[Weekly Whimsy] Dark Thoughts

Welcome to Weekly Whimsy, where wild, wacky, willful, and worthy words are wound and whipped at wondrous works of  wit from the web.

[Ok, I got my word-nerd fit out of the way- onto today's topic!]
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I'm bringin' sexy back- Justin Timberlake, Sexyback

The fine folks over at GW have finally decided to show us the magic behind the curtain, and revealed their new project; the Dark Eldar. Once the sneak peeks were out, the 40K blogsphere lit up with chatter, discussion, commentary and other general talk.

The first discussions were purely aesthetic- because really, all we got to see were pictures at the beginning.

Lelith is completely gorgeous. She's lithe and deadly, a combination of lethality and loveliness that's perfect for the Dark Eldar look and feel.

GW got the DE aesthetic absolutely right in the previews so far. The figures I have seen are haunting, beautiful, alluring, otherworldly and absolutely breathtaking in their stunning elegance. The eery, siren-like quality of these figures is better than most of us imagined, and they are magnificent.

As a woman, I have no problem saying that I think Lelith and the wytches are knockouts. I really appreciate the women of the DE world- they're toned as hell and can kick my ass. I'm actually a little jealous. I think the girls exemplify the savage hedonism of the Dark Eldar universe in spades, and show what you can do with imagery that fluff simply can't convey.

I also find the quality and shape of the ladies' chests to be absolutely stellar.

It's completely refreshing to see breasts in a fantasy setting that are actually realistic and physically possible.

I understand that I'm a sheep among wolves, a voice in the wilderness, and a very unusual viewpoint on this regard. I know that the majority of the gaming universe is male, and the population is even more testosterone laden in the miniatures world.  I understand that sex sells, and that making the gratuitous T&A as fantastic as possible increases the likelihood a man will pick up a product and buy it.

I don't really have a problem with that. I want the companies I do business with to do well so that they stay in business, and then I can buy the products I enjoy. I want the guys around me to have things that tickle their fancy, so that I have people to play with and against.

I also understand the desire as a geek to have some outlet where you are a rockstar- a place where you have the ability to command and possess the world around you. I get the goofy Dark Helmet tendencies, too. I GET IT that it's nice to have some eye candy, so that your dorky, nerdy hobby isn't so dorky and nerdy all the time. [I'm blessed in that the eye candy I enjoy is alive, and walks, talks and is pretty interesting. And then I have The Dude- bonus!] I have no real issue with wanting to make playing with little dollies (or boring books, or pieces of cardboard)  a bit less ridicule worthy.

I don't even really have a problem with the crass and vulgar descriptions of the gals. I'm pretty desensitised to coarse language. I have three brothers, all younger, and I game. A large majority of my friends (85% or more) are men. I personally take part in some pretty rough and dirty language, all because of how I'm wired. I'm usually one of the first to take a slightly off color remark to the farthest point, and I'm pretty likely to take a perfectly innocent remark and twist it on its ear into something raunchy.

I just wonder how many of these guys were making 'sexxxxxy' comments when BA came out. Those dudes are all full of beauty and grace, plus some massive murderizing thrown in form shits & giggles. Don't the sanguinators deserve some ego (or other) stroking too? What about the Bugs? All I heard was a lot of cussing when the new 'Nids 'Dex came out, it seemed.

So, I'm all for giving the girls their props, but I'll be an equal opportunist and adore on all the stuff that rocks, and not just the ladies.