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1ore — Excerpts from a sermon undelivered
Published: 2018-05-01 20:50:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 1510; Favourites: 226; Downloads: 0
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[Image: Sadren starting a little controversy from a Lexarc pulpit.]For all gods were born from violence, and all saints were once trespassers:
To transgress is divine.Related content
Comments: 28
Wow, this quote works so perfectly when applied to the Esk world, I seriously love that. Though then again, don't great quotes apply to many things well? Excellent writing and I love this art as always! Do you currently have any graphic novels or work published that I can buy?
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Hahahahaaa come to think of it, moribund does share parallels with twwm when it comes to this "passing the threshhold" into divinity / eskhood :^D I like the way that this recontextualizes "all saints were once trespassers."
I do not have any works for retail and don't have plans to, barring disaster; I'm hoping to populate this page with larger narrative works as I make them, which will always be free to read.
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Oh I see! That is really cool, and in that case I'll be sure to read and enjoy all of them! I totally understand if you aren't interested in answering this or consider it private, but as another writer, I am really curious; what is your plan overall for getting your works out there and living off of your work? Do you intend to run your career off of some kind of crowdfunding and donations, or simply by advertising? Or do you have some other plan for funding your work professionally and keeping it free?
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Nooo I don't mind at all! It's a bit of a funny subject actually %^D
I don't intend to monetize my work at all if I can help it; part of this is because monetization through most traditional venues sucks the joy out of it for me, and creates pressures on something I consider a hobby (albeit one I take seriously.) The other part is that, because the majority of my work is founded in the Southwest and its people, I would not feel comfortable profiting financially off of their stories when I am already profiting socially. My goal right now is to get my foot in the door doing conservation work or environmental science work and support my art that way.
Thank you for asking! This was a really neat question.
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That sounds incredible! Are you working through an environmental science major then? I got special permission to take Botany as part of my master's study classes and as a way to study botany and the plants since they figure so deeply as a subject of the science fiction novel that is my master's Project, and though I loved plants and the study of nature before, I gained an even deeper respect for them and how complex they and the systems around them are. That is such a cool field of study, and I wish you the best of luck as you pursue it and conservation efforts! Also, that is a very interesting perspective, to not want to monetize something from a culture that you are taking from. I never thought of art and monetization that way before. It always just seemed to me that if someone wished to pay for it, they would, and if not they wouldn't and would simply either access it illegally or ignore it altogether. That is definitely an interesting way to view things. My fiancee would love your work, he is native american (both Lakota and Cherokee) and would love all the references to southwest tribal legends I'm sure! Its not something we've seen represented so deeply and lovingly in mainstream media.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! 
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Oh that bit about botany is everything ;_; I feel like I'm only just breaching the surface of it all, and the intimate network of relationships and interactions that makes up the world around us is just profound and so easy to fall in love with. I think it's badass that you integrated science with your art-- the two are such seamless counterparts.
And yeah, I've been grappling with the possibility that (god forbid) I have to go back on that tenant out of financial need, if worst ever came to worst. But I don't think I'd ever want to make true monetary profit off of it. I'm really humbled you would say that of my work, as well-- I feel like I really can't stress how much a root this desert is for what I do :'^D (and I hope it finds your fiancee well!!)
Thank you for taking the time to ask it! Your thoughts are deeply appreciated, and it was good to put some of that thinking into words.
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It really is incredibly inspiring, the natural world is just so incredible and fun to research, and that is actually what drew me to esks so much as a species; getting to look into each plant scientifically, its environments, and learn more about biomes, environments, and plants all over the world and even locally that I never thought to look into. Thank you so much! I write science fiction so one of the main draws of it is the integration of science and scientific theory with story and projection. I wanted to do the same with botany and genetics, as well as molecular computers (which my fiancee wrote his thesis project on in school, he was a computer science and networking major. They are super interesting and fascinating I highly recommend looking them up if you haven't heard of them already! Scientists have been working on them for a while now, but they are computers literally built off of molecules and the building blocks of DNA and other things!)
That is really tough, financial needs can come up out of nowhere I know, and change even the most well-laid plans. Either way, I really wish you the best of success and I hope you always get to do it in the manner that makes you the happiest! That is so perfect that the desert is such an inspiration for you, and your first nursery esk was a desert esk in that same area XD Did you plan that on purpose or was it just some kind of fate?
Thank you, I learned a lot from talking to you, and it means a lot that you are willing to take the time to answer my questions so deeply and thoughtfully!
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Oh, much the same!! I had followed wither's art for some time, and after twwm opened up, the opportunity to share in such a unique take on both loss and the natural world was kinda impossible to resist ;_; I think the group is such a wonderful way to nurture natural wonder in creative folks, and I kinda love that learning more about it is written into the game's design.
I got way sidetracked into molecular computers, and then DNA computing, and how mind-boggling a concept that is. I always had a fondness for organic technology in fiction, but wrapping my head around programming and reading meaning into, like, bits of DNA is just *wild.* I've always been a little mystified by the stuff @_@
And I think I'll be ok one way or the other! Likewise to you-- here's hoping money isn't ever a prohibitive factor in the future :'^D
Dia's a funny story because I was struck with the premise for her about a month prior to claiming that Nursery posting, and the desire to realize that concept is what finally got me to join the group. I had a ridiculously specific set of "requirements" (trespasser! drought-hardy sonoran desert plant species! nasty demeanor! black and white palette! some sort of desert boundary!) that I knew I would probably have to wait a long time to find or make. And then that Nursery got posted and I just kind of lost my marbles. I forget how lucky I got with her sometimes hahahaha!
Anyway-- much the same to you! I don't think I've ever been asked any of these questions... I am happy to hear you gain from them too, they were very insightful for me!
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Yeah, Molecular and DNA computers are insane aren't they??? I love looking into them, and they are a large part of the novel series I am currently writing. In the world of my story, humans are able to use their molecular computers power to enable them to become genetic creators, and certain genetic scientists become artists, creating new animals, plants organisms, and bacteria using the calculating power of the computers to work out the problems that arise. I'm so glad you looked into that stuff and found it interesting! No matter how much I look into it there is always more to learn, it is such a dense and complex subject for sure.
That is awesome, and thank you so much!
That is really cool, honestly it is very similar to what happened to me, except instead of finding my perfect nursery Esk to embody the character I was struck so powerfully with, I had a friend of mine offer a TF slot very unexpectedly! I didn't have so much a strict need for a particular nature feature, but I imagined an environment that was a dark, swampy, desolate, yet beautiful place of some kind, and that the esk would be a Trespasser yet have a "Rejoicing" Nature. I had very particular themes and storylines I wanted to explore with the character though, since the moment I saw the group for some reason a character walked into my head and I wanted to create and express them. I'm so glad you were able to do that so perfectly with Dia, she is an incredible design, so sleek and beautiful but extremely unique while not overcomplicated. I also love her backstory and personality, and the mysterious air she gives off. Would love to learn more about her and the secrets of her life and death someday, as well as what is behind the cave she guards
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OH the implications of creating life as an artform are buckwild!! I love speculative futures like that-- it sounds like it comes from a deep well of understanding and love for the source science, and i feel that passion shines through in the best of ways when it comes to art.
And what a profound stroke of luck!! That's really kind of them to offer you that TF slot and get your idea rolling from the get-go ;_; I really love that the constraints in this group are there almost exclusively to inspire creativity, and organically build on a concept moving forward... but it also makes it that much more special when you find a way to do something exactly the way you imagined it in your head.
Thank you so much for the kind words on Dia, too... I'm over the moon that she could invite curiosity at all hahaha! I hope it all finds you well as I slooooowly get that story out :'^D
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Oh wow, I don't know how I missed this D: I'm sorry! It got buried under my feed and I didn't read it until now!
Thank you so much, science is definitely something I've always loved to study, especially when it comes to biology and botany, so genetic science is extremely intriguing to me! Yeah you are definitely right about that, I actually would have been very happy with a Nursery claim as well, though I don't think I really understood at the time how it worked or how to get one XD I stumbled upon the Greenhouse thinking that was the way to get a first esk and was very confused and saw them disappear so quick I couldn't even get one (not to mention I would have needed very high points to do so) and I think I didn't realize the nursery was a separate entity. I was super new to DA species so I just didn't get how they worked lolol. However, that said, being able to customize my own character design so deeply was an excellent experience and I wouldn't change it for the world, especially since I got to get into TWWM with a really kind friend who helped me realize how truly awesome the lore and community was, rather than this big, intimidating group full of strangers.
YES I will definitely be around to see Dia's story and learn more of the mystery. So much of Esk lore is wrapped around mysteries, but I love even more when those strange things are explored deeply as Dia's cave quite concretely promises is possible.
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Oh that's so sweet ;_; It was daunting for me too to finally take the leap-- my first time interfacing with a dA group / game like this. But the people here are so warm it blows me away! It's so wonderful you had a bud to show you the ropes... the world has got such charm it's lucky that it is so easy to get sucked into reading every little scrap of info.
And that makes my heart very happy-- I really enjoy the quiet sense of intrigue and bittersweet grief that comes with these little ghosts, and I hope I can capture some of that when she isn't being a thorn in everyone's side hahaha!!
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Yeah it is definitely a bit crazy to figure out how it works and how the game even functions when you've never even experienced anything like it before! The people definitely are wonderful, which is one of the group's greatest assets for sure, as well as the lore! It is, I get sucked into it so often XD
You put it really well, that is exactly the sense I get from the lore, the world, and other esks as well, and what drew me to them! Haha that is the best part about writing Trespassers; by their very nature they are deeply dissatisfied about something, and while that can lead to conflict, it makes it very easy to have the character drive the story and plot forward
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Yessssss it's, like, written into the very nature of a trespasser! The types of conflict within the relatively quiet and somber esk world can be a challenge to set up, I feel, but are very rewarding... There's just a wealth of internal and external conflict to reckon with, in a trespasser. I really love that the wanderer prompts have begun including general attitudes towards the different origins, as well ;_;
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Oh yeah I love that as well! Raaga's attitude towards Trespassers is honestly the most interesting one of all to me. It's so nuanced and has a view that I agree with completely, and I bet that is part of what you are referring to as well! He is such an interesting wanderer and will be a fun character for us Trespasser esk owners to use in our stories and art
Yes I know what you mean, it can be easy to think of esk as detached from life and from the world, and for external conflicts to therefore seem limited, especially with their very nature being ghosts and spirits that have gone missing from life. It really does make it more rewarding to create what conflicts a spirit would find with such a unique way of interacting with their world.
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Oh yes! I love Raaga's view ;; I could see him finding rare kinship with some especially ill-mannered and irreverent trespassers (and travelers, come to think of it.) Disrespect of everyone and everything almost becomes a form of respect hahahaha! Aevre's too-- more or less to be expected of her character but I think it creates the perfect storm for some fun interactions. I'll have to fuss with her and Dia sometime down the line.
And yes, I think constraints like that really set a narrative free! Maybe there is no bodily threat to an esk, but there will always be threats to the physical world and the entities that inhabit it, or internal turmoil that haunts an entity years after going missing... these sorts of conflicts are some of the most interesting to me.
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Yeah that is a good way of thinking about it! Yeah same, I would love to have some crazy interactions between Raaga and Aevre and Murkhail, I love the way that potential conflict is baked into all the Wanderers in one way or another, it definitely keeps things interesting!
Yeah that is really well said. I used to wonder what could possibly threaten immortal beings that cannot be harmed and can choose to die (give up their form) if eternity becomes too long for them. I love that once real danger is taken out of the picture, it becomes more focused on what is both within and outside the characters; either what is affecting the environment and people or animals around them, or what is attacking them internally and emotionally.
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Yeah! They give a wonderful name and a face to the vast and multifaceted regions they inhabit. Really clever way to personify a region and promote interaction in that sense ;;
and YES.... that's the crux of it for me! Really great way to put it. The stakes are almost higher when they don't necessarily live within the esk, at least not physically. I think that, coupled with the immutable code of pacifism between esk is an incredibly unique angle for an arpg like this to take.
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Yeah they certainly do, like a local legend or spirit of an area, they feel so legendary and immense in their own way, yet have personifications and personalities all their own like so many of those legends!
Yeah that is true, the fact that Esk literally cannot physically fight or at least harm each other in any way is so fascinating, I don't think I've ever seen a fantasy or science fiction story in which that was completely baked into the lore, not because the creatures are so peaceful or kind necessarily, but because they literally can't.
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They really do feel like archetypal heroes or characters of legend or myth! I didn't even put two and two together there, but it makes so much sense now bahahahaa. Especially as NPCs that you can add your own spin on-- retell the fable in your own way.
and YEAH I don't think I've ever encountered that either-- a thing that literally can't be violent. Part of what drew me in so quickly... I feel like it helps inform the chill, cooperative nature of the group and the relatively somber, quiet atmosphere of the world too. All of the interpretations on this code and its immutability are really interesting to me.
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Haha yeah they always felt that way to me! Archetypical and yet unexpected in little ways, with character complexities that can be built upon.
Yeah you may very well be right! Would be interesting if the nature of the story itself inspired the way the group behaved.
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