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Happy *checks note* New Year!

So it appears that my undead-ar is really poor: I misidentified @InBrightestDay’s Lady Aldreda as a vampire and failed to understand that @JayDee’s MC was one. I think the “once-fallen angel” thing confused me because I’ve been watching too much High School DxD.

Yeah, the angel used to be a demon after falling during that unpleasantness with Lucifer. My flowery description probably didn’t help! Does the plot make any more sense knowing she is a vampire or is it still just a mess? Be honest, I can take negative reviews. I’ve had little choice over the years :D

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I love you sometimes <3 That said warm and cuddly seems to be one of my Achilles heel.

If there’s something to catch, InBrightestDay is the one to catch it! I wasn’t even familiar with the original song/film(?) although I’ve seen enough Rudolph references over the years and no doubt derivative stories to have the basics. Gotta say it sounds like a pretty cool, well thought out reference! but… but… it still has a big ol’ anthro deer! He was a buck and he was there to fuck! (uh… sorry Kiddo)! Just because some shortstack got stuck in someone was upset? Bah, furry drama llamas… There was an old old oglaf strip with the “Invincible Shield Maiden” where every strike someone gave her appeared on them, with the punchline being that a guy fucked her and felt his own cock inside him, “so good!” Reading your elf-kabob description reminded me of that and made me thinkof the elf magic being abused in a similar way. Rudy goes balls deep and suddenly he’s up to the nuts in his own reindeer guts – not in the Weird Al sense. ...yeah I’m also kinda weird.

You’re not wrong! What’s going on is that, while the definition of albinism in mammals is pretty firm (it gets murky in other animals because melanin isn’t their only pigment) there are multiple kinds of albinism, medically speaking, differentiated by the genetic mutations that cause them. Oculocutaneous albinism is the most common kind and there are different types of that based on what genes are mutated. As for the red eyes, recall that I said Lady Aldreda has oculocutaneous albinism type 2. What you’re thinking of is type 1. OCA2 is caused by a mutation of the OCA2 gene (named after the thing the mutation causes!) on Chromosome 15, a gene that codes for melanocyte-specific transporter protein. I could explain the biochemistry a bit more, but what it amounts to is a drastically decreased production of melanin, but the body does still make some, and melanin gives the iris its color. Large amounts of melanin result in brown eyes, while very small amounts, like in OCA2, result in icy blue eyes. OCA2 is the most common form of albinism, occurring in either 1in 20,000 or 1 in 15,000 births (sources vary slightly) OCA1, on the other hand, is far rarer (1 in 40,000 births), but is probably the most iconic form of albinism, caused by a mutation of the TYR (tyrosinase) gene on Chromosome 11. People with OCA1 don’t make any melanin, not even in their eyes. As a result, the iris is transparent, and you can see the red blood in the retina through the iris, hence the red color. I actually wanted Lady Aldreda to have OCA1 in my initial planning stage, as I thought the red eyes would look cool, factor into the negative reactions to her and contribute to her exotic beauty (there probably would have been a bit during Elis’s description of Aldreda talking about her striking ruby-colored eyes) but I ran into a problem. You see, melanin doesn’t just color your iris or help keep your skin from being hurt by the sun. It’s actually important in the development of multiple parts of the eye, including the iris, retina, optic nerve and eye muscles, so a total lack of the chemical has adverse effects on vision. People with OCA2 may sometimes suffer from problems with bright lights, but people with OCA1 have it far worse. You’ve heard of 20/20 vision? Well, people with OCA1 can have 20/200 or even 20/400 vision. They’re not blind, but it’s a pretty severe impairment. This wouldn’t necessarily hinder Lady Aldreda’s melee capability (she could compensate for decreased vision with her other senses), but I also wanted her to be good with her crossbow, and she needs sight for that. Thank you again for the compliment, and I’m sorry for the biology lesson I just gave you above. Well, given that this is sort of a retelling of the story, when you mentioned the Great Fog of ‘64, I figured it might be a reference and did some research. By the time you mentioned ‘39, I knew what that was about. Oops! Had that backwards...

"Something Wild" - Lindsey Stirling & Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness I’m not sure where I was first introduced to the musical style of Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness – was it “Rainy Girl,” maybe, or “Canyon Moon?” – but I’m falling for it harder every day. I’m rarely brought to tears by contemporary music with vocals but AMitW is, so far, a frequent exception. I never would have associated something as intense as “Something Wild” with Disney had I not heard it myself in Pete’s Dragon. ...and cried. ...like a baby. Good grief. My eyes are burning, my skin’s buzzing, and my heart’s a gooey, fluttery mess. This...this is beautiful and it hits all my frisson-triggers in just the right order. If y'all haven't heard anything by this artist, please, for the love of all that's good and bright in this world, fix that starting by playing this video and listening. 4d0m6f46k1bX6ZQtfmg1Uj.url