#john corcoran

I have no idea what the story behind this was, but it's a fun photo. 1946.

Ah, you mean my post saying I was tired of Shadowheart being relegated to "the woman" role in fanart?

I have another post where I go on a tangent about it, so all I will say here is that some fandom portrayals of her feel stereotypical and dehumanizing rather than something that represents her character. Made to look like some AI generated barbie with big tits and a dollface as a result. It's frustrating to me because I wish people talked more about her story, but instead she is just "the woman".

As for Shadowheart's reaction to Mizora - it is certainly an aspect of her character intended by her writer for her to be open to vices. The writer uses Shadowheart's experience in the Sharran cult to portray her as a natural dark mistress. Any scenes that involve references to bondage, temptation, vices, obedience, punishment, or torture tends to have Shadowheart chiming in with a domme type shtick.

Additionally, on twitter, Shadowheart's writer offered ideas for writing general and spicy scenes with her:

I personally find this type of domme as providing a service and pretending rather than being fully into the dynamic. So I see the scene and associated behaviors in a dual way:

I think the author fully intends Shadowheart to be open and encouraging to sharing her partner, but that she also wants to be able to grant permission to it as a means of stability, commitment, and sexy control.

However I find aspects of Shadowheart's character to be realistically insecure, where I read a lot of Shadowheart's domme behaviors as predominantly play/roleplay in a way where she could not perform the role seriously or for the entirety of the relationship.

In scenes where she makes these types of comments, she seems bored. This boredom is sexy to subs who are into this (they like being dismissed), but it feels dispassionate in a way that is unsustainable. Compare this to Lae'zel's fiery dominance or Minthara's aura of authority. One of these things is not like the other.

It feels like Shadowheart is ok with the Mizora situation as a means of trying to gain control over the situation (read: insecurity) but also because the writer is intent on having Shadowheart be a medium to explore kink, which I find poorly integrated into the character. This is also the writer for Halsin, whose sexual nature and openness to poly also feels poorly integrated compared to his character from early access. Clearly I don't mind these aspects, but some of it doesn't fully vibe with the character portrayed.

Speaking of early access, for your last comment, Shadowheart's story got streamlined.

In Act 1 (which is retained from early access), Shadowheart makes a pitch to you when asked about Shar worship.

"Shar, Mistress of the Night and Lady of Loss. Most fear the dark, like children, because in darkness they see their fears reflected. But Shar teaches us to step beyond fear. Beyond loss. In darkness we don’t hide, we act. Pain. Hope. The promise of better days. All of these are heavy cloaks that bend our backs and burden our hearts. "We shed those cloaks. Before Shar we stand gloriously naked, beyond the vanities of mortals. "We tear down the lies the world is drunk on: the institutions they trust, the so-called gods they worship. The lives they cling to. We destroy false idols, topple corrupt organizations, fight heretics wherever they're found. "There's often suffering - death even. Many people break before they embrace Shar's truths."

While we can write this off as propaganda she had been fed, it actually does sound like a convincing argument. Remember that Shadowheart's mission was to retrieve the artifact that held the truth of Vlaakith's reign. The truth that could undermine a tyrant. A false god. Ignoring the Emperor for a moment, the sharrans are acting as whistleblowers according to Shadowheart's description. Anarchist. Freedom via deconstruction of autocratic systems. (Although we know the truth of Shar is the destruction of all system. Order giving way to cosmic chaos. The end of all existence. She is divine oblivion.)

But once we get to the Shadowcursed lands, Shar worship is pretty much just a cult and only a cult. The only way anyone would ever join this cult is through brainwashing or intense grief. It really is a moment of that meme "Damn girl, you live like this?"

It feels like originally, the writers were going with something that would make us see why someone would turn to Shar for philosophy, not just desperate salvation. I imagine you'd have had more debates as a Selunite or good-aligned god in that version of the game. Rather that what we got in launch version where is as basic as "come to the light child."

The information desk in Grand Central Terminal, January 15, 1947.

The information desk at Grand Central Station, January 1947.

John Corcoran is retired. He had a long career as an entertainment and general assignment TV news reporter. He and Garry are very old friends, in both the punny and real sense. When we look out our living room window toward the San Fernando Valley, there is a stand of very tall Palm trees on a hill to the left. They serve a weathervane purpose for us–and as this is being written midday…