So I did say, a while back, that there'd be more SL photos of the Reyvablog avatars, this time in their home environments as opposed to a studio setting. I hold to that promise, bringing you a selection of photos from the first of our shoots, focusing in on dhezeall, heartofharmony, and neonsunray.
briyante's pics are coming soonish, as well as more from dhezeall and heartofharmony, and we should be close to being able to put AR's avatar together. polyhymnia is a little further away, but eventually we'll get her put together too.
Commuter transit is pretty tiring for dhezeall.... especially when fellow passengers keep giving her the eye.
Still, breaks in the noise and the hubbub afford opportunities to relax, as well as time for a couple of portraits.
heartofharmony looks to the Goddesses, amidst dazzling church architecture. Such places can inspire a sense of serenity even in those spirits they hold captive.
Sadly, she remains elusively hard to photograph, but we got a couple of candid shots.
neonsunray relaxes at her favourite song parlour, letting herself get caught up in the music.
Coming across a giant piano, she takes a little time out to indulge in symbolism, truly embracing her nature.
Shadowed in the doorway of the song parlour, she tries to stay discreet.
Letting go of her shyness a little, she strikes a pose.
As she leaves for home, we find her pausing momentarily to look to a starlit sky, dreaming of hope.
And now, a little world info....
The song parlours neonsunray attends are a cross between cosy lounges and karaoke establishments, with private rooms for small groups of friends and slightly larger, public areas for ad hoc socialising. The public areas generally feature a small stage, surrounded by long couches all pushed together so people can recline on them, and little else; there's not usually space to dance, and people don't tend to do so, although they may stand up and join in with the singers on stage, or sway to the music. The experience is about listening to people sing, taking your turn, and joining in with the harmonies, as well as feeling emotionally conected to the music and to each other.
Though song parlours are quasi-infamous among humans for being hotbeds of promiscuity, the interactions that go on in these places are rarely, if ever, sexual. United by the music, many choose to relax their personal boundaries or let go of them altogether, but the intimacy that results is more of a relaxed, liberated openness of being than a frenzy of passions. People will curl up in each other's laps, lean against each other, snuggle and stroke each other's hair and faces, but their actions are expressions not of physical desire but of the comfortable closeness they feel as the harmonics of the group blend and align. As with all fond interactions between people, occasionally this bonding will lead to physical attraction, but the song parlour isn't considered an appropriate place to indulge these sorts of feelings. They're really a lot more like musical cuddle parties, with the added benefit of the participants being able to experience deep emotional closeness through their magic.
Generally, people tend to come out of these events feeling warm, happy, refreshed, and released from their tensions and distractions. Being around people who, through harmonics, you feel instinctively fond towards, safe around, and happy to share your feelings with is a deeply therapeutic experience for many; it's possible to relax with the people at a song parlour in ways that many people don't get to in all of their daily lives. And while song parlours aren't sexual venues, a lot of Reyvateils who attend them find that relationships with humans feel awkward and stilted afterwards, devoid of that instinctive emotional connection, and find themselves drawn more towards relationships with others of their kind.
Due to the increased need for emotional bonding that presence at these venues can awaken in people, they've been blamed for causing an addiction to diving in some Reyvateils, though others argue that someone liable to be addicted to diving will become that way through diving alone. A diving addiction can be dangerous, as the Reyvateil will often push her partner to explore deeper and deeper levels in which the Reyvateil's, and diver's, subconscious minds are at great risk of damage, and may forgo caution on these levels in order to seek a more intense experience.
Letra - Eldharia ~Inori Saku Mori~
2 months ago
6 comments:
This reminds me of something.
The song parlour post was the post that IC-winters was at one point going to comment on. Because to her, it made them sound good and interesting. (She's also fairly jealous of the "comfortable closeness" thing; has a difficult time with that even *without* the species hiding thing.)
a lot of Reyvateils who attend them find that relationships with humans feel awkward and stilted afterwards, devoid of that instinctive emotional connection, and find themselves drawn more towards relationships with others of their kind.
This, on the other hand, makes me nervous. `.`
On the avatar thing, I've been playing Rock Band 2, with a band made up of two of my MMO characters and two RP characters, one of them being winters - because hey, clothing customization. Unfortunately, it's hard to find clothes that are bulky enough to cover the necessary things without being too grungy or having too many unnecessary metal bits sticking out.
Maybe I should just try using the gaia avatar simulator. That's got options for everything imaginable and most things unimaginable, as far as I can tell...
Also, I'm beginning to wonder, are some of the Reyvablog characters played by the same person, or are you just talking about this someplace I don't know about? ^_^;
(She's also fairly jealous of the "comfortable closeness" thing; has a difficult time with that even *without* the species hiding thing.)
Aww. I'm sure most Reyvateils, at least, wouldn't have a prejudice against her species once she was out about it to them, and while she couldn't harmonise with them to the extent that they can with each other, they're good at making people feel comfortable and close. :)
This, on the other hand, makes me nervous. `.`
Hmm... I'm not exactly sure what's nervous-making about it? It's just basically saying that once you've discovered the strong bond that can be hand between members of your own species, you feel most naturally drawn to it over weaker types of bond. Perhaps I should have been more specific and said "romantic relationships with humans"-- it's not that they find themselves suddenly unable to have humans as friends, it's that they're more likely to settle down with a Reyvateil. I don't see anything bad in that.
On the avatar thing, I've been playing Rock Band 2, with a band made up of two of my MMO characters and two RP characters, one of them being winters - because hey, clothing customization.
Oo, could we get some ghetto screenshots (i.e. photos of TV)?
Also, I'm beginning to wonder, are some of the Reyvablog characters played by the same person, or are you just talking about this someplace I don't know about? ^_^;
The majority of them are played by a small number of people. I won't reveal who's who, to preserve the illusion, but I will say that I run multiple characters in that game.
I'm sure most Reyvateils, at least, wouldn't have a prejudice against her species once she was out about it to them
It's really more her own difficulties opening up to people that are the problem though. (And there's *very* few people she's told about her species... at least, who know her RL identity.)
Hmm... I'm not exactly sure what's nervous-making about it?
It sort of sounds like it could end up weakening their relationships with non-Reyvateils. I don't really like things that pull people apart, especially with it dividing on species lines like that.
The IC-winters part of me also looks at things like "the strong bond that can be hand between members of your own species" and says "Well, that kind of leaves *me* up a creek, doesn't it?" (Especially since she's supposed to be in a somewhat romantic relationship with a Reyvateil...)
Oo, could we get some ghetto screenshots (i.e. photos of TV)?
RB2's actually got a thing for getting pictures on their website, but I don't think it's going to work out the way I want it to. I've only found one pair of non-tight pants for female characters, and they're too short, too ragged, and too dirty. (Some dirt, acceptable, she *does* work in an industrial setting, but not *grungy*. Well, unless she drew the short straw on refitting the big compressor or something. `.` )
Though I did start thinking of random unlikely questions, like how Reyvablog universe people would react to the band's lead singer (an unlinked machine intelligence).
Another thing inspired by the recent music discussion... I'm a fan of the Drunkard's Walk fanfic series. On it's forums I once commented on the idea of Doug visiting the AT universe, just because it might be interesting seeing what would happen when Doug was exposed to songs that themselves produced magical effects.
But now I kind of wonder how people from this universe would react to a story about a person who had unusual abilities triggered by hearing songs. But in that world, the songs are mostly sung by humans...
I won't reveal who's who, to preserve the illusion
I'm not quite convinced that's an illusion worth preserving, but... *shrug*
(Especially since she's supposed to be in a somewhat romantic relationship with a Reyvateil...)
Aww-- I didn't actually know this. Hopefully they can at least discuss things like this, and such? It's true that Reyvateils do find special meaning in the bond with their own kind, but that doesn't have to negate other relationships, and presumably there are reasons why they're together. I do hope it works out.
Though I did start thinking of random unlikely questions, like how Reyvablog universe people would react to the band's lead singer (an unlinked machine intelligence).
Huh... by "unlinked" you mean "not connected to the Tower"? That's an interesting way of putting it. Reyvateils being linked intelligences by default...
But now I kind of wonder how people from this universe would react to a story about a person who had unusual abilities triggered by hearing songs. But in that world, the songs are mostly sung by humans...
Huh. That definitely seems like it would be an interesting world to cross AT over with. I'm sure Reyvateils would find them, on the whole, quite fascinating-- after all, humans who are particularly magically receptive to their work don't come along every day.
I'm not quite convinced that's an illusion worth preserving, but... *shrug*
Hmm, I don't know... not thinking of various concrete people as being behind the characters helps to maintain the illusion that they're autonomous people, and I do think that is an illusion to value. I've even hesitated on giving out pictures of them just because we wouldn't normally get to have this information and I like the authentic experience of having to imagine, and I'm still dithering on whether to share their legal names at all.
I'm still kind of figuring out the details. (Since I don't plan to start writing as her, I'm just letting things gradually fill in. `.` ) I think they're both satisfied with the way things are going though.
Huh... by "unlinked" you mean "not connected to the Tower"? That's an interesting way of putting it. Reyvateils being linked intelligences by default...
Not really, no. My band is the musical equivalent of Cross Edge - it has characters from four entirely unrelated settings. The singer is one of my City of Heroes characters (who makes a few guest appearances in my CoH fic).
(If you're curious, the others are: one of my FFXI characters, and a character from a sort-of-fanfic I've planned, but not written.)
"Machine intelligence" refers to an entity that was born out of a computer. "Unlinked" indicates that their continued existance isn't linked to a specific piece of hardware.
... Actually, to someone from the AT universe, she'd look a lot like a virus. Except cuter. ... Well, and not wreaking havoc. `.`
I made up these terms for potential use in stories, because the term "artificial intelligence" seemed vague and potentially misleading.
I'm sure Reyvateils would find them, on the whole, quite fascinating-- after all, humans who are particularly magically receptive to their work don't come along every day.
It's actually just one guy, who has a mutant ability. (He's from a superhero RP the author played in.) The series involves him travelling from world to world trying to get back to his home, so it's pretty easy to have him show up different places... I haven't been able to come up with any ideas though. (And I'm not sure I could really write him anyway.)
In some ways, I think the idea of someone actually reading the story in the Reyvablog universe might be more interesting. In some ways, there's a lot of paralells between the situation in that world and the events in DWII. But it feels like some would be turned off by a world with singing humans...
Hmm, I don't know... not thinking of various concrete people as being behind the characters helps to maintain the illusion that they're autonomous people, and I do think that is an illusion to value.
*shrug* I used to do a lot of IRC RP, and I'm pretty used to flipping between looking at things in IC and OOC terms. (Not to mention long email exchanges between two people with four or more people having a conversation...) As well as keeping track of who's aware of what. But OOCly I think it's fun to learn things that my characters might not be aware of, but were *intended* to be a particular way by the person responsible for them. It's the same sort of drive that leads me to pay more for the DVD with the bonus features. `.` On the other thing... well, when I'm in OOC mode, I guess I just like to know who I'm dealing with. But it could be something that just bugs me.
I actually like the suspense of not finding out (some) things until my character does. That way I get to watch the story unfold as it's being told, with as much dramatic impact as it has when it's revealed for the characters themselves.
Also, I've noticed that when I am privy to knowing that multiple characters are played by the same person, if I witness any back-and-forth between the two, it starts to look orchestrated to me. I start watching it like a hawk for subtle signs of which character the author agrees with more, and who is going to "win" the argument, and so on (possibly because I'm so critical about the same thing in literature.) I'll see things that aren't even there, sometimes. It's a lot easier to read as if it were a realistic exchange when I don't know the same player is driving both.
I suppose it just helps me with suspension of disbelief and so on, helps me immerse more in the story, if I don't know these things ahead of time. I can look at it part from a reader's perspective and part from an author's perspective, whereas if I know all the secrets and plot stuff and everything ahead of time then I feel like I'm seeing it solely from the author's perspective, and that takes away some of the fun of getting to do both at once.
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