#The Red Opera

[just-jessie-d]

Last night while driving home in the rain I came up with a 5e campaign idea.

Everyone has to play one of the animal-based PCs. There are many great options among official published works; Leonin, Tabaxi, Aarakokra, Kenku, Loxadon, hippo dudes from Spelljammer etc. But there's also great ones from some other works like a polar bear in The Red Opera, and lots more critters in Humblewood.

All of the characters wake up in golden robes in the middle of a serene meadow at the centre of an ancient forest. They don't know each other and have no memory of how they arrived there. The last thing they remember was a scream and a bright light. Some remember it as cold, some remember it raining, some remember the hot sun on their face.

As they traverse the lands, eventually they come to realize that this is not the world as they remember it. The world they awaken in has a spreading darkness, the shadowfolk.

Most of the early plots involve helping villagers or farmers (also all animals) in some way, finding and returning items etc. But evidence of the shadowfolk begins to appear as they progress in levels. Clear-cut and burned areas, poisoned rivers and lakes, gnarled and rotten overgrowth. Undead armies of skeletons and war machines ravage the land.

After players catch a glimpse of the first shadowfolk, their characters start having memories of the past life resurface...

In their past life they were not sapient, but the Gods Lathander and Mielikki formed a partnership and summoned heroes from another realm to fight the evils in this one (avatar Artifacer of Shar).

The story culminates in a battle against a war machine bigger than any other. The lights shine bright in their faces as they realize, this is the monstrosity that killed them before. As the machine's wheels scream and it lurches toward them, the animal folk must work together to destroy... A car

[goryhorroor]

horror sub-genres: gothic

[rotten7rat]

Just gonna leave this here

[rumpletrumple]

Forever mad the 2004 movie decuntified red death 😔

[comicalps]

The recent AVM episode was so very Tom and Jerry-esque. I loved it.

Accordingly, I had to draw a Warner Bros style ending.

[royalavera]

Another one based on Nipuni's art I haven't draw enough of the Red Death, and I love Nipuni's take on it, so here we go! Get the full res image here

[thatsbelievable]

[ziseviolet]

If the coats with hoods aren’t historically accurate, what coats did Chinese people wear prior to the modern period?

Hi! Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

By "coats with hoods", I assume you're referring to the doupeng/斗篷 (cloak/cape) commonly seen in modern hanfu and guzhuang (drama costumes), like the one below (x):

Chinese people did wear doupeng prior to the modern period, along with other kinds of coats. However, as I mentioned in my post here, historical Chinese doupeng did not have hoods attached to the cloak/cape. That is why many modern doupeng aren't considered historically accurate - because they have hoods attached. Below are examples of more historically accurate, hoodless doupeng (1/2):

In the image on the above left, the model is wearing a separate, detached hood/hat called fengmao/风帽 (wind hat) which was historically worn to keep warm. Below - examples of fengmao (1/2):

Historically, fengmao was often worn with doupeng when travelling during cold weather (x). Below - women wearing doupeng & fengmao in historical art (top row), and Chinese opera performers wearing doupeng & fengmao as part of their costumes (bottom row) (x):

Oftentimes the doupeng & fengmao are matching, which can give the impression that they are attached - but if you look carefully, you can see that they are separate. Below - Chinese opera costume (x):

Below are historical photos of women wearing doupeng in 1920s Beijing - note how they are hoodless (1/2):

Hooded doupeng, in contrast, are more similar to historical western cloaks, such as the below American/European cloaks from the 18th century (1/2):

The hooded doupeng of modern hanfu are likely based on those seen in guzhuang dramas - another instance of drama costumes not being the most historically accurate (x):

An example of a drama with a historically accurate depiction of doupeng & fengmao is the 1987 TV adaptation of Dream of the Red Chamber. As seen in the below images, the characters wear hoodless doupeng & occasionally matching fengmao as part of their winter wardrobe (1/2/3):

The 1994 TV adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms also depicts historically accurate, hoodless doupeng & matching fengmao worn by men (x):

For more references, please check out my doupeng, fengmao, and winter wear tags.

Hope this helps!

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

Holmes and Watson / Tristan and Isolde

BBC Radio 4's Sherlock Holmes, The Devil's Foot (radio drama transcript) /// Granada's The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Red Circle /// Metafictional Monday: Tristan und Isolde, @teaformrholmes /// Brayton Polka, LIEBESTOD: On Love and Death in Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde", p. 248 /// The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Vincent Starrett /// BBC Radio 4's Sherlock Holmes, The Devil's Foot (radio drama transcript)

[c-rose2081]

—

“In sleep she sang to me…”

“My power over you grows stronger yet…”

—

Guys I was having thoughts…so many thoughts…

[goryhorroor]

horror sub-genres: giallo

[exhausted-undead]

caption this please I need to laugh

[userblues]

Giu! Verso la bocca del diavolo! La sua freccia, i mei occhi…

REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA (2008) dir. Darren Lynn Bousman

[classichorrorblog]

10 Giallo Films To Consider For October/Halloween

[dross-the-fish]

"Do not touch, I am Red Death stalking abroad" A red death concept speedpaint. Bonus Unmasked sketch because I like drawing his face

[from-the-dead]