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blaiddfailcam · 7 months

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Ranni and Miquella's crossed fates

I've briefly mentioned before my thoughts on Ranni and Miquella's intertwined fates and their potential cooperation, but I swear I keep finding more and more subtle hints and decided I should probably start jotting them down, if only for my own amusement.

Some of these are observations, others are my own theories based on said observations. Take them with a sizeable grain of salt.

Torrent and the spiritcalling bell

The Shadow of the Erdtree promo art appears to imply that Miquella was Torrent's former master. Ranni was entrusted the spiritcalling bell by this enigma.

Torrent was entrusted to Melina, who by deduction is potentially Miquella and Malenia's amnesiac sister. It wasn't just chance that brought the two together, but could have been part of Miquella's plan all along.

The spiritcalling bell shares a similar function to those used by Revenant Worshippers to summon forth wraiths. For whatever reason, Revenants appear numerously in areas associated with either Miquella or Ranni, and seldom elsewhere.

His name calls to mind rushing waters, falling in line with the theme of flowing water to counter stagnation and rot. Malenia was tutored by the Blind Swordsman, after all, whose flowing sword sealed the Outer God of Rot long ago.

Torrent's eyes are the same pure gold color as the Miquellan Albinaurics, differentiated by their uniform pigmentation from the golden irises of "grace-given" beings.

Conescrated Snowfield's relevance to Ranni

It is the only location where Rimed Crystal Buds grow, an ingredient used expressly for crafting Frost Pots, a weapon devised specifically by Ranni's servants.

The white bowers are only found elsewhere in the regions of Siofra River, surrounding Nokron. Likewise, two Followers can be found in the Snowfield.

Astel reappears in Yelough Anix Tunnel.

Black Knife Assassins lend aid to Ordina to guard the Haligtree from unwanted guests.

Consecrated Snowfield's situation at the northernmost region of the map, west of the Mountaintops of the Giants, parallels the positions of the Dark Moon and the Full Moon in the northern sky, as seen from the Moonlight Altar.

Carian influences in Elphael

Loretta, a knightess of Caria, elected the land of the Haligtree to be the most promising refuge for the Albinaurics of Liurnia, pledging fealty to Miquella while maintaining a protective spell over her former house. She was not marked a traitor to Caria, suggesting an alliance between the two houses.

The Miquellan Knight's Sword illustrates a clear borrowing of craftsmanship by the Haligtree, modeled after Carian weaponry, yet substituting holy amber for glintstone.

On the contrary, the Black Leather Shield, purchased from Pidia the Albinauric, appears to hint at the location of the Haligtree: "From the north, this shield depicts the polar star in rivets of gold." The Celtic motifs typical of Miquellan weapons and armor faintly trace the edges of the shield.

There's also the mystery of the Amber Starlight Shard. Pidia offers a map leading to a hidden statue of Miquella and Malenia where the shard is found; Seluvis requires the shard to try and gain control over Ranni. The shard itself is said to be the lost fate of a demigod...

Ranni and Miquella's lost Great Runes

Certain details suggest the Great Rune of the Unborn had actually been intended for Miquella, from its function as a device for rebirth, to the amber egg that cradles it, even down to how its shape matches Malenia's Great Rune, albeit smaller and pure gold.

The children reborn of the amber egg all possess eyes of mixed gold and greenish-blue. Strangely, this mixed pigmentation only appears elsewhere in the eyes of Revenant Worshippers, again reinforcing that bizarre connection with at least one of the two Empyreans in question.

Ranni also lacks a Great Rune, yet a somewhat commonheld theory is that the moon bears a marking that can be seen within the Elden Ring, yet isn't connected to any of the other Great Runes. It depicts a vertical line intersected with upward arcs, like a sort of ripple.

This sigil is also seen in the Ripple Blades carried by young Albinaurics, and even in the Haligtree Crest itself. Though the number of "ripples" and their curvatures vary, the general symbol remains consistent.

Blind guesses as to what it all means

A sword memorial in Altus Plateau reads as follows:

"A sovereign alliance rots from within.

"Traces yet remain of bloody conspiracy."

At first, I thought this might have been referring to Mohg and Miquella, and that Mohg had sworn an alliance with the Haligtree in conspiracy to abduct the sleeping Empyrean. However, it's not entirely unlikely that it could refer to Ranni and Miquella's alliance, and perhaps their potential conspiracy that would culminate in the death of Godwyn and the shattering of the Elden Ring.

While Miquella had clearly worked to either ensure Godwyn would die a true death, or that he could restore his soul through the rite at Castle Sol, but either failed or was thwarted, just like when Mohg abducted him from the Haligtree. For all we know, maybe Ranni even deceived Miquella with a pact.

As for their missing Great Runes, and the Haligtree's plantation in a region more befitting a Lunar Princess, I almost get the sense that, having clarified her intent to rid herself of her Empyrean destiny, Ranni offered Miquella passage to the north, and possibly even the Great Rune she had inherited. This effectively allowed them to trade fates, but it remains to be seen what Miquella/Trina's plans truly were, if the DLC might offer any hints.

Or, perhaps their fates had been entangled from the beginning, starting with Radagon's sly subjugation of the Carian lineage, and his vow of silence enforced upon the Carian Preceptors to hide what the stars might portend. Either way, it seems clear that Ranni and Miquella harbored a mutual distaste for the stagnation of the Golden Order.

...I'm fully prepared for this theory to split apart at the seams when Shadow of the Erdtree drops (hopefully soonish??????). Still, it's fun to mull over in the meantime.

#elden ring #my ramblings #ranni #miquella #shadow of the erdtree #I've been trying to write this more eloquently for weeks but fuck it

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outofangband · 3 months

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Birds of Thargelion

After this I just have Maglor’s Gap and that will complete my series on birds in the Fëanorian realms pre Amon Ereb!

Flora, fauna, geography and environment of Arda Masterlist

Thargelion was the realm of Caranthir, located in the north east of Beleriand just north of Ossiriand and bordered by the Ered Luin, the eastern stretch of mountains that divided Beleriand from the rest of Middle Earth

As always this is not a definitive list! Please feel free to ask more or give me a more specific category!

Around Lake Helevorn and the rivers: Red-breasted merganser, mute swan, white tailed dipper, whooper swan, smew, little grebe, red throated loon, common crane, mallard, common white eye, northern shovler, green winged teal, corn crake, spotted crake, black winged stilt

Mountains: bearded vulture, water pipit, golden eagle, kestrel, peregrine falcon, Rock ptarmigan, common siskin, alpine accentor, northern wheatear, ring ouzel, white tailed eagle, chough, spotted nutcracker, Citril finch, griffon vulture, common redstart, common raven, wallcreeper, common jay, boreal owl, white winged snowfinch, crag martin, common redstart, black redstart

Foothills and forests: black grouse, wood grouse, goshawk, grey white fronted goose, hazel grouse, little bunting, meadow pipit, tree sparrow, hedge warbler, Bohemian waxwing, common kestrel, long eared owl, little owl, marsh tit, coal tit, mourning dove, rock pigeon, woodchat strike

World building notes

-Like most of the Noldor in Eastern Beleriand, many of Caranthir’s scouts keep birds of prey. In Thargelion these are primarily peregrine falcons and kestrels. Hunting with birds was less common however.

--There are populations of Green Elves who live in Thargelion, primarily in the mountains and near the border of Ossiriand. Though they also do not use birds for hunting, certain species are kept as companions or messengers.

-Chicken breeding as an art and science developed during the Watchful Peace. Chickens in Thargelion are appraised for long plumage and colorful feathers. Their eggs are eaten but they are not often used for meat.

-Chickens, peacocks and quails were kept by the Noldor of Thargelion, techniques of raising and breeding them were learned from Sindar and Silvan cultures of Eastern Beleriand. Indeed the Noldor of Thargelion were one of the only Noldor populations to keep quails.

-Bearded vultures appear on the crests of some of Caranthir’s lords and were even kept by a few of them

-Feathers of various mountain birds especially eagles and ouzel appear in wood carvings as an architectural motif during the Watchful Peace in Thargelion

-Out of all the Fëanorian realms, water birds appear most often in art and other cultural references in Thargelion as Lake Helevorn and its wildlife are a central facet of life there especially in times of peace. Wading birds like crakes, cranes and stilts are especially Valued.

#the silmarillion #fëanorians #thargelion #beleriand #musing and meta

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thetorturedpoetheadquarters · 13 days

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New TTPD Lyrics (4/8) - Analysis & Theories

"Crowd goes wild at her fingertips. Half moonshine, full eclipse."

Lyrical Similarities:

"My only one, my smoking gun, my eclipsed sun, this has broken me down" - hoax

"But some guy said my aura's moonstone just 'cause he was high" - Bejeweled

"Blood moonlit, it must be counterfeit, I think there's been a glitch" - Glitch

"Half-moon eyes, bad surprise" - Question...?

Eclipse Importance:

These new lyrics were released on a day where there was a total solar eclipse and America was in the path of totality

reputation's snake videos (which resulted in the first promo for reputation and Look What You Made Me Do) was released on August 21, 2017 which also was a day where there was a total solar eclipse and America was in the path of totality

Taylor wrote You're Losing Me the day after a total solar eclipse (12/4/21). The eclipse's path of totality was unusual by moving east to west over parts of the Southern Ocean and West Antarctica

There was eclipse imagery in the Karma Remix music video

There was a solar eclipse on April 19, 1958 (TTPD release day & Timeless lyrics)

Grey's Anatomy, one of Taylor's favorite shows, has a well-known quote that involves the theme of an eclipse, "Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very dreamy, but he's not the sun. You are." (season 10, episode 24)

You're Losing Me could be considered the 24th track of Midnights if you add it to the Til Dawn Edition + Taylor has used words like dreams and daydream in a multitude of songs that are about Joe and has referred to him and his love as daylight

Track 11 Theory:

This theory is looking at easter eggs to guess that these lyrics are from Track 11 on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can). This theory revolves around the imagery in Karma Remix music video.

One of the biggest motifs used in the Karma Remix music video is the golden string/invisible string. It connects Taylor and Ice Spice, who are both supposed to be representative of the Moon and Saturn respectively - giving homage to folklore's seven. invisible string is a song that is 100% about Joe and he was originally the karmic boyfriend. Since the eclipse scene in the music video was meant to be an easter egg for this new lyric, it could also mean that it's track 11 too due to both invisible string and Karma being track 11's on their albums.

Other Possibilities:

Many people theorize that this lyric is from the song Clara Bow because of the use of "her" in the lyric. Clara Bow was the it girl of her era, so she would have the capability to make a crowd go wild with just her fingertips. Plus, moonshine was frequently the alcohol of choice during prohibition in the 1920s, which was when Clara Bow was most active in her career.

Some also say that the lyric could be from Florida!!! due Taylor doing a specific action at The Eras Tour during the Lover set. She has a habit of pointing at the crowd in certain sections to make them go wild. So, the lyric could be reference to that and she had multiple shows in Florida. Plus, during The Eras Tour, Taylor stated that she gave up alcohol for the sake of her vocals and recovery from shows. Meaning, she put herself on a prohibition, forbidding herself from drinking any alcohol during this time.

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gamequoteshowdown · 4 months

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Quote 1: "It's me." - Golden Freddy, FNaF

Quote 2: "We're living in a magical theatre show puppeteered by a mad man." - Player Character, Baldur's Gate 3

Propaganda

Quote 1: What started as a rare Easter egg has turned into a motif throughout the series, showing up in multiple places and also having lore relevance (the implication being that Golden Freddy is haunted by either the protagonist's brother or The Vengeful Spirit. The speaker probably changes based on context since Golden Freddy might be haunted by both) - Submitter

Quote 2: Genuinely laughed when I got this option, like, yeah you got it buddy. That's what a video game is. - Submitter

#polls #tournament poll #tournament polls #tumblr polls #fnaf #bg3

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kellyvela · 1 year

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You are getting a lot of winter rose related anons because rhaelyas have decided to gatekeep winter roses from characters unrelated to Rhaegar/Lyanna and Jon Snow. Someone tell them winter roses grow in the glass gardens of winterfell so people are not 'stealing' when they headcanon Sansa, Arya, Catelyn and all the other Starks with those flowers

The question is, is Sansa really unrelated to Rhaegar/Lyanna, and hence to Jon??? Obviously certain shippers will scream that Sansa has nothing to do with Rhaegar/Lyanna and the blue winter roses, but they are wrong, big time!

I already said that the blue winter roses grow in Winterfell's Glass Gardens, so any woman of House Stark has probably been given at least one of those blue roses in her lifetime. I also said that the first Stark girl associated with a blue winter rose was the one from the legend of Bael the Bard and The Rose of Winterfell. See here.

Bael the Bard and The Rose of Winterfell are obviously a proto version of Rhaegar/Lyanna.

The tale of Rhaegar/Lyanna has their own features that differ from Bael the Bard and The Rose of Winterfell. For example, it happened during a tourney, the Great Tourney at Harrenhal. And who is the ASOIAF character most associated with tourneys??? The obvious answer is Sansa Stark.

Sansa was the unofficial Queen of Love and Beauty of the Hand's tourney in honor of her father at King's Landing, where Loras Tyrell, wearing an armor of blue sapphires forget me nots, gave Sansa a red rose. Fact that is a clear allusion to Rhaegar Targaryen, wearing an armor of red rubies and crowning Lyanna with blue winter roses during the Great Tourney at Harrenhal. And what did Sansa's younger sister say about attending this tourney??? She called the event stupid . . . .

Sansa also saved Dontos Hollard's life during the Tourney in honor of King's Joffrey 13th name day. Fact that is a clear allusion to Lyanna saving Howland Reed from the abuse of three squires during the Great Tourney at Harrenhal.

And right now Sansa/Alayne is forever organizing a tourney at The Gates of the Moon in the Vale of Arryn. Alayne Stone is the daughter of the Lord Protector of the Eyrie and the Vale, who is also the Lord of Harrenhal. Fact that is a clear allusion to the Lord of Harrenhal organizing the Great Tourney at Harrenhal in honor of his daughter.

And last but no least, Sansa is profoundly associated with the Tourney at Ashford Meadow, event that take place during the first tale of Dunk and Egg: The Hedge Knight. The five champions's surnames at the end of the first day of competition are: Lannister, Baratheon, Tyrell, Hardyng and Targaryen. Four out of five of those surnames match with the surnames of every Sansa's suitors so far: Joffrey Baratheon, Tyrion Lannister, Willas Tyrell and Harrold Hardyng . . . . Other tourney contestants and melee fighters mentioned in this tale, also match with men in Sansa's arc, there's a Ser Donnel of Duskendale and the Lords Arryn and Royce . . . .

The Tourney at Ashford Meadow was organized by Lord Ashford in honor of his daughter's 13th name day. Among other allusions to Sansa's arc.

Anywas, back to the blue winter rose, the rose motif is strongly related to Sansa Stark. As every girl of House Stark she is obviously associated to the blue winter roses that grow in Winterfell's Glass Gardens. She was befriended by the Tyrells, whose sigil is a golden rose, Loras Tyrell gave her a red rose during the Hand's Tourney, Marillion told her that he was composing a song for her called the Roadside Rose.

But we also have the so many times mentioned beauty and the beast motif in Sansa's arc. The ancient tale, in its many versions, usually starts with a especial rose.

Obviously most readers want for Sansa to be the beauty for their fave beast, like cujo, Tyrion and Baelish. But none of those men are cursed princes, that have skinchanging abilities, live in a magical castle with magical companions and with a strong relation with a special rose . . . . You know who has all those requirements checked??? Yeah, Lyannas's baby boy.

Thanks for your message :)

#anon asks #sansa stark #blue winter roses

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squirreltastic · 5 months

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[PHOTO ID: A digital and full colored art of a redesign of Venusmon. Using official art as the pose, one arm is lifted holding up Olive a white blue bird with gold pearls. The other arm holds up a blue and gold Scallop. She is a pale white Digimon with golden blonde hair, she has grown out bangs and long hair in a drill curl pony tail ending in a tie with a bow of white ribbon. She is facing the viewer but her eyes are covered in white ribbon and she has feathered ears, she is posed en pointe. Her hair has pearls. She wears a clam shell bodice with water motif and has white feathers as a tutu, it has pearls as well. She has her canon leg and forearm armor on. She has a necklace of pearls ending in a red gem, she has a choker with a red oval gem. The background is foamy water from above. END ID]

I wanted to do a Venusmon redesign that played up Venus mythos a bit more. My original design was with a water and foam dress but I ended up playing around with feathers and she ended up as a ballerina! Reusing motifs was also key, the feathers of Olive and shells of her scallop for her outfit/bodice. I did hate the way her hair was 'ended' so this tie allows the ribbon motif to be used again.

@digi-egg

#My art #My other #Digiegg #Venusmon

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highly-important · 2 years

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Salmon Run Thoughts

There is an interesting food chain dynamic happening with Salmon Run that reveals a lot about the world. When salmon come back to spawn, their bodies can't handle fresh water anymore. They are rushing to their death to ensure the next generation, their bodies deteriorating until death. Bears wait upstream and feast on the dead/dying fish. In Splatoon, we're seeing the outcome of an evolutionary arms race. This is also why the salmon in Salmon Run have zombie elements in their visual design: the bulging eyes, gaping mouths. The salmonids are fully sentient and intelligent creatures, (the in-universe band Omega-3 is all Salmonids) but its possible that during Salmon Run they are dying / in some kind of zombie state.

"In a developer interview, it was revealed that this is due to making themselves look “tasty”. It’s explained that the Salmonids aren’t afraid of dying and regard their death to be a cycle of life and think of all life being part of this cycle. Grillers are said to be the ultimate way of doing so by the Salmonids becoming the contents of the Griller. When the Salmonids fight to death, they feel a sense of unity with themselves and the world. When they are eaten by other creatures, they see their death as a way of being one with the world." The Salmonids trade their power eggs for Octarians for technology. (The eggs are an alternative power source because the Octarians don't have a Zapfish.) But they refuse to trade their golden eggs - because those have fertilized embryos. Even if the Salmonids are basically already dead, even if they want to die in battle, they are doing this because the golden eggs perpetuate their circle of life. But is GrizzCo disrupting that cycle by industrializing the process?

Being eaten is part of the Salmonids beliefs, and these motifs show up in the design choices like the food buoys, the giant forks in the environment, and the grills, frying pans, spatulas, etc that the Salmonids carry. The Griller Salmonids are being cooked alive by the thing they're piloting. The Salmonids want to be eaten. Yusuke Amano says "Inklings aren ot the bad guys for doing this. Inklings just have their own way of life." There is also an eat-or-be-eaten dynamic happening: in the wild, salmon eat squid. And in Salmon Run, the squids are basically bait. Hisashi Nogami, Splatoon's producer, says that "maybe the Salmonids are targeting the Inklings." Nogami further says "We think of the Inklings and Octolings as different, but they're not so different as to prevent them from becoming friends. That's something we can imagine. That's not to say that we consider the Salmonids to be complete barbarians. It's not that the squids are the forces of good and the Salmonids are the forces of evil. It's more that squids have their own society, and the Salmonids have their own different society." (Sourced quotes from this video)

If the Salmonids weren't being intercepted while they spawn, they might not need the military weaponry. If the Octarians were allowed on the surface, they might not need to trade their technology for power eggs. The workers are compensated but they are still being exploited. The only person who really benefits from all this is Mr Grizz, who is profiting off the pain of everyone. The system the characters are in requires suffering for the benefit of Mr Grizz, because if the Octarians or the Salmonids weren't suffering, Mr Grizz could not turn a profit.

#Splatoon #Splatoon 3 #Salmon Run

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grizzlyofthesea · 1 year

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Guys, I had this dumb hypothesis at 5:00 a.m.

FNAF is just Vaporwave: The Video Game Series.

Hear me out.

Vaporwave may be known for its weird environments and use of pop culture/products from the 1970s-2000s, but it has a satirical edge. Vaporwave often focuses on motifs of soullessness and false grandeur to poke fun at capitalism and consumerism.

What about FNAF?

The weirdness has always been there with the hallucinations/Easter eggs (Golden Freddy, secret death screens, etc.), even if the environments aside from the Pizzaplex don't lean too hard into the 80s aesthetic. The characters do, though. ShowBiz Pizza Place, which operated between 1980 and 1992, was known for featuring a group of animatronic animal characters. Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre followed suit in 1981. The FNAF crew may not be entirely realistic, but their theme fits right into this relic of the 80s.

Then there's Fazbear Entertainment. Fazbear Entertainment was greedy from the start, paying Mike minimum wage to fight for his life with limited electricity and no access to the restrooms. Help Wanted kicks it up a notch by having the company actively try to cover up the murders that have happened at their restaurants, and Security Breach bumps it up to cartoonish levels. VIP-only fire escape? Needing a pass to enter the building, then one to enter the atrium, then one to visit one of the attractions? Only selling Faz Cams in Monty Golf, where flash photography is banned, just so you can confiscate them and sell them again? Fazbear Entertainment might just be run by Mammon.

Let's not forget about the soullessness and false grandeur. The FNAF 2 location, for example, looks all shiny and kid-friendly, but the employees can't even be bothered to fix Mangle anymore. Some people believe that the bodies from the SAVE THEM minigame may be hidden just out of view of the cameras, too. FNAF 3? Fazbear's Fright capitalizes on the rumors of the murders and hauntings instead of treating the matter with respect. Sister Location? Shiny and futuristic animatronics, but there isn't even a pizzeria. It's just a dark, empty warehouse. Security Breach? The Pizzaplex is basically a monument to Fazbear Entertainment's properties and profits--four stories of neon lights and wall-to-wall Freddy Fazbear. There's also a room perpetually on fire, a slew of generic S.T.A.F.F. bots in place of actual employees, and a mountain of forever-ignored complaints. They aren't hiding anything. They're too rich to care.

In short, FNAF features strange imagery and characters reminiscent of 80s pop culture. It also heavily criticizes corporatism through its story and darker humor. If that isn't vaporwave, then...well...it isn't vaporwave. I just kinda wasted my time. But this was still fun to pick apart.

#fnaf #five nights at freddy's #dumb idea #my brain is weird #vaporwave #5 am thoughts

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sepublic · 3 years

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Belos and the Titan, of Flesh and Stone?

We’ve all noticed the similarities between Jean-Luc’s general meaty, shape-shifting vibes, as well as their blue eyes, which they happen to share with Belos;

If Belos was a flesh-and-stone construct like Jean-Luc, then that sure is interesting, considering this initial concept art for him;

A statue with a living body… Just like Jean-Luc??? Belos has always had flesh and stone motifs, so him being the same kind of creature as Jean-Luc would make a LOT of sense in hindsight, again especially if you remember his ‘true form’ and its resemblance to the monster that King’s father fought;

We don’t know how long King was in that egg, just the general time-frame for when he hatched… During Adventures in the Elements, King ends up animating a group of plushies to life, only for one of them, ‘Private New Guy’, to turn on him and lead a more-or-less successful rebellion, up until Hooty arrives to commit war crimes.

King, who could very well be allegorical to his father, continues this idea in Echoes of the Past, where he suspects Francois of conspiring to also betray him as well; And as @fermented-writers-block pointed out to me, Francois has blue eyes, and is shown with Eda’s knife from Lost in Language, which is mechanical (it has a switchblade-function) and a red gem; Blue eyes, a mechanical weapon with a red gem…

With how Belos petrifies witches, is he taking this same concept that went into his creation, and applying it in reverse? With him and the Golden Guard creating raw flesh, and then reverting it into a non-magical, inorganic form… And likewise, his Petrification Machine, it potentially sucks out or removes whatever magic that animates the living, and turns them into the stone that all life may have originated from!

Fossilization IS the process of living matter becoming petrified. Perhaps the ‘Animation Glyph’ I suggested, which could’ve been foreshadowed with that potion King used to animate his plushies in Adventures in the Elements, works in the opposite manner… We know that Life evolved to use magic. Was magic used to create life from stone and rock- Was the Titan itself made of rock and stone initially, before it was animated and brought to life???

If so, WHO animated it, if not nature itself- We know the Light Glyph is found in the stars beyond the Boiling Isles, so perhaps this ancient Animation Glyph always, naturally existed. And when it aligned with the moon’s light, the two combined to animate the isles itself that became the Titan?

If so, then the Titan’s death could’ve been like Jean-Luc; Perhaps it wasn’t so much slain, moreso the magic that animated it no longer came to be. Perhaps the moonlight that it relied upon changed… If we consider the face in the moon, was the Titan animated in the image of whatever potential being is within this moon, assuming the moon itself wasn’t brought to life with its own magic???

The Titan could’ve been Belos, it could’ve been King’s father, or it could’ve been a progenitor to both, if not a direct parent. If Belos is a Jean-Luc, does he rely on palisman bile, a form of magic, to keep himself moving and animated; Lest he petrify and turn inert? What happened to the rest of his body, was it destroyed by King’s father?

Or was it simply rebuilt- There was only enough magic left in Belos to animate a tiny, person-sized fragment of his original self… And the remaining bits of his flesh and stone body? They were used to construct his castle, and possibly the Conformatorium for that matter! Belos’ red magic, is he trying to figure out how to animate things, and in reverse-engineering the process, figured out how to do the opposite and weaponized this?

I’ve talked before of the Day of Unity being when the stars align, with various celestial bodies representing glyphs, and the solar system itself being one cosmically-sized glyph combo! If the world of the Boiling Isles represents an Animation Glyph, is Belos using this perfect alignment, especially with the sacred light needed to power this spell, to once more bring the Titan back to life- This time permanently! With himself in control, and/or as a Titan himself?

Was Belos a ‘Francois’ who sought power, and applied the same magic that created himself and others, to himself once more- To boost his power and strength, make himself even bigger and stronger, possibly assimilating others like him in the process, draining their magic to animate larger portions of himself as they became inert? Not to mention, I’ve talked about Kikimora playing a role in the downfall of King, or more likely his father now that Echoes of the Past has come out.

In Adventures in the Elements, Private New Guy rebelled against King, who held onto his loyal follower in Francois… Yet in Echoes of the Past, King is suspecting Francois of betraying him as well??? If Belos is Francois, then Kikimora could’ve been Private New Guy… Again, to bring back the Bionicle allusions with the whole ‘usurper resurrecting the god that makes up his world’ thing, perhaps like in Bionicle, that usurper had been inspired by another…

Perhaps another warlord had attempted to take down the usurper’s god first, and being a loyal servant, the usurper foiled their plot. But this other warlord ended up inspiring THEM to do the same, this time successfully… That is to say, Belos is Makuta Teridax, and Kikimora is Pridak, except Pridak ended up working for Makuta in this scenario.

This also gets into the giant heart that Belos has- Was this his original heart, and one of the last few pieces of his original body that he can keep alive? Or, dare I say, is it the heart of King’s father- And he’s using its power to help nurse himself back to life? Was King’s father the creator of Belos and the other Jean-Lucs, possibly using his own flesh to animate the statues?

Was King’s father a creation/progeny of the Titan, who was also made of flesh and stone? But he was a more complete organism, and he figured out how to reuse the same process for himself, and the cycle continues with Belos desiring the same…

While Kikimora, she’s like King’s father in that she was also created by him, but as a more complete, living creature of flesh and BONE instead. Maybe Belos was also a creature of flesh-and-bone, but he applied the process to create the Jean-Lucs to the already-living template of himself, to become powerful, replacing his Bone with Stone?

Were Belos and King’s Father mutual creations of the Titan, or did King’s Father create Belos? What if THEY created the Titan instead, as one giant construct of flesh and stone; But their conflict led to it falling apart, no longer supported by the mutual alliance of their magic.

Perhaps the beings that are Jean-Luc were made from the fallen Titan’s body, as lingering bits of rock and flesh that animated themselves; And they ended up as progenitors of the more traditional flesh and bone life of the isles, and/or served them as the proto-Abominations!

As servants, that could add to Belos’ resentment… As for why he elevates himself as the speaker of the Titan, maybe that’s because he WAS its speaker, and possibly still is to an extent! Maybe Belos and King’s Father both served the Titan, but King’s Father proved to be a tyrant in his own right…

So Belos convinced the Titan to sponsor him alone as its speaker instead, and betrayed King’s Father. Maybe they both had ideas of how magic should be cast, with King’s Father vouching for unrestricted spells, while Belos had devised a Coven System…

There could’ve been a battle between the two, in order to prove which ideal was superior, and Belos won! So the Titan might be swayed to a different conclusion in the end… Or, Belos served King’s father and was his speaker, and since having slain and taken control, he’s continued to operate under this role, without his original master to actually contradict him in the first place!

Could Belos be trying to revive his old body, and regain his strength- Possibly the entire Titan itself, as his new body? Is the Flesh essentially a concentrated version of this moon-magic, and without that magic, it reverts back into organic material?

#the owl house #emperor belos #the owl house jean luc #the owl house kikimora #king clawthorne #boiling isles Titan #speculation #theory

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outofangband · 6 months

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Birds of Dorthonion

Flora, fauna, geography and environment of Arda Masterlist

Dorthonion was a region north of greater Beleriand. It was a cool region covered in steep slopes, conifer forests and Heath covered highlands. The mountain range Ered Gorgoroth bordered it on the south and above it was the fields of Ard Galen. It was inhabited by the Arafinwëan host following Aegnor and Angrod and later, the human host following Bëor. Nomadic and semi nomadic groups of the northern Sindar and Avari also possibly lived there

As always I included world building notes at the end so it’s not just a list of species

In the conifer forests: black grouse, willow tit, goldcrest, mistle thrush, pine grossbeak, common tree creeper, common redstart, black woodpecker, chiffchaff, coal tit, common raven, crested tit, wood grouse, goshawk, spruce grouse, black throated thrush, pine bunting, boreal owl

The highlands and around Tarn Aeulin: graylag goose, common nightjar, common kestrel, snow crane, hen harrier, tundra swan, horned grebe, common crane, blue duck, water rail, black francolin, northern pintail, velvet scooter, great bittern, pallid harrier, rough legged hawk, little egret, wood lark, corn crane, black necked grebe (migratory), garganey, Merlin

The cliffs and slopes: see see partridge, rock dove, great bustard, long legged buzzard, common quail, black headed bunting, booted eagle, chukard, barred warbler, northern wren, little owl, white throated dipper (near Rivil’s well), black winged kite, steppe eagle, roller

The mountain border: bearded vulture, red fronted serin, black stork, snowcock, horned lark, rock bunting, wallcreeper, blue rock thrush, red kite, peregrine falcon, golden eagle (rare), white wagtail

World building notes:

-The vague images of pine grossbeaks were embroidered on the blankets of Bëorian children using a diluted version of the dyes created from blood madder and coal. The name in Bëorian Taliska translates to pine song bird.

-The Arafinwëan host of Dorthonion as well as some of the Avarin groups hunt with birds of prey which are also used by some of the scouts. Kestrels and Harriers are the most commonly used species. The practice is less common than among the Noldor of Eastern Beleriand however.

-Feathers (usually of peregrine falcons or common kestrels) were also used as a method of communication among Arafinwëan scouts during the times of year where weather would allow for this, left in strategic locations, lodged into the earth or tucked into trees to indicate presence or dangers.

-Eggs of various ground species were eaten by the Bëorian population and there was a practice of burying the eggshells. This was learned from the elves of Ossiriand prior to their settling in Dorthonion.

-Birds eggs appear in Northern Sindar art, in or separate from nests. Though the eggs of certain species have different meanings, they are commonly associated more generally with fragility and defense. Their images may be created through pigments made from certain actual eggshells as well as minerals and plant based dyes. One common motif involves a nest of eggs upon a steep slope or cliff.

-Birds appear throughout Bëorian songs and poems. Most commonly mentioned are the general name for the “fisher birds” (wading and diving birds) seen on and around Tarn Aeulin, as well as several of the smaller songbirds found in the pine forests such as pine grosbeak, tree creepers, and thrushes. After the Bragollach the names for some species became lost or translated differently.

-Also it’s been a headcanon of mine for awhile that Baragund would take Morwen when she was a young child out to the cliffs to watch the birds. He would teach her to identify them by their call. She remembers a lot of them, even as an adult though they are called different names and their habits are often unfamiliar.

#the silmarillion #the children of húrin #Dorthonion #beleriand #musing and meta #Morwen #baragund #houseless for exiles #northern Sindar

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symposiumxiv · 2 years

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Kingdom Hearts and the World Egg creation myth

Before we begin, I should establish that Sora and Riku's names seem translatable to "sky/heaven" and "land" respectively. (Disclaimer: I do not know the language!) I think it's within reason that we can think of "land" as synonymous with "earth". (There is another meaning to Sora's name that I want to look at in a later post).

Now, onto the main course!

The World Egg

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_egg:

The world egg, cosmic egg or mundane egg is a mythological motif found in the cosmogonies of many cultures that is present in Proto-Indo-European culture and other cultures and civilizations. Typically, the world egg is a beginning of some sort, and the universe or some primordial being comes into existence by "hatching" from the egg, sometimes lain on the primordial waters of the Earth.

Eggs symbolize the unification of two complementary principles (represented by the egg white and the yolk) from which life or existence, in its most fundamental philosophical sense, emerges.

Vedic mythology

The earliest idea of the "cosmic egg" comes from some of the Sanskrit scriptures. The Sanskrit term for it is Brahmanda (ब्रह्माण्ड) which is derived from two words – 'Brahma' (ब्रह्मा) the 'creator god' in Hinduism and 'anda' (अण्ड) meaning 'egg'. Certain Puranas such as the Brahmanda Purana speak of this in detail.

The Rig Veda (RV 10.121) uses a similar name for the source of the universe: Hiranyagarbha (हिरण्यगर्भ) which literally means "golden fetus" or "golden womb" and is associated with the universal source Brahman where the whole of all existence is believed to be supported. The Upanishads elaborate that the Hiranyagarbha floated around in emptiness for a while, and then broke into two halves which formed Dyaus (the Heavens) and Prithvi (Earth). The Rig Veda has a similar coded description of the division of the universe in its early stages.

Greek/Orphic mythology

The Orphic Egg in the ancient Greek Orphic tradition is the cosmic egg from which hatched the primordial hermaphroditic deity Phanes/Protogonus (variously equated also with Zeus, Pan, Metis, Eros, Erikepaios and Bromius) who in turn created the other gods. The egg is often depicted with a serpent wound around it.

Many threads of earlier myths are apparent in the new tradition. Phanes was believed to have been hatched from the World egg of Chronos (Time) and Ananke (Necessity) or Nyx (Night).

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphic_Egg:

In Greek myth, particularly Orphic thought, Phanes is the golden winged primordial being who was hatched from the shining cosmic egg that was the source of the universe. Called Protogonos (First-Born) and Eros (Love)—being the seed of gods and men—Phanes means "to bring light" or "to shine" and is related to the Greek "to shine forth" as well as the Latin "Lucifer".

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananke:

In Orphic mythology, Ananke is a self-formed being who emerged at the dawn of creation with an incorporeal, serpentine form, her outstretched arms encompassing the cosmos. Ananke and Chronos are mates, mingling together in serpent form as a tie around the universe. Together they have crushed the primal egg of creation of which constituent parts became earth, heaven and sea to form the ordered universe.

"Ananke" is derived from the common Ancient Greek noun ἀνάγκη (Ionic: ἀναγκαίη anankaiē), meaning "force, constraint or necessity." The common noun itself is of uncertain etymology. Homer refers to her being as necessity, often abstracted in modern translation (ἀναγκαίη πολεμίζειν, "ιt is necessary to fight") or force (ἐξ ἀνάγκης, "by force"). In Ancient Greek literature the word is also used meaning "fate" or "destiny" (ἀνάγκη δαιμόνων, "fate by the daemons or by the gods"), and by extension "compulsion or torture by a superior." She appears often in poetry, as Simonides does: "Even the gods don’t fight against ananke".

This is interesting, from the same page on Ananke:

In Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame of Paris, the word "Ananke" is written upon a wall of Notre-Dame by the hand of Dom Claude Frollo. In his Toute la Lyre, Hugo also mentions Ananke as a symbol of love. In 1866, he wrote:

Religion, society, nature; these are the three struggles of man. These three conflicts are, at the same time, his three needs: it is necessary for him to believe, hence the temple; it is necessary for him to create, hence the city; it is necessary for him to live, hence the plow and the ship. But these three solutions contain three conflicts. The mysterious difficulty of life springs from all three. Man has to deal with obstacles under the form of superstition, under the form of prejudice, and under the form of the elements. A triple "ananke" (necessity) weighs upon us, the "ananke" of dogmas, the "ananke" of laws, and the "ananke" of things. In Notre Dame de Paris the author has denounced the first; in Les Misérables he has pointed out the second; in this book (Toilers of the Sea) he indicates the third. With these three fatalities which envelop man is mingled the interior fatality, that supreme ananke, the human heart.

Hauteville House, March, 1866. Victor Hugo, Toilers of the Sea, 1866, p. 5

Throughout the games we see the heart depicted with some kind of "bindings", whether they are thorns, chains, musical score, or even keyblades. The bindings are pretty much always arranged in a "X" shape (which will require a whole other post lol. I believe the X represents the concept of ananke, as being "bound by fate", but also something to do with the anima mundi). But, returning to the wiki page on the World Egg:

Chinese mythology

In the myth of Pangu, developed by Taoist monks hundreds of years after Lao Zi, the universe began as an egg that symbolizes the primordial state of Taiji. A primeval hermaphroditic giant named Pangu, born inside the egg, broke it into two halves: the upper half became the sky, while the lower half became the earth. As the god grew taller, the sky and the earth grew thicker and were separated further. Finally Pangu died and his body parts became different parts of the earth.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiji_(philosophy):

Taiji or Tai chi (simplified Chinese: 太极; traditional Chinese: 太極; pinyin: tàijí; lit. 'great pole') is a Chinese cosmological term for the "Supreme Ultimate" state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potential, the oneness before duality, from which Yin and Yang originate.

Zhuangzi

The Daoist classic Zhuangzi introduced the Taiji concept. One of the (ca. 3rd century BCE) "Inner Chapters" contrasts Taiji 太極 "great ultimate" (tr. "zenith") and Liuji 六極 "six ultimates; six cardinal directions" (tr. "nadir").

The Way has attributes and evidence, but it has no action and no form. It may be transmitted but cannot be received. It may be apprehended but cannot be seen. From the root, from the stock, before there was heaven or earth, for all eternity truly has it existed. It inspirits demons and gods, gives birth to heaven and earth. It lies above the zenith but is not high; it lies beneath the nadir but is not deep. It is prior to heaven and earth, but is not ancient; it is senior to high antiquity, but it is not old.

Finnish mythology

In the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, there is a myth of the world being created from the fragments of an egg laid by a goldeneye on the knee of Ilmatar, goddess of the air:

One egg's lower half transformed

And became the earth below,

And its upper half transmuted

And became the sky above;

From the yolk the sun was made,

Light of day to shine upon us;

From the white the moon was formed,

Light of night to gleam above us;

All the colored brighter bits

Rose to be the stars of heaven

And the darker crumbs changed into

Clouds and cloudlets in the sky.

I have no idea how much of all this was intentional, but it can't be simple coincidence, right? I couldn't think of anything more romantic... the idea that Sora and Riku's love embodies the totality of life itself. Two halves of a whole heart!

#soriku

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katzkinder · 2 years

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Lust and Wrath

Including (attempted) sparkles close up and the full background |D

I wanted to include some talky talky beneath the pieces themselves about some of my thoughts and inspiration.

Wrath (I ended up including a lot of details): There's nine moons total, for the nine realms of norse mythology

The wolf, rabbit, and weasel are for Freya, Ray, and Gil

The three big moons behind Freya are the full moon, the blue moon, and the harvest moon

I gave Iduna the half short half long cut she had during her confrontation with Inner Wrath, and also incorporated some of his features, like the blackened limbs and the gold bangles around her ankles

The golden apple is both for her name and for Freya

The gold band around her arm is where Inner Wrath cut her

The sword stabbing the heart is modeled off of the sword from Maid of Orleans, Wrath pair's combi attack, and the star surrounded by fire being, along with the stabbing aspect, is modeled off of the Sacred heart of Mary, since Freya's title is "The Mother", and the confrontation with Inner Wrath, where Iduna allowed herself to be run through as an act of defiance against senseless violence

Lust: The Easter vibes are strong with this one lol. I also wanted to use more of an "Art Nouveau" type of look (which I later somewhat regretted. Inking all those tiny details was nerve wracking, but painting them was worse) and included the Fleur De Lis at the top to honor the heavy French aspects Lily and the Alicein at large possess, especially since it's a mark of the monarchy and Misono is a little king.

Each of the circles along the top has a design directly corresponding to the eggs of Inner Lily's world. I wanted to use as much pastel colors as possible to carry the Easter theme through, since Strike has talked about how Easter is a core part of the design motif for Lily in some of the commentary for 10.5, so it's fitting

Doing these has made me focus more on the symbolic choices behind the Servamps themselves, too, and Lily's is the most thoughtful, imo

his name is "It All Ends With Love" and he has both death and life incorporated the most stunningly into his character. He embodies the Spring aspects of rebirth, renewal, and rejuvenation which Easter absorbed into its celebrations from other pagan holidays.

The start of a new cycle, death and life. Death's scythe and Lust which leads to life. A repenting angel and a fallen monster. The withered husk of a flower's head will fall and decay, providing nutrients for future flowers to come. After the cold death of winter comes the gentle life of Spring. In this, "Snow Lily" is the most fitting name a man like Lily could possibly have.

#servamp #pawprints #kat’s katerwauling #iduna nobel #Misono Alicein #servamp Freya #Snow Lily

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spade-riddles · 2 years

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Submission: Revisiting the ME! Lover mural

Some of these details, maybe all, have been pointed out before but I don’t remember reading anywhere that there were 8 hearts. 8 is such a karlie number, and the other dominant / larger number of things in multiples on the mural is 13 (hearts), Taylor’s number. Also the motif of stars, “you drew stars around my scars”; maybe I’m reaching but the stars feel like a karlie thing also. Some of their golden tattoos were stars the night of drakes bday party, “starry eyes sparking your my darkest night” etc 13 hearts 8 stars Inside of one daisy looks like a sunflower

Two ladybugs obvi , been pointed out before Exterior border is giraffe print, again pointed out before. Why on earth would she choose giraffe print ? Aside from that being a direct karlie ref. Two rainbows (one for her and one for her non straight lover) So in revisiting the mural, for a song that was released on lesbian visibility day AND we later learn, when discussing the song’s music video in MA, she says that gay pride is one of a few things that make “her, her”, this mural which she named her ME! Mural has so many kaylor references and just none of it signals straight adult woman who has been in an adult straight relationship with an adult straight male for years.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve heard from my out gay friends that your 20s or whenever you’re more open about your sexuality with your group of friends / peers, you kind of go through adolescence again/ your teen years. This mural feels like something you would doodle at a young age, maybe in middle school or something. So it’s just …. Strange if we’re to believe that she’s straight and has been with toe for years. But through the gaylor lens, it makes sense and feels incredibly endearing to me. Especially when so many of us think she was gearing up to come out and then chose to pivot bc of the masters fiasco.

And then I thought, let me look closer what she wore that day. she wore a rainbow dress to reveal the song coming out to robin roberts (an out adult woman in media that Taylor is often interviewed by, and I think that’s Taylor’s preference that she keeps being interviewed by Robin). And then again, correct me if I’m wrong, the next time we see her in public, she chooses the following for her outfit. ( and keep in mind that she even pointed out in LOVER era interviews that Easter eggs in her clothes and jewelry is one of her fave things to do. So she’s pointing it out AGAIN. ) Blue nails, blue heart ring Purple top and skirt with pink and light blue butterflies on it pink tips in her hair Hello ! Bi flag !! she could have worn any combination of colors, and she chose the bi flag colors. To reveal a mural that is called her ME! Mural i just felt it was worth a revisit and was wondering what the rest of you thought

#submission

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tabletoptrinketsbyjj · 3 years

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Trinkets, 42: Interesting baubles, semi magical objects and items touched by mystery.

A talisman depicting a forgotten deity from a bygone era. If you held to the ear, the bearer can hear faint murmurings.

A rudimentary tripwire consisting of a length of thin string wrapped around two small sharpened, wooden stakes along with a length of tiny, ash-darkened, copper bells that can be wrapped around the tripwire. The trap can cover an area five feet in length.

A one gallon keg curiously labelled “Mudder's Milk” on its lid. The keg is filled with a batch of stout beer so dark, dense and filling that it could pass for a soup in bad lighting. The beverage has all the proteins, vitamins and carbs of a full course of your grandmother's best turkey dinner plus 15% alcohol. The keg contains enough beer to serve as 2d4+1 days’ worth of trail rations.

A map of the local tavern, showing several levels of basement below it. The last three levels are crossed out and "don't go here" is written in pencil.

A single black envelop upon which is a single silver glyph, lightly afire. You do not recognize the language, nor even the alphabet of the burning symbol. Regardless, while touching the mysterious inscription you are instinctively aware of its meaning, as if the words were branded with eldritch fire directly on the grey matter of your soft humanoid brain; "VACATION APPROVED”. You know in your mind exactly what it says. You wish you did not know. If you are able to ken the ancient eldritch script of the elder primordial beings from before recorded time, you are able to understand that the note was written by an unknown number of entities known as “Station Management”.

A sheet of parchment with a black handprint and the words "We Know" written underneath it.

A lustrous black flask inlaid with a silver skull pattern. It is plugged with a skull-shaped stopper with reflective red eyes. To complete its menacing appearance, the eyes glow slightly in dim light. Knowledgeable PC's can determine that the viscous green fluid the flask contains is actually an antivenin for the treatment of giant spider bites.

A clean steel sap spigot that can be rammed into a tree in order to allow it to pour forth the sap inside.

A silver chain on which hangs a polished silver bell the size of a thimble. At one point in the bearer's life, the bell will ring three times, producing three bursts of silvery sound with a brief silence after each. The vibrations that shiver through the bearer's body will seem much too strong to have been produced by such a tiny clapper. This squared trio of ringing heralds that great danger will soon befall the bearer from which he is unlikely to survive.

A painting of gnolls gambling with playing cards.

—Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A talisman depicting a forgotten deity from a bygone era. If you held to the ear, the bearer can hear faint murmurings.

A map of the local tavern, showing several levels of basement below it. The last three levels are crossed out and "don't go here" is written in pencil.

A sheet of parchment with a black handprint and the words "We Know" written underneath it.

A clean steel sap spigot that can be rammed into a tree in order to allow it to pour forth the sap inside.

A painting of gnolls gambling with playing cards.

A carved stone plate with horrifying pictographic symbols etched into it.

An unremarkable silver coin whose faces sport two expressions. One face is joyfully exuberant, and the other is depressingly dour.

A deck of playing cards that will always deal the worst possible hands to all players.

A simple silver key with “Guest Room” etched finely on the handle.

A pouch of very small bones that can be fitted together to form a strange, highly complex and obviously occult symbol.

A small hourglass holding enough sand to mark the passage of one minute. The bases are made from obsidian flecked with gold and carved to resemble a long-fingered hand holding the hourglass at each end. The glass itself is made from fine crystal and the sand inside is red.

A small dark rock (Two inches in diameter) that was naturally formed into the shape of a demonic creature with bat wings folded around its body. It is semi-translucent with a dark center that sometimes seems to move. Occasionally it seems to whisper. If one listens closely, the whisper can be understood, but it is a foul and evil entreaty to do some horrible act. A bearer who chooses to obey these instructions, never feel remorse or guilt during or after carrying out the horribly despicable and particularly sadistic actions. Should a bearer who performs evil deeds at the stone’s bequest lose the rock or stops carrying it on his person, the awareness, guilt and shame of his evil deeds comes back to him all at once and he is thrown into deep despair.

A silver hand mirror ornately engraved on both sides; one side bears a frowning mask, while the opposite bears a smiling one. There doesn't appear to be an actual mirrored surface, despite its shape.

A figurine made of twisted fragments of copper wire. It is in the shape of a bird-headed human and although it seems to be many hundreds of years old. Extremely knowledgeable PC’s are able to determine that it is in fact a fake that has been aged to appear antique. Nevertheless, it will still fool anybody who is not an expert on the art of the period. Its metal value is only a handful of copper but it can be sold for a good deal more to the right (i.e. uninformed) buyer.

A walking stick, shod with silver and with the head of an eagle as its handle. The eagle’s head once had two garnets for eyes but these have long since become mislaid. If the head is grasped firmly and unscrewed, it will reveal a long but thin container which can be used to store liquor.

A bulbous flask of opaque white glass filled with a slightly syrupy fluid that’s a deep, warm golden color, almost metallic looking.

A mask bearing a dread visage crafted of wrought iron and set, is perpetually set with a sneering saturnine face.

A pair of goggles with hexagonal mineral lenses of a sharp yellow hue, secured in bronze frames, with a black leather strap that feels slightly scaly and slimy. They give off a faint odor of rotten eggs if sniffed directly.

A dagger sized scabbard containing strips of natural sea sponges on its interior. By carefully pouring a dose of poison into the empty scabbard (An action equivalent to attacking), the bearer can saturate the sponges with the toxin, which keeps it viable and wet for up to four hours. When a dagger is drawn from the sheath, it is automatically envenomed as if the liquid was applied directly. The bearer can also pour holy water or flammable oil into the sheath but acids will destroy the sponges. This kind of item is usually illegal in areas that outlaw poison.

A large mummified paw of long dead beast. Dried blood stains the fur around the petrified claws which are still razor sharp.

A deep violet sash made of silk adorned with gold embroidery of imps and succubi dancing with each other.

A small metallic whistle with a single blowhole. The pipe is divided into a number of twisted and interlocking tubes, with many holes for the air to exit. This strange configuration produces a cacophonous mess of simultaneous sounds when blown.

A matching shaker set of celestial salt and abyssal pepper.

A hooded lantern that is painted rather intricately with a house cat motif depicting cats playing in different poses. It’s mostly painted in whites and pinks, and it has small scuff marks on one side.

A delicate bracelet, carved out of lapis lazuli, featuring the initials XER on the interior facing.

A dark leather and silk monstrous mask with jet eyes.

A jangling bracelet of tiny golden bells and fine-toothed cogs on crimson silk rope. It is suited to a small wrist interested in intricate mechanisms.

A glass jar containing a heart that continues to beat.

A plain-looking wooden bowl of water, which remains unnaturally still while inside it. Looking at one’s reflection in the water shows an idealized version of oneself, in accordance to the viewer’s ideals. Perhaps by lowering one’s head into the bowl for long enough, one can gain insight into how to become the self seen in the bowl.

A silver oak leaf cloak clasp, edged and highlighted with gold.

An ancient drinking horn crafted from some extinct beast. Those who drink from it have dreams of being a huge predator roaming unchallenged through a prehistoric landscape.

A detailed sketch of a cross section of a brain, with a long foreign object being inserted through the front. Labelled fig 2: proper extraction positioning.

A bunch of scrapped papers that, if unfolded, reveal badly written poems describing the writer's deep love for a womanly shaped rock existing in a nearby forest.

A heavy copper belt buckle resembling an axe head.

A wistful portrait of a singular dark mountain on a broad plain, trees covering the top third of it and nowhere else, far higher than trees ever normally grow on a mountain. The middle of the mountain sports two large overhangs of rock above deep depressions, not quite caves. A stream flows down the bottom third of the mountain, splitting its flow around an overhang that shelters a massive cavern entrance that goes who knows how deep.

An aged obsidian fruit knife with bronze handle.

A piece of exotic wood, carved to look like a quill, with a gold tip. Its purpose is obviously ceremonial and no doubt used for signing important decrees or documents, as it is awkward to write with.

A silver and brass mirror with lewd designs hidden around the frame.

A gilded oil lamp with ornate scrollwork cutouts of a warrior, and an evil sorcerer, meant to cast shadows on the wall in their shape.

A blood red mask made from carefully sculpted bone, shaped to look like the face of a grinning demon.

A fist sized piece of jagged garnet. The deep crimson and maroon gemstone pulses faintly and smells of blood.

A lyre crafted from wood from the vale of shadows that emits a slight ringing at all times and a subtle glow of green when it is played.

A leather pouch containing dozens of petrified raven's claws with the talons splayed outwards. If scattered across an area the stony claws function as caltrops in every respect.

An old copper door knocker fashioned to resemble the face of an eldritch creature. It is always cold to the touch.

A two-foot-long wooden rod bearing a silver wolf’s-head at the tip, and its length is inscribed with moon-sigils.

A small, masterfully crafted toy carriage made of stained black walnut complete with leather driver's seat and interior upholstered in crushed velvet. Anyone who stops to admire the detail of the model in detail has the urge to break one of the wheels, first starting as a fleeting thought but gradually grows to consume their thoughts causing insomnia the longer they resist the urge. The wheel is instantly repaired any time the toy goes unnoticed.

A crimson monkey skull weighing four pounds, carved entirely from blood garnet. An aura of feral sentience draws your gaze to its empty eye sockets.

A rolled scroll on which was hastily scribbled hymn, full of zeal. It says that it is only in rapturous frenzy that the spirit exhibits grace. At this moment, we are freed from doubt, acting only in accordance with the divine, immaculate will.

An ornate token from an opulent land. When held, one feels aided by forces paid for dearly. Surely, no cost is too high for triumph?

An inflamed gland that's little more than an engorged, muscular lump, radiating heat. The repellent hunk of flesh pulses with a warm, wet heat like an exhaled breath. The gland's presence consumes the senses. One's head begins to ache with a feverish intensity the longer it is held.

A scalpel with a wide blade, etched with a diagram of a human body on each side. One side features a chart of the circulatory system, and the other a layout of the muscles and tendons.

A glass disk that depict constellations.

A votive candle holder in the shape of a lighthouse.

A jawbone from a mammalian beast, a handspan in length with dozens of tiny needle-like teeth arranged like a pincushion

A surprisingly light, cobalt blue, metal cube the length of a hand. The many holes on its surface appear to resemble stars in the night sky.

A small sea chest, locked securely. The key is probably somewhere close by. Inside are a dozen glass bottles containing extremely rare and valuable spices. Unfortunately, they are so old as to be unfit for any purpose, and only identifiable by their labels.

A small, cork-stoppered crystal bottle with a disproportionately low and fat belly and slender neck containing a ruby colored liquid with an overwhelming odor of citrus. Tasting the liquid brings forth visions of standing atop a pyramid in a desert land, overlooking a sprawling city on a broad river flanked by irrigated farms.

A thumb-sized bronze horned owl. When the head is turned clockwise three full rotations, it flaps its wings and makes hooting noises as the head rotates back.

A soapstone dragon turtle paperweight with a tiny flag on its back that blows in whatever direction the wind is currently blowing in outdoors.

An unfinished, highly complex nautical knot made with a length of ship's line.

A horse-shaped bottle, made of iron, with eagles of gold and genuine lapis lazuli as inlays.

A clay piece with a drawing of a woman and baby standing next to a solider in uniform.

A pouch of small medicinal vials labelled with different names, with a handwritten note detailing dosages and urgency in delivery.

A letter addressed from an orphanage, informing the the recipient that they believe they've located their child, who was believed dead after a prolonged siege. They are asking the dead person to arrive as soon as possible, as dwindling budgets are forcing them to send their older children to work houses.

A pottery vase decorated with images of a foot race.

A glass eye with an azurite iris and obsidian pupil.

A one gallon cask of Seabeast Poison, an alcoholic beverage found mostly in coastal taverns. This mixture is almost black with a white, frothy foam on top. It's said the original recipe included venom from the poison sacs of a rare sea creature. The exact creature varies from tale to tale and the modern recipe surely doesn't include this venom.... Right?

An engraved geode that has been split apart into two equal halves. A labyrinth is carved into the rock's rough exterior and glows with a faint light.

A beautiful deck of cards resting in a strong leather pouch with an etching of a joker on the outside. The same etching is on the back of the cards.

A strange wand that is visually translucent, but when held closely, one can hear the sound of a light spring rain.

A glass figurine of a unicorn with a chalcedony horn.

A pair of pearl earrings held in eagle claw settings.

A humorous ensorcelled cartoon strip about Cernuous Cedric the slug-about-town, a languorous libertine known for his lechery, taste for strong drink, and allergy to any form of labor. The strip speaks and animates when read, telling the story of one of Cedric’s disastrous affairs with the husband of Mordiggia, the Charnel Goddess.

An amber belt buckle with knot pattern.

An ancient hieroglyphic tablet made out of some type of reflective metal that can float in water and makes a strange echoing hollow sound when struck.

A small glass bulb that gives off a bit of bluish light when touched. The light it shines counts as moonlight for the purpose of revealing things.

A cherry wood mandolin with strings of different colors. Each note played on this mandolin blends euphoniously with the notes played before it, forming a pleasing melody regardless of which strings are plucked.

A beaten copper death mask with garnet eyes.

A small statue of a great old one carved from an unknown type of greenish stone.

A copper serving pot edged and highlighted with silver depicting the labors of a famous hero.

A hardy wine bottle that is completely opaque and holds a strong, deep red, fruity alcohol.

A simple leather pouch that has several charred humanoid bones in it and a small dusting of ashes. There is no smell of smoke though, so they must be quite old.

A pure white face mask with pewter trim around its edges. It is sculpted into what could be called a bird head with an unusually short beak, also covered in pewter, but with delicate filigree.

A large blue banner decorated with a flaring yellow crest and mounted on the end of a ten foot brass pole. It is meant to be the standard used to keep the morale of the troops high as its valiantly held aloft.

A large ceramic jar covered in silver leaf.

A brass candelabra etched with filigree pattern.

A bar of rough soap made from ground pumice, and a little bit goes a long way. Light gray in color, it scrubs off trail dust, sweat, and blood with equal ease, leaving behind a clean, slightly dusty scent.

A tiny dead sparrow, wrapped delicately in giant green leaves.

A four inch long, plain, pocket pen carved from giant's tooth enamel, tipped with a gold-vanadium nib, and silver cap.

An item that appears at first glance to be no more than a simple burlap doll with no hair or clothes in the shape of humanoid. The doll's wicked grin and black sapphire eyes tell keen observers a different tale.

A heavy brass torc ending in clenched fists.

A copper door knocker of a celestial with twin amber eyes.

A tin bucket without a label, filled with what appears to be loose teeth. A closer look confirms the contents: dozens of molars, bicuspids, incisors, canines. Human teeth. Enough to fill at least five or six mouths. Resting on top of the pile is a rusted pair of iron pliers.

A swirly mahogany wand that changes to a different color every night at midnight.

Innocent Lockpicks: A set of nondescript masterwork thieves' tools coated in a matte black lacquer, that seems brittle enough to break. They are favored by spies and thieves that cannot afford to be caught with the tools of their trade. As an action equivalent to drawing a weapon, the bearer can break the brittle coating of the tools, causing them to dissolve into a puff of smoke, destroying the evidence of any wrongdoing. Because of their fragile nature these tools have a chance of breaking. If the bearer rolls a natural 1 while using the tools, there is a 25% chance that the tools snaps and dissolves in his hands. The item's properties are wholly mundane and do not register as magical.

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aromantic-misguide-to-romance · 3 years

Text

Egg Hunt Nightmare - short review

Devilgrams: Easter Egg Panic! (Diavolo), Race for the Golden Egg! (Mammon), Let's Decorate Eggs! (Beelzebub)

Easter Egg Panic!

The premise is ridiculous. Diavolo caused very stupid trouble again, mostly, and MC runs around with him, trying to help him fix it. Standard, just dumber than usual. The ending excuses it all though and I understand that sacrifices must have been made.

Most of the Devilgram is, as expected from the Nightmare, egg hunt and running after magical eggs. Since the title isn't as obvious as with other Devilgrams, I won't say much about plot.

First 3 episodes are generally not very memorable, but despite the generic topic of egg hunt, the plot is well executed. The scenes surprisingly vary a lot - some faster paced, some calmer, some sweeter, some more comedic, so you don't get bored with one motif stretched for too long. It's a decent mix of comedic action, a sweet word here and there, casually hinting the bond between Diavolo and MC.

That underlying bond naturally opens the door for more romantic exchanges and scenes and gives a reason for this ridiculous premise.

Part 4 is much longer and much more rewarding, so it makes up for the slightly bland previous parts, it's mostly both heartwarming and funny. It also offers a kiss option. Also in that cute sweet adorable situation, if you don't go for the kiss, the alternative suddenly kicks you in the gut with a completely casually dropped angst bomb, so enjoy your screamcat.jpg moments.

Choices: quite okay, nothing rude, nothing stupid, they're incorporated into the story in a believable way. But they're mostly just choice + reaction and most of them don't change anything. One chain of choices however is relevant, as a whole unlocks quite a long and meaningful scene. You have to get them all right to get to the end of it and to the kiss choice.

Music: with the variety of moods that the Devilgram covers, every one of them has a fitting piece playing. Well-chosen.

Very fun Devilgram, worth a try for the comedic moments - spiced up with usual Diavolo angst. It's not groundbreaking though - a decent story rather than a masterpiece.

Race for the Golden Egg!

The Devilgram has plenty of action plot as the title suggests so Mammon and MC are constantly running around but that's pretty much it. It is... not very interesting, and doesn't bring interesting interactions between characters either. It's focused entirely on Mammon's hunt for the golden egg, so it's exactly what it says on the tin. Nothing less, nothing more.

There are two romantic moments, but the first romantic option is disconnected and wasn't properly incorporated into the scene - it's sweet but the transition between it and the plot is very unnatural and throws off.

Of course, it's not one of those Devilgrams with lots of romantic potential, it's rather intended as one of those comedic ones... but it could have more bond between MC and Mammon and most of Mammon's hunt is rather bland than funny anyway. It's too focused on the hunt that it completely doesn't have ideas for. It tries to move the action around but it doesn't bring much variety into the adventure.

Choices: the main problem. You generally can choose between cheering Mammon on to amplify his recklessness or being a jerk, even in romantic scenes. Considering that people probably read Devilgrams to spend time with characters they actually like, I don't think the Devilgram gives any sensible options to react. There are various Devilgrams that make the turn down options actually fun, hilarious and friendly and this… definitely isn't one of them. Good choices aren't fun either since they might come off as making fun of Mammon rather than genuinely helping him - he does mess up specifically because MC was rushing him to dive into action but when MC doesn't rush him - he figures out right away how to get it done. So if you don't feel either like being a jerk or amplifying Mammon's tendencies for laughs but let's say would like to raise the number of braincells from zero to one… no choices for you.

Music: doesn't disturb, it's well-chosen and plays multiple pieces typical to funny moments and shenanigans.

I'd say that this Devilgram is very mediocre - nothing new or interesting about Mammon there, few heartwarming moments, annoying choices, the humour isn't outstanding either.

Let's Decorate Eggs!

The Devilgram is about cooking and decorating eggs, so exactly what it says on the tin, nothing more, nothing less. As such, it doesn't have any plot aside from cooking the eggs and decorating them, obviously, and is much calmer and slow paced than the other two. We don't really see any new unexpected sides of Beel and generally it doesn't offer much plot-wise, but it's a pleasant read.

It shows Beel trying out a new hobby and MC is accompanying him on various tasks related to it - so fortunately it has some variety and not just one scene stretched for 4 episodes.

The story itself is quite fluffy but not overly sweet as it's not focused on romance but spending time together, doing something fun. It has one (1) comedic moment - it's funny but it won't make you wheeze.

As a story with such a limited premise it's definitely well-done. It could be more balanced if it had more romantic moments, so if you look for romance and kisses all over the place, it's not this Devilgram.

Choices: some are boring - MC can either be enthusiastic or meh (bordering on rude, I'd even say) about Beel's ideas, most give just a reaction. There are choices that unlock more romantic scenes and further choices - it's quite easy to guess which choice does that.

Music: well-chosen, it's mostly just music typical for just calm everyday stuff going on, so exactly the right pieces for the story.

In general, the Devilgram doesn't offer anything particularly interesting, but it might be a nice addition to your Devilgram collection if you're interested in spending some time with Beel on a new hobby.

In conclusion, Diavolo's SSR is a fun, good read, Beel UR is just nice, Mammon's UR is skippable… maybe that's good, considering the trouble getting the card...

#devilgram reviews #obey me diavolo #obey me mammon #obey me beelzebub

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