esotericas

please i must know how strong this correlation is. thank u <3

my wife <333 plus a bonus older version i did a few years ago she’s clearly less insane now teehee her original inspiration was auri from name of the wind and i think u can tell even all this time later

The young poet's mentor read through the verses swiftly at first, and then with greater consideration at the final poem. The woman in green looked out at her library of blue, and let out a soft hum. She copied the poem into her own notebook, and pinned it to the front page.

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of a woman and two girls Dimensions: 3 wide, 2 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of a lady Dimensions: 2 wide, 2 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: a map of aevos Dimensions: 2 wide, 2 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: a family portrait Dimensions: 4 wide, 2 high

Best screenshot you've taken? Favorite location in the map?

"Who could have seen this coming?" Manon sighed, and settled in to watch as history tried desperately to repeat itself.

✩ AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ✩ ✩ “AN ISLAND IN A VAST SEA OF IGNORANCE” ✩ •─────────────────────•✦•─────────────────────• IT IS A TRUTH universally acknowledged that a person in possession of a bare head, must be in want of a hat. Though some private manufacturers are known and whispered of, none have yet set their foot into the public sphere, and so NSCO must voyage into the unexplored territory of the millinery business. NSCO offers hats of all shapes and sizes and functions, custom-made, at exceedingly reasonable prices. NSCO’s unique pay-what-you-can pricing scheme allows all to purchase a hat, without breaking the bank. Each custom hat has a base price of 75 mina [or $5 USD], after which the commissioner may choose to pay more as they can afford & see fit. Those seeking hats of particular character [rp items] or Alchemical nature are warned that base prices may vary, depending on the investment required on NSCO’s behalf. Please enquire with the Lady Manon at any of the following addresses, and be sure to send a letter or find her in person before seeking out alternative means of communication. Examples of our past work can be found below. CONTACT: PAST WORK: •─────────────────────•✦•─────────────────────• ✩ SCIENTIA POTENTIA EST ✩ ✩ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER ✩ •─────────────────────•✦•─────────────────────• Signed, Her Ladyship Lady of Deguise, the Star Lord, the Starsteel Alchemist, Baroness of Guise, Baroness-Consort of Distrugestadt, Dame of Arts, •─────────────────────•✦•─────────────────────• •─────────────────────•✦•─────────────────────• ✩ “IN EVERY LIBRARY, THERE IS A SINGLE BOOK TO ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT BURNS LIKE A FIRE IN THE MIND” ✩

After Ardirnien was returned home, pyres lit, farewells bidden, Gunnleifr wandered the hills of the Heartlands with an aimless abandon. Sometimes walking, sometimes astride his loyal mount, Gunn watched the stars fade and the sun rise, and he battled against all his instincts to get lost. But the compass in his heart or his soul or his gut led him northward, back to the Vjardengrad tavern. Gunnleifr stood before the corner table in the wee hours of the morning, staring at the seat where Louis had sat, the bitter taste of his last lie to his lost friend still lingering on his tongue. "It was a joke." That was what he had said, sitting behind the bar, desperate not to let their friendship fray. A pointless lie to a man who was now dead. A man Gunnleifr had loved. Gunn sat, facing the fire, where Louis had only hours before. He traced calloused fingers over the raw wood grain of the table. And there, finally alone, Gunnleifr wept.

SONGR ÆN DANZ ᛊᛟᚾᚷᚱ ᛇᚾ ᛞᚨᚾᛉ The Song and Dance of the Norns BY GUNNLEIFR KONANSSON, 553 I.A.A. ᚷᚢᚾᚾ Tales of Nornish valor are whispered, sung, and written in every realm touched by Man, but the Norns of Solgaard’s love of art and beauty extends far beyond that of battle-prizes. Nornish halls are as filled with treasures of gold as they are with treasures of music and dance, though these are less well-known. I am but one man. I have attempted to chronicle the ever-shifting fashions of music and dance known among the folk of Solgaard. Our culture, however, is not one tied to the permanence of books and ink, but to whisper, legend, and lyric - our dances are improvisational, and passed down from parent to child. Our art’s subjectivity is its longevity, but I can not possibly claim to chronicle its entirety, as forms and styles ebb, flow, and distort from use and disuse. Still, I have done my best to explore the most prolific of our performance arts, and I believe I have done thorough work of it. Without further rambling, let us begin. I STÍGA-SEGGR: WARRIOR-STEP ᛊᛏᛁᚷᚨ-ᛊᛖᚷᚷᚱ A troupe of Nornish warriors practice the Stíga-Seggr before battle. A tradition long-followed, though its name has been forgotten and regiven many times in my people’s history, the Stíga-Seggr is the rhythmic warrior’s warmup performed before battle. Typically performed with weapons in hand, the Stíga-Seggr guides the performers through a set of battle-stances, loosening their muscles and reminding them of their form before a long battle. In its standard form, the steps of the Stíga-Seggr are accompanied by no instruments save the pounding of the warriors’ feet, and the lone singing of a warrior-hero, or an accompanying skald. The first part of the dance follows the shape described above, with the smooth movement between stances, forms, and holds. The skald chants out the names of the forms in time with the warriors, the low, rhythmic call calming their minds and narrowing their focus. When the time for battle arrives, however, the skald’s song transforms, joined by the voices of the warriors, into a staccatoed frenzy, agitating the warriors and reawakening them for the battle ahead. The final wail before battle has been likened to the barking of dogs, or the screaming of wounded animals - a terror-inducing shriek that resounds over the battlefield. The Stíga-Seggr has been infrequently known to be performed outside of battle, either armed as a show of martial prowess, or with weighted rattles in the place of weaponry, for pure entertainment. Many Nornish warriors also practice personal variations of the Stíga-Seggr as part of their training, to soothe the mind and help learn their forms. II MÁLSONGR: TALESONG ᛗᚨᛚᛊᛟᛜᚱ A Nornish youth performs the tale of the fallen Haraldr before his Jarl. The Málsongr is the most narrative of all Nornish performances, as a single dancer, or a small group, recreate tales from heroic legend, new and old. Most often performed alongside a ballad or a sung saga, the Málsongr is high improvised, as the dancers take cues from the skald’s recalled retelling. Unlike the communal singing of the Belgrdanz, described below, the music accompanying the Málsongr is almost always sung by a single skald, except when the dancers themselves sing. Then, they each take on the role of a particular character, describing their own actions and deeds as they are performed. The music of the Málsongr is of the sort most familiar to visiting southerners, with harps, lyres, and beaten drums accompanying the words of the skald or the dancers. For this reason, the Málsongr is often performed for the entertainment of foreign guests, and by traveling Nornish skalds abroad in foreign lands. Unlike other Nornish songs, the Málsongr needn’t necessarily involve a dance at all. Many skalds sing sagas on their own, with only a single instrument for accompaniment. This fashion is particularly popular in taverns, and is often performed for the entertainment and education of children, as skalds tell them the tales of their kin and ancestors. III FLYT & EINNFLYT: WITBATTLE & INSULTING ALONE ᚠᛚᛁᛏ & ᛖᛁᚾᚾᚠᛚᛁᛏ Two Norns Flyt on a shore. The tradition of Flyting is a beloved one, and has spread to nations all across the world, though its sister the Einnflyt has yet to meet the same fame. A Flyting is a fast-paced, improvised battle of wits performed between two skalds, who volley rhyming insults and boasts back and forth to one another. Despite its seeming sharp tone, Flyting is a friendly contest, and is performed by some Norns as a means of greeting, though most often Flyting is found in taverns or at celebrations, where audience members cheer for or boo their preferred skald. In Solgaard, the tradition of Flyting has also birthed the art of the Einnflyt, wherein a single skald sings a boastful or mocking poem directed at an ambiguous, nonexistent enemy. Einnflyt songs often boast of wealth, romantic success, and martial prowess, while degrading the theoretical recipients talents in the same areas. While Flyting is typically performed with no backing music whatsoever, the Einnflyt is often accompanied by simple, repeating beats, often those from hand-drums or rattles. It is a uniquely accessible musical art, and is practiced by many a Nornish youth. IV BELGRDANZ: THE PELT-DANCE ᛒᛖᛚᚷᚱᛞᚨᚾᛉ A particularly wild Belgrdanz, celebrating the return of the bearskin-clad Norn below. The most enigmatic and unnerving of Nornish dances, the Belgrdanz celebrates the return of warriors, hunters, or victors of any other sort. The returning Norns dress in dark clothing, drape themselves in animal pelts and masks, and slip into town at dusk, the darkness covering their clothes, and making them appear like twisted beasts. As they stalk the streets of their village, the dancers sing their Kveldsongr, or “evening song,” a wordless tune performed only with low hums and breaths. As the returning heroes of the Belgrdanz creep into their village, and their families hear their songs, they light bonfires and torches, and slip out to join them while they twist and whirl through the streets, their voices joining the others in the Kveldsongr. The wives of the dancers perform the other part of the Kveldsongr, a high, winding vocalization that melds with the hums, and echoes far out into the mountains. Their children often accompany on flutes and pipes of bone and wood. Though the modern form of the Belgrdanz is performed in celebration, its dark, eerie tone is obvious, and echoes back to its roots as a song of mourning, performed by the widows of fallen warriors, who would wrap themselves in their husbands’ furs, and run out keening into the night. Today, the Belgrdanz is a happier performance, though it serves as a reminder to all that lives lost are lives lost, no matter if they were those of friend or foe. A variation of the Belgrdanz is also performed by Nornish children, who drape themselves in furs, masks, and cloaks, and parade in circles around their towns, singing rhymes about fallen heroes, and creatures of the dark, though the music of children is even more challenging to document than that of adults. Though this survey can not be considered complete, I hope it has at least been informative, and provided inspiration to those who have read it. The role of music and dance in culture is one long-disregarded, and one I think should be looked at with greater appreciation. ᛏᛟ ᛊᛁᛜ, ᛏᛟ ᛊᚲᚱᛖᛗ, ᛏᛟ ᛞᚨᚾᚲᛖ ᛒᚨᚱᛖᚠᛟᛟᛏ ᛁᚾ ᚦᛖ ᚹᛟᛟᛞᛊ!

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of siblings Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of a man Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of a lady and a man Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of a lady Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of two ladies Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

Manon Yvaine de Falstaff sits back in her desk chair, and smiles in satisfaction. "Arthur's going to be livid," She muses, grinning to herself. "Won't that be fun."

✩ IDENTIFYING AI GENERATED IMAGES ✩ •─────────────────────•✦•─────────────────────• While I am personally very strongly opposed to the use of AI in image creation, I am aware that some others on LOTC are less opposed. I did not write this with the intention of trying to change anyone’s mind, just of trying to help people know what they’re looking at. I will not be preaching about my views on AI during this post, at least not intentionally. If some of my opinions leak through, please forgive me. Please don’t use this post as a place to argue over the ethics of AI. This is intended to be purely informational. TL;DR? ZOOM IN on images. Look at them for a second before you download/pin/save them. Most AI images look real at a glance. It’s only when you spend the time to stare at them that you can identify them as AI-generated. I Terminology Many AI images are prompted with broad, general labels. “Victorian,” “Medieval,” “Fantasy,” or “Sci Fi,” for example. These are more effective at producing a reflective image during generation, because the AI model has a vast amount more reference material to pull from than if you tell it, say, “1885” or “Early 15th century.” When posted, AI images are often captioned with the terms used to generate them, or with similar terms. Vague, general words like those seen above will therefore be much more likely to result in AI images. For example, of the first ten or twelve images I received when Googling “Fantasy Dress Art,” I identified five as being AI generated. “Elven Dress Art” only produced two, and “14th Century Dress Art” produced none. If you don’t know what to call what you’re looking for, talk to a skinner, or send your references to me! I will always be happy to help people find what they’re looking for. Many of the AI-generated images you’ll find in internet searches come from websites offering “Thousands of free PNGS” or something along those lines. Don’t trust anyone who offers you 50,000 images of ladies in dresses! Red flag! Check image captions on Google and Pinterest. Here are some examples of captions on AI images: Now, not every image from these sites will be AI. Don’t use this as your only metric. But if you’re unsure about an image, and the captions look anything like those, it’s likely AI-generated. II Wonky Details For reasons that are somewhat beyond me, AI is often very bad at repeating geometric shapes - I’d assume something to do with averaging lines. Whatever the reason, it can often generate “geometric” shapes that fall apart or blur together, like these, which are clearly supposed to be hexagons. Admittedly, this is a rather extreme example, which I shared mostly to prove my point. Here are some subtler examples of AI “losing track” of what it’s supposed to be creating. Bodice lacing “wobbling” and merging into itself. (Also, take note of the low resolution of all of these images. While I’m not sure why, many AI-generated images can be very low-res.) Similarly, since AI isn’t consciously “designing” each image it makes, it often struggles to make the small, subtle details coherent. If you zoom in enough, all the pattern and detail becomes... seemingly random. It’s not clear what it is, or what it’s trying to represent. The left image is AI, the right is not. On the left - what is this embroidery? What are these patterns? We can’t tell. On the right, even though the image is low resolution, we can clearly see a pattern of stripes on top, and some sort of braid down below. Even without the context of the larger image, the detail is effectively communicated. Here are some more examples of meaningless detail in AI-generated images. There’s no way to know what these patterns are supposed to be. Because AI can generate what would be hours of work in a split second, it can often generate more detail than a human being would bother to. It has no need to simplify. While a human being might have simplified or stylized the embroidery on this bodice into something easier to draw (and easier to understand) the AI doesn’t understand the need to do this, and produces an incredibly over-detailed dress. Another example - this is supposed to be a painting. No reasonable person would bother to paint this many wrinkles - and no reasonable person did. It’s AI. III Asymmetry In a similar vein, AI can’t consciously monitor its own symmetry. While some real art will have intentional asymmetry, the asymmetry found in AI-generated images is often difficult to notice or “accidental” looking. For example, let’s take a look at laces-lady again. The left side of her bodice has a blob of lace that isn’t present on the other side. This adds nothing to the design - it doesn’t feel like a conscious choice... Which is because it isn’t one. These sorts of subtle asymmetries are everywhere in AI-generated images. Why does this woman have an orange part on one sleeve, but not on the other? Why are this woman’s sandals different? (Also, her toes...) And this leads us to our last section. IV Anatomy This is the one you hear about, so I’m not going to belabor it a ton. As you can see with those freaky toes up there, AI really struggles with finer details of the human body. It’s gotten much better about hands, but feet, eyes, and ears are all often wonky or blurry. This queen is looking in two directions at once. This one’s head isn’t centered over her feet. And this little girl’s arms and legs are WAAY longer than they should be. V Byebye Everything else there is to say about identifying AI-generation has been said a hundred times before - jewelry, hands, anime style, et cetera. These are the little tips and tricks on top of those standard tools that I use. If I can impart you with no other wisdom, I hope I can remind you of this: ZOOM IN. Zoom in. What looks reasonable at a glance looks uncanny when you stare at it for a second. It’s always worth spending the time to be sure you know what you’re looking at. That’s all. Thank you for reading! •─────────────────────•✦•─────────────────────

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of siblings Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of a man Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of a lady and a man Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of a lady Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

MC Name: esotericas Discord: esotericas Image: Description of Image: portrait of two ladies Dimensions: 2 wide, 3 high

"Hey," Said Manon to herself, "I knew her. Isn't that neat? I'm history now!"