#frame and proto version

[spidersface]

let me hear you, are you ready to Ţ̶̨̧̢̧̭̰̬͚͇̰͉̟̞̤̗͔̩̘͓̣͇̬̱̪̯͇͍̬͙͔͈̬̗͎͍̖̤̽̆̀̉̑͊̋̆̊̎́́̈̕͘͝E̸̡̛̛͓͑̈́̏̈̆͛̾̓̈́͛̓̌͛͊͑̊͋̉͒̏̈́̇͐̃̍̽̽̕͝Ć̵̢̢̧̢͈͕̫͖̣̼͈͓̻̗͙̯̖̥̬͇̘̮̫̟͚̖̺̫̣̘̠̆͋͌̅̆̓̿̊͆̀̒̒̿͐̋̀̒̔̒̍̂̒̿͌̆̌̊̾́̉̓̍̍͆̽̆̄̊̃̆̽́̕̚͘͜͝͝ͅͅḦ̵̢̥̞̞̥̻͈̮̥͕̭͚̟̇̌͐̊̃̅͆̌̾̕͘̚Ŗ̵̢̧̛̛͔̣̣͎̥̜̰̞̖̖̫̰̗͎͕̖̘͉̻̲̠̭̦͙̜̳̬̝̓͐̈́̑͐̈́̊̎́͒͂́̊̄̈̐̉̊̈̓̑̈́̋̽̌̒̾̇̍̿̈̇̈́̂̕͘̚͘͜͝͝͠ͅǪ̴̧̧̧̛̣͖̽̓̾͆̾̑̓̉͑̎̂́̿̾̎̕̚͜͠͝T̷̨̨̨̛̺̹̩͖̣̗̰͎̰̩͎̲̺̯̖͚̱̫͉̯̣̙͖̲̭̻̰̉͋̈́̍̐̒͘?̷͍̦̭̮̻̜̗̍̌̀̉̀̿̌͑̆̐͑͌̈̀̽̈́̒̅̑̾́͒͗̑̾̏̃̀̒̌̃̄͌̎̃́̍͘͘͘!̶̡̛̺̝̮̳̞͔̹͖͍͙̻͙͙̪͓̤̤̠͊̌͊̔̾̾͗͐͐͛̎̌͂͒̉͒́͐̽̂͌̌̂̅̃̾̐͊̑̑͌̅̐͂̿͗́̕͘͝͠͠

[m15chka]

I am working on a fan frame concept!

This is Ana (Ania), an Anaglyph-themed frame (cyan and red combo yay!)

I am also currently working on her abilities and I want to make a full sheet on how the sfx would work with them (omg wish me luck with this). She would be more of a support frame.

I started with designing Ana’s proto version (this is what you see here) to start with her personality before I move onto her full frame armour. I have so many ideas for her and I am so excited to show you more as I progress through this concept!

And believe it or not - I have to wear frigging 3D glasses while drawing her.

[fandom-geek]

post stream

gift of the lotus: orokin reactor and orokin catalyst blueprints

5th march

st patrick’s day – infested darvo deals

7th march

(14:00 EDT/19:00 UTC +0) tennoconcert tickets go live. it doesn’t include access to tennocon, it’s a watch party at the hilton doubletree hotel in london, ontario.

12th anniversary goes live – alerts with all previous anniversary items will go live, with new dex laurus ephemera (login reward)

19th march (techrot encore: most content is locked behind rank 4 for the hex syndicate)

4 new proto-frames (nova, saryn, temple, frost). all have their own arcs to resolve that are “quite personal to them” via KIM – that said, not romanceable but you can get “quite close” to them. frost and saryn (minerva) are married, adoptive parents of major rusalka. hollvania central mall is expanded, with a new area added to it (the round table, a pub!), which will appear (with the protoframes) at rank 4, but some won’t talk to you until rank 5.

kaya velasco (nova) will be in charge of the temporal archimedea, lots of modifiers involved. 3 new arcanes and vorsfor also available from her.

minerva (saryn, momtoxicated) and velimir (frost, papapolar) are located in the pub. velimir sells the new furniture. minerva sells the scaldra weapons. they also share a group chat with the drifter.

minerva is a very capable military woman who is looking for her neci (rusalka) and although rusalka is adopted, they share “assets”.

flare varleon (temple) is on the pub stage, who has a symbiotic relationship with their talking guitar, lizzie, who was born from their infested blood. flare sells temple���s parts and weapons, and these are available from the new game mode, arsenal.

each protoframe will have their own theme song and this will play in the pub. they also all have gemini skins.

you will get malware on your KIM-puter if you progress with the technocyte coda system. the coda system supports tints now, and will show rewards for converting or defeating.

ephemera is a mix of energy and gore-y/monster-themed stuff.

technocyte coda will give you zits that grow and grow, so you must destroy them before your zit gets too big. but it’s purely cosmetic, no stolen resources/credits.

temple warframe: comes with alternate helmet (mohawk physics). their signature weapon, riot-848, was modified by albrecht with an entrati silencer that lets bullets teleport back to the weapon.

temple is more about rhythm and comes with an onscreen metronome (their passive) that boosts abilities by 50% efficiency, so try to time it with that. abilities: flame pillars (correct timing increases damage), create speakers to deafen enemies (makes them vulnerable to crits), 3rd ability buffs you and allies + makes you invulnerable (can chain longer with metronome), and 4th is your exalted weapon, lizzie. she can create a giant flamethrower and you can pick what element is included with her cast attack (viral, magnetic, radiation

new game mode: solstice square. defence with 3-4 twists. 3 waves. flare and lizzie are playing a concert at the end of the world (plays a special song in the background), viktor wants to kill them, and you’ve got to protect them.

twists include: shortened wave, each 3rd wave includes a berserker (the screamer) that will be very dangerous for temple, giant speakers will occasionally unleash attacks to passing enemies, stage evolves after first set of waves (“rock and roll to the centre of the earth”).

rot-heart strings will drop here.

gyre deluxe (vortengeist) coming with alternox deluxe.

olly’s crash course is coming – more developed than the demo version. essentially star course from mario-kart. features weekly leaderboards with rewards, including olly’s bike and olly’s floof.

pseudo-exalted re-work, 4 new warframe augments (wisp, koumei, qorvex, and gyre), and the quality of life updates mentioned in the previous stream. duviri paradox and the hex quests are now replayable. platinum bundles will now be pro-rated.

new player experience – shortened and reworked the path for the star chart, including relevant junctions, up to the second dream, including ceres removed from the core path. loaner necramech provided for the new war. removed high-level crafting materials when crafting an archwing, with launcher segment delivered upon completion of the archwing quest.

27th (?) march

warframe guitar giveaway for Jake Bowen’s signature guitar (Ibanez JBM9999 electric guitar) closes

13th june

community showcase submissions for tennocon close

[theceaselesshunger]

Hex Biological Headcanons

Lately I've been thinking about how the Proto-frames like, work. Obviously a lot of sci-fi/void bullshit at play but hey it's fun to think about these things, so here's some thoughts.

Each of the Hex's mutations were designed to help facilitate their abilities.

Quincy: Occipital lobe and auditory cortex have become greatly enhanced, allowing him to utilize sonar like a dolphin or bat. His own eyes are actually relatively untouched, but he can physically see through the Neutralizer (which was grown from his own body), whose scope is filled with high amount of rods and cones. Limbs have been developed to absorb and minimize kickback from the gun.

Arthur: Enhancements mainly to his vestibular and nervous systems to vastly improve his balance and reflexes, allowing him to handle the speed of slash dash and perform precise blade movements even in the heat of action. Unfortunately this stuff wears out his stamina quickly, but his liver and kidneys have become highly efficient at removing lactic acid so he can recover more quickly (tragically this means he can't stay drunk for as long).

Aoi: Relatively unmutated. Most notable changes however are that her skeleton has become completely encased in magnetite and she's developed new nerves that detect the subtle ways in which said casing is pulled, providing her with magnetoreception. The coils around her arms are a protrusion from her bones. She's constantly beset by iron cravings, which she's come to interpret as pica (we'll get back to this).

Eleanor: Nervous system is no longer recognizably human. Her brain has become highly derived to both transmit her thoughts and read others, while the rest of her nerves have greatly multiplied in order to simulate the vast array of new sensations she can experience. This is the primary cause of her runaway mutation, as it left her mind an open frequency before she had a handle on her abilities. The local technocyte picked up on this and saw her as a disconnected node. In trying to reclaim her, her infection developed in unintended ways, leaving her internals a mess. Though she's no longer contagious, her infection is still active, and will continue progressing if shes not careful when attuning to the technocyte hivemind.

Lettie: Relatively unmutated like Aoi. Th majority of her abilities stem from more "pure" void usage, however she did acquire the ability to sense the state of cells in other organic beings. This unconsciously fuels her bias against Eleanor, as she can sense the degree to which the technocyte has penetrated Eleanor's body. Her own lack of outward mutations is also why she's more strongly in denial about her state than the others.

Amir: The second most mutated after Eleanor. Enlarged heart and lungs for better respiration, and all centers of his brain having to do with time perception have become greatly enhanced. His experiences time slower than others, which allows him to process information more quickly and also greatly greatly exasperates his ADHD. Muscle and nervous systems have developed elecrocytes through which he projects electric pulses. Has similarly improved filtration systems like Arthur to prevent wear-out while maintaining top speeds.

All proto-frames have vastly increased metabolic needs. Their abilities really burn those calories! Likewise, they have increased needs for iron and carbon in their diets. They're more prone to anemia as a result, and burnt food has become strangely appealing.

Not all their augments are due to their infections. Each has a parazon that was surgically implemented by Entrati. Likewise, they're able to use void abilities independently of an operator (this is confirmed, not headcanon), which not even future warframes can do. It is possible Entrati installed miniature versions of the Heart of Deimos in each of the proto-frames that were able to survive their infections, likely in place of their actual hearts.

[wordsandrobots]

I was writing something else broadly about fandom experience but got thrown off by Current Events, so here's some more thoughts on McGillis and fascism. Spoilers for Iron-Blooded Orphans (maybe I should just say not to read my posts until you've watched it?).

On the one hand, I stand by the position McGillis' internally-stated objectives and ideology do not fall neatly into what we usually mean when we talk about fascism or even really a proto-fascist philosophy like Nietzscheism. He doesn't believe a particular group of people is inherently superior or better suited to ruling. He seems to believe instead that everyone has potential for greatness and most simply lack awareness of this fact. The masses aren't sheep, in need of protection or illumination. They're unfairly restrained beasts, blind to their own power.

But it's slippery, isn't it? Because his effort to bring about the level playing field he imagines necessary to unchain himself and others is couched in appeals to an imagined past. The notion his faction holds the truth of Gjallarhorn, contra the reality of the present, that's *very* fascistic. And I wonder how much of this can be traced to expressing individualistic ideals within a hierarchical, aristocratic system.

Gjallarhorn is dedicated to enforcing rigid class and ethnic divisions. It's certainly the larger part of the fascist-coded elements in IBO, simply by virtue of being an oppressive colonial police. Even if we were to strictly define 'fascism' as 'colonialism turned inwards on the imperial core', we're provided plenty of instances of them trampling over the Earth blocs as well as the colonies.

From a writing perspective, this makes for an interesting comparison between McGillis and Char Aznable. In Char's Counterattack, it's clear the erstwhile Red Comet does not believe in the Neo Zeonic cause as such. He overtly resents 'playing the clown' for the sake of inspiring the troops he requires to enable his plans. Char's overall arc throughout the first Gundam run is of a man searching for a cause and more often than not failing to stick the landing (at least, that's my read on it). In the end, he acts purely out of despair and spite, dragging hundreds along for the ride.

Yet when it comes to McGillis, while there are similar disjuncts between what he says publicly and his private thoughts, he doesn't resent being the centre of attention. He revels in the performance and the chance to act out his fantasy of being the new Agnika Kaieru. It's affirming for him to have people follow him. Which raises the question of whether he could have realised his beliefs in a coherent manner. I mean, that's not a question, exactly. The answer is obviously no, given he is ultimately revealed as extremely vulnerable to the emotional contradictions of his position.

Still, one of the things about fascism is that its contradictions and hypocrisies are irrelevant compared to what it actually *does*. I find it easy to script an alternate version where McGillis wins and everything collapses into dictatorship, in the name of his nominal egalitarianism. Struggle is key to his ideology: the powerful will always come out on top. He'd simply have removed the long-term stabilising factor provided by an aristocratic system. Anything that followed would necessitate a turn towards authoritarianism. Essentially, as sympathetic as McGillis may be framed, he remains ruthless and obsessed with strength.

Ah. That's it, isn't it? The main crossover between McGillis' individualism and fascism: a regard for strength above all else. It's a dicey thing to bake into a character, because although strength may be framed as protective or useful, making it a virtue always carries immediate exclusionary power. And for McGillis we have it positioned as a flaw, as the source of his loneliness and his rejection of those who care for him. Let's not beat around the bush: he is wrong, textually. Both his own failures and Tekkadan refute the position he holds. The slipperiness I mentioned is a deliberate choice, his thoughts and words juxtaposed with his actions and the results, to evoke a man who does not see as clearly as he thinks he does.

There is a dishonesty to McGillis, in the sense he doesn't acknowledge anything going against what he wants to believe, until it's too late. And perhaps that is where he truly is possessed of fascistic thinking. He has to be correct, regardless of what he does, regardless of what others say, because to be otherwise would crack the foundations of his self. 'I am a strong person', 'I am a good person', 'I am the right kind of person'.

Not a class, nor a bloodline, but a strong individual, possessed of a drive to strive and fight - possessing, that is, the only qualities he was willing to make room for in his brave new world.

[iej-ce]

On Ogino's An Expression, and a Simmilar Idea

“To create a multi-color film, the creators shot a black-and-white film, alternating frame by frame between a red filter and a green filter, and developed it. They colored the film alternately in red and in green frame by frame, and projected the completed film at twice the normal speed (28 fps to 32 fps, according to Ogino).”

An Expression, Shigeji Ogino (1934) left: 1x speed┃right: 2x speed

(the effect is admittedly difficult to represent with gifs, and I recommend playing with the film's speed on YouTube)

Shigeji Ogino's An Expression is a film playable at two speeds, its slower variant’s strobing red and green flashes overlapping into an approximation of full color when played at 2× speed. What results is an inquiry into speed’s dominion over motion. In the film’s sped-up version, half of the individual frames thought necessary for the illusion of motion are skipped over in the service of a new necessity: color. We’re reminded that the blurred unspooling of the filmstrip is the only real motion present in cinema and that the motion we witness on-screen is a trick of the eye. The individual images that make up this illusory motion are discrete variables open to various modifications—modifications which have the potential to draw out a given effect (in this case, color) from the continuous filmstrip’s inert surface.

This idea comes into clearer focus if we imagine a zoetrope spinning just a bit too slowly: what appears to the eye is a rapid flickering of images, their pulsing just shy of achieving fluid motion. But when spun at the proper speed, these flashing images give way to a smooth (and, paradoxically, slower-seeming) continuous motion. An Expression’s proximity to the era of proto-cinematic toys perhaps lends it a helping hand in its fine-grained play with the mechanics of motion, though the sense of conceptual clarity that pervades the experiment feels as if it has been transmitted from the future.

—

Years ago, I began work on a similar film to be played at two speeds. The idea came about one summer in France after a group of us (Isiah, Alex, Angie, Erik, Geoffrey and myself) had gotten in the habit of watching silent films at 4x speed (today I often opt for the more temperate 2.5x for most silents.)

My idea was that if properly sequenced, there could exist a second film within the main sequence that was revealed only when played at 4x speed. This second film’s frames would be placed every four frames, making the full film rapidly alternate between disparate single-frame impressions and the broken-up continuity of this second film. However, when played sped up, the disparate single-frame impressions would be skipped over entirely, playing only the continuous frames of the second film. The primary idea was that this second “film within the film” (which would only surface at 4x speed) would be comprised of very slow-moving images and appear slower than the film played at normal speed—a play on the counterintuitive temporal mechanics of cinema, where in speeding things up we actually slow them down.

1x4x test film

Unfortunately, in my tests, it became apparent that neither VLC nor QuickTime speed things up by exactly 4x, somewhat ruining the film’s modular design (I had intended for viewers to be able to download the file and play with the speed themselves). I eventually appropriated my idea into two short bumpers preceding and following the Kinet Selects screening/lecture at NYU (though this time at 2x rather than 4x), though with both versions of the bumper individually exported rather than existing as the modular single file I had envisioned. An Expression has inspired me to potentially take up this idea again, perhaps by transferring digital images to film, which may work slightly better.

Kinet Selects Bumper 1x @ 0:00 ┃ 2x @ 14:41

[inspofromancientworld]

The Science of Discovering the Past: Paleolinguistics

The systemic study of languages, how languages are related to each other, what rules are part of those languages all fall under the auspices of linguistics. Within the field of linguistics, historical or diachronic linguistics is the study of how languages change over the course of time. Historical linguistics is based on the idea that languages change in a knowable patterns in time frames that have been observed and those patterns go back further back in history, allowing researchers to reconstruct language connections with the goal of reconstructing extinct languages that don't have any written records.

By Multiple authors, first version by Mandrak - Original work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5746315

The development of Proto-Indo-European is the result of the study of historical linguistics of Indo-European languages, many of which had a long written histories making it a bit easier to trace changes through time. These records have allowed linguists to develop observations as to how these changes occur, such as social prestige effecting rhoticity, or the pronunciation of the 'r' after vowels, in British Received Pronunciation, and the relatively high status of Welsh and High German thriving over other Celtic and German variations due to historical translations of the Bible into those languages. Etymology, the study of the history of words, is also a part of historical linguistics.

By Abrahamic Faiths - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28669031

Paleolinguistics seeks to push the study of historical linguistics further back. There are two basic categories. The first uses the standard methods of historical linguistics to create language macrofamilies, such as Nostratic, a macrofamily that includes Indo-European, Afro-Asiatic, Altaic, Dravidian, and Kartvelian, covering much of northern Africa through to Europe and Asia. The other method is to use mass comparison and postulating relationships between those words that have similar sounds and meanings, though this method is criticized because those words might be the result of borrowing rather than common ancestry.

[aeroplanestouchthesky]

Besides red text, another neat thing about Umineko as a VN is that it's quite clear that Clair's design supposed to be proto-Beatrice from the get-go since she uses the same sprite poses. Even without the voice acting clearly being done by the same person, the visuals alone form the connection immediately .

This feature doesn't necessarily work in all media. Her manga version, for example, can seem like we're seeing an entirely other young woman. Since the manga allows for unique pose depiction in every frame, there are no "Beato poses" to relate a _purposefully_ disguised character to another.

And so the "limitations" of the VN become a strength no other format can wield in the same way

[stale-cornflakes]

Beady Eyes MAP- Part 7

Process video ↓

AYYYY back at it with another Rainworld map! I had a lot of fun figuring this one out! When I first started this I had no idea how to draw scugs and it definitely showed through the lost it all map." But this gave me a great opportunity to experiment with some squash and stretch in a few shots.

Deep dive into the process under cut!

Walking into this I expected the part to be about 5 seconds long. It ended up being more than double at 13 seconds-

This Map was a blast to work on. My fellow participants are a pleasure to work with, and communication between everyone is top tier. Everyone is so nice, and it's an overall pleasant experience. As for the creation of my part itself: My part is to line up with the previous. Due to this, I started the intro with Survivor's side profile last on the storyboard. That way, I waited till the part 6 owner had at least a sketch or storyboard down in order to line them up.

I always jot down my first thought on ibis with my finger and animate on a separate program. You can see it in the process where the aspect ratio is all off, haha. The first iteration is always rough; never taking more than an hour.

In this version there are 2 key differences.

1: Monk shakes their head and follows after Surv.

2: There is a Karma bump from a successful cycle. Monk then wakes up from hibernation, signaling that this was a dream.

While I was thinking of using this, I did not for a better flow.

Once this was completed, I actually took a week break off from art and animation to prevent burn-out. However, with that the wip check was coming up. I was not concerned about it because I had work to show. But, Cioror (the host) was so amazing as to compile everyone's parts into a proto-map for the wip check. I was not aware of this and spent the day sketching out the second sketch with proper dimensions. I posted the adobe sketch 2 minutes before the video premiered, so there was still the small dimensions of Ibis there lol.

Onto the line art and coloring. There is a reason why in the process video I did not separate those two. It's because when working on Lost it all, I found that putting the two on separate layers is HORRIBLE. ABSOLUTELY GOD AWFUL NEVER AGAIN. So, instead, I would go straight to the line art and make fill lines out of frame to color.

This resulted in some frames getting a little messy behind the scenes.

Another thing I considered was rather than the characters being in a void, they would be in The Void. Complete with an animated background. This was quickly stopped in order to save my sanity, and to line up with the previous part.

In my animations I almost NEVER let a character stay completely still. When Idle I always have them alternate between at least 3 frames. It makes it feel like the character is breathing, and not just a static image. It also just feels right to do that. 'Tis my animation style.

The final stretch was cleaning up the lines and making sure the scugs were on model. During this time, Monk's face became wider, and their head sharper. This is also the part of the process where most of the squash and stretch was applied.

Finally, was simply adding the filter gradient on multiply. Basically, wrapping the animation up in a little bow 👍

overall, I've been working on and off on this project for two months.

[dateamonster]

this halloween season im going on a journey of trying to understand art the clown. (talking At Length about the movies terrifier and, to a lesser degree, all hallows eve under the cut. so obligatory Spoilers warning goes here.)

when i first saw terrifier pop up as a title on netflix, i pretty much immediately wrote it off as a generic slasher/scary clown schlock movie, and for a while it seemed like that was the general consensus. i dont think i saw any real buzz about the terrifier movies until the second one came out, and after that it seemed like i blinked and the third one was already in theaters along with tons of art the clown merch and costumes on shelves. i did a little research about the general content of the movies and audience reactions, trying my best not to spoil myself in the process, and decided it was either the sheer grotesque spectacle winning people over in a "how much can you take before you puke" kinda way or there was really something to this series that i just wasnt seeing, and either one seemed like enough to make it worth the watch.

i figured if i was gonna do this i needed to go all in, so i started with all hallows eve, the movie art the clown actually first features in before going on to get his own franchise. theres not terribly much to say about this not-prequel. the art of all hallows eve shares some broad similarities with the final version and establishes a few reoccurring motifs: the use of a tv as a framing device, arts love of shit play and gruesome mutilations as performance. other than that, this version of art comes off as a lot more immediately supernatural in nature. hes sort of operating on a plane somewhere between looney tunes and the ring, apparating out of thin air with a sign cheerfully inviting you to see the circus one moment and hammering his fists on the inside of your tv screen the next. as an introduction to the franchise-to-be i think it sets the stage pretty well, but this is still very clearly a proto-art, not yet the real deal we will come to know.

moving on to the first terrifier movie, the first thing that jumps out is naturally the return of the tv, although this time we start on arts side of the screen in a nondescript location that seems to function as a green room where he readies himself for the next act. the lone survivor of arts apparent offscreen activities being interviewed on screen declares confidently that art is dead, that she personally saw it happen, but fans of classic slashers know that means very little. art could be a ghost, or a demon of some sort, but he could also be more of a michael meyers type boogieman, both human and innately unkillable until proven otherwise, or until his movies no longer brings in the crowds.

and thats something that, especially if youve started with all hallows eve, becomes very apparent right away: terrifier is a movie about movies, taking its inspiration from slashers and gory torture-centric horror of the late 90s and early 00s, which in turn evolved from the classic slashers of 70s and 80s. both the actions of art himself and the surreal horror-trope laden world he inhabits, from the dreamy-eyed woman cradling her porcelain doll child to the mutilated victim turned crazed killer herself, inform us that we are very much watching a movie, that everything we see is not reality nor meant to imitate it, but a shade of hyperreality that exists because we are choosing to watch and engage with it.

which comes back to the character of art himself. a clown, a mime, a performance artist who himself is literally Art. "he thinks its funny because hes laughing" explains the witness, or rather, by dressing and acting like a clown he turns murder into entertainment. you could also say this is what all movie slashers with their respective masks and gimmicks do for the audience. the delivery is what determines the tone is what determines how the performance is received is what determines what the action is. and what it is, is shit and smut and death. and what it is, is art.

currently my interpretation is that terrifier is a movie in conversation with horror movies as a whole. we're currently in a cultural moment where the so-called elevated A24 horror film reigns supreme, and while theres definitely still a place for over the top guts and gore in horror cinema, but theres a lingering stigma that labels this type of film unsophisticated at best and degenerate at worst. terrifier to me is taking the stance that no matter what you personally think of it you have to recognize that even a movie like this is a form of art, and that whether by simple shock value or by its messages or by the merit of the leading mans honestly very impressive silent performance, it has earned its place in popular culture.

at least until i watch the other movies and decide i hate them. we'll see what happens! ttyl!

[aleielle-of-roshar]

WIP Wednesday!!

Thank you for the tag @lobo-inu !!!

Tagging @neptuniadoesstuff @noomycatz @bookworm-driven-insane @snailtowne aaaand @benjaminfranklemons :D /nf (plus anyone else who wants to join in!!!)

Unfortunately no art this time, buuuut I’m halfway done of the Sablewing info sheet thing >:D (a few things were skipped atm lol)

(Oops tumblr kinda ruins the formatting lol, + not as well written ss the Albedowings cuz I’ve been dealing with crazy migraines. Do be warned I do not proof read at all :’D)

Sablewings

Alternate Names: The Farmers (both by Albedowings and Squallwings), and our Kin (by Tanglewings)

Scavenger Name: Friend Dragons

Symbolism: ‘sable’ represents the rich volcanic soil, and coastal sands, of their land rather than the Sablewings themselves… As they pride themselves greatly in their ability to work so well with it

Name in Native Dialect: Gr’ehnd He ‘those who seed’

————————————————————————

Continent of Origin

Original Homeland: Though technically originally from the far northeastern Phytoan island- it was so long ago that they were only proto-sablewings at this point.

Migration History: Apart from that one very early migration from the island to the south eastern Phasdean fields, they’ve remained in their safe, fertile lands.

Current Range: Southern Phasdean Fields and Hills, and an area of non cliffed coastline in the fields portion.

Territorial Claims: Southern Phasdean Fields and Hills, and an area of non cliffed coastline in the fields portion. Lost the cliffed coastlines in the hills to the Squallwings long long ago. 

————————————————————————

Physical Characteristics

General Appearance

General Description: It is quite obvious that Sablewings evolved perfectly to first their role in their ecological niche as herbivorous megafauna, and then to the farming that they're so proud of. They are stout, powerfully built dragons with broad shoulders and muscular frames, yet they carry themselves with a sort of calm, gentle presence that has earned them the general consensus amongst other tribes that they are the kindest, and most trustworthy, folk in Phadea.

Average Size and Proportions: 90ft from snout to tail, 28ft from claw to shoulder, 180ft wingspan, 19ft wide, and a weight of 310,567lbs.

Colouration and Patterns: Predominantly earthen tones- ie deep charcoals, rich browns, muted olives, ashy grays, etc- though the occasional individual will have a strong red undertone. Those who are patterned are usually mottled or speckled, but splotches and eyespots aren’t unheard of- these are always darker versions of their base colours, or black.

Rare Markings: Very, very rarely Sablewings are born with vein-like markings on their legs and/or sides, in shiny metallic tones, as if metal is growing out of their scales.

Scale Texture: Rough, slightly uneven, and matte- with the exception of their belly and neck scales, which are thicker and smooth to better protect from the wear of ground level hazards on them while they work.

Bioluminescence: None, but though there is no proof it ever happened- and if it was real they long lost that trait- but Sablewing folklore (albeit some most don’t believe in) claims that a specific town of Sablewings in the mountains who ‘were blessed by a piece of the heavens’ had splatterings of scales that always glistened and glowed faintly under the moonlight.

Head and Facial Features

Horn Style: Thick, gently curved horns that stop by their cheeks- almost like a ram’s. Unlike most dragon horns, they are blunt rather than sharp, and sometimes features slight ridging and dipping like some ungulates’. However this is usually a mark of age, as it tends to form and grow more extreme the older one gets.

Facial Shape: Sablewings’ heads are on the broader side- but round instead of square (like say, mudwings)- with shorter, flatter snouts, leading most to have a resting smile.

Eyes: Two average sized eyes with, oddly enough, horizontally slit pupils, generally in ambers, yellows, or greens. This is technically a leftover from when they were still from Phytoa, and had to look out for predators while they grazed.

Other: Most Sablewings have small bony ridges above their eyes that offer some amount of protection from dust (like some sort of primitive eyelashes), alongside this, Sablewings have large, wide kind of horse-like nostrils.

Wing Characteristics

Wing Shape: Their wings are rounded and broad with thick and durable membranes, not really able to sustain much more than short bursts of flight.

Unique Features: The leading edges of their wings are covered in thick, slightly ridged, scales- so much more powerful than their other scales that it allows them to use them as makeshift shields (sacrificing longer flight for such an adaptation).

Appendages and Tail

Tail Features: Sablewings’ tail is thick and muscular, with a large, flat and bladed end made of a keratinous material similar to a hoof. However, it is dull unless sharpened, but when sharp it is used to cut crops, trees, or ingredients for their meals.

Leg Structure: Their legs are short and stocky, with particularly muscular hind legs and flatter than average talons.

Claws: Long and thick with a slight curve- perfect for digging trenches or pulling up tubers! Typically darker and shinier than the rest of their scales.

Dimorphism and Variation

Sexual Dimorphism: What once may have- long before the Sablewings became sapient- been meant to attract mates, has since become perfect for aiding in their agriculture, due to seasonal changes in both sexes during the spring (which reverts back to normal in the very early summer / returns to looking similar). Which is why families are able to have such huge fields with little or no hired talonss.

((Male))

Scales grow more vibrant and colourful- rich oranges, reds, yellows, blues, and purple patches and patterns forming- but become softer and more flexible, allowing them to grow faster, but slightly more susceptible to damage if they were attacked (which is undoubtedly why wars with the Squallwings typically occurred in the spring)

Their tail blades curve dramatically, into an almost sickle-like shape.

Horns grow reflective patches.

((Female))

Grows significantly larger and more muscular.

Scales grow duller and patterns grow darker (more contrast).

Their tail blade grows longer and thicker, with the edges becoming slightly serrated.

Neck and shoulder scales grow thicker.

Age Stages: Egg > Hatchling > Dragonet > Adult.

((Egg))

Eggs are oval, with rough gray shells with white speckles, and are significantly harder than most dragon eggs and in fact are sometimes mistaken for small boulders by non-dragons (including mosses that love to cling to their surfaces, aiding in a way with camouflage). Instead of being put in the usual nests, they are buried in warm soil near geothermal hotspots like hot springs, geysers, and mudpots, which incubates them- however they’ve grown so reliant on the ground’s heat with their eggs that they genuinely can’t raise eggs in many environments.

((Hatchling))

Hatchlings emerge with a thick, charcoal gray fuzz covering their soft and flexible scales, which helps them stay warm.

They’re born without wings, instead having non functional wing stubs, alongside this their horns underdeveloped- with not even a nub on their heads.

Their claws are disproportionately large, and hatchlings possess a strong instinctive desire to dig- and they can often be found hiding in the dirt with only their snouts sticking straight out of the soil.

((Dragonet))

As scales harden, they shed their fuzz in early dragonethood- this can often be very very itchy and uncomfortable.

Horn nubs slowly begin to form, and so does their tail blade- however the ‘blade’ are more flexible and rubbery, and used more for balance.

Due to how much they’re growing, during mid dragonethood they hibernate through the winter, and by the end of this period their wings will have mostly developed, allowing flight, albeit clumsily.

((Adult))

Their horns, wings, and tail blades become fully developed, and their claws and wing membranes darken.

Due to their size, and now no longer flexible scales, they cannot really tunnel like they somewhat could as dragonet, instead switching more towards trenches when they feel worried- and using their strong wings as a sort of ‘cover’ to protect themselves.

Sablewings start experiencing strong changes in the spring.

Claw sheaths thicken enough that they can somehow tuck in their claws most of the way when not using them, which makes tool use much less awkward.

Subspecies:

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Adaptations

Environmental Survival: Sablewings were always lucky, living in such a safe, rich environment has lead them to not really need to develop many particular mechanisms to survive in their land, but over time they have grown (evolutionarily) incredibly reliant on geothermal heat, as otherwise they would be completely unable to hatch their eggs. But, due to being in such a mineral rich, yet sodium poor environment, they’ve evolved special sodium retaining glands in their kidneys that will absorb practically all consumed sodium to help prevent deficiency. Their scales have also, interestingly enough, grown much more red in colour over the ages since their migration, now matching their local soil.

Defense Mechanisms: Despites being relatively peaceful, if needed their tail blades, and huge claws are their primary defense- slicing and stabbing through unarmoured scales as well as most swords- but of course, before attacking they’ll always thump their tails loudly against the ground in warning and spread their wings wide to appear even bigger, in hopes to scare away their opponent first and avoid a fight all together, Though if they can, they’re much more likely to dig a trench, and use their wings to sort of… Cap it shut. This can also be used to stay cool during breaks on hotter days.

Hunting / Foraging: Though once long ago they were grazers, nowadays practically all Sablewing families have their own farm which gives them more than enough food to live comfortably, but they have a preference for root vegetables and grains- and in fact candied roots are very popular amongst the Sablewings. When snacking on fresh fruit or seeds, they’ll crack them open with their tails or cut them into slices. During periods of mineral deficiency, especially when trade is low, individuals will often go to the coasts to seek out coastal salt deposits, or occasionally resort to carrion consumption.

Temperature Regulation: Luckily, during the cooler months, their matte scales are incredibly good at capturing heat- and hatchling fuzz is great insulation. During warmer months, oddly enough they have vents on their flanks that almost resemble gills- which open up and release excess body heat, but seal tight in the winter. Adults also use their wings as shade and fans, especially when chilling in cool trenches.

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Abilities

Standard Powers

Standard: Instead of traditional firebreathing, Sablewings have the ability to release short range, concussive blasts of superheated gasses- which are basically controlled mini explosions. They have specialized organs besides each lung, that produce flammable gasses via a sort of… Fermentation process, and when mixed with a certain enzyme produced in glands in their mouths, and oxygen, it creates a brief but powerful explosion. They can control how much gas they expel, from a small puff that can knock objects over, to an incredible blast that can shatter rocks or topple trees. However, overuse leads to lightheadedness, and gas depletion that requires hours to replenish. Poor control in untrained, usually young, dragons can lead to accidental backfiring- and self injury. This is an entirely close ranged ability, and is nicknamed ‘burstfire’ by the other Phasdean Tribes.

Royal: No difference.

Cultural Uses: Sablewings have found many uses for their burstfire, primarily helping in construction and mining, as well as helping loosen particularly difficult patches of soil. And unsurprisingly, small puffs are exactly what’s needed in some of their traditional instruments.

Rare Powers

Examples: Sablewings in fact have three different rare powers, each more uncommon and dangerous than the last.

((Ashblooded Sablewings- 1 in 500)) Blasts contain ash and debris- heated to such an extreme that it can cause small fires and burns wherever in hits. Though incredibly dangerous, individuals with this power are often employed in controlled burn operations to help clear out dead brush. Ashblooded Sablewings often have urges to consume clay and salt much much than the average individual, sometimes to an overwhelming extent.

((Earthcaller Sablewings- 1 in 1000)) Instead of being able to exhale blasts of burstfire, their combustion is able to be forced inward through their limbs, creating small scale tremors in the ground around them, but of course can only be used when they’re on the ground. It has an incredibly high energy cost, and overuse can cause muscle damage, joint strain, or even to an extreme extent- paralysis.

((Blazeborn Sablewings- 1 in 10,000)) Retain internal heat way beyond normal- to the point that the passive heat around them can melt ice, dry crops, or basically work as a personal furnace, and can accidentally burn those who touch them (not to the extent of killing- but can still hurt or even scar if the touch lingers too long). Their burstfire is stronger, and the gasses needed replenishes much faster. However their metabolism is incredibly hyperactive, and alongside that they have an extreme risk of overheating, and need to often take dips in rivers or coastal waters to avoid organ damage and eventual death.

Inheritance: Each rare power is a recessive trait, and though a couple where both have one have a higher chance to have a dragonet with one of these abilities, it seems to simply occur rather unexpectedly.

Cultural Perception: ((Ashblooded)) Seen as a dangerous burden, but not hated or feared, and young Sablewings with this power are often closely supervised to avoid horribly hurting themselves. ((Earthcaller)) Greatly respected, and often grow quite rich in the hills where they are employed to loosen the hard, tough soil. ((Blazeborn)) Greatly pitied by most, and viewed as a curse by some, but honestly mostly just seen as a disability amongst Sablewings. Unfortunately it hasn’t been unheard of, or at least there’s two known historical occasions (it's unknown if its still happening), for such individuals to be kidnapped by Squallwings and forced to become destructive weapons.

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Dietary Habits

Primary Diet: Obligate herbivores, focusing primarily on nutrient dense roots and grains, alongside salty coastal plants, and the occasional fruit orchard. Their diet changes slightly during different seasons- in spring and summer its incredibly high carb to give them lots of energy while they work, during the autumn they eat loads of fatty nuts to prepare for less food in the winter months, and during winter they rely solely on preserved and pickled foods.

Hunting Techniques: Meat is an absolute last resort and consuming it is culturally perceived as a sign of hardship, and when they absolutely require the salt scavenging carrion is prefered to hunting… but when they need to, they can only really hope they can ambush something, and rely on brute strength to bring something down.

Preferred Prey / Resources: High carb roots and grains, salty vegetables, and oddly enough, they will occasionally consume mineral rich clay.

Digestive Quirks: Sablewings have an incredibly efficient stomach, and can even break down the toughest and most fiber dense vegetation, though they tend to generate significant body heat when digesting, leading them to often retreat to cooler locations when they eat full meals- but their metabolism slows significantly in the winter, and speeds up significantly in the spring. They can even eat quite a bit of fermented food without any bloating.

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Habitat

Biome: Temperate mineral rich plains and (not very rocky) hills, with low coastal cliff-less beaches.

Shelter Preferences: Sablewings’ houses are built with local materials- partially into the sides of hills (natural or made by them)- like packed earth, clay, timber, and woven reeds, and almost always have a small section built underground for storing personal foodstsuff and keeping it cool. They have wide, sloping entrances to accommodate their size. Roofs are typically flat or gently curved, and layered with packed soil, and living mosses and/or grasses so that their houses blend into the environment. Families will often plant medicinal or edible herbs up there as well. Villages are typically built in loose spirals around a shared communal space, which often features a large hearth for shared meals. Storage buildings, which are always closest to the center of the village, run deep, so that they can keep many produce cool year round. Many villages also have communal bath houses at local hot springs, which are great both for hygiene, but also social gathering places. Coastal villages often have small, sturdy harbours made of wood and stone- not for fishing or storing boats, but instead as a centralized trading hub full of stalls, warehouses, and hubs for salt drying produce. Older villages also contain great lengths of trenches, and ‘trench shelters’- deep narrow tunnels reinforced with wood, stone, packed earth, and even metal, with even whole rooms. Originally meant to be a place to hunker down during twar, it’s now used as a shelter during particularly bad storms. Larger communal halls have incredibly thick reinforced walls, and wing-flaps to allow them to quickly be sealed during storms and attacks.

Climate Tolerance: Sablewings are well adapted to their temperate homes, though they’d struggle in cold or hot locales. And have long learned how to deal architecturally with the frequent weather systems from the east- heavy rains are absorbed by their moss laden roofs, and erosion from which is mitigated from purposefully planted deep rooted plants, winds are negligible due to rounded structures built semi underground, and during the rare snowstorms the whole village will huddle together in communal halls.

Interaction w/ Environment: As their entire culture is tied so deeply to the soil, unsurprisingly they seem themselves as guardians of the land and try very hard to keep their earth healthy- be it by rotating crops, using trenches to help with irrigation, constructing great dams, burning dead brush, planting saplings right after cutting down trees, or simply growing great fields of flowers that pollinators love. And the most surprising? They outlaw the hunting of Scavengers in their lands by other tribes, as they see them as necessary to avoid too much rot.

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Behaviour and Society

Social Structure

Governance: Gerontocratic Confederation

Roles: Unlike many tribes, Sablewings have never had castes. The most common jobs amongst the Sablewings are: growers, harvesters, toolwrights, quarry workers, dragonet caretakers, builders, musicians, and salt gatherers. Some also common roles, that are specific to their tribe are: ‘heartspeakers’ (mediators, storytellers, and historians), and ‘springkindlers’ (their whole job is about keeping the land healthy- be it from giving trees medicine, working with Ashblooded Sablewings to burn dead brush, or cleaning waterways.

Conflict Resolution: Due to how chill Sablewings are on average, their laws don’t include many crazy punishments. Local disputes are resolved village gatherings, often lead by heartspeakers making sure both sides are heard, if a resolution isn’t reached the local Elder is called to step in and give a solution (more restitution rather than retribution). In major offenses, like theft or assault, culprits are expected to either do community service, or work for the victim for a certain length of time- if they refuse they are temporarily exiled to work in the mines in the mountains until they're considered reformed. In the extremely rare cases of horribly violent crimes, culprits are permanently exiled from Sablewing lands- but of course nor executed, as such a thing is considered barbaric.

Customs and Daily Life

Rituals: Unsurprisingly, many a custom is centered around the harvest, and includes feasting and music- but all but one that is common amongst all Sablewings is related to a holiday. The sole ritual unrelated to said holidays is simply that musicians are often hired by families to sing to unhatched eggs, as it's believed it helps the dragons within grow.

Mating and Family: Sablewing families are very, very different from other dragons’- as they place communal bonds just as high up in importance as blood bonds. Alongside this, marriage bonds are common, but it isn’t actually culturally considered wrong to part ways, and amicable separations are completely accepted. Dragonets are cared for semi-communally- and though they live with, and spend the morning in the fields with their parents, they are sent to caretakers during the afternoons to learn from both them and the elders. 

Daily Routines: Sablewings have a fairly predictable, stable routine- early risers will gather up crops or coastal plants for breakfast, or mend tools, or early rising hatchlings will play and practice digging. When all awaken there is a huge communal breakfast at the central hearth, before heading out to the fields. Around midday, work pauses for a bit at peak heat as Sablewings retreat to cool trenches or springs for rest and storytelling. The afternoon is usually used for personal repairs, preserving crops, and harvesting any last crops- this is also usually when dragonets will do a few light choirs. In the evening families gather for dinner at home, and often many a song can be heard in the village while they dine- and finally, after all have eaten, usually there’ll either be a story told by the hearth, or a council meeting. Then finally, sleep.

Interpersonal Relationships

Friendship and Kinship: The Sablewings deeply value connection, and bonds between friend run deeper than the deepest roots. One of the most common shows of friendship are acts of service, of the gifting of homecooked meals or tiny handmade trinkets- alongside this friends adore going to storytelling sessions, or listening to musicians together. Funnily enough, Sablewings consider ‘family’ much more than blood, and will often call other members of the same village ‘brother, aunt, grandparent’ etc.

Attitude Towards Outsiders: Outsiders are always, initially, treated with a cautious hospitality- though polite at first, most of a village will give the newcomer space until their intentions are clear- but as soon as it’s obvious they mean no harm? They’re treated like siblings! However, travellers in need are never turned away, as it's considered a moral duty, and in fact many families will simultaneously jump to the opportunity to offer food, shelter, and supplies. Though they are generally open minded, they tend to initially show some discomfort and unease at the arrival of a Squallwing traveller, but if they prove to not be planning to harm the village, this will slowly change to a strong curiosity.

War Strategy: Though naturally peaceful, Sablewings do not fight recklessly. First they start with avoidance, trying to make diplomacy work when first attacked… But if it becomes evident that it won’t work, then ambushes and traps are their go to- and the not at all uncommon tunnel networks connecting villages in the more populated south-west are often used for evacuation or sudden flanking. But if nothing works they’ll simply dig in and try to outlast with their great food stores.

Allies: Due to many a generation of trade, they are allied with the Albedowings… But there are currently talks amongst the Elders to finally break it off for obvious reasons. They’ve recently become allies with the Tanglewings, and both trade grown produce with the other- though typically dried or pickled.

Enemies: More isolated, or north eastern villages have a healthy fear of their Squallwing neighbours, from years upon years of ransacking and kidnappings, and the Sablewings are officially ‘enemies’ of the Squallwings for good reason.

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[bi-numi-aliyani]

Shulmu 𒁲𒈬, my friends! I wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about this place whatsoever. I actually started writing something big, but I got sidetracked with various other things. Again, though, I haven't forgotten and I'm gonna commit to making sure I don't neglect the Shrine! To make up for it, I'd at least like to share some sketches I've made in the meantime :)

First up are some more Deity symbols! The Seal of 𒀭ʿAshtart-Shala, going on my perspective that West Semitic 𒀭ʿAshtart and East Semitic 𒀭Shala are the same Goddess, is based on designs associated with the "Storm God's Wife" type in different regions as well as an Ugaritic Astral symbol. I also see it symbolizing something of the Celestial Realm in general, interestingly enough.

The Four-Pointed Star is associated with 𒀭Hadad in ancient times. The “War” variant is based on a metal standard from Ugarit (I'm not sure on what basis it's called a Hittite symbol, perhaps that version comes from Anatolia). There's also a Sun-and-Moon symbol (doesn't it just barely remind you of something very... Catholic?) and the Lightning-Fork, the East Semitic precursor to 𒀭Baʿal's ʾArzu (Cedar) in Levantine myth and iconography. Both of these are from an Old Babylonian cylinder seal.

With 𒀭ʿAshirat, there's two Sacred Tree symbols and what looks to have been a fertility motif from Canaanite pendants. There's also a design from a Megiddo cylinder seal (I was thinking of something else when I wrote “Old Syrian”) which I didn't finish drawing and you can even see where I erased some elements which I still mean to redraw so I can finish the thing.

Next are two drawings of 𒀭Milqart! The first one started out in concept as a sort of Seal, but to be honest I just think it turned out an alright drawing if I may say so. The basic design comes from Tyrian coinage, albeit I chose to reinterpret it with more Ancient Near Eastern as opposed to more Hellenic symbolism (no disrespect for Hellenism!). The King of Eternity's bespoke apparel and wings are mostly based on the Assyrian “genies”, although I certainly do not intend to imply any connection with that. His garment also draws from a Phoenician-influenced engraved silver bowl of the Latin culture (which shows Him bodying a fucking gorilla btw). His Crown has horns and a long tassel much like Ba'al's is sometimes portrayed along with some geometric motifs inspired by Atef. I decided to do something geometric with the Celestial symbols as well. He holds His two Attributes representing Life and Death, the Ankh and the Phoenician Fenestrated Axe respectively. Life is symbolically offered up on the Horned Altar inspired by an actual one from the Roman period.

Tyre's founding myth of the Ambrosial Rocks is also portrayed with the Eagle and Snake living together in harmony in the Oil (Olive) Tree which the Rocks wandered around in the midst of the Sea until 𒀭Milqart told them where to settle. I originally decided to put a proto-alphabetic Alef and Bet ;) on the Rocks based on the assertion the term “Ambrosial” is derived from Semitic ʿAmm Beruth meaning “Mother of Wells.” I couldn't find any good evidence for that, but I decided to have them there anyway to symbolize beginning (albeit I realize now they should be in reverse). The Eagle offers 𒀭Milqart a Wreath Crown with the Pillars of the Two Tyres. On the lower register is the myth of 𒀭Milqart's Dog biting a Murex Shell which led Him to discover the precious Tyrian Purple dye and the whole composition is framed by Wreaths.

The Head of Milqart was purely a creative/inspirational outflowing with some slight tweaks made in post.

This next one is something of a personal seal for me. It's mostly based on the 𒀭ʿAshtart-Shala symbol and this is to ask for protection. The triple-ʿAlef in the midst of the Hexagram represents my chosen Pagan name to that effect. The Name of 𒀭Qadesh-ʿAshtart-ʿAnat, Who is a “composite” Goddess in my view, is written on the Lunar Crescent and I recycled some of the Tyrian symbolism as well. The two symbols on either side are based on designs of sceptres held by ancient Images of 𒀭ʾEl, one representing His House and the other a Solar symbol.

The Head of Baʿal here is in the same category as the Head of Milqart.

Thanks for checking out my work, I really hope you enjoyed it :)

[theaceofskulls]

Okay, given that I typically don't love the Lancer archetype and find that the hotshot, rebellious soldier with a chip on his shoulder is often something that can go horribly wrong, AND I felt like his frame was a "remember the new guy" and there were a lot of the classics I wanted to see proto-versions of, I'm surprised at how much I loved Quincy in Warframe 1999.

He continued to surprise me with his messages and felt so integral to the dynamic in a way that I struggle to think of changing him out for a different frame which would need a different archetype entirely to work with.

He also adds so much to Cyte-09's characterization by virtue of how different it feels from him in personality thanks to its inhuman sound effects still feeling very military and rigid.

I loved all of the Hex and am really hoping DE finally stops dropping NPCs off once they move forward, because I really need Quincy to interact with Darvo and Maroo somehow.

[vinylarchavist]

Blue Öyster Cult’s debut album Blue Öyster Cult released in 1972 on Columbia Records. Let’s dive into the details of this album, focusing on the catalog number KC 31063, its significance for vinyl collectors

Album Overview

Title: Blue Öyster Cult

Artist: Blue Öyster Cult

Label: Columbia Records

Catalog Number: KC 31063

Release Year: 1972 (original release; KC 31063 may indicate a specific pressing or reissue)

Producers: Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, David Lucas

Genre: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock

Length: ~36 minutes

Format: 12" Vinyl LP (stereo)

Clarifying the Catalog Number

The catalog number KC 31063 is associated with Columbia Records’ stereo LP release of Blue Öyster Cult’s debut album. Columbia used catalog prefixes like “C” (mono) and “KC” (stereo) in the early 1970s. The number C 31014 was the original mono catalog number, while KC 31063 typically denotes the stereo version of the same album, though some sources suggest it could also indicate a later pressing or regional variant (e.g., a Canadian or export pressing). Since your description of the cover art—doors in rooms under a starry sky through a circular frame—matches the debut album’s iconic Bill Gawlik design, KC 31063 is likely a stereo pressing of Blue Öyster Cult from 1972 or a closely related reissue.

Key points about KC 31063:

Original vs. Reissue: KC 31063 is generally tied to the 1972 stereo release, but Columbia’s cataloging practices mean it could also appear on early reissues (e.g., 1973–1975). Check the vinyl’s deadwax/runout etchings (e.g., “AL 31063” or “BL 31063”) to confirm if it’s a first pressing. First pressings often have “P” (Pitman plant) or “S” (Santa Maria plant) in the runout.

Label Design: Original 1972 pressings have the red Columbia label with “360 Sound Stereo” text and the “walking eye” logo. Later pressings may have a simpler red label with “Columbia” repeated around the edge.

Cover Art

The album’s cover, designed by Bill Gawlik, is a striking black-and-white illustration of arched doorways in a labyrinthine perspective, leading to the band’s hooked-cross logo under a starry sky, framed in a circular lens. This surreal, cosmic design perfectly matches your description and is a collector’s favorite for its bold, monochromatic aesthetic and occult undertones. The back cover typically features band photos, track credits, and liner notes by Sandy Pearlman, reinforcing the album’s mythic vibe.

Track Listing

The album includes 10 tracks, consistent across pressings:

Transmaniacon MC (4:15) – A biker anthem inspired by Altamont.

I’m on the Lamb but I Ain’t No Sheep (3:10) – Bluesy proto-metal, later reworked as “The Red & the Black.”

Then Came the Last Days of May (3:30) – A somber ballad about a fatal drug deal.

Stairway to the Stars (3:42) – Upbeat, cosmic rock.

Before the Kiss, a Redcap (4:56) – Bluesy with cryptic lyrics.

Screams (3:10) – Dark, keyboard-driven atmosphere.

She’s as Beautiful as a Foot (2:56) – Surreal, psychedelic oddity.

Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll (4:02) – Iconic proto-metal anthem.

Workshop of the Telescopes (4:00) – Sci-fi-themed with complex instrumentation.

Redeemed (4:00) – Melodic, optimistic closer.

Musical Style and Themes

Blue Öyster Cult blends raw hard rock, proto-metal, and psychedelic elements. Buck Dharma’s searing guitar leads, Eric Bloom’s commanding vocals, and Allen Lanier’s moody keyboards create a sound that’s heavy yet cerebral. Lyrically, the album explores dark and enigmatic themes—motorcycle gangs, cosmic mysteries, and surreal imagery—crafted by manager Sandy Pearlman and critic Richard Meltzer. Tracks like “Workshop of the Telescopes” hint at the band’s “Imaginos” mythology, a sci-fi narrative developed in later albums. The raw production captures their early live energy, distinct from the polished sound of later hits like “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”

Vinyl Collector Details

Significance of KC 31063: As a stereo pressing, KC 31063 is desirable for its fidelity compared to mono C 31014 pressings, which are rarer but less sought-after due to the era’s shift to stereo. The catalog number confirms it’s an early pressing, likely from 1972 or shortly after, making it collectible.

Condition and Value: On Discogs, original KC 31063 pressings in VG+ condition typically sell for $15–$40, with near-mint or sealed copies fetching $50–$120 (as of 2025). Prices depend on jacket condition (prone to ring wear) and vinyl quality. Check for matrix numbers (e.g., “AL 31063-1A”) and pressing plant marks in the runout to verify authenticity.

Rarities: Promotional copies with “Demonstration” stamps or white-label pressings are scarce and valuable. The hooked-cross logo, later controversial for resembling a swastika (though intended as an occult symbol), adds historical intrigue to early pressings.

Jacket and Inserts: Originals may include a lyric sheet or Columbia promotional insert. The jacket’s heavy cardboard is durable but susceptible to seam splits or corner dings.

Reissues: Later editions (e.g., Columbia PC 31063 or Friday Music’s 2016 180-gram vinyl) use different catalog numbers but retain the same artwork. KC 31063 is closer to the original release, enhancing its value.

Reception and Legacy

Released in January 1972, Blue Öyster Cult peaked at #172 on the Billboard 200, reflecting modest initial success. Critics lauded its raw energy and unique lyrical vision, though some noted its unevenness compared to later albums like Secret Treaties (1974). Over time, it’s been hailed as a proto-metal cornerstone, influencing bands like Metallica and earning praise for tracks like “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll,” a live staple. The album’s gritty sound and cosmic imagery make it a touchstone for 1970s hard rock collectors.

For Vinyl Collectors

Why Collect KC 31063: This pressing captures BÖC’s raw debut with iconic artwork and historical significance. Its stereo mix offers better dynamics for audiophiles, and the catalog number ties it to the original 1972 release cycle.

Where to Find: Check Discogs, eBay, or Reverb LP for KC 31063 listings. Local record stores or flea markets may have copies, but inspect for scratches or jacket wear. Amazon lists reissues, but originals are rarer.

Care Tips: Store in a polyethylene-lined sleeve to protect the jacket. Clean the vinyl with a carbon-fiber brush or professional solution to preserve the warm, analog sound of Columbia’s 1970s pressings.

Companion Albums: Pair with Tyranny and Mutation (1973, Columbia KC 32017) and Secret Treaties (1974, Columbia KC 32858) for BÖC’s early trilogy, all featuring Gawlik’s art and similar proto-metal vibes.

Connection to Your Query

The KC 31063 pressing aligns with your description of the cover art: Bill Gawlik’s design of arched doorways under a starry sky, framed in a circle, is unmistakable. If you’re referring to a different album (e.g., Imaginos or Secret Treaties, which reference starry skies lyrically but have different art), let me know. The catalog number confirms this is the debut, not a later release.

Additional Notes

If you have the physical LP, check the following to assess its value:

Runout Etchings: Look for “AL 31063” or “BL 31063” with suffixes like “-1A” or “-1B” to confirm a first pressing.

Label Condition: Ensure the red Columbia label is intact, with no writing or tears.

Jacket: Check for ring wear, seam splits, or fading, as the black-and-white art shows wear prominently.

[giganotus]

I hope the protoframes aren't going to be a weird closed loop thing.

Call me weird, but I think it's fun to speculate on the original identities of the Warframes. Leaving them vague is interesting. So if the protos end up becoming the original versions of the frames due to some time fuckery, I'll be bummed out.

[rockmiyabideusexmachina]

New partial batch of Ruby Spears cels from a Double Buster campaign set.

I didn't notice the second batch of the remaining 3 cels from the same seller, as they were put up for bids a few days ago, which was like 2 weeks after I won this pair. Somebody else might be posting them eventually, though...

These two are at least in pretty decent shape, all things considered. The three I don't have from the set were all very discolored and damaged. Probably why the seller sold them separately, even though it's a shame the set was separated like that. But both pieces still needed a little touchup. So I'm including both the actual scan and a cleanup version once more.

Mega Man once again comes from Episode 13, The Strange Island of Dr. Wily. It's right after the second eyecatch, when Proto Man saves him from falling off the side of a cliff, as a boulder sent from the Stone Bots is dropping upon them. A frame or two before they both raise their busters to blast it. "TIME FOR TEAMWORK!"

As far as the Skullker...I'm struggling to locate that source. Which is surprising, since there are only so many Skullker episodes. Again, I was hoping it was from the Lion Men episode, but that one is missing the skull nose socket. So that isn't it. The bottom jaw piece is at a weird angle compared to all the frames I was noticing in other episodes. Meh, I'm probably overlooking it. Just tired of trying to find it tonight.

Scanned from: My Production Art Stash

Original Scans: https://imgbox.com/td8WG8of https://imgbox.com/010YToFZ

Cleanup Scans: https://imgbox.com/fAAVb67b https://imgbox.com/dYB4S15u