kismetrose

[kismetrose]

In the words of Laszlo: I became a vampire to drink blood and fuck forever.

But not necessarily in that order.

people are always like "Oh a vampire wouldn't get horny while drinking someone's blood, that's like getting horny while eating a sandwich" and like man have you never had a really good fucking sandwich?

[kismetrose]

I yearn to once again be typing like I'm hunted by god!

I feel the mad sprint coming on...

"just write a little every day" ok but what if i write nothing for 3 weeks and then suddenly type like i’m being hunted by god

[kismetrose]

my entry for the May #hardcoverchallenge from

@hardcoverart.com

[kismetrose]

Week two of VTM Fangfest 2025 is finished! The set is complete! All seven virtues. I'm so so excited I got to finish this! Set with vices here!

Parvati, Kahanni, Hierophant Harrakhty - Hope Regent Atticus - Justice Stakebait Coterie: Khloe, Ralph, Kyle, Christian - Fortitude Xandy - Charity Sydney the Dusk Angel - Faith Nythanel and Noa - Prudence Kolya - Temperance

Thank you everyone for another great Fangfest! These characters all belong to me and @thesixthplaneteer! 💘⚰️

[kismetrose]

Friday Inspiration

Today's Ebon Light inspirational quote is brought to you by Duliae Laushust:

"The research only suggests what may happen, but don't lose heart. For every word of despair, there is a word of hope. Of defeat, power."

[kismetrose]

Something Ebon Light Inspired Me to Do

Over 2 weeks and 5 playthroughs, I took notes on as many names of people and places in Ebon Light that I could find.

Why?

So I could make this generator in loving homage!

[kismetrose]

Monday Motivation from Ebon Light

At one point in the visual novel, Gha'alia's precious cinnamon roll Vadeyn Milirose says: "You'll look around one day and realize you made it through what you thought was impossible."

Having experienced this IRL a good number of times, I couldn't help but feel heartened. Reminded. Seen.

It can be so hard to remember this when you're in the thick of your troubles, wading through the woes of each day, surviving from moment to moment. It's all too easy to believe there's no way out when you feel trapped by the tides.

One of the functions of fiction is to show us there can be ways forward and happier days. We can come out the other side. And it can be worth a backward glance if only to admire the view of all the miles we've traveled to get to where we are now.

We needn't fully understand how we made it through the storm before or how we will again, but we'll have smoother sailing if we believe salvation is on the horizon. And we needn't believe blindly - the past bears all the proof we need.

I don't know how many of you need to see this message, but I know I did.

[kismetrose]

commission for @strifeyy-y, his character j'gar lunan (jay apostrophe gar, like the fish 🤭). loved working on this guy, thank you for commissioning me 💜

commission info 🎨

[kismetrose]

Don't forget, there's a free adult patch you can add to A Date with Death if you own Beyond the Bet 😉

[kismetrose]

Some Vanya Appreciation

Ebon Light opens with the main character eking out a rough existence alongside her aunt Vanya. The two of them have been alone for years by that point, but that hasn't softened the older woman much. Aunt Vanya isn't generally affectionate with words, though you can catch how she cares in her actions.

Her codex entry ends with this: "Despite an air of protest, [Vanya] took on the task faithfully, determined to raise her niece healthy and protected. She is not one for nonsense or idle prattle, and she spends most of her time gathering what she can for mere survival. She enjoys the barest of creature comforts, she is easily frustrated, and she lacks the patience required for dealing with the majority of people."

And I just have to say that I love her, sharp tongue and all! She's point-blank about what has to be done and unsparing about why (i.e., if you don't forage enough, you starve, and "starving is the worst kind of death"). She doesn't go out of her way to be cruel; she's just become as hard as the place she's survived in.

We don't get to see a lot of her in the story, but she makes an impression regardless.

[kismetrose]

Take It to the Ring!

I was delighted when I got to this scene in the visual novel Ebon Light, and not just because Laceaga had already started to win me over with his bloodlust and sarcasm.

Lacey showed the main character to a fighting ring - nothing fancy, just a ring in a back alley with an armored elf acting as referee. When he explained that it was "Sometimes used for training, settling disputes… weddings, revenge… combinations of the four," I couldn't help but smile. It made sense for Gha'alia, the martial island nation of elves in the VN, but that wasn't the only reason I enjoyed these details.

You see, quite a few years ago, I wrote duels into my Guide to Sex & Romance in Fantasy Gaming, as an option for weddings and divorces. The idea tickled me with its dramatic potential. In fantasy TTRPGs like D&D, player characters are built around combat skills, and plenty of societies and deities exist that are anything but gentle. Why not add a duel to seal or break marriage vows?

Running into the notion unexpectedly in this visual novel brought me a distinct kind of joy. The fantasy VNs I play feed the same hunger for fantasy in me that TTRPGs do, with some notable differences. I guess part of me has been waiting to see the idea play out in the wild, and now that I have, I'm every bit as amused as I hoped I'd be.

[kismetrose]

When Frank Castle gets a kitten.

[kismetrose]

Good Advice in Ebon Light

A lot of people give Ebon Light's main character advice, not because she's a helpless damsel in distress but because she's in well over her head through no fault of her own. Instead of pitying her and dismissing her for all that she lacks, her allies sympathize and offer what they can.

Some of their advice is quite strong and applies well beyond the visual novel and its fantasy world. When Haron Milirose first said, "So take heart. Don't let them manipulate you into obedience or being fearful when there is no cause," it gave me a notable moment of pause. Something inside me took his words, applied them to Real LifeTM, and felt better.

That isn't the only time this has happened; I've found myself considering the characters' advice in later playthroughs and gone out of my way to screenshot it (I screenshot a lot, to be fair). And when I go through my screenshots, I feel that same little lift in my spirits.

I've seen a number of people say that they found Ebon Light to be particularly soothing, and I think this may be one of the many reasons why.

[kismetrose]

I bloody love this!

Loviatar's Blessing prints | patreon (this is the mini in the print club for the month of May!)

[kismetrose]

I have a thing for characters that look older than young adults and no I am not sorry.

I want to see some lines on that face, gray in that hair, and experience in those eyes!

lasombra from a V20 dark ages game i'm currently playing in.

[kismetrose]

Another Way Ebon Light Inspires Me

Something I've noticed as I've replayed Ebon Light is that there are things the characters say that I find rather encouraging.

Like this little line: "There are choices everywhere, darling."

I'd like someone to tell me this just about every morning, whether they add the "darling" or not!

[kismetrose]

I do so love twisting tropes and meddling with motifs!

Okay so like I understand the metaphorical reasons as to why vampires are often portrayed as wealthy and werewolves poor, but I feel like the “soul-sucking noble exploiting the common people” and the “outcast from society that struggles to blend in” coding works just as well if you swap their roles.

Consider: the aristocratic werewolf. She has acres and acres of land for her private use, denying hunting rights to everyone else. She spends hours running free on her property and hunting whatever—or whoever—she sees with no thought to the ramifications. And if it is a person who meets her teeth and claws, then that’s a fitting punishment for trespassing on her land, no?

Consider: the destitute vampire. During the day, she hides in alleys, abandoned buildings, under bridges, anywhere that might keep her safe from the sun. She doesn’t have the ability to hunt as she needs to, keeping her in a constant state of hunger and desperation. For this same reason, she can’t freely interact with non-vampire members of society, lest she lose control.