#so lmk if that's something you'd like

[cannedwyrms]

Spoilers for Shadow of the Erdtree but...

So, Moore. I'll admit, didn't strike me as very interesting my first playthrough. Yeah, he was a funny little guy, but that seemed to be it.

I wanna talk about Moore for just a bit.

However, on a few subsequent runs and an unhealthy amount of thinking, I believe Moore is a lot moore complex than I originally thought.

When we first meet him, he's right outside Belurat, next to Ansbach. Most of Miq's followers can be found on close proximity to each other, which may just be to show that they are all fellows, united in common cause, but there might be some reason for specific placements.

As far as I'm aware, Moore's placement next to Ansbach doesn't have any significance, but I'd love to hear any theories or thoughts if you have any.

He's like the supplier for Leda's band, working with other members of the forager brood to find things, which he then shares with the others.

"Things give joy to all," as he says.

Moore talks in a very simplistic manner. To me, it almost seems like he's forcing some of the words out. This could be because he's actually not a guy, but one of the pests, part of the forager brood. That's just a headcannon of mine, but I do think there's some evidence for it.

Anyway, Moore's quest revolves, as all of the followers do, around the breaking of Miquella's great rune.

But there's quite a bit of missable dialogue before it that really adds to his character.

We learn he's part of the forager brood, who you can find, well, foraging all over the Lands of Shadow. They'll give you cookbooks, and generally be cute little guys (gender-neutral). There's one by the church of crusade that's shivering and cold.

Pop down a warming stone or other similar items, and it'll heat right up. If you go back to Moore after doing that, he'll give you a cookbook with two items that are almost useful.

If you attack any of the brood, he'll eventually invade you and you'll be forced to kill him.

After the great rune is shattered, Moore seems to have a bit of a crisis. He feels abandoned, and will tell you that him and his brood were abandoned by their mother.

Before we continue any further, let's speculate on who Moore's mother could be.

Personally, I believe the forager brood to have, in some way, been birthed by Romina. A bit obvious, perhaps, but the pests have always been associated with the scarlet rot, and Romina became pretty bug-like after she accepted the rot. As to why she would abandon her buggy children, that's where my theory starts to fall apart. If I end up making a post about Romina herself, I'll explore this idea further.

Back to Moore, we can now get into the specifics of what his quest is actually about. What the theme is, how it informs our reading of the rest of the game, etc.

Moore's quest is about trauma. And, to be moore specific, Moore wants to forget the trauma of his abandonment, and believes Miquella's love is the way to do that.

After the great rune is shattered, you are able to give Moore a rare three-way choice to end his quest. If you choose the "sad forever" option, Moore will tell you goodbye and be found dead, next to the corpse of one of his siblings.

If you choose the "put it behind you" option, Moore will decide to keep following Miquella, believing that his love will "banish the pain."

The next time you meet him will be in your fight against Leda, where he will remark about what a tragedy it is for you and the others to fight, and will die. He seems to regret needing to fight you. At his heart, Moore is kind and gentle, only moved to the tides of battle because he, like so many others, believes it will save him.

Accepting Miquella's love is not the solution to moving past his trauma. There is no easy escape, and even if Miq's love did banish Moore's pain, it might not even help him feel any better.

This is one of the moore interesting ends to Moore's quest, because it informs us a bit about the theme of his questline, and Miquella's faliure to understand others' suffering. Becaus Surprise! Somehow I'm actually still talking about Miquella!

Basically, if Miquella really wanted to fix things he would've invented therapy.

Moore's final ending is very interesting as well because he's the only character that can actually survive the whole dlc.

If you choose "I don't know," Moore will eventually come to the conclusion that, even though it hurts, even though he's still sad, he has his family and the things he enjoys doing, and concludes that that's enough for him. And because of that, he actually survives the dlc. He's still there after you defeat Miquella and Radahn, and even though he's sad that Leda and the others never come by to visit, he's still alive. He's still foraging.

And this, I think, is actually another thing the game is trying to tell us.

Amidst all of these great ambitions, these demigods and champions trying to bring about change, to "fix" the world as they see fit, the one person who survives is the only one who finds contentment not in some great goal, not in revenge or obsession, but in simply appreciating what he has and trying to make the best of it.

It's not a perfect solution, sure, but Moore eventually comes to understand that, while he might not be fully happy, losing himself to some goal is not going to magically fix his problems or give him some sense of fulfillment. That's why he's the only one that survives.

Even in the base game, most characters eventually die, mostly for the reasons I stated above. Alexander chases a glorious battle, Hewg loses himself to the promise and obsession of making a godslaying weapon, Melina burns herself to fulfil our goals.

But Moore can live.

And maybe this is what Miquella was missing. In the pursuit of a perfect world, he missed the fact that no world can be perfect, especially not one built off the back of suffering. Instead, Elden Ring says, true peace—true kindness—comes from making the best of your situation and appreciating what you already have.

Of course, this doesn't mean you shouldn't try to improve your surroundings any, it just means that often our happiness can come from things we might have taken for granted.

Personally, I like Moore's second ending the best, the one where he fights alongside Leda and the others, but that's only because I'm a sucker for a good tragedy. Moore's inclusion in that fight also strengthens the idea that what you're doing is kind of wrong (something I'll get to when I talk about Leda) and that there is no moral black and white, only shades of gray.

All in all, Moore is a lot moore interesting than he might first appear, and his inclusion reveals another theme and strengthens all the other ones we've talked about.

I'll get to Leda soon, and eventually to all of Miq's followers, but when I seriously started analyzing Moore I realized I needed to make a post on him. Although, I'll admit I'm still not completely sold on this interpretation, I'm still pretty proud of it.

Okay, bye.

[jetsetradiofuture]

do you have any blog recs that have similar pretty pictures to you?

ty for the ask ^__^ here are some of my favorites~☆

#-J @80u @avtism @bananacreamoats @beetlebroth @calicocritter @candiedsmokedsalmon @catnpc @cex @chaoparty @diggaleg @distillers @dogbiscuit @drackolyte @dreom @ecosystms @fairy-space @friendthing @frootsnackz @g4meb0y @hello-orange-sunshine @jack-cat @juicepunch

K-Z @kaw0rin @killy--chan @limb @littleforestfellow @melba @miitopias @missingwife @misspiggy @otter11 @purichou @rainbowstag @redbeanbug @rhizi @saepiae @segatetris @snailslunchpail @staravia @teddyland @thestarofcottonland @yugimoto @yuniko @zoonotic @zxu

[cedar-sunshine]

I need to stream my writing on twitch or some shit. Nobody would watch but it'd make sure that I don't get too distracted

[purple-ravaged]

hello! here is my finalized commission info!! i've been tweaking this for awhile, and i'm happy with where i've landed. below is a link to a google form where you can commission me if you're interested :DD

Purple Ravage's Commission Form

[lamourt]

@kidfrommodesto liked for a starter !

he would never have agreed to this in a thousand lifetimes if this man wasn't someone louis had trusted. but his publicist had pushed for it, and with louis's account of his life and their relationship so widespread now with the publication of molloy's book... lestat cared little for the court of public opinion, but there was, in sloane's words, damage control to be done. he finds this whole thing horribly garish–– the way the set has been dressed up, the little props, the book so innocently placed on a side table. its very presence burns in lestat's periphery–– the pages filled with ugly truths and beautiful ones, alongside things he doesn't quite consider fair. and perhaps he's a little vindictive when he sends a spasm towards the other man's throat–– a vampire who hasn't told the world of what he is yet, when he plays the role of other. brows flick up–– an invitation to start, because he won't.

[rw-ethology]

Slugcats, Sociality and Altruism

Seems like a decent place to kick off the blog :)

Even from just the intro cutscenes, dreams, and alike that provide a glimpse into their lives before braving the harsh ecosystem alone, it's easy to tell that slugcats in general are very much a sociable sort. Whether part of a large colony like Gourmand's appears to be or the single family shown in Monk and Survivor's cinematics, none of the "wild" slugcats we actually get to learn about the circumstances of are alone before the events of the game- and some of them don't stay that way either, with the recent introduction of lost slugpups to find and take care of. But what's so unique about that?

(Long post under cut.)

At first it might not seem like anything special- a given, even. Animals grouping up or remaining with their families into adulthood, eating, sleeping, grooming and playing together, isn't that unusual; even if you're not particularly bothered about companionship, there are many survival benefits to being part of a closeknit group when you're a small and squishy prey animal. Perhaps most straightforwardly, the statistical odds of you specifically being picked off by a predator go way down when your prospective attacker has more targets to choose from, and more trying to drive it off- safety in numbers is a given, when it comes to everything from finding food to raising offspring. The more eyes and ears and hands the better, and it just so happens many creatures that do this are also very sociable with each other.

Sociality to the sheer extent slugcats seem to take it, though is actually considerably rare in the animal kingdom. A lot of animals, even those that are very close with their families, simply don't care all too much about anything outside of their immediate circle- while protecting their own mate and offspring is important, any stranger could be a potential threat or after their valuable resources, and there's little reason to expend time and energy rearing young that aren't theirs. But then in certain more large-brained, intelligent species (and slugcats are undeniably intelligent), where the payoffs and benefits of collaboration and compassionate acts between peers become great enough to create a huge social advantage, things can get a little more interesting. Over time, evolutionarily, an emotional motivation to help others in need starts to emerge.

This is a big deal! Animals with lower comparative intelligence just don't do this; this particular response goes beyond instinct, it creates the capacity for true altruistic behaviour, even in the absence of any immediate tangible reward. And considering the behaviour is learned, reinforced and reciprocated between an entire group so that everybody benefits, it's easy to see how it's so effective. For virtually any creature on its own, missing one too many meals or becoming badly injured or otherwise incapacitated can be as good as a death sentence. Within a group that's personally invested in your wellbeing, however, you've got the insurance of the stronger, fitter members of your family being willing to provide for you catch-free while you can't for yourself, giving you increased survival odds that other animals in the same predicament simply don't get. In a world where just about everything larger than you wants to eat you, having companions who would rather nobody gets served up for dinner is one of the biggest advantages you can have!

However, problems do arise when you lose that advantage of numbers. Having apparently evolved to pass up on sharp edges and defensive strategies in exchange for smarts and compassion, a lone slugcat with no support system has little to rely on but their own resourcefulness to survive- while also likely battling the psychological effects of separation and loss commonly observed in highly social animals. But not all hope is necessarily lost; even in the absence of their own kin, a slugcat's motivation to care is hard-wired, and evidently not limited to their conspecifics either. They can befriend scavengers, another intelligent, social species with a similar inclination to return favours and good deeds; tame lizards (their own predators!) by acting as a provider of food or rescuing them from harm, which will then defend you against others; and in some campaigns, take in lost pups as their own, who will also attempt to come to their aid when in danger. And then, of course, there's perhaps the most interesting friends they could make in the circumstances.

After all, it would be amiss not to mention their apparent affinity for meddling in the affairs of passing gods! Whether or not you fetch them in your own playthroughs, Looks to the Moon has more neurons the later you encounter her in the timeline, and by Rivulet's time even the old cloak recoverable from the depths of her superstructure, suggesting their canon* retrieval- not to mention the events of Rivulet's entire campaign. Considering extending kindness to something as wildly different to them as an iterator is clearly not a stretch for even wild slugcats, it's probably not just a coincidence they seem to make such effective purposed messengers, either; there are likely stronger, faster options to choose from, sure, but you'd be hard pressed to find a creature more loyal, versatile and sympathetic to the plights of others anywhere else.

All things considered no matter the campaign or how aggressively you personally play, just from looking at the overarching plot and events considered canon, it can be said everything happens as it does because slugcats are just how they are- motivated to act based on how strongly they feel for others, whether for better or for worse (read: Artificer's grief-driven rampage). Despite being just another little creature struggling their way through the cycle, time and time again a lowly slugcat manages to affect the world around them and/or its inhabitants in ways far beyond their comprehension and well into the future, just by following their nature. If things were any different, in all likelihood the overarching story and timeline as we know it wouldn't be remotely the same!

*Not technically confirmed as far as I can tell, but for the purposes of this post I am going with the implication that Monk and/or Survivor are responsible for the extra neurons and returned cloak.

[theflyingfeeling]

fics I really really really want to write right now:

chapter 2 to tumbling in the hay (I had a very...vivid image of this the other night out of the blue 👀)

a ridiculously cute high school AU for Valentine's Day (yes, the same high school AU I used for my advent calendar; nothing specific in my mind but I was looking at some prompts the other day and thought it'd be fun)

Olli/Allu fwb having sex in their shared bunk every night while on tour, but veeeeeeeery slowly and quietly as to not wake up anyone else (and they do succeed, believe it or not, but at what cost)

...and yeah, those are the ideas I've been entertaining myself mostly recently. may end up writing them all or none of them, who knows, not I 🙂

[lctibule]

ㅤalthough not much for nightlife of any sort, sometimes... sometimes you just need a drink. and sometimes the idea of buying a bottle of something strong, taking it home, and drinking yourself stupid while your familiar watches judgingly is just too depressing to stomach.

so... sometimes you just need to go out to a bar. and that's exactly where minjoon finds himself tonight, at an otherwise empty table with a glass in hand, pathetically drowning his sorrows after yet another tumultuous and frustrating phone call with his mother. the place is pretty busy, not to mention a great deal louder than he typically likes, but it's distracting. distraction is a good thing tonight. in fact, he's so open to it that, when a woman comes over and asks to join him after seemingly failing to find anywhere else to sit, he simply nods and gestures for her to take the seat across from him. definitely not his typical behaviour, but fuck it, right?

ㅤㅤ" go ahead. sorry, it wasn't this busy when i got here... i probably should have taken a single seat at the bar rather than an entire table to myself. "ㅤhe apologizes, like he could have possibly known that the place was this popular. like it's his fault she couldn't find anywhere better to sit. mouth opens to continue, but minjoon thinks better of it and shuts himself up with another sip of his drink instead.

☾ㅤㅤ@miidnighters (billie)ㅤㅤㅤ//ㅤㅤㅤlowkey starter call.

[handgiven]

closed starter for @amischiefofmuses

the angel, melancholy yet full of love as ever, does step carefully upon the world, taking great care that no corner go unattended, if only for a fleeting moment, if only for the single mistreated flower in the grass, or a fledgling fallen from a tree, or a lonely human soul. it's easy to encompass all of existence this way, as if in a gentle embrace, almost systematic in its movement through universes and galaxies, in order to share grace and kindness. it's natural, to him, to walk all planes of existence, and see that they are all tended to.

the devil's wood has been on his mind for a while now, and he'd been considering visiting it, though the very reputation of his very own kin had held him back. he supposed, he would hear more of it, if that were true, if lucifer truly did come to earth and to live in the woods, still, something as personal as family was not quite as easily handled as all the strange and wonderful creatures of the world. he took time to arrive here. took great care to feel at ease and to keep an open mind. what a surprise not to feel the devil's presence in here at all! rather, something else. a great many beings, hidden beyond a veil that to an angel feels like nothing but a gentle mist on a summer morning. and he the warm light shines through it tenderly, unraveling the lovely imagery it hides away.

stepping inside the mist, he allows it to close behind himself, feeling curiosity take root over the very bare sense of duty. it does not happen often, after all this time, that he arrives in an entirely unknown place. it pleases him, the way the earth herself hides away some surprises for a later time.

[wisheswagered]

Some fires burn obviously. Bright, loud infernos speak of danger and destruction, and quiet blue flames whisper a deadly tune to all who comes near. Either way, the scorching heat is enough of a warning to anyone who comes face-to-face with the dancing embers.

Right now, though, the thing swirling in Frederick's eyes doesn't quite look like a fire at all. It's more of a whirlpool - yet it's hard to make out what it's made up of, as if it's hidden behind a murky fog... something is wrong, yet it's difficult to figure out exactly what that is.

To Frederick, the sound in his head has become unbearable. The malicious whispers and wicked laughter are mere background noise, though they pierce and prod at him nonetheless - but it's the pressure that's really impossible to take. On the outside, it's manifested only subtly. His lips press together tightly, his hands are slightly whitened from tension... but if one were to look closely at his eyes, that's where they might see it. Beyond that clouded fog lies something close to madness.

"And why should I trust anything you have to say?" he utters. His voice is a stretched out note, low and vibrating with barely-held back emotion. "No, I should've known this was wrong from the start... What was I thinking, exactly? The answer should've been clear to me from the beginning..."

As if the person he's speaking too isn't even there, he talks to himself. But then, he looks them in the eye again, his gaze fervent - and waiting expectantly for an answer.

@crownshattered ( starter for any idv muse / your choice! )

[cxnscience]

@caramelcuniculus ( layton ) liked for a starter !

Jiminy would very much like to consider himself an experienced traveler. After so many years spent on the road, he would certainly hope he qualified - he's never missed a boat or train, he excels at rooftop navigation, and, not to pat himself on the back or anything, but he's pretty darn good at reading the skies so as not to get caught in the rain.

Obviously, he's not infallible, as today has proven. One missed connection and a heap of poor planning lands him wandering the streets at a positively ungodly hour of the morning, leaping from windowsill to windowsill as he chases cover from the quickly-approaching storm. Fortunately, his travel expertise comes with one other benefit: knowing at a glance which sort of homes are safe to hunker down in. You know, the ones belonging to rich-but-absent businessmen, or popular artists; the type of people with better places to be and more important things to pay attention to than an unannounced houseguest, and plenty of cluttered shelves for a cricket to hide amongst.

Jiminy's got this place pegged from a glance. Scholarly-like, hopefully belonging to a fella who should by all means already be out this early in the morning (or late at night, depending on your viewpoint). It seems like a reasonable assumption to be making. That or his gut instinct has been lead astray by how badly he wants out of the sprinkling rain before it turns into a real squall. Nobody's perfect. The latter might be more likely, because all he knows is that when he nudges the dimly-lit window open, the place is most certainly not empty: the desk he alights on is already occupied.

"Oh," Jiminy says, so genuinely startled that he can't think of anything else for a long moment. He is not hopping back out into the rain - instead he simply stares at the human for a beat or two before finding his tongue. "Hiya. Sorry - I'm just - I was just passing through and took a, uh... a wrong turn, here, that's all. Don't want no trouble."

[phantomtricks]

"Well, investigator - here's to a well-solved case! It's on me, baaaby!"

Cabanela's spirits are clearly high as he cheers in victory - but then again, it's difficult to find a time when the man in question doesn't seem to be in high spirits. Perhaps that's no surprise, coming from someone who's been often described as "dancing through life" - at least from the perspective of an outsider looking in.

But in reality, Cabanela is a man like any other. His doubts, flaws, and anxieties may be hard to spot, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Still, though... for one night, Cabanela thinks it wouldn't hurt to forget all that for a while - especially with the culprit of today's crime already in custody, and the success of his temporary partnership with Shi-Long Lang, which is certainly worth celebrating.

"But I must say, you're certainly as impressive as they told me. Maybe I should take a page out of this Lang Zi's book myself!"

@cuttingcanine ( starter! )

[doctornota]

@indomitableblackdragon liked for a starter

"IT DOESN'T SNOW HERE, DOES IT?"

The question is poised without much thought given to doing so, staring out the cafe window with a furrowed brow like the cloudy sky itself has personally wronged him. The longer Leonard spends stuck here, the more the months tick by, the more he longs for the Enterprise: the beautiful, climate-controlled Enterprise. He's from Georgia, for gods sake, he's only prepared to handle two weather cycles; ungodly heat or pouring rain. Out of the corner of his eye he glances to the other person in line with him. "Please tell me it doesn't."

[vsagis]

@jinnorei 💚'd for a small starter !

The man waiting doesn't look like a doctor at all.

"Miss Jinno, right?" There's a smile on his face as he waves his prospective customer trial participant to join him. Quite an informal way to welcome her and start a meeting, the place as well—a glass-walled conference room instead of a doctor's office, but maybe that's just how things are done in this company.

"I'm Midoriya. I'm responsible for screenings and the technical side of things," he explains, as if sensing explanations are due, "Once we're done with that and all's looking good, I'll show you to the doctors' offices. Is that all right?"

[byanyan]

@fcllederage sent 💬 for a starter!ㅤ∘ ˚ ( accepting ) ㅤㅤㅤ— prompt borrowed from this meme

ㅤㅤ" i know you've been havin' a shit time, so i brought some food. "ㅤthe announcement is made in tandem with a dramatic wave of a paper takeout bag before byan drops it unceremoniously onto the nearest flat surface. beginning to dig through the (admittedly stolen) order, they pause for the briefest of moments to cast a glance at hyacinthe, an eyebrow quirked.ㅤ" ...didn't think about this 'til just now, but i hope you're not vegetarian or anythin'. you might be stuck with nothin' but fries if you are, s'all burgers 'n chicken in here from the looks of it. "

[doctorwhoisadhd]

may be done writing train song woooo