#moonglum

[retrocatastrophy]

Elric incorrect quotes: shipping edition

[ploppymeep]

a good friend

[retroillustrates]

Companions

[mbharestuff]

ELRIC: my blade ate three souls at the movie theater today.

MOONGLUM: we have a 4K Blu-ray player, you don't need to visit--

ELRIC: (began sobbing the moment Moonglum started talking) dear Moonglum, are you expecting me to abandon CINEMA?

[xintract]

Made my old oc WIDE MOONGLUM in oblivion remaster

idk if any of you remember him

[snartha]

It's one newspaper, Moonglum, how much could it cost? Ten dollars?

[yojimbot13]

[championetterres]

"The Dragon in the Sword" (1987), Prologue, pt 3 :

Hear me out : The Eternal Champion has something for red hair. He says the "pretty/handsome Bladrak with his red hair". I know, some could says "if you are a man you can find an other one pretty without being called gay".

But I already said in earlier posts about Urlik and Bladrak they have both bisexual vibes.

I mean like Elric and Moonglum. The little man isn't described as handsome, but he clearly appeals Elric anyway...

[twilightcitadel]

In the exploration of dark fantasy, the focus lies on intricate plotting and underlying themes, as exemplified by Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Michael Moorcock's "Elric of Melniboné" Dark fantasy plots are not mere linear threads but rather resemble complex labyrinths. Shelley's use of letters in "Frankenstein" adds an element of mystery and discovery, epitomised by the quote, "I beheld the wretch—the miserable monster whom I had created." This unconventional structure, as highlighted in the quote, serves as a guide for crafting twisted plots that enhance storytelling through mystery.

The themes of despair and redemption emerge as crucial veins running through the narrative of dark fantasy. In Moorcock's "Elric of Melniboné" the struggle for redemption within a dark world adds intricate layers to the storyline, reflected in the quote, "I, who was his brother, his comrade, his soulmate, his alter ego, mourn him more than anyone else." Moorcock's work, as indicated by the source, illustrates how these themes can transform a narrative into a profound reflection of the human psyche, emphasising the significance of both plot complexity and thematic depth in the realm of dark fantasy storytelling.

Read more

[retrocatastrophy]

The only time I forgive characters sticking together because of plot is this case. They're so cute

[retroillustrates]

Eternal companions design

[bugbart]

they should’ve been at the club

[hanzajesthanza]

my attempts to avoid thoughts of geralt's hanza continue to fail, as sapkowski talks about them in front of my face.

(from manuscript, on the subject of the hero and the quest):

On this expedition, the Hero (Simple or King) is accompanied by others who are stereotypical-canonical fantasy characters, in other words - clichés:

Wizard-Mentor (the aforementioned MERLIN, Obi-wan Kenobi, Gandalf, Allanon, Belgarath, Sephrenia or Moiraine, who supports the hero with advice and help); Faithful Servant (in the case of the King, literally, in the case of the Simple, rather a childhood friend, Sam Gamgee. He serves the plot to recite wise folk maxims and prove that the simple people are the most morally healthy; or to save the ass of his master/friend where magic and a sharp sword will not help, and common sense and a strong, faithful arm will suffice). Good Knight (charismatic LANCELOT, always loyal and ready to fight, sometimes with some dark secret in his life); Worse Knight (always with some dark secret in his life, ambitious like Boromir, in the clutches of Evil, secretly collaborates with Evil, regrets betrayal, undergoes catharsis, perishes); Trickster - Conniver (see LOKI in "Materia Magiczna"**), cheerful, but can cause trouble, which attracts like a magnet; Damsel in Distress, who is saved from danger on the way and included in the team. Usually a princess in disguise. For several volumes of the cycle she does not like the Hero, in the last she becomes his wife.

* Type A = Percival, a hero who does not have power and is searching it, and Type B = King Arthur, a hero who has lost his power and wants to regain it. in other words, Type A = Reynevan and Type B = Geralt :)

** another chapter of the book, "Materia magica, or the Little Magical Alphabetical Lexicon," it's a glossary of various myth and legend. in loki's entry, he recounts some myths of loki and equivalates him with other figures across various traditions: Odysseus, Pryderi, Bricriu, Mordred, Alyosha Popovich, Coyote, Anansi, Maui). then he lists a few fantasy/spec fic characters he categorizes as trickers: Cugel (Dying Earth), Kickaha (World of Tiers), Coyote (Coyote Blue), Peter Lake (Winter's Tale), Moonglum (Elric of Melniboné), Nifft and Haldar (Nifft the Lean), Random (Chronicles of Amber), Saruman (Lord of the Rings), Shimrod (Lyonesse), Silk (The Belgariad and The Malloreon), Gray Mouser (Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser), Talen (The Elenium).

my thoughts:

pretty obvious assignments here, for the most part.

regis is the Wizard-Mentor, but, as he soon loses his mystique, his intellectual, philosophizing manner becomes mundane and irritating than providing magical provenance. he advises incessantly, answering questions before they're asked, giving guidance when no one asked. he only appears to be omniscient, and the others may think he's so smart because he's hundreds of years older than them, but is really just a guy, a middle aged man with a troubled youth which he learned from. his advice is not magically guided and for this reason is fallable, mortal, human. maybe the cliché is also played with in that he's a vampire, not a wizard, sorcerer, or priest, "‘I see.’ The poet sighed. ‘Is Regis a sorcerer?’ ‘No. No, not a sorcerer.’" ... as vampires are typically evil and regis is decidedly a force of good. (on this topic, @wampirzielarz once compared-contrasted gandalf and regis and it was super interesting :))

dandelion is a combination of the Faithful Servant and the Trickster. he's geralt's best friend, and doesn't fight alongside him with sword but his presence is necessary to our hero for moral support, that all makes the first part an obvious assignment... and... sapkowski lists a wide variety of tricksters of various moral alignments, but amongst them are some heroes and some best friends of heroes (and anti-heroes). and asides from being geralt's closest friend, dandelion is, after all, a rascal, who uses words and good looks to get what he wants from people. "a cynic, a lecher, a womanizer and a liar." (also, because i think szarlej also fits this double-definition as well, i won't hesitate to give them to dandelion, as they serve pretty similar functions alongside their respective heroes).

milva is the Good Knight, "always loyal and ready to fight" describes her perfectly, and her 'dark secret' was her pregnancy and plans for abortion. (though, the attribution of lancelot... well, maybe this is why some keen eyes saw a potential in yenva). anyhow, the playfulness with the cliché comes from the fact that she's a woman, which is supposed to be surprising that the hero's strongest ally is a woman. i think the "charismatic" attribute is also supposed to be played with here, as milva is simple and not too well-spoken, only so in her cursing. in other words, she's a peasant woman, and not a born-and-bred nobleman. also, for her gender, she is a play on another trope sapkowski mentions a couple of pages later, but i can't go into it now because it's too funny.

cahir is the Worse Knight, though perhaps in reverse, for all of his associations with Evil was in the past and shed like sports colors when he changed teams. he has no betrayal, "I will never betray you, witcher," all of his ‘betrayal’ was before he was even allied with the hero. but of course, for these sins, he "undergoes catharsis, perishes".

the Damsel in Distress is evidentially angouleme, being "saved from danger on the way and included in the team." the rebuking of the cliché, of course, is that geralt is "genuinely angry, genuinely confused, genuinely embarrassed" when she offers her "gratitude" to him. also, that she is no princess in disguise, just an ordinary girl, though she is confused for the princess they're after (who also happens to be another play on the damsel in distress cliché). and again, like milva, i think angouleme is related to another specifically female character cliché sapkowski calls out; but i'll save it for another post.

[yesgabsstuff]

Moonglum’s relationship with Elric is basically that post “his men would follow him anywhere, if only out of morbid curiosity.”

Me watching Elric of Melniboné sit there and brood about what his budding morality might mean for him, and that he’s above this stupid party (that’s for his benefit, attended by people who live in mortal fear of committing a social faux pas against him) anyway (fuck you you preps). While *slaves that have been biologically altered to sing only one note perfectly in a chorus* play in the background no less:

Welcome back Louis de Pointe du Lac.

[championetterres]

Finished TALES OF THE WHITE WOLF

I am glad there was a story about Moonglum in it

[retrocatastrophy]

Elric: You think I'm a fuckup? Just wait until you see me when I'm depressed!

Moonglum: Elric, you're always depressed.

Elric: This is literally my face. I can't help it.