#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.

[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! )

[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

[midncghts]

ᰍ    ︵    ۫    .﹙  𖹭  ﹚                       it   had   been   a   busy   night,   one   of   those   in   which   the   flashes   of   the   cameras   and   the   clamor   of   the   crowd   left   him   with   a   constant   ringing   in   his   ears,   and   his   heart   beating   at   the   frenetic   pace   of   adrenaline.   he   didn't   know   if   it   was   because   of   their   growing   fame   or   perhaps   because   of   the   insatiable   obsession   of   some   fans   who,   in   their   devotion,   forgot   the   limits   of   sanity,   but   the   intensity   of   the   evening   had   bordered   on   hellish,   with   taekyung   playing   the   role   of   protector,   fending   off   overzealous   admirers   who   had   crossed   the   line   into   madness   and   who   had   wanted   to   get   close   to   them   after   infiltrating   the   building.  

the   exit   had   been   no   less   chaotic   ⸻      fighting   to   get   them   out   of   a   building   packed   with   people and paparazzi wanting   to   get   answers   to   their   inquires,   had   been   an   arduous   task.   even   so,   they   had   achieved   their   goal.

once   at   their   place,   he   gestured   for   them   to   enter   first,   his   gaze   lingering   on   them   as   they   stepped   over   the   threshold.   a   few   weeks   ago   he   had   felt   that   something   was   not   right   and,   of   course,   he   was   no   stranger   to   the   news.   he   was   aware   of   how   the   media   linked   them   to   someone   'close'   to   them,   that   was   the   point   at   which   he   sensed   that   something   had   changed   and   since   then   they   had   barely   exchanged   words.   " . . .   are   you   okay ? "   taekyung's   voice   broke   through   the   heavy   silence   as   he   carefully   set   aside   his   keys   on   the   wooden   table   next   to   the   door.   " you   didn't   say   anything   the   whole   way   here . . .   is   something   wrong ? "

@fadinglights ( inspired by this : lavender haze )

[cosmic0de]

@littletissueghostsI tried to answer this normally but I wrote so much Tumblr shat itself 💀 Anyways Overall I agree with your points and I do think that they'd get along-- although I also think there's a strong possibility of one or both hating the other too I've actually brainrotted about Chromatic interactions with Whirlwind (and Synthwave) for awhile, so I have maybe. Too much to say lol-- rambles beneath cut Also ofc I don't know Chromatic as well as you do since you're its creator, so some of my ideas probably don't line up with how it actually acts/what you would write it to do

On one hand they both have those heavy similarities, which they might both find comfort in (as you've discussed)-- but on the other hand, Whirlwind could wind up absolutely hating Chromatic for being similar to him (seeing himself/his history vaguely in Chromatic, specifically with appearance/point 2, point 1, and possibly point 3 or 4 ((I say 4 because I believe Chromatic has only had one strong bond in its life and managed to keep it(?), whereas Whirlwind was betrayed and lost his initial strong bonds))). In that case, in seeing himself in it, since Whirlwind hates himself, he'd likely wind up disliking Chromatic too. He might also be jealous in some way because Chromatic didn't necessarily have things "taken" from it, whereas Whirlwind did (specifically with sensory input); he may not see Chromatic as "broken" as he sees himself, even with their similar histories. I could also see Chromatic potentially seeing Whirlwind as a major threat because of his erratic behavior-- fine one minute and threats the next --plus his general dislike towards rules and such, which can be a liability given the situation in Nox City. On top of it, there's Whirlwind's general recklessness and lack of care for damage caused, which again could be a major liability to the safety of others/the city should he get into a fight. Whirlwind might also be a threat to others like Blossom, given his clickishness(? words); as seen with Firn and Flame, certain words said or expressions made will make him turn from casual to threatening in an instant. I doubt Chromatic would want Whirlwind to meet Blossom for that reason, as things could turn South very quickly with something as simple as a grin.

But, despite this, like you said, I could see them actually getting along pretty well in the end. They both share qualities of seemingly trying to discover themselves/their identity (Whirlwind doesn't really understand who he is anymore, whereas Chromatic is trying to gain understanding of its emotions iirc?), along with a strong combat drive (although Whirlwind I think goes to a. far greater gorey extent in combat compared to Chromatic 💀). That in combination with their similar histories/what you discussed could very well lead to Whirlwind gaining a better understanding of himself/acceptance, and possibly Chromatic gaining a better understanding of its emotions (Whirlwind is bound to cause some form of fear in his reckless aggression in someone, plus I can see Chromatic just making a note of "well. At least I know I'm not a maniac." Since Whirlwind experiences frequent negative emotions, Chromatic may be able to learn about that too perhaps.. also tying into fear, Whirlwind shares that drive to protect his family as Chromatic does, and seeing the extent to which Whirlwind goes to do that (brutally mauling others for instance) could possibly unnerve Chromatic?? Not entirely sure abt all of that). Whirlwind might also learn that he doesn't have to prove himself to Chromatic, or Chromatic to anyone else, which may again help him re-discover himself further and accept himself overall.

As for my mention of Synthwave/Chromatic- these two I initially started brainrotting about because of design similarities (urple cool colored visor wearing glowwy designs <33 /p), but the more I thought, the more I realized they might just appreciate one another's company. Synthwave, like Chromatic, is very calculative and generally comes off as cold to those outside of his family unit. He too can compute mass amounts of data because of his parasitic enhancement, and can integrate into digital spaces/technology (which I assume Chromatic may also be able to do to some degree due to its robotic composition). Unlike Chromatic, he doesn't put on a façade for others, though, and doesn't necessarily struggle with emotions; he's just extremely reserved (although he. struggles with guilt. A lot of guilt and thinking he's not enough/can do better. teehee) While they might not exactly become friends, between their similarities in personality and skillsets, I could see them working as a good team: Synthwave is great at gathering enemy intel, and he can probably transmit that data to Chromatic. He's also really good at monitoring surveillance, so that also would probably be helpful given the situation in the city. Chromatic could be blunt with him without concern of social-relationship-complexity-stuff/hurting his feelings, and Synthwave would appreciate its straight forwardness. Maybe they'd have teatime together or something lmao