with only their toxic cities and radioactive waste left behind. The toxic ocean can only safely be explored with the Poison augment to your EPP. No settlements, hostile or friendly, live on these planets. 

The Grand Pagoda Library: An ancient Hylotl structure with untold numbers of books. A nerd named Koichi lives there, and you have to save him from Cultists trying to attack the library. 

Tier 5 (requires Heat EPP upgrade)

Arctic planets: Ocean planets, but frozen, with icebergs floating on the surface. Ain’t nobody live here, too gotdam cold.

Tundra planets: The icier, harsher version of snowy planets, and where the Apex are most likely to be found. Secondary biomes can include Garden, Forest, Snow, Midnight (more later), and Decayed (more later). Mini-biomes can include Prism, Alpine, Steamspring, and Bioluminescent.

Midnight planets: Cloaked in darkness, the sun does not reach the surface, and the ground is made of obsidian with black, ashy trees that grow up out of it. The enigmatic and silent Shadow race live on this planet, speaking in whispers you can’t hear, and living in spooky, small temples and structures. Secondary biomes include Desert, Tundra, Forest, Snow, and Barren, and mini-biomes can include Bioluminescent and Hives (made of purple, hexagonal ground and gross, pulsy white larvae and monsters and I hate this one).

The Great Sovereign Temple: The Avian dungeon. Tomb dungeon-crawler, and defeat Not-Kluex to gain the artifact at the end.

Tier 6 (requires Cooling EPP upgrade)

Decayed planets: For you Mad Max, Fury Road fans. Scorched, barren, post-apocalyptic worlds with rusted skyscraper cities and Deadbeat npc race living in the tattered remains of buildings, made of rusty pipes and tarnished metal and garbage. Whatever ruined these cities isn’t elaborated on. Have fun. Secondary biomes include Volcanic (more later), and Midnight. No mini-biomes, but lots of microdungeons, like rotting skyscrapers and old roads to explore.

Magma planets: Ocean planets, but with MAG-MA. These are, imo, the most difficult to resource-gather from, because there’s no augment to protect you from the lava, so getting to the magma ocean floor requires building large pillars in a very, very careful way, laboriously, down to the ocean floor from one of the islands--both in the foreground and background. 

Volcanic planets: Like magma planets but more traversable. Still a hellscape. The ground is magmarock, difficult to mine, but there is ore a-plenty once deep enough. Hot volcanic ash can rain down and catch you on fire. Secondary biomes can include Midnight, Desert, Decayed, and Forest, and mini-biomes can include Bones, Geode (full of geode rocks that hum different notes and sparkly crystals), and Foundry (rusty metal machines that harness the heat for power, with NPC workers and rusty metal trees). The Glitch are most commonly found on these planets.

The Miniknog Stronghold: Fight Big Brother with Apex rebels! 

The Baron’s Keep: Cultists return on a metal as hell bone dragon to steal an artifact from the eccentric glitch the Baron. Defend him and his castle.

The Ruin: Endgame. Beat up the asshole who destroyed your planet. 

Tier 7??

Tier 8 (spoilers)

Ancient Vaults: These are your post-endgame dungeons, where you get access to Ancient Essence, which powers terraformers. They have the hardest enemies, and are like enhanced challenge portals. They’re accessed by the ancient Gateways that exist in the outer ring of some solar systems.

Gentle stars can have Tier 1 and 2 planets. Temperate stars can have Tier 2 and 3 planets. Radioactive stars can have Tier 2, 3, and 4 planets. Frozen stars can have Tier 2, 3, 4, and 5 planets. Fiery stars can have Tier 3, 4, 5, and 6 planets. All stars can have Gateways and Asteroid Fields.

Special Note

Gas giants are technically an object in solar systems; you just can’t land on them! Moons and planets of all tiers can orbit them. 

At least, you can’t land on them without a mod or two...

[saltycinnabun]

I just finished Heaven’s Vault and it was great! I’ll admit, some of the animation/controls took getting used to, but after that this game was just what I was looking for! And, as I understand it has excellent replay value, I’m looking forward to a new game. 

First of all, I loved working on Ancient inscriptions. Which is fortunate, since this is the mechanic HV is built on. It was so satisfying how I went from just slotting in whatever words made sense to actually understanding the individual glyphs in words! I also think it’s so interesting that only a few words of spoken Ancient survive and are understood. Specifically, words carried on in Elborethian patois and Maersi’s local religion. I do appreciate that the game’s investigation wasn’t just relegated to studying dusty old ruins, but seeing the bits of history that are alive and in use, though perhaps unrecognized. Hopefully on my next playthrough I can take time to analyze the words we hear from the Eborethians, hoppers, and robots and try to make sense of them, in addition to growing my written vocabulary.

I also appreciate  the characters. The designs are really creative and diverse, and I liked how organic the conversation felt. You know those games where you can figure out the “right” dialogue to get a character to do what you want? Or where your relationship to a person is quantified? I like that HV didn’t do that. I can try to sweet-talk a character all I want, but if my actions haven’t backed it up, or if I’m asking too much, the character won’t go along with it. But at the same time, I did see change. Maybe it was just me getting a better hang of dialogue options, but I loved seeing Aliya go from a rather mean person to actually showing fondness for Six, Oroi, and Huang. When they eventually reciprocated, it was touching and didn’t feel forced.

Once you get past the animation I mentioned above, HV is also really beautiful. I’ll just get the mention of the rivers out of the way because wow, those are so cool and ethereal (and fun to navigate so long as you aren’t in an area of minor flow)! The character designs were, as i said, appealing and unique. And the moons all had their own wonders. The ornate Catkis gate, the rivers winding through Iox, the little stands in Renaki, the lush but desolate Emperor’s Graveyard. A lot of it draws from Mediterranean and Islamic looks, but meshed with elements of sci-fi like robots and steampunky (or at least some kind of -punk) spaceships. HV just has really neat and enjoyable designs.

I did kind of resent being unable to revisit certain moons, but I think it did serve to move the game forward and encouraged me to be thorough and daring in my investigation (and also almost kill Aliya a half dozen times). Okay, I still kind of resent it.

The thing I loved most though was the lore and progressive worldbuilding. By exploring sites, translating inscriptions, and finding artifacts, the history of the Nebula became increasingly complex, but still with a lot of room for interpretation and theorization! It gave me a feeling of freedom and choice, rather than being strung along to come to one big conclusion. Even after finding the Vault, I had so many questions left. I mean that in a good way. I’m not guessing because of bad writing, but because I feel like there is more to explore. It also felt like the dialogue options and guesses I chose mattered in regards to the way the timeline was updated, so I can’t wait to try out different choices in my replay!

[templeofshame]

feel free to ignore any of these: what draws you to corsets? how did you arrive at the label gray-ace? what are your favorite insects/invertebrates?

Aww, you’re very sweet.

1. I think it’s really just a genre fiction thing. I like a steampunky aesthetic, and sometimes it ends up mostly being a Victorian aesthetic and sometimes the retrofuture is clearer. (I also like a more high-fantasy medieval vibe, a more scifi vibe, and probably most vibes that are associated with subdivisions of fantasy or scifi.) I hope it’s not too much also about societal things like the silhouette being “flattering” but I imagine that’s in the mix as well. From a fashion perspective, I do tend to like structure in clothing more than the flowier, hippie-vibe stuff I wore in middle school; I think structure sometimes makes me feel more powerful and take-charge? And there’s also something nice about clothes that fit you in a more precise way than back when I just wore clothes that were way too big for me all the time.

2. For me, gray-ace is kind of a way of being okay with uncertainty? Like, personally, I would kind of like to have a label that I felt really pinpointed the specifics of my experience and to feel like I really understood it. But I’ve gone through a lot of confusion with a few different labels and felt weird/poserish about not quite fitting parts of them or had people assume things inaccurately based on that imperfect fit, and it seems like at this point, there’s not gonna be a perfect fit. Sometimes bi is a useful concept for me to explain myself, sometimes grayace is, queer often is. But both grayace and queer appeal to me partially because they’re not trying to oversimplify, and they’re leaving room for things to be a bit messy and unclear.

3. Is it basic to say luna moths?

[wellplacedrocket]

I Visited the Mormon Temple Square and it Really Reminded Me of BioShock Infinite

I don’t go on a lot of (read: any) religious touristy sort of adventures, so maybe the Mormon Temple Square isn’t all that weird in the grand scheme of things. But I’ll be damned if it didn’t give me hints of Columbia, the city in BioShock Infinite. Hear me out on this.

I want to caveat before I go further that it’s probably gonna seem like I’m really picking on Mormons here. I’m not. Mormonism is absolutely no weirder than any other religion, and there are plenty of Mormons (probably most of them) who are much smarter, more hardworking, successful, and better to their fellow man than I am. If you roll your eyes at scripture of Moroni, but turn around and worship Jesus or Vishnu or Odin or Buddha, and follow the World of God as explained to you by Muhammad, then your cognitive dissonance is so thick, so dense, that it must throw off compasses. I don’t think religious or spiritual people are stupid for being that way.

Anyway.

I was in Salt Lake City with a few hours to kill, and figured the Mormon Temple Square would be the one thing I couldn’t get anywhere else, so why the hell not? Let’s get my Mormon on. Many of the buildings in the Temple Square are made with this gorgeous white granite that pops up nearby, and so to the eye a lot of it looked like the White City of Gondor.

The visitors centers are small museums that lay out the history, scripture highlights, and current tenants of Mormon theology.

As a kid, I was raised Catholic-lite, but I’ve never been to the Vatican, and I wonder if there’s similar stuff anywhere else among worldwide Christian churches. That Noah’s Ark museum in Kentucky, maybe? The tone of much of this stuff seems to be to reassure outsiders that hey, Jesus is still just the best! He’s the best, you guys. We’re not any different from your local bake sale-having church people at all! In fact, there doesn’t seem to be much that explicitly tries to contrast with other Christian sects whatsoever, until you get to the Book of Mormon (the actual Book of Mormon) stuff that takes place in the Western Hemisphere.

A lot of this stuff came across to me as a “here’s how to be” kind of children’s book in museum form. It’s not really propaganda, I guess, because conduct prescriptions are what religions are supposed to do. However, the exhibits and artwork they had showing important people in Mormon scripture and the paramount religious events in their lives started giving me weird, familiar vibes.

A 19th century New Yorker who has some sort of religious awakening, begins to preach, gathers a cadre of like minded true believers, establishes a hyper-ardent offshoot Christian sect in the U.S., insists upon racism as one of the pillars of this new theology, is revered as a prophet to his people, gains power and respect (which he abuses), and begins an exodus of his followers out of American society to found their own civilization which will eventually prove hostile to the U.S.? Oh, you thought I was describing Joseph Smith or Brigham Young? Well, surprise, it’s (also) Zachary Hale Comstock, villain of Bioshock Infinite.

I’m not the first to draw this comparison. Here’s a much better article than I could hope to write from an anonymous blogger who claims to be an ex Mormon. And Bioshock creative head Ken Levine mentioned in a Mother Jones article:

There’s a bit of Joseph Smith in [Comstock], a bit of Teddy Roosevelt…Roosevelt was a very progressive figure in many ways. But he was also what you’d probably call a neoconservative in his view of America’s role in the world. So I have trouble comparing Comstock to him directly. Also, I’d have trouble just comparing Comstock to Joseph Smith or Brigham Young. I mean, the American-centric nature of the religion that he forms has some similarities to Mormonism, but there’s nothing in the Mormon church that approached the level of sinisterness you’d find in a Comstock.

In the game (where the next bunch of linked images are from), Comstock is a religious figure with a hyper-nationalism for his own vociferously racist vision of America, which never actually existed and is more twisted than even our own real history. There’s a part of the game where you play through a museum dedicated to the history of Columbia, the city-state Comstock founded, and it puts a very religious sort of spin on the founding of the United States and points in its history. Abraham Lincoln is called “The Apostate” and is remembered as an insidious Satan figure, while John Wilkes Booth is a saint. The Confederate Army, being the true soul of America to these zealots, is led by the angelic spirit of George Washington. The locals are generally hostile.

All of this stuff is understandably batshit, because they were trying to write a villain in Comstock. I’m not saying Mormons are or were evil like this guy. I’m saying it seems pretty likely that the devs took Mormon lore, cranked the evil and steampunky sci-fi up to 11, and out came Comstock and Columbia.

The American founding fathers appear in Mormon religious works, notably in writings by Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of the LDS Church, describing religious visions:

The spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them ... These were the signers of the Declaration of Independence ... I thought it very singular, that notwithstanding so much work had been done, and yet nothing had been done for them ... I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon brother McCallister [sic] to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The LDS Church is extremely PR conscious and has left doctrinal, institutional racism behind, but it’s a poorly kept secret that the early days didn’t look too good. Unlike the populations of other Western Territories (Colorado and California in particular), the Mormons mostly took a pass on the Civil War, though to their credit, there isn’t much evidence to suggest explicit sympathy for the Confederacy. However, here’s Brigham Young:

Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. The nations of the earth have transgressed every law that God has given, they have changed the ordinances and broken every covenant made with the fathers, and they are like a hungry man that dreameth that he eateth, and he awaketh and behold he is empty.

And now here’s Comstock:

What exactly was the Great Emancipator emancipating the Negro from? From his daily bread? From the nobility of honest work? From wealthy patrons who sponsored them from cradle to grave? From clothing and shelter? And what have they done with their freedom? Why, go to Finkton, and you shall find out. No animal is born free, except the white man. And it is our burden to care for the rest of creation.

The Mormons flirted with armed rebellion but eventually backed down when the United States and local native nations made it clear they were not fucking around. Joseph Smith, a 100% legit, honest to God prophet to his people, had some pretty dark things to say about the U.S., especially the godless northeast cities:

Nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which await them if they do reject these things. For if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate.

And here’s Woodruff again, in a prophesy “confirmed” by Young:

While you stand in the towers of the Temple and your eyes survey this glorious valley filled with cities and villages, occupied by tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints, you will then call to mind this visitation of President Young and his company. You will say: That was in the days when Presidents Benson and Maughan presided over us; that was before New York was destroyed by an earthquake. It was before Boston was swept into the sea, by the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds; it was before Albany was destroyed by fire; yea, at that time you will remember the scenes of this day.

Well, here’s a scene in Bioshock Infinite that shows a time-travel flash forward to the future year 1984, what Comstock will do if not stopped. He floats Columbia right over New York and starts bombing:

How the hell do they not get shot down? Sci-fi weapons or shields, I’m guessing. Columbia imagines if a civilization of religious secessionists hadn’t decided to chill out in the end, the way the Mormons did.

If you need any more convincing of the connection here, in BioShock Infinite, one of the protagonists who the player spends a lot of time with and who drives the story is Comstock’s daughter Elizabeth. She is kept a gilded-cage prisoner and wants out of Columbia, and much of the action is about helping her to escape. SPOILER ALERT FOR A 5-YEAR OLD GAME: Elizabeth’s parentage isn’t what it seems, she was actually given the name Anna at birth. Well, there was a famous ex-wife of Brigham Young, one of 55, who decided she wasn’t about that life, alleged domestic abuse against Young and filed for divorce (both a huge deal for their time), and ultimately wrote an autobiographical account called Wife No. 19. This woman’s name? Ann Eliza Webb.

No doubt you could substitute any other religion and find similar parallels to BioShock Infinite in art and lore, but the Americanness of the LDS Church is what sells this idea to me, how both the real life Mormon church and the fictional characters and civilization draw from the cultural fundamentals of this country, as well as our absolute worst elements. The obvious difference is the Mormons wrestle with the racism and violence in their church’s past, and for sure try to do good works in the world today. Not so for Comstock and Columbia. But that’s part of what made them such compelling villains.

[ironemblem]

GURPS Encounters: Domum Inretio, Shrine to Mechanics

A sorta steampunky inspired trapped temple at its simplest, full of very little in combat (at least at first) but quite a few nasty tricks. This is also the first GURPS post where I kind of use some Thaumatology (just got the book a few days ago)! So take a step, a very careful step into....

Domum Inretio, Shrine to Mechanics Description

General Layout: Unless otherwise stated assume that the ceiling height of the complex is seven feet, the walls being made of impeccably crafted white cobblestone (perhaps some kind of magic), with the ceiling and floor being of smooth marble. The only universal distinctive feature throughout the structure would be the presence of exposed machinery, chunks of wall missing revealing large turning gears, and many moving chains (see Animate Chain for more info). Doors are assumed to be made of thin sheets of bronze (1 in. thick) standing about 2 yards and 1 yard wide.  

Room 1 (Entrance): Essentially a room of warning, long and thing, the walls are covered in a warning, etched hundreds of times over in different languages (preferably at least one in a tongue that a pc can understand). “Only the clever may walk these halls, each pull calls you further, the dullard need not look.” Pretty straight forward, but shows that the creators meant business and sets a definite ‘challenged’ tone.

Hallway 1-5: This section has not one, but two traps in it (see Traps and Machinations for more info)! The important part connects room 1 and 5, but all rooms are linked by this main hall.

Room 2 (Roaring Archway): Where the first lever lock can be found, a small prayer area, with many wax coated candle ledges about. The lever is past a trapped archway into a former storage area (some treasure can be found at GM discretion, possible around 2d$ worth of some religious items).  

Room 3 (Rest): Where the second lever lock can be found, once something akin to a breakroom. The remains of rotted chairs is scattered about, this room’s door has a bar, so perhaps a last ditch safe room too!

Room 4 (Shocking Vault): The most dangerous of the lever locks, the entire room is trapped, from floor to ceiling, to get past this one will require some serious smarts, or quick feet! Many silver rods stick out of the wall and ceiling, each about two yards long.  

Room 5 (Fountains): This room has what appears to be an incredible fountain of pristine water, tapped from far below. The walls of the fountain are covered in scenes of people choking after drinking from a river however, seemingly warnings against itself! It really is just a plain old water fountain though, drawing on a pretty well-made pump system.

Room 6 (The Altars): The final room, where the rewards await the “oh so clever” adventurers. First all of the lever locks must be pulled, as a thick stone wall (at least four feet thick) depicting three such devices stand in the way! And since magic is much crueler here this might be quite the challenge.

 Unfortunately the treasure is rigged as well! Each of the three surviving items should be quite worth the trip (see below for some suggestions on these). Grand altars hold the relics, stone covered in only slightly tarnished bronze. The western altar is decorated with a screaming horned demon’s maw. The center shows strange scenes of gear like flowers, connected by vines of chains. The eastern takes up a great portion of wall, tall tablets of stone covered in seeming gibberish, but quite pretty gibberish perhaps worth some money to art collectors! Alternatively some secret spells/ritual/whatever could be hidden within it, either way transport of four hundred pound tablets is almost a quest in and of itself.  

Traps and Machinations

Mana Level: If your campaign doesn’t use something akin to mana levels (or doesn’t access those variants in Thaumatology) feel free to ignore! Otherwise the entire structure is under the effects of Twisted Mana, with standard campaign amount. This is the most devious of the shrine’s defenses, a space of permanently scarred and corrupted magic. 

Traps Note: Unless otherwise mentioned assume standard skill levels apply, possibly consider giving bonuses to those with any high mechanics skill as well (maybe +1 or +2 effective skill).

First Trap (Darts o’ Annoyance/Hall 1-5):  Found in the first few yards in Hall 1-5, this trap is meant mostly to irritate would be dungeon delvers. Triggered by a very obvious pressure plate (+4 effective skill to find/disarm). The highlighted area is filled with tiny flying darts, all passing through (or staying within) are subjected to a skill-10 attack every second, dealing 1 point of small piercing damage.  

Second Trap (Roaring Archway): Much more carefully crafted than the first trap, this trick can also be lethal! A set of tiny nodules (normal skill to find/disarm) is set in the steps just on the other end of the archway, which causes exposed pipes around the arch to let loose a blast of flame in the other room. In effect it slays the intruder’s friends! All in the highlighted area are subjected to a skill-14 attack, dealing 2d burn damage and most likely igniting flammable materials (the attack itself isn’t innately ‘sticky’).

Third Trap (Shocking Vault): Two traps in total, but the first activates the second! The entire floor is a massive series of pressure plates (almost impossible to disarm, maybe -10 effective to skill on any such attempts if allowed at all, failures triggering the trap by bumping another plate). When triggered the door behind them slams shut (not locked) and the room fills with static! Every second those in the room must make a HT roll or suffer 1d burn damage as the lightning courses through them, those in armor have a -5 effective HT for this (or if particularly cruel no roll is allowed at all), this penalty applies to those attempting to open the door as well! The effect itself lasts 3d seconds.  

Fourth Trap (Crushing Points/Hall 1-5): This trap is a bit different in trigger, whereas the rest had pressure plates or other floor based mechanism this one is a bit more eccentric. A curtain of chainmail hangs from the ceiling, if walked through, one step past is pinched by six spears (three on each side of the highlighted area) essentially RoF 6. Attacking with a skill of 14, each hit deals 2d-1 imp. Located just outside the fountain.

Fifth Trap (The Altars): Despite the various designs the altars all have similar traps, yet another layer of trickery and pressure tech. If the particular treasure is taken off its pedestal something very simple happens, a ringing bell, somewhere deep in the structure. This activates the Animate Chains throughout the Shrine (see The Guardians). Further activation does little more, becoming louder each time, if only to increase tension.  

The Guardians, Rattling Chains: The custodians of the temple, and guardians if the altars are so disturbed, these lengths of chain reset traps and slay! Many of the busts are the active work of the chains, who use them to outflank intruders and of course quick travel about.  If the fifth trap is triggered place an appropriate amount of Animate Chains about the temple, for some randomness make it 1dx1/2 pcs.

Animate Chain

A length of chain of some unknown silvery material, about three yards long, that moves of its own accord through some strange magic. They attempt to use constriction attacks to kill their prey, and when not in combat stealthy reset traps and the like (or at least try to).  

ST 14; DX 12; IQ 4; HT 10

Will 4; Per 4; Speed 3.00; Dodge 6

         Move 3 (Clinging)

SM +1; 50 lbs.

Traits: Automaton, Body of Metal, Clinging, Constriction Attack, DR 5, Noisy 3, Vermiform

Skills: Brawling-15; Mechanics (Domum Inretio)-14; Stealth-12

The Treasure of the Temple; the Clockwork Heart

A most macabre item, separated into three pieces, and placed within this temple. When fully assembled (with a DX-3 check or default Mechanics; as the device almost whispers its instructions) it seems to be a small bronze orb. With many gears and tubes! If the device is used to replace a creature’s they are granted many a boon, the only downside? The possibility of dying with its installation. Every point of the Clockwork Heart advantage is essentially “earned” through the Surgical Modification rules, which in most pseudo medieval settings might be hard to get done.

Clockwork Heart 45 Points

The Heart at its most basic increases the ‘hardiness’ of the benefactor, and even will save them from death. Character points earned after installation can be put to further abilities of the Heart (without surgery), such as more Extra Lives, ST/HT, and even things like Extended Lifespan. This may take certain events, or an inward journey at GM discretion.  

Advantages: Extra Life 1 [25], Immunity to Heart Attacks [5], Very Fit [15]

[itsworn]

What’s an Autocar? We Look at This Example From Vanderhall

Most things built to eat up mile markers are meant to be more than a conveyance to get us down the road with urgent promptitude. They are built for the rapid pursuit of pure joy. For upstart American manufacturer Vanderhall Motor Works, the fun factor was up on the drawing board from day 1.

After some five years of development and wheelbarrows of cash, Vanderhall brought three models to market in 2015: the Laguna, Laguna Sport Premium, and the posh Laguna Bespoke Motoring Experience, a mouthful of a marque that’s officially tagged as “sold out” on the company’s website. For 2017, the Provo, Utah–based maker rolled out the Venice, fitted with sleek ABS bodywork sitting on a mono aluminum frame. Priced at $29,950, it’s competitive with other autocycles on the market, such as the Polaris Slingshot. One might call it the factory’s entry-level hot rod.

Autocycles are loosely defined as three-wheeled, enclosed vehicles—a crossbreed between car and motorcycle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration classifies them as motorcycles, but states differ on regulations. To casual observers, if it has a steering wheel and side-by-side seats, it’s a car (no matter how many wheels). Perception, however, is not the law.

All Vanderhalls share the same driveline: a Chevy 16-valve, 1.4L turbo usually found in the Cruze and Sonic and matched with Chevy’s surprisingly sure and smooth-shifting six-speed 6T40 automatic transmission. The Venice offers a dealer-installed bump shifter option for $995, included with my test mule. The automatic torque converter allowed for clutch-less hand shifting, which I preferred around town. The engine likes to spin over 2,000 rpm and tends to lug at low speeds in automatic mode. Like a motorcycle in city riding, the Venice mill is better in a gear lower than it would choose for itself for quicker acceleration.

The engine size doesn’t sound impressive or inspire images of a mighty, snarling beast. After all, it’s smaller than many motorcycle engines. But as a result of some secret in-house tweaking and tuning, this powerplant has the deep-down grunt and go that makes the Venice a hedonistic pleasure. The trike makes a claimed 180 hp at 4,950 rpm and 185 lb-ft of torque at 2,450 rpm. For a vehicle weighing in at a slight belt notch below 1,400 pounds, it has a power-to-weight ratio that translates to a nice shot of adrenaline. The Venice gets about 30 mpg in combined driving, and its 9-gallon fuel tank gives it all the range you’ll want before refueling.

The company claims 0–60 will happen in 4.5 seconds, which would smoke most things that come with a steering wheel—and it costs less than $30K. Riding sans stopwatch, I can faithfully report the Venice has got some serious giddy-up. Fast off the line, its roll-on power is even more impressive—the kind of go needed to swiftly pass anything moving at legal speeds and accelerate with aplomb from onramps. When riding/driving things built for speed, quick acceleration is a safety feature—in the right hands. The tach has no redline, but factory specs put it at 6,500 rpm—good to know when in standard shift mode. Top end is a claimed 140 mph. In a vehicle that rides less than 6 inches off the tarmac, even half that speed feels like you’re straddling a missile. Add a couple of wings, and the Venice might depart the planet.

Like most production trikes, early Vanderhall experimental models used motorcycle engines. According to Dan Boyer, director of sales and marketing, those proved to be lacking the desired torque and electrical output. Vanderhall eventually went with the GM transverse, inline-four, front-wheel-drive engine, which checked the rest of their power boxes.

The Vanderhall’s aesthetics are based very loosely on a 1960 Formula 1 car. I got enthusiastic thumbs-up from plaid-shirted guys in pickups; leathery, hardcore bikers; quaffed and polished sports-car snobs; smiling pedestrians in miniskirts; and weirdos on bicycles. The whir and hiss of the turbo and autocycle’s vintage stance had my passenger describe the Venice as “steampunky.”

I’ve ridden most every type of two- or three-wheeled contraption, and most take some getting used to, while some behave so counterintuitively they defy good sense and maybe physics. Some were a dream to ride—others a nightmare. I was prepared for a significant learning curve when I first lowered myself into the door-less Venice.

It’s an awkward entrance that will have you reaching for something to hold on to. The only thing to grab is the windshield, which will crack if you pull down on it. I was very mindful of this, keeping all appendages away from the glass while still trying to get into the bucket seat. It would be helpful if proper lodge and dislodge from the cockpit was diagrammed in the owner’s manual, which is a downloadable document that begins with “The Vanderhall Venice is NOT a car,” but no such luck.

The Venice instantly fired to life with a low, deep grumble. Modifying or upgrading the pipes immediately came to mind, but then again, I like it loud and growly. The shifter sequence takes you from Park to Reverse, Neutral, Drive, and all the way back and down for standard mode. That’s where the shiny, silver knob on the driver-side panel (where a door would be) comes into play. The panel serves nicely as an armrest, with the shifter knob poking up exactly where my hand found comfort. Initially, I kept it in automatic.

Any trepidation about the how the Venice would handle vanished almost instantly. There was no learning curve. The front-wheel drive pulls it through turns effortlessly; add electronic-assist, rack-and-pinion power steering, nicely engineered front-to-rear weight distribution, a well-matched suspension, excellent brakes, and that peppy turbo, and you have a machine that performs beyond expectations. A cabin heater, plus heated seats, helps everyone stay comfy when it gets cool. LED headlights, brake lights, turn signals, hazard lights, power port, and a Bluetooth-connectable, loud-and-clear-as-hell, 600-watt sound system round out the civilized bits.

The dash-mounted clock will soon be replaced by a more relevant temperature gauge, according to Boyer. The dash includes a row of old-school toggle switches for things like cruise-control activation and cruise-speed control.

The Venice is not without some drawbacks. Besides needing yogi skills to get in and out of the vehicle, the cockpit is cramped, the seats are thin with no lumbar support, and if you are thick and/or broad, you will find hard bits poking you here and there. Legroom, however, is ample, but “width room” could use a few more inches. There is an unconfirmed story that CEO Stephen Hall had the Vanderhall built around his 6-foot, 6-inch frame, which makes sense after you climb into one. If you’re less than 5 feet 10 inches tall, give or take, you’re looking through the windshield—not over it like most motorcycle shields. There are no windshield wipers, so expect blurriness going in the rain unless you’re tall enough to look over the shield. Engine checks and maintenance begin with removing the hood via four bolts per side, a somewhat daunting chore that will likely add time between fluid checks. A hinged hood would add 65 pounds, said Boyer, a weight gain the company would like to avoid.

If caught in a downpour, the cockpit could turn into a bathtub. Boyer points out that there are two drain holes, and the carpeting is marine grade, but he also recommends the Venice not be ridden in the rain, which makes the Vanderhall model names all the more appropriate. Meanwhile, the company is developing different types and sizes of covers. Storage is about enough for a pizza and a six-pack (or two); Vanderhall is working on some options for that, as well.

The seat is just 12 inches or so off the ground, which allowed me to experience the road as I never had before. The Venice’s height makes it harder for the pilot to see around corners—and be seen. Observers compared it to vintage MGs and Morgan 3 Wheelers. This just comes with the territory in asphalt-hugging, power-sport things that go fast. It’s not always going to be comfortable, and some brass is required, which some enthusiasts on the fringe (probably me) consider good fun. The open cockpit and low-slung profile don’t detract from the insouciant experience, regardless of the element of danger. This just adds to the Venice’s unique signature and charisma.

My passenger offered this take, “I loved how children responded to it, that they were absolutely riveted as they pressed their little faces to car windows, or boys pouring out of a shop, bouncing around it like George Jetson just pulled up.”

The Venice comes in metallic black, pearl white, and metallic gray. Vanderhall is still developing its dealer network. For more information and to find a dealer, visit VanderhallUSA.com or call 949/420.9007.

Tech Notes

Make: Vanderhall Model: Venice Doors: NA Seats: 2 Body construction: ABS composite Interior material: V-Tex Black Exterior colors: Metallic black, metallic gray, or pearl white Model Year: 2017 Place of manufacture: Provo, Utah

Standard Equipment Convenience: Heated seats, heat duel-vent system Safety: ABS, traction control, brake assist, steering assist, rollbar Interior: V-Tex Black Audio: Bluetooth-connectable, 600-watt sound system Lighting: LED (headlights, turn signals, brake lights)

Engine Location: Front Alignment: Transverse Manufacturer: General Motors Engine code: LUV Cylinders: 4 Configuration: Inline Displacement: 1.4L Valves: 16 Bore/stroke: 72.0 by 82.6mm Bore center: 78 mm Compression: 9.5:1 Cam design: Hollow, cast-iron Redline: 6,500 rpm Aspiration: Turbocharging Compressor: Axial Horsepower: 180 at 4,950 rpm Torque: 185 at 2,450 rpm Block: Cast-iron Sump design: Wet Fuel supply: Multi-port injectors Fuel: Premium-unleaded Catalytic converter: Yes

Transmission Type: 6T40 (Mh8) Gears: 6 Wheel drive: Front Top gear ratio: .75 Clutch: Automatic torque converter Final gear ratio: 3.87

Performance 0–60 mph: 4.5 seconds Top speed: 140 mph Lateral cornering stability: .95 Power-to-weight ratio: 8.6

Chassis Suspension: Pushrod, Vanderhall coilover hydraulic shocks (front); single-sided swing arm, coilover hydraulic shock (rear) Base wheels:18×8.5-inch (front); 18×10.5-inch (rear) Base tires: 225/40/18 (front); 285/35/18 (rear) Brake calipers: Single-piston (front and rear) Brake rotor: 305mm (front); 275mm (rear) Steering: Rack-and-pinion, electronic assist

Bodywork Bodywork Designer: Vanderhall Design Base platform: Vanderhall mono aluminum Number of doors: NA Bodywork material: composite Cargo capacity: 2,400 ci

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT, and CAPACITIES Length:144 inches Overall width: 68 inches Track, front: 60 inches Height: 44 inches Wheelbase: 100.4 inches Weight distribution: 70/30 Ground clearance: 4.5 inches Dry weight: 1,375 pounds Curb weight: 1,475 pounds Load capacity: 500 pounds Gross weight: 1,975 pounds Fuel capacity: 9 gallons

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