Empress of Mars: Undisputed @zebratron2084@awoo.space

@mawr That was a memorable day for Peg and me too!

Holy shit, apparently my stepbrother managed to wake up, acquire a phone, operate it, and hold a reasonably coherent (if a bit time-disoriented) conversation with his wife. WHILE STILL UNDER SEDATION.

Yeah, whatever other bad things are in store for him, I think his brain's OK. :D

Black Market Bob apparently shares my opinion about problematic media...

In my personal headcanon, Edgelord is basically what happened to Brainchild from the Tick cartoon after the reboot. They're both gadgeteers, they're both young, they're both completely stereotypical of why kids their age suck... O:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I8G5XQI9_w

Excerpt from my mom's last e-mail. That's my stepbrother all right. 😼​❤️​

(Recovery's still going well.)

@Balina (Exactly! Er... you might not want to say "heart" around her, though. 😅​)

@001zlnv MEOW MEOW MEOW

@Balina I'm still tryin' to pick a good native era and genre for her, but I think she's a LITTLE young, given she was just created today, for RCGs...

"Remember, the new place has really high ceilings. We can STACK CATS TO THE HEAVENS!"

Thanks for all the advice! The two options I liked most were lammergeier and deer (thanks, @Doephin!)... and then I remembered I was already intrigued by perytons and their glorious fake-ass origin story*, so I split the difference and went with one of those.

* https://offbeat.fandom.com/wiki/Peryton

I think I'm calling her "Eusebeia" (ef-SEV-ia, Gk.: "piety"). It's got etymological roots in "fear of the gods" and "flight from danger." I like that in this context: a monster who has to eat (and otherwise deal in) human entrails for nutritional, cultural, and devotional reasons, and is very devout and unashamed of those practices, but REALLY tries to do her dirty work as gently and humanely as possible.

Hence the necromancy... so she can get "humanely sourced" organs when possible... check on her prey after the deed... make sure they get where they're going okay... and maybe arrange new corporeal digs for them if they had important living-person business to finish.

I think this might be a good headfriend for me. I'm trying to come to terms with the last two years, and the fact that I am a difficult person, with some ugly neurological burdens I can't always snap myself out of. This is someone who's pretty much permanently saddled with an unpleasant nature. She can't stop it and will no longer apologize for it-- but she's going to show the world just how good a monster can be, ravenous or not, if she sincerely keeps working at it.

She's just... gonna snap and eat someone if you don't feed her a dwarf heart every couple of days. *awkward cough* She'll try her best to make sure it's someone who was being a jerk.

Granted, that kind of friendship's not for everybody... but if you happen to know where to get a pile of spare dwarf hearts, hell, she's a pretty good friend and ally. (What's up with that shadow, though!?!)

@Leucrotta Thanks! The shrike suggestion was what led me to the species I think I'm going for: lammergeier. The shrike was a great suggestion too, though, exactly the right combination of adorable and "you do WHAT to your prey oh my shit." Cute little Vlad the Impalers*, I approve. :)

*"Vlads the Impaler?"

@Oneironott I mean, they are basically the Brock Fucking Samson of the seabug world... :O

So I've been pondering a Chaotic Good necromancer character, one who's just kind of "Designated Evil At Birth" a la Marcy from Adventure Time, but is in actuality just really chill and friendly about the idea of mortality.

So... I've been looking into animals with traditional death symbolism, and most of the available sources kind of SUCK. Almost every site lists "crows, cats, owls, moths, vultures, and bats," and I'm starting to wonder if they're all just copying from the same source.

So... folks with actual zoological knowledge: what's an animal you think kinda _should_ be associated with death, but rarely is, due to obscurity/cuteness/good PR? :) I'd love to make them something surprising like a hummingbird or a vole or something, but I need a species that has something really surprising and grotesque about it. Not necessarily viciousness-- like, I've already decided a shrew is RIGHT out-- just something to inspire moments of "Ew! I forgot you people DID that..." in their friends. =^_____^=

@LexYeen@snouts.online I mean, he's still basically got Stage 4 lung cancer for sure. :( But between them apparently nailing the entire brain mass and ruling out small-cell and lymphoma (IIRC)... his outlook is sure better than it was! This may nudge it _just_ over the line between "virtual death sentence" and "actual chance of victory." I'll take that, right now!

current #moodsnapshot: "Small Town Boy" by Bronski Beat but ironically because actually my Mom is totally cool with her son being a weird gay tiger-lady dork. =^_^;=

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88sARuFu-tc

Stepbrother is barely out of anesthesia, but he's still doing well. He recognized our parents' voices and squeezed their hands, so I'm pretty sure he's at least intact in there. Good day, all things considered.

@troodon I'm so jealous. I can't wait til Peg and I have a screamy cat. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsQIDTchNMg
[cw: "eeeeeeeeeeeee"]

#moodsnapshot

Matt's out of surgery. They think it was a success and he's in the best possible shape given the diagnosis. Fingers still crossed.