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Description

"I've made love potions for most of my life, even before I came here. You could say - if you forgive the obvious pun - who I am. Some praise me for them, others condemn me. It's a polarizing topic."
"Taking away freedom of choice always is."
"Of course. I'm not blind to the implications. I won't even say I offer some 'means to an end', although some may see it as such. These potions are more for the buyer's own benefit, not the person who eventually consumes them."
"Well, of course they are."
"Not in that way, although that does happen. What I mean is that the potions provide an illusion; a promise to topple the state of things and deliver one unto a more pleasant reality. However, even that is an illusion in the end. I can see it in the eyes of the return customers."
"Return customers?"
"Nothing lasts forever. Sooner or later, the spell drains out of the user's system, and the effects wear off. It's just chemistry, and a bit of magic. A subtle change here, a prod there, and you have butterflies in your stomach, but you don't know why. I don't sell love poisons. They're more trouble than they are worth, despite being worth whole fortunes. I offer the buyers a chance, even though it usually proves to be a meaningless extension of some fantasy they've been harboring. So, naturally, they come back, asking for extensions. Second, third and fourth chances. More time to create an actual bond, not just medicinal haze."
"That sounds a lot like any other addiction."
"True, but the addicted is the buyer, not the consumer. They're addicted to their own ideas, their fantasy. I've seen their tired looks as they ask for one more dose to have that week or two to make it actually count. So, naturally, I enable them."
"Aren't you concerned with the morals of it at all?"
"What I do is immoral to some, yes. And yet, I have a steady stream of buyers from all walks of life, male and female. In a way, the burden of moral responsibility is on their shoulders, not mine. They're the one lacing the drinks, not me."
"But you make them. Doesn't that mean you're the one ultimately responsible?"
"The alternative is not making them at all. Throwing away that part of my being. I just can't do that. And they'd probably just find someone else willing to make the potion."
"You could use your experience to make less questionable products, though. Hair tonics, healing potions, that sort of things."
"Of course I could. But I must admit to an addiction of my own in this case. There is something about fulfilling someone else's fantasy, and something strangely alluring about seeing those things catch up with my customers in the end. I get return customers, but never customers for life."
"So, you offer them a product that doesn't even work in the end."
"I never said it would produce real love. Love potion is just a brand name. It just takes most of them a bit of time to realize that, and finally move on. Their fantasies were fulfilled for a moment, then withered away like an autumn leaf. Some had, at least."
"Some?"
"Yes. Some actually have happy endings. Latent feelings that needed a bit of a push. Liquid courage for one, and the illusion of a safe bet for the other. Those bonds might have formed without me, or they might have not. In the end, you can't make love where there is none. Maybe that's why my own potions don't work for me - I understand them too much, so the illusion is broken. That's why I treasure her as highly - what I feel for her, and what she, apparently, feels for me. Those are genuine. The only real love potion - real love."

Commissioned by CaptainTropica , featuring Cherie Belle and Love Potion .

Also on tumblr !
TechnicalStill image created with inkscape .
The animations were made and exported with aniGen .
Exported with Adasek's SVGRender , now stand-alone for Chrome and Firefox.

You too can make animations with AniGen !

LinksOriginal SVG

As always, I appreciate any comments, criticism and discussion.

Description

"I've made love potions for most of my life, even before I came here. You could say - if you forgive the obvious pun - who I am. Some praise me for them, others condemn me. It's a polarizing topic."
"Taking away freedom of choice always is."
"Of course. I'm not blind to the implications. I won't even say I offer some 'means to an end', although some may see it as such. These potions are more for the buyer's own benefit, not the person who eventually consumes them."
"Well, of course they are."
"Not in that way, although that does happen. What I mean is that the potions provide an illusion; a promise to topple the state of things and deliver one unto a more pleasant reality. However, even that is an illusion in the end. I can see it in the eyes of the return customers."
"Return customers?"
"Nothing lasts forever. Sooner or later, the spell drains out of the user's system, and the effects wear off. It's just chemistry, and a bit of magic. A subtle change here, a prod there, and you have butterflies in your stomach, but you don't know why. I don't sell love poisons. They're more trouble than they are worth, despite being worth whole fortunes. I offer the buyers a chance, even though it usually proves to be a meaningless extension of some fantasy they've been harboring. So, naturally, they come back, asking for extensions. Second, third and fourth chances. More time to create an actual bond, not just medicinal haze."
"That sounds a lot like any other addiction."
"True, but the addicted is the buyer, not the consumer. They're addicted to their own ideas, their fantasy. I've seen their tired looks as they ask for one more dose to have that week or two to make it actually count. So, naturally, I enable them."
"Aren't you concerned with the morals of it at all?"
"What I do is immoral to some, yes. And yet, I have a steady stream of buyers from all walks of life, male and female. In a way, the burden of moral responsibility is on their shoulders, not mine. They're the one lacing the drinks, not me."
"But you make them. Doesn't that mean you're the one ultimately responsible?"
"The alternative is not making them at all. Throwing away that part of my being. I just can't do that. And they'd probably just find someone else willing to make the potion."
"You could use your experience to make less questionable products, though. Hair tonics, healing potions, that sort of things."
"Of course I could. But I must admit to an addiction of my own in this case. There is something about fulfilling someone else's fantasy, and something strangely alluring about seeing those things catch up with my customers in the end. I get return customers, but never customers for life."
"So, you offer them a product that doesn't even work in the end."
"I never said it would produce real love. Love potion is just a brand name. It just takes most of them a bit of time to realize that, and finally move on. Their fantasies were fulfilled for a moment, then withered away like an autumn leaf. Some had, at least."
"Some?"
"Yes. Some actually have happy endings. Latent feelings that needed a bit of a push. Liquid courage for one, and the illusion of a safe bet for the other. Those bonds might have formed without me, or they might have not. In the end, you can't make love where there is none. Maybe that's why my own potions don't work for me - I understand them too much, so the illusion is broken. That's why I treasure her as highly - what I feel for her, and what she, apparently, feels for me. Those are genuine. The only real love potion - real love."

Commissioned by CaptainTropica , featuring Cherie Belle and Love Potion .

Also on tumblr !
TechnicalStill image created with inkscape .
The animations were made and exported with aniGen .
Exported with Adasek's SVGRender , now stand-alone for Chrome and Firefox.

You too can make animations with AniGen !

LinksOriginal SVG

As always, I appreciate any comments, criticism and discussion.