#My lore

[sluglore]

Explaining The Iterator's Purpose (And Why They Weren't Made to Circumvent The Echoes)

Alright, I know there's already been a few posts like this out there, like this older one from @halvedforest, and this recent one from @noizepushr, which are both good posts, but I've been meaning to touch up and cross-post my own older misconceptions post from reddit for a while now, and provide a deeper, more expanded analysis as to why this misconception exists and explain what's actually going on, so here it finally is haha I'll also be using the term 'Benefactor' instead of 'Ancient', if people are confused about that, I intend to make a post about it eventually ^^

( If you're confused on who out there even believes this, this idea originated from Rain World YouTube lore videos, long before Downpour was ever a thing! It is unfortunately still quite prominent on there... but it's definitely getting better :3 )

This misconception stems from misreading the singular pearl to ever mention the echoes, being the Bright Red farm arrays pearl, so let me begin by attaching the specific section below:

“There were some horror stories though... That if your ego was big enough, not even the Void Fluid could entirely cross you out, and a faint echo of your pompousness would grandiosely haunt the premises forever. So even when the Void Fluid baths became cheaper, some would still starve and drink the bitter tea.” (Bright red Farm Arrays pearl dialogue)

Note the specific usage of “some” here. Echoes weren't presented as an issue significant to re-center Benefactor society around, (let alone build the iterators for) but as some horror stories which only "some" people (likely on the fringes of society) would believe in. Nowhere are we given anything that alludes to the existence of Echoes being regarded as a societal problem to address, much less have anything to do with the Iterators.

Additionally, although we know for a fact that echoes do exist, its fairly possible that most of Benefactor society didn't, as LTTM doesn't even know what they are either, regarding them as nothing more than superstition. On the very next line, LTTM confirms that the void baths continued all the same, while again mentioning that "some" would still choose to abstain from them, and drink the bitter tea.

Then what’s the purpose of the iterators if they weren't created to circumvent the echoes? What is The Big Problem that they are even trying to solve in the first place? Well, both FP, LTTM, and the Exterior colored pearl dialogue spell the answer out for you. In fact, it's the first thing FP even tells you!

“The good news first. In a way, I am what you are searching for. Me and my kind have as our purpose to solve that very oscillating claustrophobia in the chests of you and countless others. A strange charity - you the unknowing recipient, I the reluctant gift. The noble benefactors? Gone.” (Five Pebbles dialogue to Survivor) (Monk's version also hits similar notes)

Five pebbles introduces himself as a “reluctant gift," with his purpose being "to solve that very oscillating claustrophobia in the chests of you and countless others," meaning to solve the cycles for everyone and everything else.

If you bring Looks to the Moon a neuron, she has the chance to repeat the same exact explanation to you.

"We were supposed to help everyone, you know. Everything. That was our purpose: a great gift to the lesser beings of the world. When facing our inability to do so, we all reacted differently. Many with madness.”

FP, LTTM, and the rest of their kind were created to serve the rest of the world in finding a method of total mass ascension, of ending the cycle entirely for everyone.... and everything. Not only including the fauna of the world, like the slugcat, but the bedrock, microbes and even gases, as explicitly stated in this snippet from the Exterior pearl dialogue below:

“The Moral Argument: Five Pebbles is our Creation, and we have Parental Obligations towards him. As an Iterator, he is also a Gift of Charity from Us to The World (unable to reach Enlightenment by itself - being composed mostly of Rock, Gas, dull witted Bugs and Microbes - and towards which We thus have Obligations)” (Pale Green Exterior pearl dialogue)

Here we have the Benefactors define it very clearly, that as an iterator, Five Pebbles is a "Gift of Charity from Us to The World." It's important to note that many misinterpret the next section in parentheses as being about FP himself, but if it were, it would be the only time FP is ever referred to as “it”. What's really being described is the world, “unable to reach enlightenment by itself, being composed mostly of rock, gas, dull witted bugs and microbes” The world is unable to reach Enlightenment on it's own and therefore, that's why the iterators were created. (Also- when you think about it, the description of "being composed of rock, gas, and dull witted microbes" doesn't even really fit FP's description lol)

Quick but necessary tangent, the concept of non-living things being apart of the cycle is a little confusing, and tricky to quickly answer without going deep into cycle lore discussion, (I have an entire post in drafts dedicated to clearing this up) but it's actually incredibly important for understanding what The Great Problem is! To shed some light, it's not that non-living matter are able to somehow comprehend the cycles, but that the entire physical world itself is actually an intrinsic part of the cycles.

If you leave a stone on the ground, and come back some time later, it's covered in dust. This happens everywhere, and over several lifetimes of creatures such as you, the ground slowly builds upwards. So why doesn't the ground collide with the sky? Because far down, under the very very old layers of the earth, the rock is being dissolved or removed. The entity which does this is known as the Void Sea. If you drill far enough into the earth you begin encountering a substance called Void Fluid. The deeper you go, the less rock and more Void Fluid. It's believed that there is a point where the rock completely gives way - below that would be the Void Sea. When that stone you placed on the ground has finally done its time in the sediments, it meets the Void Fluid and is dissolved, leaving the physical world. (Teal Subterranean pearl dialogue)

There's a reason that 'Cycles' is always plural in Rain World, because there's multiple of them! Organic life is in cycles, the physical bedrock of the world is in cycles, even the very concept of civilization is in cycles. In order to ascend everything, that means ascending not only all living things, but the entire physical universe itself! That's what the Great Problem really is :D (Also technicallyyy it's only ever referred to as "the big problem" and not "the great problem", the latter term stems entirely from the community but it's whatever i just wanted to quickly mention that. great problem definitely sounds cooler LOL)

In conclusion, Iterators are described as "Gifts to the World" not once, not twice, but three entire times throughout base game Rain World's dialogue, one from FP, one from LTTM, and one from the Benefactors. Rain World lore holds many unanswered, purposefully ambiguous questions, but the Iterator's purpose is not one of them!

If you're confused/interested in analysis of the Benefactor's motivations and perspectives on Ascension, I made a post a little while back containing my thoughts right here :)

[splashskitty]

Lore part four.

I have a few more characters to show off that either weren't important in Neriums story specifically or are in their own story and otherwise I will have showed all my characters and I thought that was a good reason to make another lore part I'm sure I'll make more characters so as I do I'll add them to this post so now let's begin.

First off why do they all have flower names I'm dyslexic and I like flowers and it's easier to remember flower names than it is made up ones that's pretty much the only reason.

how I choose a flower for a specific character is I usually Google flowers based on the characters color or personality I choose a flower that reminds me the most of them and name them after it or I find a cool looking flower and then make a character based off of that flower and that's about it.

Second off how I make the characters design mostly in my brain and gacha life 2 and in ponytown I did use to use animal crossing but I don't as much now a few of my characters came to me and dreams and that's about it for that too.

Now for the time frame of each character I made Nerium nightshade I made when I was seven her name was splashskitty at the time but she was the same basic character I made Periwinkle in gacha life 1 around 2017 or 2019 I don't know.

now I made Lavender Nepta and zinnia around 3 or 4 years ago at the same time I found the name Nerium and why started naming them all after flowers in the first place anyway a few months later I made daffodil Mirabillis and a month or so after that Aster and Asher who I realize I forgot to show.

A good while later in ponytown I made Delphinium and then Dianthus then Deparia and a little later I made Colocasia to and a few more months later I got gacha life 2 and I made Iris datrura to.

These two characters came to me in a dream about a year ago and they're really stuck with me and I made a whole tiny and incoherent story for them if you want to hear it just ask

This is Rosie posie Ashes she's 18 I was seeing from her eyes in my dream so she kind of looks like how I look like at the time because she kind of did look like me in the dream she can't die or at least she keeps going back from the dead and she's witnessed the horrors just two cats and a little sister that's about it.

This is Lindenii Jimsun shes 19 and she's completely insane has a very elaborate basement and kept killing Rosie posie ashes it was a very fun dream and it really stuck with me so I made these two characters because this is what they look like in the dream she also had a fennec fox and she's popular girl in school that everybody likes I don't know it's just her character.

And since I haven't shown them yet here's daffodil and lavenders sisters and Asher Aster

This is Periwinkle Angel heart she is lavender's little sister She's a little depressed she just wants people to leave her alone she also just wants to sleep she can see ghosts and she's kind of lazy and that's kind of about it for her personality. Bonus lore Lavender love pokemon specifically sun and moon Periwinkle only likes gen 1

This is daffodils older sister Mirabillis Belladonna bloom she's a goth girl that loves a vampires witches ghouls and all things spooky and she dreams to live in a big haunted mansion one day she doesn't really have much of a personality except for spooky things.

Aster bella bane she and her twin Asher were adopted by Nerium Aster is the fun loving optimistic ray of sunshine and she loves The legend of Zelda and games in general

And Asher bella bane is the pessimistic somewhat sad teen that listens to music and draws all day she still doesn't trust Nerium all the way she finds it hard to believe anyone could really love them and she just doesn't want Aster to get hurt.

And that's about it for characters I didn't mention and their history Now for the fun part this will be what songs I either feel fit the characters or that the characters would listen to maybe both at the same time I don't know.

Nerium nightshade. barbie girl by aqua hot to go by chappell roan and hey I don't work here by Tom cardy

Nerium nightshade reaper au. Oleander by mother mother and whatever will bleed will bleed by gloom darkheart

Nino nightshade. E.T. by toy box

Nepta nightshade. every song by Marina and the diamonds but especially how to be a heartbreaker

Aster bella bane. sunnyside by I don't know how but they found me pink fluffy unicorn dancing on rainbows by Andrew Huang go kitty go by Dancing cats and any legend of Zelda song

Asher bella bane. downside by I don't know how but they found me wolf in sheep's clothing by set it off and animal I have become by three days grace

Lavender Angel heart. red wine supernova by chappell roan and Celestial by Ed Sheeran

Periwinkle Angel heart. sleepwalk by Forrest Day and any lullaby or music box song

Zinnia lily glow. too sweet by Hozier and I/me/myself by Will Wood

Actaea orchid blight. Please don't leave me by P!nk and hot n cold by Katy Perry

Actaea orchid blight reaper au. Angel of darkness by Alex c and change the formality by infected mushroom

Daffodil Belladonna bloom. play date by Melanie Martinez and Candy store by Heathers

Mirabillis Belladonna bloom. Every song by voltaire but especially the night

Delphinium snowdrop Hazel. Oh Ms believer by Twenty one pilots and open up Your eyes by mlp

Dianthus kalmia Hazel. good luck babe by chappell roan and my kink is karma by chappell roan

datrura venom Hazel. Get jinxed by League of Legends and pretty little psycho by porcelain black

Deparia verbena Hazel. Tornado by owl City and let's fighting love by South Park

Spider Lillie. Lone Digger by Caravan Palace and Widow me this by gloom darkheart

Colocasia lilium. Goodbye by Ramsey and discord remix by the living tombstone

Iris periwinkle. destroy me by Mr Kitty and Ebb and flow by and every Jack stauber song

Rosie posie Ashes. Freaks by surf cruise love my dead by ludo Dinner is not over by Jack stauber and two time by Jack stauber

Lindenii Jimsun. Killer by the ready set and blood and bones by gloom darkheart and bust your kneecaps by pomplamoose

If you read all that thank you for taking interest in my characters and if you have any headcanons for my ocs or songs you think fit them please tell I'd love too hear them and thank you again for reading my long post <3

Is anyone interested in art of my ocs I'll probably post them anyway but I just wanted to know

[beware-the-water]

really gets me pissed when men see my frustration as amusement. thinking abt how i would get genuinely angry about something w my ex (unrelated to him in these cases, like getting cut off in traffic, etc) and he would look at me w this little smile on his face and say something along the lines of “youre so cute when youre mad” shut the fuck up i will rip ur fucking face apart

[timewizard-oldman]

haha bro we r just like troy barnes and abed nadir from the hit 2009 sitcom community (i love you so so so much)

[maryflorlovyblog]

"Love is implicit when we say “take care of yourself”.... There are no great words, but those that say it all."

—Swami Paatra Shankara

[bakugames-fr]

Plentiful dragons, aka plentiful of love lol #gottem

Rework of my plentiful breed redesigns! With an added beastclan/anthro form for my lore.

[raphaeltheseraphim]

Why must hedgehogs be so cute?

I especially love when they are on their back and you can see their tummies.

[raysock]

Some of my OCs as polos just to.. you know.. attract the auditory and tell a bit of lore from my universe

So basically rejected world is something like a purgatory mixed with void that is being watched by the Highests (smth like Gods)

People don't age here and can do whatever they like until the Gods decide where should they go afterwards, but there are also the ones who stay in rejected group forever

Entities from other worlds can also temporarily visit rejected and interact with it in any way (even destroy everything), that's why Denis got a team and gave them part of his powers to protect the world of rejected

I won't tell about each character because I'm too lazy, but, for example, Lera has a rich story with a lot of details

[your-modern-sappho]

Okay okay okay!!

Guys. Soooo… Werewolves, right?

First of all, the condition of lycanthropy is largely linked to the stages of the moon. Rather than a sudden transformation on the night of the full moon, lycanthropy displays itself in an individual constantly, in a gradual ebb and flow. Here, we will dive into each phase of the moon and what it brings:

The New Moon 🌑

For many lycans, the new moon is a chance for rest and rejuvenation. For a period of twenty-four hours, the moon is “missing” from the sky. And it is during this phase that a lycan is most human. There is no stark differences from your average human. The canines are relatively dull, skin clear, and there is little to no hunger gnawing at their belly. Their hormones are stabilized, resulting in relative calmness and ease.

Waxing Crescent 🌒

Lasting for a duration of roughly seven days, the waxing crescent brings with it very minor changes to an otherwise human appearance. Throughout this week, body hair is known to darken and grow coarser than weeks past, though remains manageably short with no accelerated growth. There is no notable change in the canines, nor any increased body odor.

First Quarter 🌓

Lasting one day, the human canines begin to ache and loosen as the body prepares lupine canines beneath the gums. By this point the werewolf will start developing a “second skin” beneath their human skin, which will reaveal itself later in the cycle.

Waxing Gibbous 🌔

Lasting seven days, This week is incredibly painful, as the human skin will tear and slough off to reveal furred, thick wolf-skin that had formed underneath, and bones will break and reshape themselves entirely as the body begins to shift in preparation for the full moon. Body oder will be strong, and the lycan’s mental state will be in shambles. This phase of the moon could bring a variety of changes to the individual, including but not limited to: extreme irritability, overstimulation, fatigue, headache, depression, and anxiety.

Due to the energy expended in this phase, lycans will experience a sharp, near debilitating increase in hunger. If not properly nourished during this phase, the full moon will bring disastrous results.

The Full Moon 🌕

The full moon, spanning over three days, comes in three different phases of its own.

The first day is centered around the full transformation, in which any semblance to a human is lost and the body shifts completely into the one of two possible forms known to lycans. The difference of these forms will be covered at a later date. The werewolf can still speak, but their vocal clarity and pitch will have dropped significantly. If properly fed in the week prior, they should be able to maintain full control over their body and mind.

The second day, when the full moon is the strongest, the werewolf will be much more aggressive, even if unintentionally. While a new moon brings out their human side most, a full moon does the complete opposite. Their human conscious no longer has control over their body and they will be unable to speak intelligently.

And finally, in the last day, the individual will be completely exhausted. Their movement will be sluggish and uncoordinated, and it will be hard for them to fully process their surroundings. The level of aggression will fluctuate depending on the individual themselves, but on average is fairly mild. Do not mistake this as a day of rest, as a werewolf can still be quite emotionally volatile and sore from the previous day.

If not properly nourished in the week of the Waxing Gibbous, the individual will be left starving from the energy expenditure, becoming uncontrollably aggressive. They will lash out in blind hunger, and in true animalistic fashion, will not be able to stop themselves from hunting and consuming anything they may get their claws and teeth into. If for whatever reason a lycan is unable to gain back the lost energy, they will die during their transformation into a more humanoid form.

Waning Gibbous 🌖

Lasting seven days, it is in this phase that the werewolf de-transitions. Fur will begin to fall out, bones reconfigure themselves once more, and skin stretched by the transformation will start to tighten back up as the lycan shifts to a more humanoid, though still wolfish, form. Another painful week. Rather than aggressive, a werewolf during this week will just be in a constant state of exhaustion.

Third Quarter 🌗

Lasts one day; The turning point in which the werewolf finally looks more human than animal. By this point they’ve returned to a respectably human size, body odor decreasing and mental state stabilizing.

Waning Crescent 🌘

Lasts seven days. A werewolf in this week will appear near seamlessly human, aside from sharp canines that will fall out as the week comes to an end, and perhaps some lingering fatigue.

(Might make edits later)

@canis-lycanthropus

[purrmoon]

🌙 dynamic abilities

»masterlist«

alpha command — also referred to as the alpha voice. a deep, rumbling tone that triggers obedience & submission in those who hear it. it’s most effective on pack & those who already respect the alpha as an authority figure—but some particularly dominating people are capable of effecting those who don’t know / respect them. commands are also heightened when given after a scruff or submission bite. a command usually sound deep and rumbling; firm and commanding; or low and soothing.

beta scent-shifting — a beta is able to consciously (or unconsciously) shift their scent to mimic another’s. they can disguise themselves as an alpha, omega, or another beta—and even mimic a milky pup scent. this is typically used to calm packmates, and also makes them invaluable in the medical field or for calming those in a feral state. there are varying skill levels, with some being able to fool any nose, and others only able to fool those in distress / not thinking clearly.

omega suggestion — also referred to as the omega voice. it incites in people a desire to please, to protect, to make the omega happy. it can also have a relaxing effect. it’s most effective on other pack members, or those with a positive relationship with the omega—though some have particularly powerful voices, & can affect even those they aren’t close with/who actively dislike them. the sound is generally gentle & soothing; soft & crooning; or lyrical & melodious.

[ scent-shifting as an ability for betas was inspired by a fanfic i read once~ ]

[quinfr]

Look at my impulse purchase, Pluck! Lesser god of prosperity.

Give it a little rub on its nose (give a like or visit the page) to get a little luck!

Pluck was once a single coin, well worn and well traveled. It wished very deeply to be a dragon, as much as a coin could. One day its current owner flicked it into a very special well in hopes of having their own wish granted, but instead Pluck's wish for dragonhood came true. Sort of. It is still very much made of gold, and still very much coin-like in mind and spirit, and it certainly cannot fly, but at the very least Pluck can travel freely about without needing to hitch a ride in someone's pocket. Some would consider that quite lucky!

The magic current that brought Pluck to this state has left residual magic flowing through the coin. It has an aura that brings about luck and prosperity to those who are near it. Having caught wise for a while it would sneak into people's homes and then leave once fortune struck the household. After years of this though it has found that it would much rather stay still, as a good coin should, and resides on a perch in Klatschmon's merchant district, where people now rub its nose for good luck and toss coins into the divets of its coiled body. (It finds giving a coin a coin an odd choice, but it supposes it doesn't mind the company.)

[sluglore]

Some Thoughts on Karma, the Natural Journey of Ascension, and Why the Ancients/Benefactors were Kind of Wrong

I'd like to address the community-wide misconception that you can only gain karma through "shedding your urges" when both in game and within the text of the game, we see this isn't true! the whole "shedding urges in order to ascend" stuff was only really a thing before the void fluid revolution, as Moon states in the bright red farm arrays pearl. The discovery of void fluid entirely trivialized needing to completely shed your urges by providing a much more natural method of ascension, and we see this play out within Rain World's story and gameplay.

In-game, we gain karma by directly engaging with our urges, whether it be sustaining our hunger, holding treasured items close or just survival in itself. From the beginning we are deeply ensnared within the struggles of living, "caught in the net" as the ancients/benefactors say. However, over the course of our gameplay, (I'm using survivor as a baseline, since their campaign illustrates the core of this) as we learn and grow and become more knowledged, living becomes easier, the struggle is not as harsh as it was before, and surely but slowly we die less and less as time goes on.

Simultaneously, this is reflected in our karma, as by dying less, we now hold higher karma more frequently. This coincides with the natural gameplay loop of rain world; the more we explore and learn new things, the more we grow and learn about the world and our place within it, we tread further and further away from the struggles of life, and become closer to enlightenment.

Ascension is the natural culmination of this journey of enlightenment, the next step on the path beyond. It's not inherently the right or wrong choice to make, its a step into the unknown, in search of something greater, of answers to our own existence, true spiritual self-fulfillment. This is how the ancients/benefactors saw it, but you could say they still got parts of it pretty wrong...

This is treading more into personal headcanon territory now, so bear with me, but I believe the issue lies within the great problem that the ancients built the iterators to solve. They wanted to find a means of evicting all life, material, the entire world from the cycles entirely, eliminating the personal struggle tied to ascension, taking away the choice and the journey that are so unbelievably crucial to it. This is also why I personally believe that a solution to the great problem doesn't or can't exist, as it would go against the fabric of their universe, from which the cycles are built upon. (LTTM describes the group behind this ideology as "triangulators"; they believed a solution was dangerous and had to be inferred rather than solved)

Ironically, in their desire to become effortless, by creating the iterators to make living easier, and to detach themselves from the struggles of the cycles, (just as we do within our own journey to ascension as the slugcat) this could also only be achieved through massive effort, so they even weren't truly "effortless" in the end, as nothing can be. Of course though, the few echoes in-game demonstrate that same ideology slipping through. Those ancients/benefactors became echoes because they hadn't experienced the personal journey paramount to ascension, or maybe they just didn't want to leave, but regardless, they weren't able to let go of their place in the universe and move on, and thus, they stayed behind.

TLDR: The ancients/benefactors were wrong about ascension because as a society they didn't fully recognize how important personal struggle, journey, and choice is for ascension, and sought to remove that struggle entirely.

[scribe-of-hael]

Overlord HCS list

Headcanons i have for OL but for my au and just in general 🤷‍♂️ this breaks Canon, much like OL breaks skulls.

Overlord loved fashion as much as he likes fighting

Yes he is not afraid to get down and dirty with the inner of his enemy but he takes good care of himself and his frame

He is conflicted on wanting to keep battle scars and also wanting a nice smooth finish

He is a theatrical bitch, a show man, everything he does he does as if he has an audience like he did in the pits , a cheering as your doom is sealed

He is Queer af, has no labels, has no preference besides ppl who are brave enough to even take him on

That being said he's is nothing if not a gentleman to lovers , he's a murderous killing machine not a low life monster

He can be as affectionate as he is violent, it is truly a night and day between his intimidating factor and being dotting the next

His love lanauge is gift giving and physical touch, though words of affirmation can be a substitution (he is so incredibly needy for attention)

He only ever ignore physical boundaries of people he doesn't like mostly strangers. He enjoys making people uncomfortable/squirm in his presence knowing there isn't much anyone can do to stop him. He will stare, grin, mock and even proposely be rude or bump into people. Are you going to fight a skyscraper of a bot? I wouldn't.

He can play a Cybertronian equivalent of an electric guitar (had one custom made for himself)

He can also Sing VERY VERY well (his Voice claim I have for him is Tim Curry and man has RANGE)

If Overlord says he doesn't feel like torturing some poor bot's sparks SOMTHING IS VERY WRONG (a depressed Overlord is not a good working one)

In my au he does have a kinda messed up past in a sense. You can kinda see why he is the way he is and why he joined the Decepticons. (Thanks senate)

However, he fully admits "yes I could have been a shiny goodie bot and be the better person.But - what's the fun in that?" He doesn't let his backstory define him. He chose this path and he dances on it with delight.

in his Humanformer , he does natural have grey in his hair and even grow facial hair. But somtimes he get self conscience about wanting to look young. So he simply dyes it out and shaves. He even throws pink and GLITTER into his hair because he likes it.

He alos likes pastels alot , because he is a barbie girl in a barbie world

Goes by primarily He/Him, but doesn't care what pronouns you use. You can get a look delight if you use she/her ~ its not often but she likes it.

See he knows he's pretty but he'd much rather hear OTHER ppl say it

[aberration-abbey]

2nd Lt. Taffy, AstroLab's resident secret alien shapeshifter, and her enthusiastic bestie, Ensign Zesiro.

[timewizard-oldman]

my brother is not watching community the right way he doesn't get it like i do im gonna scream