#we're talking about bad video game worldbuilding and bad video game worldbuilding ONLY

[vokriid]

for yall who wanted an explanation on the Cyrodiilic religion

this post may be disjointed and repetitive bc I’m tired af but if your first TES game was Skyrim, then 1) same here, 2) 90% of TES lore is really confusing, complicated, ridiculous, and mostly boring, especially because a lot of lore comes from stuff that got retconned as the franchise went on, but that either fans or devs wanted to make sense in the world-building.

okay, so there are multiple religions worshipped on Tamriel during any and every era, but in most games, the biggest is the Cyrodiilic. the state religion of Cyrodiil is the, uh, Cyrodiilic Pantheon, or the worship of the Divines. the overall religion was codified (founded) by St. Alessia, who basically combined a bunch of local religious traditions together, made them as similar as she could, and decided official names and such. the main deities are: Akatosh (the most prominent deity and chief of the other deities), Arkay, Mara, Kynareth, Dibella, Julianos, Stendarr, Zenithar, and, after a certain point in time, Talos. the religion (especially once it has Talos) is often called the ‘imperial cult,’ and just keep in mind that it is the state religion of the Empire, not the only religion of the Empire. so while there are other religions in Tamriel, they’re mostly local, and the Cyrodiiic cult is present outside Cyrodiil bc, again, state religion. 

so, just so we’re clear: the whole religion of the Divines is not native to Skyrim, it is native to mid- and southern Tamriel. eg: Christianity is not native to the Americas, but the largest Christian populations are the US and Brazil. also Islam isn’t native to the Middle East outside the Arabian peninsula*, but you can find it from the ME all the way to the Philippines. 

so there are still a bunch of other religions in Tamriel. usually (not always!) religions are, uh, unrealistically consistent with race/culture/province. the Aldmer worshiped their pantheon, and that religion eventually split and separated into the various elven religions which we will not cover here bc they’re not relevant. what is relevant is that by the time of Skyrim, several of the provinces that were part of the Empire and had to at least give some official recognition to the Divines (though they probably weren’t forced to worship them, from what we can tell? though uh, still very much state sanctioned and protected), now have independence and no longer recognize the Divine pantheon. and, in fact, a lot of them are kinda bitter about being forced to recognize the conqueror who used the TES-equivalent of an atomic bomb against them as a god.

addendum: I FORGOT TO ACTUALLY INCLUDE SKYRIM. .............. later, then.

(end note: also, don’t read or listen to Michael Kirkbride. his writing - specifically how he does theology and philosophy - honestly just fucking sucks. it’s pretty much just really, really, really fucking bad esotericism wrapped in layers of what the average high school-age redditor thinks Nietzsche’s philosophy is. there, I’ve just saved you so much time and effort.)

[redezign-yr-logo]

Intro of some sort idk man

Names: View/Test Tube/Killjoy

Age: 18

Gender/Pronouns: Non-binary [He/It]

Birthday: May 13th

Current Interests [though i basically only post/reblog about Sparklecare n They Might Be Giants]: Art, animation, Lost/Old Media, YouTube/Internet stuff, Cartoons/Movies, Video Games/Nintendo, Lemon Demon, TMBG, Pokemon, Kirby, Sparklecare Hospital, Warrior Cats, Minecraft, Inanimate Insanity, ONE, My own OCs & My friends OCs ^^, n more im forgetting lol

Music i like!!: Lemon Demon/Neil Cicierega, They Might Be Giants, MGMT, Oingo Boingo, Trout Mask Replica [the album], IDKHOW, Tally Hall / Miracle Musical, Will Wood, MCR, Talkshow Boy, Sodikken, Jack Stauber, The Scary Jokes, Jukebox the Ghost, Sidney Gish, OK Go, Drive45, Talking Heads, and a lot more :3

Other things: I am autistic !! i also have pretty bad anxiety soo this place is going to be more like. lighthearted i suppose!

I don't have a dni really ig, just don't be gross, try to tell me about or pull me into drama, or a be jerk n we're cool 👍

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Don't worry about me posting/rbing anything serious because i don't- i like to keep my online spaces lighthearted [mainly for mental health reasons] so anxiety provoking topics & discourse are not gonna be found here unless I have a really bad crash and vent.

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My art tag is #redezign yr artz !!!!!!

My sketch tag is #redezign yr sketchez !!!!!!

My OC tag is #redezign yr OCz !! [May contain art i didn't create since it's a tag for all my OCs i own, not just art ive made of them!!]

My tag for gift art ive gotten [THANKK YOU] is #we know how to gift art

#viewspews is just me sayin random shit lol

There are some tags ive made for my universes too so if ya see em, thatzz what they are !!

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Links:

[ninjaslegos]

I am so sorry that you have to Go through so much.That Sounds so horrible.The best Thing to do is Quit.I Know they told you to be "grateful" but your Body and mental health gets crushed under These cirumstances.I don't think talking it Out will do much.Maybe start looking for a better Job once you found it try to get it(also explain your Situation maybe) ans then quit.It's okay to feel tired of everything and Not having any Motivation.So don't EVER feel Bad about it or that you have to Finish that request.YOU are MORE IMPORTANT then ANY fanfic!

🥺❤😭💕❤ thank you that's so sweet, I feel bad for the depressing topic on my blog for others that have to see even if they didn't want to...so I'm trying to get something out today after resting for so long

I worry that not working on fanfiction requests will cause my following to go down/people become less interested. Like these requests are really good, and give me ideas I couldn't have thought of on my own, and I worry now that I'll become less creative without them now.

Mom took me with her grocery shopping. I bought fruit today and after eating it and napping I felt better. I haven't had blueberries and milk (like cereal) in a long time and I woke up with the puppies on my chest and legs and I felt peaceful for a moment. I wish to buy mixed berries next week. It's too expensive for mom to buy fresh food all the time, so we just get vegetables, and sometimes watermelon, which is more of a treat than ice cream to us. My sister doesn't live with us anymore, because her boyfriend's family can afford all sorts of fresh food.

AS FOR JOBS:

I want to try freelancing writing, but I'm not the best at editing/grammar. I'm really great with my words but I still get confused by commas and semicolons and where to properly put them. Plus, I'm not sure how to charge for writing. (don't worry, as promised, I'm not monetizing my ninjago fanfictions lol) My sister wants to do a similar thing but with art. We're taking what little bit of energy we have on the weekends to work on a comic together. We've already started on worldbuilding, storybuilding, and character design. (skipping between the three because of attention span issues) She actually put up prototypes on her twitter. We hope it gets successful enough to make a living off it.

The only problem is what style we want to go for it. I want to keep it as a graphic novel type art and story so it's more accessible to younger audiences. She wants to go for a more anime style after watching anime with her boyfriend, because she wants a studio to find it and pick it up to animate into a tv series. I don't think that's very likely though so we're super torn on it. She's getting carried away with it, even going so far as to plan video games and a movie. We don't even have a complete storyline thought out. We can't really go forwards until we can figure out what to do and. I'm hoping our friends and even people online can help us come to a decision...

[notbecauseofvictories]

Hi Sarah! My friend and I are starting a bookclub (as much as you can with two people who aren't pressed for deadlines) and I was wondering if you have any recommendations? (That is if you have time to rec anything!) We're starting off with Deathless and have Fitzgerald next in line somewhere but I def want to try to expand the genres we read and tbh from years of following you, I trust your judgement

I don’t...like giving recommendations? At least not directly, it seems like too much opportunity for getting it wrong. Everybody has their own tastes, after all, and even the best of friends don’t necessarily vibe with what you vibe with. (I’ve experienced this with multiple friends, so I know what I’m talking about.) Truly, one of the reasons that my whole “I’m going to get back into reading for pleasure!” push has been so successful is that I only bother with books that interest me, and stop reading when they fail to catch my attention.

But I’ve now read at least 60 books in 2020, which is approximately 60 more than I’ve read in the years prior, so I’m happy to share that. Below is my list of recent reads, beginning to end, along with a very short review---I keep this list in the notes app on my phone, so they have to be. Where I’ve talked about a book in a post, I’ve tried to link to it. 

Peruse, and if something catches your interest I hope you enjoy!

2020 Reading List

Crazy Rich Asians series, Kevin Kwan (here)

Blackwater, Michael McDowell (here; pulpy horror and southern gothic in one novel; come for the monster but stay for the family drama.)

Fire and Hemlock, Diane Wynne Jones (here; weird and thoughtful, in ways I’m still thinking about)

The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn (here; loved it! I can see why people glommed onto it)

Swamplandia!, Karen Russell (unfinished, I could not get past the first paragraph; just....no.)

Rules of Scoundrels series, Sarah MacLean (an enjoyable romp through classic romancelandia, though if you read through 4 back to back you realize that MacLean really only writes 1 type of relationship and 1 type of sexual encounter, though I do appreciate insisting that the hero go down first.)

The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden (here)

Dread Nation, Justine Ireland (great, put it with Stealing Thunder in terms of fun YA fantasy that makes everything less white and Eurocentric)

The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson (VERY good. haunting good.)

Tell My Horse, Zora Neale Hurston (I read an interesting critique of Hurston that said she stripped a lot of the radicalism out of black stories - these might be an example, or counterexample. I haven't decided yet.)

The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society, T. Kingfisher (fun!)

St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, Karen Russell (some of these short stories are wonderful; however, Swamplandia's inspiration is still unreadable, which is wild.)

17776, Jon Bois (made me cry. deeply human. A triumph of internet storytelling)

The Girl with All the Gifts, M. R. Carey (deeply enjoyable. the ending is a bittersweet kick in the teeth, and I really enjoyed the adults' relationships)

The Door in the Hedge and Other Stories, Robin McKinley (enjoyable, but never really resolved into anything.)

The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley (fun, but feels very early fantasy - or maybe I've just read too many of the subsequent knock-offs.)

Mrs. Caliban, Rachel Ingalls (weird little pulp novel.)

All Systems Red, Martha Wells (enjoyable, but I don't get the hype. won't be looking into the series unless opportunity arises.)

A People's History of Chicago, Kevin Coval (made me cry. bought a copy. am still thinking about it.)

The Sol Majestic, Ferrett Steinmetz (charming, a sf novel mostly about fine dining)

House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (immensely enjoyable read, for all it feels like fic with the serial numbers filed off)

The Au Pair, Emma Rous (not bad, but felt like it wanted to be more than it is)

The Night Tiger, Yangsze Choo (preferred this to Ghost Bride; I enjoy a well-crafted mystery novel and this delivered)

The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula Le Guin (unfinished, I cannot fucking get into Le Guin and should really stop trying)

The Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo (enjoyable, but not nearly as fun as Ghost Bride - the romance felt very disjointed, and could have used another round of editing)

Temptation's Darling, Johanna Lindsey (pure, unadulterated id in a romance novel, complete with a girl dressing as a boy to avoid detection)

Social Creature, Tara Isabella Burton (a strange, dark psychological portrait; really made a mark even though I can't quite put my finger on why)

The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins (slow at first, but picks up halfway through and builds nicely; a whiff of Gone Girl with the staggered perspectives building together)

Stealing Thunder, Alina Boyden (fun Tortall vibes, but set in Mughal India)

The Traitor Baru Cormorant; The Monster Baru Commorant, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson (LOVE this, so much misery, terrible, ecstatic; more here)

This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone (epistolary love poetry, vicious and lovely; more here)

The Elementals, Michael McDowell

Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (didn't like this one as much as I thought I would; narrator's contemporary voice was so jarring against the stylized world and action sequences read like the novelization for a video game; more here)

Finna, Nino Cipri (a fun little romp through interdimensional Ikea, if on the lighter side)

Magic for Liars, Sarah Gailey (engrossing, even if I could see every plot twist coming from a mile away)

Desdemona and the Deep, C. S. E. Cooney (enjoyed the weirdness & the fae bits, but very light fare)

A Blink of the Screen, Terry Pratchett (admittedly just read this for the Discworld bits)

A Memory Called Empire, Arkady Martine (not as good about politics and colonialism as Baru, but still a powerful book about The Empire, and EXTREMELY cool worldbuilding that manages to be wholly alien and yet never heavily expositional)

Blackfish City, Sam J. Miller (see my post)

Last Werewolf, Glen Duncan (didn't finish, got to to first explicit sex scene and couldn't get any further)

Prosper's Demon, KJ Parker (didn't work for me...felt like a short story that wanted to be fleshed out into a novel)

The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik (extremely fun, even for a reader who doesn't much like Napoleonic stories)

Three Parts Dead, Max Gladstone (fun romp - hard to believe that this is the same author as Time War though you can see glimmers of it in the imagery here)

A Scot in the Dark, Sarah MacLean (palette cleanser, she does write a good romance novel even it's basically the same romance novel over and over)

The Resurrectionist, E. B. Hudspeth (borrowed it on a whim one night, kept feeling like there was something I was supposed to /get/ about it, but never did - though I liked the Mutter Museum parallels)

Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang (he's a better ideas guy than a writer, though Hell Is The Absence of God made my skin prickle all over)

Gods of Jade and Shadow, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (fun, very much a throwback to my YA days of fairytale retellings, though obviously less European)

Four Roads Cross, Max Gladstone (it turns out I was a LOT more fond of Tara than I initially realized - plus this book had a good Pratchett-esque pacing and reliance on characterization)

Get in Trouble, Kelly Link (reading this after the Chiang was instructive - Link is such a better storyteller, better at prioritizing the human over the concept)

Gods Behaving Badly, Marie Phillips

Soulless; Changeless; Blameless, all by Gail Carriger (this series is basically a romance novel with some fantasy plot thrown in for fun; extremely charming and funny)

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon James (got about 1/3 of the way through and had to wave the white flag; will try again because I like the plot and the worldbuilding; the tone is just so hard to get through)

Pew, Catherine Lacey (a strange book, I'm still thinking about it; a good Southern book, though)

Nuremberg Diary, GM Gilbert (it took me two months to finish, and was worth it)

River of Teeth, Sarah Gailey (I wanted to like this one a lot more than I actually did; would have made a terrific movie but ultimately was not a great novel. Preferred Magic for Liars.)

Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (extremely fun, though more trippy than Gods and the plot didn't work as well for me - though it was very original)

The New Voices of Fantasy, Peter S. Beagle (collected anthology, with some favorites I've read before Ursula Vernon's "Jackalope Wives", "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" "The Husband Stitch"; others that were great new finds "Selkie Stories are for Losers" from Sofia Satamar and "A Kiss With Teeth" from Max Gladstone and "The Philosophers" from Adam Ehrlich Sachs)