#speculation..

[kdrama-movies-more]

I wouldn't actually say the shaman had "no" motive. His motive for killing his wife was plain and simple and very old school. Si-a died for the same reason in a way. It's basically "Beyond Evil". Everything after that is him rolling with it with this newfound power. Fun as he said. And that I think pretty much had to do ironically with Moon's fatal flaw or how Moon and the police are narratively used. He ain't the real MC but it makes a lot more sense.

TLDR:-

The wife and Si-a's death were the same ol', same ol'...

He more or less confesses his reason he gets off on watching the memories fade from his victim's eyes which is extremely creepy

However there was an order and method behind each victim

The key clue was Park Seung-gil and the real start of the serial murder

The shaman has pretty much been playing det. Moon from the word go

It is all about the thrill of the chase + manipulating someone(ironically something he does as a professional shaman- reads people and convinces them to be swayed by his manipulative hints)

Moon thought out the serial murder connection-> fear and panic with the police announcement-> the shaman's ritual foments more unrest and paranoia and the theatrics were put on especially for the detective duo-> Gwang-sik's copycat murder to free Ae-ran led to the third victim-> Moon's skulking in the shaman's house led to Cha Ju-man being the target and the framing of Dr. Jung-> he invited Bong over to make him tofu after she saw his memory(few montages were sus) aka he has tried to lure Ye-bun out alone so he could kill her except after that there was no need as she lost her credibility since the local cops were taken off the case-> he would have killed Seon-woo as soon as he found the knife anyway

He also hadn't given up on his shaman business and used the situation to his advantage

The Shaman pretty much is playing mind games with Moon and Ye-bun, twisting the psychological knife...

Nah I'm giving him way too much credit...

Ironically the one common factor from the beginning was that all the murders are connected to Moon and Ye-bun's cases and he was just tormenting Moon- playing with him. Since the weightage is kept between the three leads and Moon already got to monologue and express his guilt over his failure I doubt there'll be more specific rubbing of salt in wounds.

I may be wrong about this though:-

Like Ye-bun and Gwang-sik he too has used his power throughout but he also used his charlatan acting chops to keep up his bumbling act. Eg: him guessing Ok-hui has a crush on Moon but giving a vague answer that doesn't really explain how he knew it was Moon exactly. Except it was obvious in retrospect that he saw it in her memory.

And his power is the most powerful being purely eye contact plus he doesn't have the hair loss drawback

Ye-bun got "used" by the nutjob detective to solve crimes and also used it for her job with the animals. Gwang-sik the middle aged bachelor used it to date somewhat dubiously but found himself someone he loved and wanted to marry and take care of and vice versa. Both him and Ae-ran were a lil bit ditzy and cute.

The shaman- as he said initially, inspired by seeing Ye-bun he went to Australia to meet his family. Possibly with hopeful intentions, may even have thought he'd use his powers there not necessarily for evil. What happened is from then on.

He had this nature that he would have killed his wife if he discovered her affair even without psychometry. He gave his background briefly and that's enough. He's a truly awful and dangerous person. I won't say psycho since KDramas are so bad with psychology...psychopaths in every kdrama...

His next victim was Si-a and fresh from his cucked rage heres this girl with a "bad character" messing around with men and being shallow and what not. Beyond Evil reference2.

The shaman could have seen that Bong and Moon saved Si-a and were playing at being a detective duo in her memories. The first victim was Moon's first big case in Mujin and it was a girl Ye-bun saved.

It is Seung-gil who broke the pattern for every suspect in Mujin anyway. And he is the key I guess?

The boy was a delinquent who got "set on the right path" by Moon for over 3 years and then got targeted by Moon's nemesis and used against him to betray the man twice.

Nobody but Moon Jang-yeol or Baek Soon-gil would have had a reason to kill Park Seung-gil in the first place. It was that simple. As much as what he did could count as betrayal, both Moon and Seung-gil still seemed to have a complicated brotherhood with Moon shielding Seung-gil from arrest and Seung-gil trying to protect his hyung and the nun by trying to walk a tightrope with Baek.

He had already seen something briefly from Moon's eyes when Moon interviewed him about the panty thief that very day and rifled through his house. Plus each time they met before that. Everyone in Mujin knew this new detective is a mad dog chasing its own tail with various cases some of which he's making up along the way. And he was a Javert who had Ali arrested.

And then by fate a "bone" came from Seoul right into the Shaman's hands and he could throw this bone for the mad dog to chase.

At that point Si-a's body was not even discovered and could have been washed out further or for longer since he threw her in the sea. There was no point in killing someone so closely tied to the hotblooded detective with whom he has no real connection other than just one- the thrill of wanting to be chased while manipulating the whole scenario. He keeps taking a dig at Moon every time after the reveal in an attempt to torment/have the upper hand.

It is Moon who soon after its discovery tied the two murders together and called it a serial murder essentially giving the Shaman a hobby to pursue as the Mujin Rain Poncho killer or essentially like a truly bad noir detective he was culpable in that he made the wind blow and then on out the criminal rode it playing mind games with this ttorai detective.

In the hospital Moon is wary of Seon-woo talking of how he was stabbed near the spleen which by his naturally suspicious nature he probes about. Moon has also probed other people the same way too. Except this case the shaman was there and seems to have noted this. Moon was also wary of Gwang-sik in the room on that note(he frowns about why Gwang-sik came to visit when neither knew the other at that point). During the dog live burial case det. Moon had aired his view on what killers do normally in front of the shaman and this description loosely fit Seon-woo perfectly which the shaman would have known. "Killers come back to some place they are familiar with - hometown, parent's grave, etc"

The Shaman chose to kill Seung-gil who on the surface betrayed someone's trust but deep down had a complicated relation with that very person who was a hardass about the law. However he chose deliberately or on a whim someone personally related to Moon, someone that would make the man throw himself into a big murder case he was desperate to get to go back to Seoul for. Except it's cruel because Seung-gil was a part of the reason he was desperate to go back. Killing Seung-gil was pretty much an invitation to make Moon and Ye-bun pursue the killer aka himself. And mess with them as he liked.

Another literal tragic case of "it matters who you meet in life" as the Shaman said. Seung-gil's tragedy was his hyung- first Baek targets him and then a soon to be serial killer kills the kid because he was tied to his hyung. In fact the whole "people met in life" of all the people Ye-bun informed the shaman the most early on regarding her power and its progress.

In this episode when Seung-gil goes up the elevator the Shaman's eyes meet Seung-gil's. If the shaman only saw Moon's or Ye-bun's memory he'd know Seung-gil betrayed and stabbed Moon. Unless he wanted to keep Moon alive and assumed the kid came to finish the job? Except he's not all that attached to this weirdo cop and if he didn't want to be arrested in the future about his wife or Si-a having him dead would be better. More likely, heres some gangster from Seoul no one will miss?

He's just playing games.

Except it's two friends/brothers(?) with a complicated relation and Moon didn't report Seung-gil despite knowing him would be clear to the shaman and so it doesn't make sense why he'd think he'd kill for betrayal in this case especially since he sees a lot of memories. He much more likely is reading Moon's memory of the keyword betrayal on the police board which to Moon would rationalize why Seung-gil was targeted and fit the common motive except the Shaman doesn't mean it. And there really was no good reason for Park Seung-gil's untimely death not even with the use of psychometry since he never got to see tht final memory other than the availability of means and opportunity.

Then we get to the ritual the shaman got to put on because the police turning it into a serial murder caused panic in society. The shaman makes sure the meeting allocates funds for his ritual and shoots down every suggestion of CCTVs.

The shaman only starts his dog and pony show when he sees Moon and Bong come to the site. And him going "Hyung, it hurts" looking straight into Moon's eyes making him flinch was just twisting a knife into him.

And then he further fueled Moon's paranoia about suspecting the townpeople which he and Ye-bun were just discussing a few minutes ago while cleverly saying something that is a confession. "The person who killed me is here"

As in, he's definitely messing with them.

This is the point where Moon not suspecting the shaman who talked in the same way Seung-gil talked to him is a major failing. It should have stuck with him as suspicious instead of seeing only the bumbling eccentric of a shaman who gets things right by guesswork.

Not to mention the shaman seemed like a Mujin resident but was actually partly an outsider too. Aka fit the profile. His background check not raising any flags is a plot hole. Big plot hole. Especially since det. Moon checked out the profiles of not just Cha Ju-man, Seon-woo, the grandpa but...this man freaking ran a background check on the onion farmer who went nowhere near Bong that night!!!

Ji-suk I believe died in place of Ae-ran. And frankly it wouldn't have mattered which of the two it was since both fit the red herring motive "betrayal" for the plot. Gwang-sik got the idea to commit a copycat killing to save Ae-ran from her situation using the general air of panic that had gripped the town ever since a serial killer was announced to be on the loose. The shaman didn't mind there being a copycat. It brought him even more revenue. This spiraled when the shaman who was reaping great fortune is shocked out of his wits that Ae-ran is alive. But even though he tries to make it right it is Ji-suk who came for the delivery.

Now we come to Cha Ju-man. The shaman goes to kill him after Moon breaks into their house and the shaman reads him "you suspect Seon-woo". So he uses that single-minded grudge Seon-woo has against Cha Ju-man which was a clue the police were holding on to and this for no other reason than throwing Moon another bone to make him suspect Seon-woo even more. He definitely looks down on Moon for being straightforward(?) and predictable.

Dr Jung was simply at wrong place, wrong time. The shaman was fond of the old man but he couldn't be caught just yet now could he? Cold and cruel just like what Cha Ju-man did to Bong's mom. Tragic again about people not knowing the nature of those they think they know. Ye-bun defending the Shaman when Moon wants to keep him on the suspect list too all because she absolutely won't believe he would kill her grandfather who was kind to him. He killed the old man to keep from getting found out and despite what he tells Bong he would have killed her too if there was a way he'd get caught because of her.

Moon who was paranoid to a hysterical pitch by then about Seon-woo and Cha Ju-man runs to the scene to find himself being right about Cha Ju-man being the next target. All according to keikaku!

He's by now also got his captain into suspecting and focusing on Seon-woo as the Shaman intends because of that connection being fresh in their minds because the Captain was investigating Cha Ju-man's misdeeds. Literally he read det. Moon's psychology perfectly.

Gwang-sik was the one who checked out the memory during the prawn festival, and somehow gets suspicious of him and goes off to investigate solo without informing anyone else. The whole sunglassses trick thing was a plot hole again foreshadowed during his ritual in the mountain but the plot begs for suspension of disbelief... especially with the number of times the rain poncho killer got hit on the head and its as if his hood and sunglasses ought have been secured with superglue...

After he kills Gwang-sik he was looking for the opportunity to kill Ye-bun since a lot of his memory montages is full of Ye-bun. His memory montages also betray a lot of his crimes which Ye-bun skipped through because she didn't suspect him. The time the shaman invites Ye-bun to cook his tofu for him on that note...could be sinister...

He also gets the opportunity to frame Seon-woo for good since det. Moon had cornered Seon-woo and Seon-woo's natural antipathy about the police all of whom were in his opinion viewing him suspiciously(I'll side with det. Kang here tho. Man is cold and rational and he wasn't all that unapproachable unless it was about things like psychics, showed no hositility to Seon-woo and he was professional enough he wouldn't have taken his maddog colleague's side over his own understanding) saved him from being found out last moment and the possibility he'd be selected as the culprit instead since they live in the same house played into it. So basically he also read Seon-woo's psych to a t. The police take the shaman into confidence and he is their trusted inside man but the lad took his knife! Again the police procedure going off key since they never got a warrant to check his shed? Really?

But the biggest is the Australian police- Korean woman is found murdered, her son who was raised in Australia and most likely went to school there is missing, the husband entered and left the country with said son in a hurry...and not a peep?

[t00thpasteface]

here's something stupid: the catcatfish

some quick facts:

they're nocturnal and tend to roam around while awake.

they have keen senses of smell and hearing, but terrible eyesight. despite this, they also have a tapetum lucidum, making their pupils "glow" in the dark.

their fur is short, dense, and oily to waterproof them.

they prefer a diet of mostly meat and are attracted to strong-smelling food like fish, cheese, and anything fermented.

the elongated dewclaw on each front paw is sharp, flexible, and nonretractable. it injects a venom that causes respiratory failure and cardiac arrest in prey and, in extreme doses, humans. veterenarians typically remove the dewclaw venom glands during the neuter/spay procedure.

they grow to an average of 1m and 23kg (3ft and 50lb) but can reach up to double that length and triple the weight!

[frankierotwinkdeath]

Y’all want Taylor Swift to be gay so bad but you won’t even write femslash about her

[lylahammar]

My take on unicorns! I'd really love to make a mythical creature field guide someday, since the Spiderwick Field Guide is what inspired me to start drawing in the first place 🥰

[armadillorollup]

biology of a stapler

[theantiazdarcho]

The Lancetfish is a species that looks like it comes straight out of a realistic fantasy world building project.

[vcreatures]

PRINTS AVAILABLE

if you’ve been following me long enough you know I love a mimic. From my false faced mermaids that I’ve been painting for years to butterfly dragons, I’m a big fan of illusion in the bestiary world.

I bring you the Ginkgo Draco, another member of the Botanical Drakes. 

[valdevia]

The Ghost Buckeye (Junonia prosopon), descended from a species driven to extinction by urbanization and habitat loss, has evolved specifically to ward off humans. When intimidated, they display the uncanny face-like patterns on their wings. The image it creates has inspired many legends about unearthly distorted creatures, and has consecrated entire areas of forest as haunted.

[iris-of-the-lambs]

Behold, an angel

some anatomy musings on winged ppl and also clothing furgonomics

[fesenmoon]

no fucking way

[watchyourbuck]

[sabrebash]

Furby field notes

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

All the dragons from the HTTYD stream. Detailed images below.

The designs from the original movie are basically perfect, which is why I didn't really dare to touch them... until a certain trailer dropped recently.

I'm a spiteful creature.

Anyway. Some ground rules. I tried to make these creatures overall a little bit more realistic and grounded without robbing them of the inherent whimsy that the originals had. All of them are tetrapods, so only 4 limbs max.

Nightfury

These guys have no more functional limbs to move on the ground. They are living stealth bombers. Silent fast fliers.

On the ground they flop around similar to seals, forming small colonies on top of tall cliffs.

Red Death

At a certain size it becomes unfeasible to fly for even a dragon. The Red Death stays on the ground using it's heavy armor and enormous size when raiding other dragon nesting colonies. it'as wings are more like spurs, to injure rivals in combat.

Gronkle

The original had a hummingbird style in flying , something that doesn't work for an animal of this size. My compromise is to make the wings rather stout and being able to be folded a lot.

Nadder

Easiest design, take a unfeathered theropod and combine it with a bearded dragon.

Shellfire

This was the last one I made on stream, it is one of the (in my eyes) worst designs from the shows, so a nice challenge to make it work a little better.

This guy is now a filter feeder, using its large horns to funnel water into its mouth.

Zippleback

Multi-headed dragons are really tricky. In my design I made one of the heads a parasitic male, similar to angler fish, that hitches a ride on the back of the larger female.

Monstrous Nightmare

One of the most classic dragons from the original movie. Lots of crocodilian influence here. The osteoderms on its back have pores from which it produces flammable secretions.

Razorwhip

A fast an agile dragon, but the original doesn't really show that in the head shape and all these spines don't help. I put some tapejarid influence into it.

Rumblehorn

The massive neck of this dragon doesn't work well in terms of aerodynamics, unless it's an inflatable display structure ;)

Whispering Death

The giant maw of this dragon is an even greater challenge, but when you give it the gular pouch of a pelican eel and turn these eyes into eye-spots, it works quite well.

And of course the Terrible Terror!

As you can see it's in my case a close relative of the nadder.

[rizzager]

My take on the Shulker

[illwilledomen]

Nether life forms

(Constructs and undead not included)