faeriefire-7

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So I saw a comment about how my 5 category entity organization was similar to the “like colours, but if colours hated me” so I wondered— what if they were colors? Because I wanted to make this continuous rather then assigning specific discrete colors to each (since the fears often blend and intersect) I thought I could assign each category an input to a color code.

This lead me to an issue, since most of the systems I am familiar with do not have the right number of “digits”. HSL (Hue, saturation, lightness) is the system I used for digital art, but there are only 3 values & they feel somewhat unrelated. Hexadecimal and RGB also have 3 inputs (they use the same system of Red Green Blue but I think hexadecimal goes from 0-255 & RGB typically goes 0-100). CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) has 4 inputs, which gave me an idea.

While there are no direct opposites, as explained by Smirk’s balancing attempts failing, the Open (Eye/Vast/Lonely) & Surrounding (Dark/Buried/Corruption) categories are pretty distinct so maybe they could be put on the K axis. High K are more Surrounding (which makes sense with black & the Dark) and low K (we can also call it high “W” or white if that is easier) are more Open. The values then both add up to 100, with an 80 Surrounding value meaning a 20 Open value. The rest of the color values can have their own pigment. Carnal (Slaughter/Flesh/Hunt) is magenta, since Flesh is pink and it being the closest to red or blood in this system. Destruction (Desolation/End/Extinction) is yellow, since hot flames are yellowish as it the radioactive symbol in most situations. Obscure (Spiral/Web/Stranger) then must be cyan, which makes the least sense but I can see it being blue like the stranger’s plastic or glitches aligned with the spiral.

With this system, each case or avatar could be given CYMK values based on their alignment with the categories. Examples:

MAG 22: Hive - 20, 50, 10, 70. Since she was losing her mind and becoming something inhuman it made sense to have some Obscuring (20C), but there was more physical ascent of skin picking the the concept of a Flesh Hive that lended itself well to Carnal (50M). Her transformation was somewhat of a warm embrace so to her it was not about dying, but there was an undertone of undead that gave some to Destruction (10Y). Finally, most of her itching was from the Surrounding rot so it should have the highest value (70K)

MAG 91: The Coming Storm - 30, 5, 5, 0. Mike Crew was being called by the Lichtenberg fractal which was a twisted being itself and causing him to lose his mind a bit so some Obscuring influence was present (30C). Very little Carnal or Destructive influences here since his story was not very graphic or physical, but he was being chased and he did have to die to Become so some called were given (5M&Y). Finally, he was fully taken by the Open skies so that was at its maximum value (100W or 0K)

I think this is a fun system so feel free to come up with values for more episodes (here is the link to the color picker I used, note that I used the number inputs not percentages because they would change after I did them for some reason)

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I drew a revamped version of the Dark Hunger of Hadar avatar I made a while back, this time with a bonus rib-cage saddle

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Since I got into both The Magnus Archives and Vampire: the Masquerade, I found an interesting connection

Vampires in vtm are meant to be terrifying monsters that are the opposite of humanity, and there are 14 Clans, so it makes sense that the each could reflect a different primal fear that humans have, sorted into the 14 Entities (plus Thin-Bloods and the Extinction for fun)

Banu Haqim: The Hunt - The Banu Haqim are known as “the Clan of the Hunt” and are known for being assassins, which mirrors the idea of chasing and hunting that this fear focuses on. The Blood Addition Bane also fits well with the addiction to the Hunt that its avatars often experience. The Hunt is also attached to law enforcement and often uses justice to motivate its avatars, which is a core focus of the Banu Haqim

Gangrel: The Slaughter - The Gangrel originate as a warrior clan from Ennoia, which relates to the Slaughter’s attachment with the fear of war. The Gangrel’s Feral Impulses also matches well with the blood lust and raw aggression that the Slaughter induces and feeds upon.

Hecata: The End - The Hecata’s obsession with Death makes them a clear connection with the fear of the finality of death and all things morbid and dead. The Hecata’s necromancy can be related to the items of cheating death such as the Catalogue of Trapped Dead and the animated cadaver

Malkavians: The Spiral - The Malkavians loose attachment to sanity and their visions that cause them to lose grip on what is real ties in very well with the Spiral’s themes of insanity and lose of reasoning. Their compulsion of Delusion aligns almost exactly with the Spiral’s twisting of perception and warping of what is real. Malkavians also have a symbolic attachment to mirrors and distorted reflections, which is also common with the Spiral

Nosferatu: The Eye - The Nosferatu’s habit for being silent observers and spies aligns itself to the passive, watching nature of the Eye and the fear of anyone being able to see you at any time. Their compulsion towards collecting secrets also fits with the Eye since it revolves around secrets known and uncovered, something the Nos specialize in. They themselves also experience a fear of being seen because their horrid appearances can often break the masquerade or lead to ridicule

Ravnos: The Vast - The Ravnos are travelers and wanderers that countless move across the world, which fits with the Vast and the idea of infinite possibles and expanse. Ravnos being dare devils also fits with the fear of heights the Vast induces since they will preform dangerous stunts and acrobatic tricks.

Toreador: The Stranger - The Toreador are often the most human looking out of all vampires save for their extreme beauty which is almost outside of what is humanly possibles, which is very similar to the Uncanny Valley and the “almost-human” quality of the Stranger. Toreador are also tied closely with music, dance and theater, which are all symbols used by the Stranger.

Tzimisce: The Flesh - The Tzimisce are the legendary Fleshcrafters, inspiring fear of horrible monstrosities of sinew and betrayal of the body, which is basically the definition of the Flesh. Taking a piece of someone’s body can also be used as an anchor or a grounding object (Jon’s rib), which aligns with the Tzimisce and their Possessiveness.

Venture: The Web - The Venture’s need for control and their constant politicking makes them a perfect fit for the Hidden Machinations, which deals with the fear of being controlled or manipulated. Them being (supposedly) at the top of vampire society also fits with the fact the Web always had the upper hand and was behind most of the events in TMA.

Brujah: The Desolation: The Bruja’s strong passion and Violent Temper align well with the fiery devotion of the Desolation and its avatar’s general disposition. Their compulsion of Rebellion and desire to “burn down” systems of control also fits with the destructive nature of this fear.

Tremere: The Buried -

(This one is the one I like the least and was a hard fit, so I may move stuff around in the future). The Treme’s pyramid smothers the people inside of it with hierarchy and leaves them trapped in the system, aligning with the metaphorical suffocation and entrapment of the Buried. Their Bane of Perfectionism also presents as a “crushing” expectation, which would fit with the Buried on a more conceptual level.

Lasombra: The Dark - This one feels pretty self explanatory but the Lasombra’s cold nature fits the descriptions of the Dark and its icy waters. The Dark also has a cult and ties to religious beliefs as it uses ignorance to control people, which is something the Lasombra have strong ties to. Their Bane of Ruthlessness mirrors how coldly cruel many Dark avatars can be such as Rayner trying to kill and posses a child.

Ministry: The Corruption - The Ministry and the Corruption both deal heavily with temptation, as the Hive sings its song of love, safety, and pleasure to its victims in the same way the Serpents do. One of the nicknames for the Ministry are the Corruptors

Duskborn/Thin-bloods: The Extinction - The Duskborn are the newest of the Kindred clans and the Extinction was said to be a new development as a fear. They both are signs of the end of the world, with the Extinction’s full manifestation being said to destroy humanity and the Thin-bloods connection to Gehenna.

Salubri: The Lonely - The Salubri being isolated due to propaganda and hunted to near extinction makes them a very Lonely clan. They also have ties to being slightly more peaceful, as the Salubri tend towards nonviolent hunting methods and the Lonely very truly killing its victims.

Anyways, once again feel free to critic this or pose any additional supports for any of these categories.

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I have a D&D character who was an assassin working for a peryton lich, so I drew one

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I made a creature for D&D I called a baowl (bunny + owl) that is a type of air elemental and I finally decided to draw one (this one is a barn owl)

There is also a version with a background

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I decided to play around with a photo editor and see what I could do and I ended up with whatever in the Nine Hells this thing is. I think it might be some kind of warlock patron, maybe a herald to Hadar the Dark Hunger or maybe an Unseelie of the Wild Hunts.

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I decided to try and make little icons for each of the Entities, but I can’t decide if I like the stickers or black background more, so here’s both (click for better quality)

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I have no idea why I kept trying to associate or pair the entities to one another (maybe there is some of Robert Smirk in me), but I decided to finally write down the vauge groups I have been accidentally creating inside my head.

Open: The Eye, The Lonely, The Vast

The Lonely and the Eye are linked because the knowledge of other people is needed to be truly alone, and isolation makes it easier to be watched. The Vast and the Eye are connected similarly, with the knowledge of how large the world is being required to fully appreciate the vastness of the universe, and the infiniteness of all knowledge providing many things to watch and know. The Lonely and the Vast are connected because distance is required to be alone, and spaces being devoid of people making them seem larger.

Obscureing: The Stranger, The Spiral, & The Web

The Stranger and the Spiral are related because they both conceal or distorted knowledge, and confusion of reality being created by both entities (‘I Do Not Know ‘You and ‘It Is Not What It Is’ being rather similar). The Spiral and the Web are connected due to the complex plans they create and the paranoia induced by the fear of being manipulated or not trusting reality to be real. The Web and the Stranger are linked through puppets, being both inhumanly disturbing and manipulated through the web as well as ignorance and not-knowing allowing people to be more easily controlled.

Surrounding: The Corruption, The Buried & The Dark

The Corruption and the Buried are linked through dirt and the ground being home of insects and filth as well as the idea of the comfort/companionship of being surrounded by the hive or the underneath the weight of the earth (they also have a shared domain in the Post Change world). The Buried and the Dark are connected with being covered in dirt creating darkness and the idea of drowning and dark water being tied to both claustrophobia and darkness/the unknown. The Dark and the Corruption are associated through the idea of contamination, with both the darkness and filth ‘seeping’ into people/things and causing them harm (decay also sometimes physically darkens flesh or what it breaks down, but that is mostly superficial)

Carnal: The Slaughter, The Hunt & The Flesh

The Slaughter and the Hunt are connected through the idea of violence and the emotions provided by killing and hurting things. The Hunt and the Flesh are linked through the food chain, with the fear of being eaten from prey being connected to the fear of a predator chasing the prey. The Flesh and the Slaughter are connected through blood and gore, with wounds and injury displaying the meat inside of people and blood being a reward for killing (The Flesh could have also been formed from the Slaughter)

Destruction : The End , The Desolation & The Extinction

The End and the Desolation are connected through pain, with death creating pain through grief and destruction though loss of potential. The Desolation and Extinction are connected through the destruction of society and mankind, as well as the idea of a fiery apocalypse and explosives. The Extinction and the End are connected through the deaths of humans and existential dread, as well as it being implied that the Extinction was formed from the End.

Most of these are based solely on feeling/aesthetic/ideas, but that does sort of align with the dream-logic of the Dread Powers. Feel free to share your opinions on my groupings or ask questions about them, as I am curious how other people think about the fears and their connections (also any better names to explain the groups, they are kinda a work-in-progress)

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I have gotten into the habit of drawing while I am relistening to episodes, so I made this swirly cup of coffee while listening to MAG 74 (Fatigue).

This may or may not have been made while I was sleep deprived

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Small doodles like this are one of my favorite things to do while listening to podcasts, and I made this while relistening to MAG 47 (The New Door)